Wiggling tacked-up pieces

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Which rod or technique would be best for tacking up a piece where I knew I was going to have to wiggle the pieces around a bit before final weld-up? In some cases, when I try to move the pieces, the tacks just break. I thought that maybe some rods were stiffer than others, or something like that. Or should I be heating the tacks to soften them?(Har har. Or should I just tack things up properly aligned in the first place. Bite me. )
Reply:I feel your pain.  You're doing small-diameter tubing, right?  If the tack is small enough, you can heat it up to soften it and hopefully it will give you the wiggle room you need.
Reply:Thats where magnetic clamps come in handy
Reply:Originally Posted by joshuabardwellWhich rod or technique would be best for tacking up a piece where I knew I was going to have to wiggle the pieces around a bit before final weld-up? In some cases, when I try to move the pieces, the tacks just break. I thought that maybe some rods were stiffer than others, or something like that. Or should I be heating the tacks to soften them?(Har har. Or should I just tack things up properly aligned in the first place. Bite me. )
Reply:Originally Posted by shovelonI have several rolls of Esab EasyGrind wire. I have .030" diameter on my cold wire feeder and run off a couple of feet at a time for tacking. The easy grind wire is a very low alloy steel that is easy manipulated and then absorbed into the final weld.
Reply:While it's a pain in the *** to restart 7018 is best for this use. It's soft enough to give while moving the pieces.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm