Reply to "GT5 flare installation durability question?"

My understanding of the term butt weld is butting the two ends of the metal together, flush, and welding them together.
Apparently there are human people that are capable of accomplishing this.
I think that it is futile, foolish and unnecessary. It is also inferior. It is also going to warp and stretch the hell out of the sheet steel.
Only a fool would attempt this.

A better way would be to overlap the sheet steel something like 1/2 to 3/4". Then clamp the metal securly if not tighly together then dimple weld the sheets together.

In this way you are reducing the the warpage from the heat. You are producing welds that do not need to be ground down. You are producing dimples that can easily be filled with body filler.

The hard edge of the the exposed sheet should have the hard square edge removed. It one was really intelligent the edges of one of the components should be rolled so that there is a recessed shelf for the other to sit in. This enables the finished surfaces to finish flush and finish with the minimal amount of filler.

As far as being a plumber Ron, your daddy was right. I just got fired for Christmas. Wouldn't happen to a plumber. Ho, ho, ho.