Welding

Re:Welding (BigChoksHOTBUNS)

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 16:11:19 GMT

Having recently learned how to MIG weld myself, you're picking it up pretty quickly...nice job! I will say that using a welder with shielding gas (100% argon is nice) gives you a cooler weld and doesn't seem to burn through as readily. I have very limited experience though...

Re:Welding (reese77)

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:51:59 GMT

PurpleCheetah

Yes you are, looks a lot better than the first pic.....your a beast !!!

Lol, thanks... I'm just trying to save some money by not hiring a professional every time I need something welded. I would not try to weld a muffler or any vital parts but this is part of the mount for my rear propane tank holder.

Re:Welding (PurpleCheetah)

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:20:22 GMT

Yes you are, looks a lot better than the first pic.....your a beast !!!

Re:Welding (reese77)

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 15:36:04 GMT

Getting the hang of it.

Re:Welding (KurtSara)

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 08:56:29 GMT

reese77

Welding is not as easy as I thought. I can see the weld when I have the auto tint mask on but I cannot see the stream of wire coming out. I am holding at 15 degree angle about 1/2" away and aiming into the seam but I must be letting the wire sit in one spot too long as I burned a hole in the pipe and as you can see in the pictures, I missed the seam quite a few times.

that is why the local freelancers charge a decent price, they know how to weld and the have the proper equipment.

Re:Welding (edwmax)

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 08:04:49 GMT

reese77

Thanks for the input, I tested on some square tubing and I think I am getting there. I will buy some steel plate tomorrow and post pictures of my test runs. I will go through the owners manual a few more times as well. There is also a lot of spatter/little balls of metal around my welds.

There will always be some, but 'a lot' & wide spread indicates the weld temp or amps is too high and/or the weld arc is too long. ... Beginners usually hold the arc too long. You want to hold the shortest possible arc so the molten metal will move straight from the wire tip to the base metal. You should be able to feel the end of the wire touching the base metal as it feeds out.

Re:Welding (reese77)

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 18:59:59 GMT

mofood

Do you hav some metal you can put under the welding area? Sometimes the off gassing of the wood can play havoc with your weld.
I assume you're using reccomended setting for the wall thickness you're welding?

Try welding on some flat plate to get your vision and teqnique brushed up. Clean your surfaces with a wire brush minimally. Then move up to a lap joint ( easiest joint to weld) then move to fillet corner welds.

Initially I would say your wire speed is low, or your amperage is high, or both..

Yes, I put a thin piece of sheet metal on top of the wood now. The welder only has a min/max power setting and I have been using min, I think I will try max.

I think I have to readjust my tension wheel. The manual said to test ans adjust the tension wheel by letting out the wire 2 inches above a surface and if it hit and stopped than tighten. I did this until the wire hit but then stared to bend as the manual suggested but I pretty much almost tightened the tension wheel all the way at this point.

Re:Welding (reese77)

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 18:55:28 GMT

Thanks for the input, I tested on some square tubing and I think I am getting there. I will buy some steel plate tomorrow and post pictures of my test runs. I will go through the owners manual a few more times as well. There is also a lot of spatter/little balls of metal around my welds.

Re:Welding (edwmax)

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 13:45:44 GMT

Now you see why I stated welding isn't as easy as it looks and one (a newbe) can't just pickup a lead and do it. ... I suggest stopping by you local High School Shop class or a near by Tech School and ask the Instructor if would give you a few tips & instructions for 20 or 30 mins.

You stated above 'aiming into the seam' ... basically that is wrong ... you want to heat the part at the seam side then push the puddle into the seam and to the other side. Do this by weaving the weld bead. ... Practice welding by making a bead on a flat piece of metal (no joint) with short wire feeds. This will get you to the feel of making clean starts and stops. Once you can make shorts beads that look right, then you can start making longer ones and practice welding a joint. You don't have the feel yet, nor do you know what to look for in the weld puddle while welding.

Re:Welding (Uncle Groucho)

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 13:36:52 GMT

Hello Reese 77
You are getting warmer.....Grind that off and try a piece if scrap to get your machine set, It should sound like this "Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz". Keep trying you'll get it.

Re:Welding (mofood)

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 12:14:12 GMT

Do you hav some metal you can put under the welding area? Sometimes the off gassing of the wood can play havoc with your weld.
I assume you're using reccomended setting for the wall thickness you're welding?

Try welding on some flat plate to get your vision and teqnique brushed up. Clean your surfaces with a wire brush minimally. Then move up to a lap joint ( easiest joint to weld) then move to fillet corner welds.

