Problems like this are not new and are even more frustrating when you get old, experienced and too cocky :')) One trick is to cut a window in the back of the large angle enough for a tack on the hidden corner. The window has to be cut without a torch. Usually a grinder works with a cutting disc. The tacks will hold things on location. Often if you weld the joint without taking the tack out the tack will hold the joint locked. If you take out the tack then the weld will shrink. I often will weld from the open area to the tack fusing over the tack last. It is nice when you have lots of time. You can do a weld, let cool and eyeball it before doing the next weld. Doing a butt joint with a backing bar allows you to lock the backing bar and both edges when you weld. It is less likely to shrink with the backing tacked inside. The larger the gap you are filling the greater the shrinkage. Often when you have completed the joint it is bent. Instead of flame shrinking you can grind out half the bead on the outside of the bend and weld it again causing it to shrink back. Today we are welding some assemblies out of one inch and one and a half inch plate. We put a 3/8 by 2 inch strap across to hold things. The strap started to bend. We put in a half by four inch bar locked in solid with extra welding. At end of day the half bar looks OK and the bent 3/8 has straightened out. Magic!!! Randy
"Grant Erwin" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com... I'm having a heck of a time. I made up a railing to the design and woops the design was too long. To fix it, I have to cut 3" out of it in each of 4 places and weld it back together, the end to be approximately 12" shorter. The first one I did was real straight, and I was happy until I did the second one. Shoot.
The piece is over 16 feet long, very awkward to handle. Would one of you experienced guys please take a crack at telling me the real way to do this?
Here's what I did: (work piece is 1-1/4"x.120 wall square steel tube)
started with 2 sawhorses separated by about 12 feet cut out the first section, deburred the ends took a piece of 3x3x3/8" angle (heavy) and clamped it to splice, 1/16" gap (NOTE: the inner radius of the angle iron is smaller than the outer radius of the tube so it clamped solidly) tacked it on the two available sides & removed the angle
-- at this point it was very slightly bent towards the tacks ground a vee on the other two faces (the ones that had touched the angle) welded one solidly then, turned up the opposite side from the one just welded ground away the tack & ground a vee & welded solidly checked - very straight then welded the 3rd side previously with ground vee then ground away the tack and ground vee & welded the 4th side
The first time I did this, it came out very straight indeed. The second time the segment was farther towards the middle, and it didn't come out straight.
Thanks,
Grant Erwin