Page 3 of 16
Mini Truckin General \ WELDING TECHNIQUESWELDING TECHNIQUES
views 11327
replies 157
following 99
juicedwagon
+1y
For non-structural welds stitching is fine. When done hot enough and consistant it its a great way to make quality good looking welds. You will never find in an AWS or ASME code books a pre-qualified weld that is stitched. Tig welds naturally have the dimes look from adding the filler rod. I like auto helmets for out of position work in a tight space. For any thing else I like the good old fashion flip down shade 10 you would fined a more clear veiw. Auto dark heltmets all give a kind of odd green shade. I have used tons of them its just nature of the beast. If you need more light on the weld try a gold mirrored lens it will reflect light from the arc back into the weld joint.
LndRanger86
+1y
I APPRECIATE ALL YOU GUYS GIVING THESE TIPS. I'M LEARNING TO WELD AND THIS IS STUFF I DIDN'T KNOW. I'M JUST PRACTICING AS I GO TO GET SOME TECHNIQUE DOWN. THANKS
unusualfabrication
+1y
Deffinitelty prep the weld areas. This is a must for a strong quality weld. I grind off the mill scale (dark grey coating over the steel) so that its nice and shiny, then wipe the contaminents off (oil, dirt, and grease) with acetone, and I like to chamfer the edges as well. If the steel is used or been sitting around for awhile make sure to remove the rust as well.
FreelandKustomz
+1y
Edited: 11/28/2007 1:27:41 PM by BclassBD
Originally posted by bagged85
Originally posted by 92yota
Edited: 11/27/2007 10:53:14 PM by 92yota
because my welds are consistent and penetrate well, but they look like one solid bead and not stacked beads like yours above.
your weld is actually stronger then the stacked dimes, because there isnt a hot/cold hot/cold points like the "dimes" (the low spots in between the dimes are teh eak spots of welds, every one has a diff way tho)method as its just one hot burn, smilar to a stick weld.easier to grind also.
if the hot cold hot cold effect was the reason it was weak, tig welding would be weak welding as well......right? ive heard way to many theories on welding, one book says one thing, another book says another, From what ive experienced, do what works for you. I practice the "hop" and the "tack" effect and the only bonus i see with the hop effect is the steel gets hot faster. Which when the steel is hotter the welds start falling into the steel like butter. If you bevel your edges on all your thick metal, and any butt'd edges, you dont have to worry about anything breaking or cracking. Oh and also ive read people in past posts say to slow down the wire speed and turn up the heat for better looking welds. If you have a decent welder you shoul dbe able to weld hot and keep the wire speed up, if you slow down the wire speed your going to get nothing for penetration.
Possibly helpful steps1 bevel edges if neccesary2 Clean the surface using techniques mentioned above3 Memorize what heat settings and wire speed worked best for you considering the angle of the jointed metals your welding together, the gauge/thickness, and angle of your torch/gun to the area your welding.(using your machines recomendations for welding settings is a good starting point)4 Get comfortable, dont try to weld when your cramped up, it will only cause you to flinch, or loose control of the weld5 Auto darkening masks are king when it comes to having to shove your head into a wheel well. I have both a flip down and auto darkening on hand.
these are only things to consider. Im sure there are others who have been welding alot longer than me!
Originally posted by bagged85
Originally posted by 92yota
Edited: 11/27/2007 10:53:14 PM by 92yota
because my welds are consistent and penetrate well, but they look like one solid bead and not stacked beads like yours above.
your weld is actually stronger then the stacked dimes, because there isnt a hot/cold hot/cold points like the "dimes" (the low spots in between the dimes are teh eak spots of welds, every one has a diff way tho)method as its just one hot burn, smilar to a stick weld.easier to grind also.
if the hot cold hot cold effect was the reason it was weak, tig welding would be weak welding as well......right? ive heard way to many theories on welding, one book says one thing, another book says another, From what ive experienced, do what works for you. I practice the "hop" and the "tack" effect and the only bonus i see with the hop effect is the steel gets hot faster. Which when the steel is hotter the welds start falling into the steel like butter. If you bevel your edges on all your thick metal, and any butt'd edges, you dont have to worry about anything breaking or cracking. Oh and also ive read people in past posts say to slow down the wire speed and turn up the heat for better looking welds. If you have a decent welder you shoul dbe able to weld hot and keep the wire speed up, if you slow down the wire speed your going to get nothing for penetration.
Possibly helpful steps1 bevel edges if neccesary2 Clean the surface using techniques mentioned above3 Memorize what heat settings and wire speed worked best for you considering the angle of the jointed metals your welding together, the gauge/thickness, and angle of your torch/gun to the area your welding.(using your machines recomendations for welding settings is a good starting point)4 Get comfortable, dont try to weld when your cramped up, it will only cause you to flinch, or loose control of the weld5 Auto darkening masks are king when it comes to having to shove your head into a wheel well. I have both a flip down and auto darkening on hand.
these are only things to consider. Im sure there are others who have been welding alot longer than me!
onehot69stepside
+1y
Edited: 11/28/2007 3:44:58 PM by onehot69stepside
Edited: 11/28/2007 3:43:55 PM by onehot69stepside
Practice Practice Practice, get comfortable, and REALLY pay ATTENTION to what the puddle is doing.
You generally use the push method keeping the gun 15-30 degrees towards the direction you weld. It helps to heat up the area you are about to weld as well. The pull method adds a lot more filler to the weld. Makes it over-bulgy in most cases. Maybe can be used for chamfered joints.
When Laying vertical beads move faster going from top to bottom and point your gun up 15-30 degrees(pull the gun).
You can get the dime effect also by welding a pool then pull back into about half of that pool you just made then go twice that distance to start another pool. For example weld 3/8" then come back 3/16" then weld another 3/8" then come back 3/16". or 1/2" then back 1/4" then another 1/2" etc. etc.
And I'm still rooting for sticky-ness!
Edited: 11/28/2007 3:43:55 PM by onehot69stepside
Practice Practice Practice, get comfortable, and REALLY pay ATTENTION to what the puddle is doing.
You generally use the push method keeping the gun 15-30 degrees towards the direction you weld. It helps to heat up the area you are about to weld as well. The pull method adds a lot more filler to the weld. Makes it over-bulgy in most cases. Maybe can be used for chamfered joints.
When Laying vertical beads move faster going from top to bottom and point your gun up 15-30 degrees(pull the gun).
You can get the dime effect also by welding a pool then pull back into about half of that pool you just made then go twice that distance to start another pool. For example weld 3/8" then come back 3/16" then weld another 3/8" then come back 3/16". or 1/2" then back 1/4" then another 1/2" etc. etc.
And I'm still rooting for sticky-ness!
LowBlazin
+1y
Edited: 11/28/2007 3:50:02 PM by LowBlazin
anyone got any pics of good solid structural mig welds not stiched. If its not really a dime effect what should it look like. My welds look like shit cause im just practicing but i dont really even know what a good weld should look like
anyone got any pics of good solid structural mig welds not stiched. If its not really a dime effect what should it look like. My welds look like shit cause im just practicing but i dont really even know what a good weld should look like
Dejavu
+1y
Edited: 11/28/2007 4:36:52 PM by Dejavu
that idea about the gold lense sounds awesome!!!
about the comment about memorizing your settings.... thats not really a good suggestion... a weld is affected by too many things for a certain setting to expect it to work everytime even if on the same exact thing.i agree the machines settings are good starting places but never count on the numbers to produce consistent welds without some adjustment periodically to produce the optimum weld..no matter how good the machine, the numbers cant be expected to rpoduce the same weld every time, theyre are always too many things that affect how a weld is layed down to commit to a memorized setting.
my problem is welding around things.. like pipes joined to frames.... etc.. any advice?
that idea about the gold lense sounds awesome!!!
about the comment about memorizing your settings.... thats not really a good suggestion... a weld is affected by too many things for a certain setting to expect it to work everytime even if on the same exact thing.i agree the machines settings are good starting places but never count on the numbers to produce consistent welds without some adjustment periodically to produce the optimum weld..no matter how good the machine, the numbers cant be expected to rpoduce the same weld every time, theyre are always too many things that affect how a weld is layed down to commit to a memorized setting.
my problem is welding around things.. like pipes joined to frames.... etc.. any advice?
chunky_thunder
+1y
Originally posted by onehot69stepside
Edited: 11/28/2007 3:44:58 PM by onehot69stepside
Edited: 11/28/2007 3:43:55 PM by onehot69stepside
Practice Practice Practice, get comfortable, and REALLY pay ATTENTION to what the puddle is doing.
You generally use the push method keeping the gun 15-30 degrees towards the direction you weld. It helps to heat up the area you are about to weld as well. The pull method adds a lot more filler to the weld. Makes it over-bulgy in most cases. Maybe can be used for chamfered joints.
When Laying vertical beads move faster going from top to bottom and point your gun up 15-30 degrees(pull the gun).
You can get the dime effect also by welding a pool then pull back into about half of that pool you just made then go twice that distance to start another pool. For example weld 3/8" then come back 3/16" then weld another 3/8" then come back 3/16". or 1/2" then back 1/4" then another 1/2" etc. etc.
And I'm still rooting for sticky-ness!
I weld all day on boat trailers at work and this is the method everybody in the shop uses i will try and get pics up of some of my welds tomorrow we are using big ass miller welders and generally welding on 11gauge steel
Edited: 11/28/2007 3:44:58 PM by onehot69stepside
Edited: 11/28/2007 3:43:55 PM by onehot69stepside
Practice Practice Practice, get comfortable, and REALLY pay ATTENTION to what the puddle is doing.
You generally use the push method keeping the gun 15-30 degrees towards the direction you weld. It helps to heat up the area you are about to weld as well. The pull method adds a lot more filler to the weld. Makes it over-bulgy in most cases. Maybe can be used for chamfered joints.
When Laying vertical beads move faster going from top to bottom and point your gun up 15-30 degrees(pull the gun).
You can get the dime effect also by welding a pool then pull back into about half of that pool you just made then go twice that distance to start another pool. For example weld 3/8" then come back 3/16" then weld another 3/8" then come back 3/16". or 1/2" then back 1/4" then another 1/2" etc. etc.
And I'm still rooting for sticky-ness!
I weld all day on boat trailers at work and this is the method everybody in the shop uses i will try and get pics up of some of my welds tomorrow we are using big ass miller welders and generally welding on 11gauge steel