Initially I would say your wire speed is low, or your amperage is high, or both..

Re:Welding (reese77)

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 10:59:34 GMT

Welding is not as easy as I thought. I can see the weld when I have the auto tint mask on but I cannot see the stream of wire coming out. I am holding at 15 degree angle about 1/2" away and aiming into the seam but I must be letting the wire sit in one spot too long as I burned a hole in the pipe and as you can see in the pictures, I missed the seam quite a few times.

Re:Welding (Uncle Groucho)

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:09:10 GMT

No problem. The most important thing is to always wear safety glasses, they will reduce the risk of a flash, and save you a trip to the E.R.
Also be careful when you chip the slag from your weld, slag likes to land in your eyes for some reason.

Re:Welding (reese77)

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:51:24 GMT

Uncle Groucho

Yes, I was teasing, it is safe to look with a welding hood.
I get a welding flash about 3 times a week and I always have a tan.
My choice of home Mig welder is the 110 Lincoln, its about the same size but it costs more money, but you do get what you pay for. If you have a local Union Sheet Workers fab shop stop by and ask questions after hours, you might make some valuable friends. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me, I love to talk Shop.
Karl

Cool. Thanks.

Re:Welding (Uncle Groucho)

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:48:43 GMT

Yes, I was teasing, it is safe to look with a welding hood.
I get a welding flash about 3 times a week and I always have a tan.
My choice of home Mig welder is the 110 Lincoln, its about the same size but it costs more money, but you do get what you pay for. If you have a local Union Sheet Workers fab shop stop by and ask questions after hours, you might make some valuable friends. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me, I love to talk Shop.
Karl

Re:Welding (reese77)

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:43:46 GMT

Uncle Groucho

Hello Reese77
That little Mig welder is all you will ever need in a home/garage situation. The most important things to remember is
1. Make sure the metal is clean, not sanitary but clean.
2. Keep the welding whip as straight as possible and make sure you have a good ground, if your ground clamp becomes hot, try to find a cleaner place for your clamp.
3. Your weld bead only has to be as big as your thinnest metal.
4. If you are using flux cored wire, dont over tighten the drive wheel on the wire feeder, you will ruin the wire.
I personally dont like auto darkening hoods, try for a lens shade of 9-10.
5. Make sure your welding tip is tight.
6. DONT LOOK AT THE PRETTY LIGHT!
Good luck and have fun.

Thanks for the tips, I have a grinder with a wire brush wheel that I will use to clean the metal first.

"Don't stare at the pretty light"? Even with the mask on? I won't have a choice but to stare at the light right?

Re:Welding (Uncle Groucho)

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:40:01 GMT

Hello Reese77
That little Mig welder is all you will ever need in a home/garage situation. The most important things to remember is
1. Make sure the metal is clean, not sanitary but clean.
2. Keep the welding whip as straight as possible and make sure you have a good ground, if your ground clamp becomes hot, try to find a cleaner place for your clamp.
3. Your weld bead only has to be as big as your thinnest metal.
4. If you are using flux cored wire, dont over tighten the drive wheel on the wire feeder, you will ruin the wire.
I personally dont like auto darkening hoods, try for a lens shade of 9-10.
5. Make sure your welding tip is tight.
6. DONT LOOK AT THE PRETTY LIGHT!
Good luck and have fun.

Re:Welding (reese77)

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:52:13 GMT

Hot Dog Empire

Flux Core is fine for what your doing. A few things to note though;

Make sure the circuit the welder is plugged into will handle the load.
If you HAVE to use an extension cord, use something good like a 10/3 and dont run it 100' away. An undersized cord will at the least, ruin your machine and at the worst - will melt and/or keep tripping breakers and possibly cause a fire.
When prepping metal thats to be welded, grind the surfaces really good, then do it again. Most weld failures come from bad weld prep. After that its from improper deposit of wire/penetration.
Figure out what the duty cycle is of the machine. You wont get a 100% duty cycle machine for $100, so you need to know what the duty cycle is. Basically is how long you can weld without stopping. You wont be able to weld for 5 continuous minutes, but for what your doing - you wont need to either.
Welding is not hard. There's a few basics, watch a couple YouTube videos. Preparation (grinding), angle , penetration (heat setting), deposit (wire speed setting) & ground.

Thanks for the info, your scaring me with bullet 2 above, I plan on welding in my garage and not sure how many much is on that outlet's breaker but it is a GFCI outlet so it should trip before the breaker. YouTube has been helpful, I have watched videos on the unit I ordered. We will see how it goes.

