WELDING TECHNIQUES

I definitely wouldn't trust the 175 up to 1/2" but it is a great welder and will handle anything you throw at it automotive wise. 1/2" is definitely pushing it though. MAYBE 3/8 but I don't even know if its rated that high.

Originally posted by ducechopper22



henry youngs looks good but aint strong too bad its all spot welded!!

theres always got to be a shit talker huh? dont get me wrong, i appreciate constructive criticism, and i thoroughly respect everybodys opinion. i mean honestly, ask 10 different people how to weld and your going to get 11 different answers. everybody has their own way of doing things. yeah i stitch the majority of the things i do end up MIG welding. ill admit it. guarantee its not going to break either. a lot of people mentioned how when you stitch it cools the metal and creates a weak spot. true, to an extent. its not like im waiting 2 minutes in between welds. granted it is cooling off, but as quick as i let off, im back on it. and its not like i was just barely burning those welds in, im not using a little 110 hobart (no offense to any hobart users), look at the heat affect zone on the MIG weld, thats .25 wall 2x4, and theres a good 1/2" heat zone into both pieces of 2x4, not to mention its on 2 corners so a lot of that heat is going down too. im not saying im right and everyone else is wrong. everyones got their own way. but by all means Ryan, throw up some pics of your welds, let see what they look like.

good info guys. so whats everyones take on prep. i dont know shit about prep.

Originally posted by iLLblazer



I definitely wouldn't trust the 175 up to 1/2" but it is a great welder and will handle anything you throw at it automotive wise. 1/2" is definitely pushing it though. MAYBE 3/8 but I don't even know if its rated that high.

I don't know about the Lincoln, but my Miller will do 1/2". Thats the most it will do, but it will do it. I weld 3/8" together on heat setting 8, out of 10.

Originally posted by LowBlazin



good info guys. so whats everyones take on prep. i dont know shit about prep.

Prep was covered on the first page or two. But basically, remove any coatings or rust, clean with acetone, and champher everything.

since everyone showing there welds and talking about it .. ill show some of mine.... not the greatest.. i dont weld 24/7 like most do in my shop , im mostly sheetmetal work ....i just run Big C's and watch the puddle as i go ... i grind the metal down to bare , and use some spray on wax/degreasser , clean and spray some anti-splatter on the metal , to cut down on the slag .. and shoot..i dont like these kind of notches, but thats what the customer wanted... but anyways.. i clamped an angle Iron to the side for my hand to gently guide over it to keep the welds even....again ... im not the greatest, i know that , just wanted to show how i do things... and ive alot of nasty welds... alot of people think they can weld and been welding for years, look like shit.... so just take your time learning before you just go shooting welds on your truck....

and Henry Young ... very very very Nice welds ...

Originally posted by one_low_sixty8



Originally posted by ducechopper22



henry youngs looks good but aint strong too bad its all spot welded!!

theres always got to be a shit talker huh? dont get me wrong, i appreciate constructive criticism, and i thoroughly respect everybodys opinion. i mean honestly, ask 10 different people how to weld and your going to get 11 different answers. everybody has their own way of doing things. yeah i stitch the majority of the things i do end up MIG welding. ill admit it. guarantee its not going to break either. a lot of people mentioned how when you stitch it cools the metal and creates a weak spot. true, to an extent. its not like im waiting 2 minutes in between welds. granted it is cooling off, but as quick as i let off, im back on it. and its not like i was just barely burning those welds in, im not using a little 110 hobart (no offense to any hobart users), look at the heat affect zone on the MIG weld, thats .25 wall 2x4, and theres a good 1/2" heat zone into both pieces of 2x4, not to mention its on 2 corners so a lot of that heat is going down too. im not saying im right and everyone else is wrong. everyones got their own way. but by all means Ryan, throw up some pics of your welds, let see what they look like.

the only thing i can say about that weld you put up that he is talking about is.. look at the puddles.. you see that low spot in the center, that is a weak spot, it cracks fairly easy if hit hard enough or has enough pressure put to it. you should of stacked that row closer together.

That is all anyone is saying.. the spread out roll looks good and badass, but it should be pulled back enough to cover those low spots in the middle of your puddle.

I've posted pictures of mine if you are going to ask.. but here are 2 more. I was showing a guy I work with how to weld.

What about making multiple passes. I have read it a few places, even the Hobart book mentions it. Would that strengthen up a weld that has low spots?

you shouldnt get low spots.. you get low spots when you spread your weld out too far.. just make sure you keep the puddle close and not move out an inch and then back 1/8 of an inch, you wont get any overlap.

he tacked, then tacked, then tacked, then tacked on that picture we're talking about. he just tacked too far apart.

i gotta question.... im still learning to weld, and have gotten better with the more practice. but the one thing i notice about my welds is that they are usually fatter then most. the surrounding metal looks like its getting good heat, its just the welds look fat. so i have since started to move the gun a little bit quicker, and have gotten the welds to look a little better.

the question is, are the fats welds bad? and whats the best way to get them to look better?

are they tall or just wide? wide is a lot of wire and slow speed. tall is mostly too cold, especially if the sides of the weld dont look like they went into the metal.