Learning to weld

68L71

68L71

Well-known member
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May 13, 2008
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I bought a Hobart handler 187 a while back and I finally practiced something other than laying a bead on stock. This is an open corner joint. I tacked it on the inside and ran a bead on the outside first. Then I practiced inside only on half so you could still see the penetration on the other half. On the inside left it looks bad because it moved when I tacked there and it also moved when I tried starting the inside bead from there….I was clamping on the work piece, I probably should have set it on another piece of stock and clamped to that. So how does it look?
2404a45475802406.jpg
2404a4547585f0b8.jpg
Bird was nice enough to advise on the gauge wire to run for the 220 outlet and TT gave me some pointers on mig welding.
 
You R A artist compared to my BEST work after many many many attempts....

which is why I sold the welders to a buddy up north, NOT my craft....

along with painting.....

and my welder is going to some site in St. Louis till October...so no more welding, :crap::quote::cussing:
 
I just got a new welder, a Millermatic 180 and I love it. Beats the old 110V/ 110 amp unit which will be my back-up welder. Made a 35 foot 10-3 extension cord so I can get anywhere in the shop from one outlet.
Mrvette..get one and practice. It is easy once you know what to look for and listen for. You can hear a good weld. You will be fixing and fabbing everything...:thumbs:
 
big_G said:
I just got a new welder, a Millermatic 180 and I love it. Beats the old 110V/ 110 amp unit which will be my back-up welder. Made a 35 foot 10-3 extension cord so I can get anywhere in the shop from one outlet.
Mrvette..get one and practice. It is easy once you know what to look for and listen for. You can hear a good weld. You will be fixing and fabbing everything...:thumbs:
Click to expand...

;) Thanks for vote/confidence, but I had a old Blackhawk MIG up north, and a stick machine too....lets just say I better off waiting for my buddy to do it, like Eastwood says.....'sometimes to understand limitations' something like that....

:quote:.....besides, I can't think of anything to weld ON at this point.....I just drive it....
 
68L71 said:
I bought a Hobart handler 187 a while back and I finally practiced something other than laying a bead on stock. This is an open corner joint. I tacked it on the inside and ran a bead on the outside first. Then I practiced inside only on half so you could still see the penetration on the other half. On the inside left it looks bad because it moved when I tacked there and it also moved when I tried starting the inside bead from there….I was clamping on the work piece, I probably should have set it on another piece of stock and clamped to that. So how does it look?
2404a45475802406.jpg
2404a4547585f0b8.jpg
Bird was nice enough to advise on the gauge wire to run for the 220 outlet and TT gave me some pointers on mig welding.
Click to expand...

The top weld looks very clean. Bottom one too if you don't count the initial little issues. Clean bead, good wetting. Very nice!

Try welding some round pieces (hole sawed sections) on a steel plate and try to do it with a couple of tacks and then 1 full pass all around. It can be a lot more tricky than it seem to go completely around and stick to the edge when welding.
 
I finally tried the circle. The first try I was rushed and it was bad. On the second try (a different day) I welded the hole to a piece of stock underneath. It is one continuous bead; it is not perfect but not too bad for only a second attempt.

2404a637a50d1477.jpg
 
2-4 o clock is the best, the undercutting on the left is probably because you were aiming to the right weren't you?
 
Twin_Turbo said:
2-4 o clock is the best, the undercutting on the left is probably because you were aiming to the right weren't you?
Click to expand...

I forgot to mention the stock is .08”
Yes the better bead is when I was going left. I see why you said to practice this continuous circle as it is much more difficult. The question I have is would it be bad to do it in three parts rather than continuous…say you were welding a roll bar to the frame?
 