If it arrives this weekend, I will do some test welds and video tape it.

Re:Welding (Hot Dog Empire)

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:27:02 GMT

Flux Core is fine for what your doing. A few things to note though;

Make sure the circuit the welder is plugged into will handle the load.
If you HAVE to use an extension cord, use something good like a 10/3 and dont run it 100' away. An undersized cord will at the least, ruin your machine and at the worst - will melt and/or keep tripping breakers and possibly cause a fire.
When prepping metal thats to be welded, grind the surfaces really good, then do it again. Most weld failures come from bad weld prep. After that its from improper deposit of wire/penetration.
Figure out what the duty cycle is of the machine. You wont get a 100% duty cycle machine for $100, so you need to know what the duty cycle is. Basically is how long you can weld without stopping. You wont be able to weld for 5 continuous minutes, but for what your doing - you wont need to either.

Welding is not hard. There's a few basics, watch a couple YouTube videos. Preparation (grinding), angle , penetration (heat setting), deposit (wire speed setting) & ground.

Re:Welding (edwmax)

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:11:40 GMT

You don't pickup welding or learn how overnight. ... If you were are welder then you wouldn't be asking about the unit above. The size ( 90amp vs 120 amp) unit depends on the size of wire being used. The smaller the wire, the more passes required to buildup the weld to required thickness on thicker metals. But, bigger the wire, more heat is required, thus thin metals cannot be welded without burning through. ... You should be able to learn how to weld and make a weld that will hold within a couple of days.

Re:Welding (reese77)

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:42:47 GMT

THE WILD DOG

mines bolted pretty good but two brackets from the plate to the bumper won't hurt. I'm using 1/4 steel plate and it holds it great, but I don't wanna even think about it popping off. I want to weld it to the actual bumper too, My bumper has the hoes with the criss crosses on it so I dunno how that will work

Post some pictures of it.

Re:Welding (THE WILD DOG)

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:34:52 GMT

mines bolted pretty good but two brackets from the plate to the bumper won't hurt. I'm using 1/4 steel plate and it holds it great, but I don't wanna even think about it popping off. I want to weld it to the actual bumper too, My bumper has the hoes with the criss crosses on it so I dunno how that will work

Re:Welding (reese77)

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:32:42 GMT

THE WILD DOG

that's not a bad deal at all... if you buy it can you make me some angle supports to hold my generator plate up. lol I need to make 2 braces that go from the plate to the bumper. lol

I need to do the exact same thing. I figured it'd be cheaper than buying a new bumper for $300+.

Re:Welding (THE WILD DOG)

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:27:42 GMT

that's not a bad deal at all... if you buy it can you make me some angle supports to hold my generator plate up. lol I need to make 2 braces that go from the plate to the bumper. lol

Re:Welding (reese77)

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:03:01 GMT

THE WILD DOG

make sure you got proper eye protection. the last thing you want is welder flash... trust me on that

Thanks, I am going to go go over to Northern Tool, they have a nice one for 41.99.

Re:Welding (THE WILD DOG)

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:56:30 GMT

make sure you got proper eye protection. the last thing you want is welder flash... trust me on that

Re:Welding (Dr of BBQ)

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:00:31 GMT

cool

good luck.

Re:Welding (reese77)

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:52:01 GMT

Dr of BBQ

Reese,
I don't know jack about welding except I watch friends weld things for me but what you pictured isn't all you'll need. I think you'd have to buy wire, a tank ((75% Argon, 25% CO2) and controls maybe more. Again I'm talking about something I have only watched never done. But it's something I have always wanted to learn.

This is a flux wire welder, no gas needed. I have watched several videos on youtube for this welder and I think it will do. I just wanted a professional opinion.

Re:Welding (Dr of BBQ)

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:42:10 GMT

Reese,
I don't know jack about welding except I watch friends weld things for me but what you pictured isn't all you'll need. I think you'd have to buy wire, a tank ((75% Argon, 25% CO2) and controls maybe more. Again I'm talking about something I have only watched never done. But it's something I have always wanted to learn.

Welding (reese77)

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:45:56 GMT

I need some welding work done on my truck and I need some 1/8" thick 1"x1" steel tubing welded into a square frame. The local freelancers are quoting me high prices so I want to buy a MIG welder.

I see a 90 Amp MIG welder on Harbor Freight for $99 and a 120A unit for $199. The 90A model is here, if there are any experienced welders here, do you think this unit will be sufficient for just welding the square steel tubing into various frames?