Did some welding today, For the first time. Started with Heli-arc welding. Wasn't as diffuicult as i expected it to be. Started with some stainless plates, and just tacking here and there...Pretty much figured out the best way to run a good bead based how i was told to tack it.

Also did a little stick welding...I like the heli better.

pics

Agreed....lets see how you did.

Tig welding is cool. With the pedal you can actually modulate it enough to keep a molten puddle for as long as you want.. feed in a little rod, and smoothen it out. It's by far the most precise form of welding.

MIG welding is like squeezing molten metal like a tube of toothpaste. Get enough heat and it'll flow right into the base metal making a nice bond.

ARC is pretty easy once you know how to properly strike the arc without sticking. It's great for the thicker metals, and it's dirt cheap.

Gas is good to learn on because you'll see exactly how much heat it takes to burn through the base metal, and you'll get a feel for it. This will help you immensley when you start welding using the above methods.

I'm a welder durring the day, and about 90% of everything I do is done with the MIG (MillerMatic 250 with a spool gun for alum.).
It seems like the only time I ever use the O/A setup is when I have to cut some really thick stuff (3/4" and thicker), braze holes shut in gas tanks, braze fittings on to tube, or just as a quick and dirty fire wrench.

I hope you get to weld some more! For me I almost get into a "zen-like-state" whenever I get my face right in it, see that molten puddle form, and do whatever I make it do without caring at all with what's going on around me. It's just so F'in cool!

Have fun!

hey, so I have a question as I am teaching myself to weld also.

How do you know if you have a good mig weld on thicker metal (say 1/4) without destroying the weld, especailly if it is onto tube and you cant see the back side? When welding stuff like that, should you be so hot that you are just under burning thru or what?

practice on stuff where you can see the penetration.when you get the feel for it you'll know what you're looking at just from the surface. a bevel on 1/4 " and up is good also.

question about welders: i found a 70A Arc welder at wall mart for $90 is that a good price?
would that be good for welding misc stuff on the bronco and all that stuff?
could i box the front of my frame with it?
make a bumper?
sorry for the questions im just curious.

hey, so I have a question as I am teaching myself to weld also.

How do you know if you have a good mig weld on thicker metal (say 1/4) without destroying the weld, especailly if it is onto tube and you cant see the back side? When welding stuff like that, should you be so hot that you are just under burning thru or what?
The discolorration of the tube should be an equal size all way around the weld, the purple marks should be around 3/4 to 1 inch from the weld.
You want to see the best weld i have ever seen, Search for mrtwister on por in a thread titled linked chevy, its just bad ass

It takes a few hours and then you know what you are doing.

We've had a Miller Mig machine for a couple years that I learned on. We just bought a new Miller Tig machine that I've been playing with the past couple days. I really like Tig and the way it works. I was finally able to weld Aluminum, I've been wanting to try that for over a year. Practice makes perfect, you can never have too much welding experience.

You want to see the best weld i have ever seen, Search for mrtwister on por in a thread titled linked chevy, its just bad ass

http://members.aol.com/lavenderbrothers/box.jpg

http://members.aol.com/lavenderbrothers/box.jpg

Those beads give me wood!

...excuse me, I'll be right back... :brownbag

I'd say those beads look perfect!

yeah, mine are a lot bigger than that, meaning puffy I guess. Too much wire speed or not hot enuf?

*fap*fap*fap*fap*

I'd say not hot enough just because that's what most people new to welding do because they're afraid to burn through.

Damon, Mark's right about the blue-ing of the steel. I've found this can be very inconsistent for me, but I've also found you want to clean whatever you're welding far enough back that you can see the discoloration. If you only clean a thin line where the bead will be, it seems the discoloration changes or almost disappears once it hits the gray matter on steel.

Also, just watch for your beads to sag. Like in the pic above, particularly on the plate welded to the frame, you can see the bead fills the area nicely but doesn't EAT into that plate.

My Hobart 210 recommends the exact same settings for 3/16 and 1/4" plate. I've found it's great for 3/16" but I take the power setting up to the next notch for 1/4", it creates some great discoloration so I know it's getting nice and hot, but shows no signs of sag or burn-thru

All that said, my beads are so damn inconsistent.........I'm the last person who should be giving welding advice.

I'm also thinking the discoloration shouldn't be considered *that* important? I mean it seems impurities in the steel.........or just the way certain joints are setup or the angle of certain welds.........I'd think the heat might flow a bit inconsistently? Also I've found if you're coming down at the edge of something set vertically it'll blue more than the same piece set horizontally. Maybe just operator error tho.

so on thicker metals If I start turning the heat up higher (say 1/4 or bigger) when do I have to start worrying about warping, etc?
Also, how fast should you move the gun across the weld? Whether using the weave, the circles or the C's? I am wondering if I am just pulling to slow.

cut up a bunch of pieces for practice, run what you think is a good bead at what you think is the right speed. take it apart and check for penetration.If you're not satisfied,change things up abit and repeat.you can run a bead on practice pieces and check for warpage on diffent thickness so you'll get to know how far you can go. check it with a straight edge. the colored area is the HAZ heat affected zone.

so on thicker metals If I start turning the heat up higher (say 1/4 or bigger) when do I have to start worrying about warping, etc?
Also, how fast should you move the gun across the weld? Whether using the weave, the circles or the C's? I am wondering if I am just pulling to slow.

I never knew warping could be prevented........I mean you're heating the steel, so it's possibly gonna warp.......if this is a huge issue you use a jig (like bike builders) or clamp everything real well.........but you're practically taking the steel to a molten state so yeah, things are gonna move some. Perhaps real good welders can dance a fine line, but for beginners like you & I I think we want it as hot as possible without sag or burn-thru. I could be wrong?

As for moving the gun, that's entirely dependent upon your style and wire speed. There is no right answer. Listen for the sound and watch the puddle....you'll get a feel for it.......the sound is key for me.....but I also have a bad habit of not watching the puddle as much as I should.

And I always push (shrug)

ir seems like the push/pull thing is all preference for the most part anyways on horizontal welds.
I have scrap to practice on, and have been, but without some critique in person, it is sorta hard for me to tell. Also, I am putting different thickness togoether, so maybe I should just use better scrap.
as far as the warping, from what I have been reading in this book, it seems it has a lot to do with heatsink of materials, and thickness, but again, I have no clue what I am doing

ir seems like the push/pull thing is all preference for the most part anyways on horizontal welds.
I have scrap to practice on, and have been, but without some critique in person, it is sorta hard for me to tell. Also, I am putting different thickness togoether, so maybe I should just use better scrap.
as far as the warping, from what I have been reading in this book, it seems it has a lot to do with heatsink of materials, and thickness, but again, I have no clue what I am doing a push doesn't get the penetration of pull. different thickness is good....concentrate most of the heat(work the puddle)on the thicker piece without undercutting the thin stuff. try stitching for no warping if you have to make a long run.the thinner the metal the shorter the stitch.