Josh, yes you can do it in steps, it's next to impossible to do a continuous bead around a cage. However, always try to do it in as few steps as possible as the start will always be a little colder.
 
well this touches on exactly what i was going to post. i'm kind of a self-taught MIG welder but i'm having a hard time dialing in my weld. i was just welding a small, thin-wall square tube to an 1/8" angle to make a bracket. the thing that's happening to me is i'm getting a lot of 'popping' as i run my bead. i can't tell if it's because i'm not feeding the wire at the right speed or i'm too hot or cold on my temp range. i have a decent gas shield, at least i think so. i did notice during my last project that even though i'm getting gas through my nozzle, i'm venting at the regulator.
any thoughts?
 
If you have a gas leak at the regulator you cpould also be pulling air in. Popping can be caused by a lot of things, dirty materials being one of the foremost. Also, properly aim your gun and clean the nozzle.
 
Twin_Turbo said:
If you have a gas leak at the regulator you cpould also be pulling air in. Popping can be caused by a lot of things, dirty materials being one of the foremost. Also, properly aim your gun and clean the nozzle.
Click to expand...

Can't say how many millions of times I have hear my welder buddy here cuss over cleanliness, shit in the casting/aluminum being the total WORST, and he will not do potmetal, period....he gets some shit material and goes nutz....

he a bug on quality, but doing the shit HE does, maybe that's a good ting....
so I know stuff needs be totally clean on the surface, stainless brushed, totally sanitary, and the material itself has to be top grade or all that popping, he also uses the term 'blowouts'....and it's a super PIA....all the welding on this LT1 manifold 1.5 years ago, he said NEVERMORE....

:lol::lol::eek: for the sanitized version....
 
A few days ago I got a Miller TIG. I got it setup today and just quickly put down a few beads on aluminum. I probably should have started with steel. To me putting a bead down on a solid piece is nothing like joining two pieces together but I just needed to get a feel for the TIG process and the machine.

Here is my first bead....seems too cold to me.
IMG_0740.jpg


Second bead
IMG_0741.jpg


and third
IMG_0742.jpg


and this is the back side of the third....too hot?
IMG_0743.jpg


It is tricky to get used to adjusting the power down after getting a good puddle. I can see that once I get used to it will have so much control of the puddle and the heat. It really is like a torch. I plan to use it for sheet metal work and welding my aluminum boat.

Edit: it seems like the last two beads have a rough surface. Is this contamination, poor shielding gas coverage or too hot? I have the correct 100% argon.
 
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Yes, too hot.

Cleanliness is key. Then form a puddle full pedal and back off the pedal but don't back of so the puddle solidifies, make sure you have a nice puffle, and then pull the toch back a littl and at the same time stick your rod in the puddle.
You are welding DC right? Does it have AC? Don't see a cleaning area around the bead.
 
Twin_Turbo said:
Yes, too hot.

Cleanliness is key. Then form a puddle full pedal and back off the pedal but don't back of so the puddle solidifies, make sure you have a nice puffle, and then pull the toch back a littl and at the same time stick your rod in the puddle.
You are welding DC right? Does it have AC? Don't see a cleaning area around the bead.
Click to expand...

Yes it has AC, when you say cleaning area you mean from the AC? I cleaned the aluminum with a SS brush. The aluminum may have had some coating and I may have not gotten it all off. I don't have a pedal, but I may need to get one. I don't mind the thumb wheel, but I have a hard time keeping the torch steady while adjusting the the wheel.

How far should I have the tungsten sticking out past the cup? How close should I be holding the electrode from the metal once I have the puddle formed?

The welder is a miller diversion 165.

Thanks
 
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DeeVeeEight said:
I am also considering attempting to do some light welding. I need to weld some seat brackets on to the floor of my A-body convertible. I saw this welder at Harbor Freight and was wondering what your feedback on it would be, I know absolutely nothing about welding.

http://www.harborfreight.com/90-amp-flux-wire-welder-98871.html
Click to expand...

Just an opinion but, I would look for a used name brand unit on CL maybe. Also if I bought again I would buy a 220V unit. You can make an extension cord for a clothes drier outlet if your laundry room is near. I have a co-worker (welder) friend that has a flux wire 110 unit and he likes it.
 
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