Here's a sneaky trick that's worked well for me when I'm installing patch panels. Fit the patch as close as possible, of course, but if there's a little bit of a gap, go to the local big box hardware store, and buy a section of rigid copper water pipe, maybe 1" or larger in diameter, and 3 or 4 inches long. Cut a slot in it, and use a BFH and an anvil to flatten it out into a good-sized sheet of copper. Clamp this behind the gap. Now, when you stitch up the hole, there will be a layer of copper behind to keep the weld from blowing through. The wire won't burn through the copper- - - -it conducts the heat away too fast. Do a bunch of short tacks, and the back side will lay out smooth because the melted steel forms itself to the copper heat sink. Works like a charm!
Jerry
