WELDING TECHNIQUES

what about welding 4130 chromoly? i know it can be tig welded but i only have a stick welder what rod should i use?

I have a hobart 140 and I set my deliver pressure @ 7-10(when u squeeze the trigger and the needle moves down) when inside and seem to get really good welds is this not enough pressure?

my jaw goes in slow circles when im welding in slow circles if i want that "stacked dime effect" i just noticed that a while back haha

^^^ That's funny I grind my teeth to the pattern of my welding too.

The biggest thing that I can tell anyone about using any tool is finesse. Be it a grinder, welder or a band saw, the machines talk to you and if you can learn to understand what they are saying your work will begin to look so much nicer.

My comment on stitch welding... Minitrucks in general are so obscenely overbuilt that a stitch weld is not a concern as long as the weld is actually penetrating. We have all seen welds that just sit on top of the parent material and do little to hold the pieces together. A good trick is to pre-heat the part with a torch, then the welder doesn't have to work so hard. All of the stitch welds posted will live forever regardless of the dimple or any other stress riser; we're not going to the moon.

As for welding 4130... the thing about not welding it with a MIG is that most sanctioning bodies will not allow a MIG welded 4130 chassis to race, so it has just become a misunderstanding more than anything. 4130 welds exactly like mild steel and in most cases if I handed you a piece of mild steel and a piece of 4130 and had you weld them any way that you wanted, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The issue with 4130 is that it is a semi-heat treatable material, so heating it up beyond its critical range will change its metallurgical structure and make it hard and brittle. Even the blue edge that you get when cutting parts on a chop-saw can be hard enough to chip carbide tools if not addressed properly. I have searched for years for a definitive answer as to how to properly weld 4130. I even got so much shit on another forum site while looking for an answer that I refuse to visit that site again. It wasn't until I had a meeting with a Lincoln rep that I got an honest, unbiased answer as to how to weld 4130. You use a TIG and weld it with ER80-D2 (I'll check on that to make 100% sure) and

ok i just read these couple of pages and through down some welds. Im not a every day welder i might weld once a month but im courious with waht im doing i know its not perfect but i like input

on the left i slowed down and pushed C's on the right i did what i allways do pushing c's

and here is the left close up



and here is the right close up



and i only cleand the about an 1'in in

thanks guys

anny suggestions? about my welds? im open to input and like i said i dont weld often i just want to know how im doing and how to get better Thanks

oh yea and how strong are torch welds? torch will filler rod? i saw it on extreem 4x4 over the weekend and i was just thinking about it?

never done it except in shop class back in high school for brazing stuff 7 or 8 years back

First off you should be cleaning the metal better before welding, that will help a lot. It looks to me that the welds will hold fine, but you could really use to work on your consistency, the welds look "blah" because there isn't any real definition to them. Also, when working with thick material it can be a big benefit to pre-heat the part with a torch, especially on smaller welding machines or in a cold climate.

It's a great start tho, keep practicing.

Edited: 8/9/2008 2:09:32 PM by FullSizeRST

thanks max....like i said i dont weld often but i do small stuff and little odds and inns for people but it is safe to say i dont weld on trucks i leave that stuff to people that know what there doing! i dont want my wife driving somthing i welded and it broke and thats why i dont weld on cars and trucks....some stuff sould be left to profesionals but not me...

for know i will keep practicing and one day build a safe truck for me and my family, but untill then i will pay somebody for it!

thanks max for the input

Def. clean the metal from rust and oils. The rust added to alot of the slag around the weld and it looks like your hands are shaking. Get more comfortable and use both hands to steady the tip and you should have a more consistant weld. But practicing will help more than anything.

i know a big problem is my mask im going to get a auto darkening soon and i think that will help alot .... and true i shake alot but i think its because i hold the gun to tight ..i think wonce i get a good mask a relax more it will be better