So Fix it

Stretch the tape measure along the stainless steel tubing and mark the length you need to cut with a permanent marker.

Place the marked length of tubing into a table-mounted vise. Slide the length mark 12 inches past the end of the vise and turn the handle of the vise clockwise to secure the tubing.

Fold an 8 1/2-inch by 11-inch piece of paper into a two-inch-wide strip that is 11 inches long.

Align one side of the folded paper with the length mark you placed on the stainless steel tubing. Wrap the paper around the tubing and pinch the ends of the paper together. When the edges of the folded paper are even, the paper line is straight.

Run the permanent marker around the edge of the folded paper, marking a straight line around the stainless steel tubing. Remove the paper from the tubing.

Attach a .032 abrasive cut-off wheel to a four-inch grinder.

Put on your safety glasses, face shield and leather work gloves.

Cut 1/4 of the circumference of the stainless steel tubing, pressing the cutting wheel slowly along the cut mark.

Loosen the table vise, spin the tubing 1/4 of a turn and tighten the vise. Continue cutting the tubing.

Replace the abrasive cut-off wheel when it wears to the cutting line, or roughly 60 percent of the cut-off wheels original diameter.

Complete the cutting process and set the grinder aside. Run a fine-tooth half-round file around the inside and outside of the cut to remove sharp burrs left by the cutting wheel.

Put on your safety glasses and leather gloves.

Spool the MIG welder with the .023 diameter welding wire. Using a lighter welding wire, reduces the amount of heat require to melt the wire electrode and will lower your chances of blowing through the thinned wall tubing. Connect the bottle of shielding gas to the welder to finish setting-up the MIG welder.

Turn on the welding machine. Read the welding machine guide to determine a starting point for the welders amperage and wire speed. Connect the ground cable to the worktable. If your work table is non-conductive, wood for example, clamp the ground onto one end of the thinned walled tubing.

Put on the welding hood.

Place the pieces of thin walled tubing together. Ensure that the pieces fit together tight. Do not leave a weld gap between the pieces of tubing.

Align the wire from the tip of the MIG gun with the tubing joint. Flick your head down to lower your welding hood. Depress the trigger of the MIG gun to create a tack to hold the tubing together. Place additional, evenly spaced tack welds around the connection.

Place the hand that is holding the MIG gun in a comfortable position, with the MIG wire aiming at the weld joint. Steady your welding hand, with your free hand. Allow yourself ample room to move both of your hands around the accessible section of the weld joint.

Flick your head down to lower your welding hood and depress the MIG guns trigger. Pull the MIG wire straight away from the weld puddle 1/8th of an inch. Stop and allow the weld puddle to catch up to your location. When the weld puddles reaches your location, move the MIG gun another 1/8th of an inch. Repeat the process until the joint of the pipe is welded solid. If you blow through the thin walled tubing, stop welding. Let the weld joint cool, and place tacks around the hole. Build the tacks until you fill the hole.

Allow the weld joint to cool before handling.