Welding Tips and Tricks

I'm no expert but I was also wondering about gas flow. I've a bit of experience with FCAW since 1998 but I'm new to GMAW.

The big adjustment was with being able to see around the mig nozzle, the flux core nozzle is so much easier to see around.

I played with my welders a bit and just settled on the flow gauges set at 20, and maintaining about 1/2" stick out and my beads look acceptable to my uneducated eye, with too much stick out and the flow meters set too low they looked more like your pics.

I also would get some 1/8" material to practice on.

Who actually studied the pictures?

Really, I want to know.

Speculating about machine settings and gas flow id all fine and good, once he's welding on CLEAN, SHINY metal, not that green crusty crap in the pictures he shared. I'm serious, study the picture where he cut the "weld", and you'll see that crust continues uninterrupted under the beads he set on top of it.

Otto Nobedder wrote:Who actually studied the pictures?

Really, I want to know.

Speculating about machine settings and gas flow id all fine and good, once he's welding on CLEAN, SHINY metal, not that green crusty crap in the pictures he shared. I'm serious, study the picture where he cut the "weld", and you'll see that crust continues uninterrupted under the beads he set on top of it.

It was mentioned in the first replies (metal prep). I have welded HR steel without full clean prep and gotten decent penetration, so metal prep alone is not the only issue here.

His welds look really cold despite the (lack of) prep. These attributes are being observed/commented on. But once his beads get/look better, an analysis of penetration will also reveal inclusion of the mill scale that needs to be removed. Walk before you run...

Otto Nobedder wrote:Who actually studied the pictures?

Really, I want to know.

Speculating about machine settings and gas flow id all fine and good, once he's welding on CLEAN, SHINY metal, not that green crusty crap in the pictures he shared. I'm serious, study the picture where he cut the "weld", and you'll see that crust continues uninterrupted under the beads he set on top of it.

I did. That's why I figured the gun was laid way down. Its incontrovertible that the prep is bad, but then there's also the caterpillar like bead. Easy enough to assume settings due to the lapping, but if you draw a line perpendicular to the eye (or where the weld was stopped/restarted) it appears to be way off from any typical position. Even if the settings were in the "close enough" range, this will result in no penetration/malformed beads.

...but if you start with clean, uncontaminated metal, all the other s#!t you're talking about can be gauged and adjusted. You have no idea what that green crust is, or what effect it's having on this weld. I've never seen mill scale look like that.

"Walk before you run" was stated.
Lace up your shoes, first.

Show me what your settings do on clean metal, and I might be able to tell you something. The unknown crap on the steel is a variable I can't (and these other bright people shouldn't try to) account for in any suggestion I or we might give you.

Steve

Back to basics.

Very true. I probably did get overly scientifical when Rule # 1 is Rule #1 for several very good reasons.

3/8" is pretty thick for that small of machine. Once you get it clean and shiny, hit it with a torch to pre-heat. Your machine is struggling.

AKmud wrote:3/8" is pretty thick for that small of machine. Once you get it clean and shiny, hit it with a torch to pre-heat. Your machine is struggling.

Quite true, but with .030 wire, it's doable (preheat is advisable). There should be some measurable penetration in this attempt, even if it's only near the toes and doesn't close the root.

Before I make any attempt at advice, I want to see an attempt on metal that has been ground until there's no chance of whatever that green crap is to exist in the tiniest pinhole.

This is a case where I wish Grant were my neighbor, so I could go observe and maybe get my hands dirty to get a solution for him.

Steve

Take a deep breath. Let the smoke out slow.
#1. Forget using a 110 welder on 3/8 steel. Period.
#2. Forget using a 110 welder on 3/8 steel. Period.
#3. Go get some 1/8 steel.Leave your machine maxed out. Go weld some 1/8 steel.
Penetrated purty good didnit ?

Ever took a look inside the door on that machine Aussie ? See anything about 3/8 steel ?

[quote="Antorcha"]Take a deep breath. Let the smoke out slow.
#1. Forget using a 110 welder on 3/8 steel. Period.
#2. Forget using a 110 welder on 3/8 steel. Period.
#3. Go get some 1/8 steel.Leave your machine maxed out. Go weld some 1/8 steel.
Penetrated purty good didnit ?

Ever took a look inside the door on that machine Aussie ? See anything about 3/8 steel ?



But,,,,even though he won't be able to make a 3/8 bead capable of welding 3/8 in a single pass. He should be just fine welding a bead big enough for 1/8 steel on a 3/8 plate. It won't just stop working because the plates too thick. If he's on good clean steel and gets the machine dialed in then the resulting weld will have good wet in on the edges. Regardless of how thick the base plate is!

How much penetration is necessary beyond an approximately 30/70 proportion of filler to base metal mixture for a given size of bead?
Its welding, not gouging.

I don't know that particular machine - But are you running the right polarity?
Something looks very wrong.

PeteM wrote:Also, how is your gun angle? It shouldn't be more than a few degrees off of 90, but a lot of new to mig guys will end up tilting the gun way over to kind of see what is going on. That just stacks the metal upon itself with virtually no penetration/fusion. This also messes up the contact tip to work distance.

I'm new to mig myself, just done it a few days breaking from my vertical stick. I can get good penetration and a good form up to for the most part on my laps but am having trouble with the lower end piling a little and not penetrating. I think this gun angle tip will be helpful. I do a good tilt in stick, perhaps I need to do a more straight on approach with the mig gun


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I'm new to mig myself, just done it a few days breaking from my vertical stick. I can get good penetration, pretty beads, and a good form up top for the most part on my laps but am having trouble with the lower end of the bead piling a little. I think this gun angle tip will be helpful. I do a good tilt in stick, perhaps I need to do a more straight on approach with the mig gun


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Shouldn't the ER70s-6 (a really common type of mig wire) be able to cut through that mill scale?

Mill scale is just slag from the manufacturers process. You can cut through it but your best results will come from removing it first.