i am shaving in my post pockets, my question to those of you that have acomplished this task is this: does it need to be fully welded, i am going slow, tack-ing a lil bit and letting it cool to prevent warping. does it need to be completely welded all the way around or can i leave the some space in between tacks?

 

Weld em completely, you will use less body filler in the end.

 

You can weld them completely if you want. But I've filled a million of those things in (yes, one million) and there is no need to zip it 100%. since the pocket has rolled edges, I am sure the piece you are using to fill is still sitting "on" the pocket, but still flush with the bed. so maybe the difference in filler is going to be as much as you can fill a thimble with. Just take your time, stitch it, but don't weld it complete and avoid the chances of warping, and use a little filler. It's safer that way