First time welding!
So I got a little welder the other day. It's nothing special but it came with a decent helmet, gloves, and a few wire brushes and it was only $250, so whatever. it's a flux/mig. I've never welded before so i figured there's no point spending a lot of money on something I dont know how to use!
Any tips or suggestions or anything for welding for a first time? It's at least -10 where I am so I'd be welding in a house garage, should I have the door wide open for ventilation or is it being open just a bit good enough? What else should I know? Thanks for any help! |
Originally Posted by 01 Jimmy SLE
(Post 618928)
So I got a little welder the other day. It's nothing special but it came with a decent helmet, gloves, and a few wire brushes and it was only $250, so whatever. it's a flux/mig. I've never welded before so i figured there's no point spending a lot of money on something I dont know how to use!
Any tips or suggestions or anything for welding for a first time? It's at least -10 where I am so I'd be welding in a house garage, should I have the door wide open for ventilation or is it being open just a bit good enough? What else should I know? Thanks for any help! Understand the duty cycle of your machine. If you got it at a box store it probably has a 20% duty cycle (it should be on a sticker on the machine). Basically that means you can weld at full power for 2 minutes and then you have to let the machine rest for 8 minutes (20% of 10 minutes). As your amperage is lower, your duty cycle goes up (giving you more time to weld). The manual might tell you or you might have to do some math. There is a mask specifically for welding fumes. It looks like one of those plain white paper masks on steroids. It works well because it fits under your helmet and doesn't fog the lens. I love them. You can find them at a welding supply shop and they aren't expensive at all. The ventilation requirement you will need depends on how much your welding. More welding, creates more smoke and fumes. Me personally, I don't even open my door if I'm just running a couple quick beads. If I am doing something like building a welding table (great first project by the way), I open the main door about 3 or 4 inches off the ground and then I open my entry door all the way (my garage is detached). Ventilation is going to be something you will determine what works best for your situation. The only problem with having the door wide open is may be exposing the neighbors to the arc. They may feel that you are hurting their eyes...so take that into consideration. You can go on and on, but read your manual completely and watch some you tube videos on MIG Welding. Some great stuff out there. |
Thanks for all the tips! Are the fume masks reusable? I'm just looking on amazon for an idea of the price and one is $15. Do you need a new one every time you weld?
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Originally Posted by 01 Jimmy SLE
(Post 618991)
Thanks for all the tips! Are the fume masks reusable? I'm just looking on amazon for an idea of the price and one is $15. Do you need a new one every time you weld?
EDIT: Another important tip, when you're running your bead, you want to watch the puddle, not the arc. Keep that puddle molten and after practice you'll get proper penetration. Remember this, the weld is not "gluing" the metal together, it melting the metal so it runs together and become one. Slow down when you're running your bead. When you first start out you tend to go to fast.Watch the "dot" in the puddle. Don't worry, you'll see what I mean by "dot" when you have a good puddle going. Look close, but look at the puddle, not the arc. Try running your bead by moving in kind of an inverted "CCCCCCCCCCC" motion (if you're right-handed). |
Never weld with a full bladder.
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Don't weld in the house! Not worth the risk!
HAVE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER HANDY!!!!! Flux core and Mig run different polarities, make sure you are set up correctly. Use the chart inside the welder it is usually very close to optimal settings. With flux core, you want to drag the puddle. BEST ever Info I have found; Welding Tips and Tricks • Index page https://www.youtube.com/user/weldingtipsandtricks |
LeWhite, is there a funny story behind that?
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No not really. If you ever progress to TIG welding try out of position welding and needing to piss while trying to stack dimes.
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Originally Posted by LeWhite
(Post 619103)
No not really. If you ever progress to TIG welding try out of position welding and needing to piss while trying to stack dimes.
But then again, trying to do anything that takes concentration and needing to piss results in a bad outcome. |
Does moisture in the air affect welding? Is it a bad idea to weld (in a garage with doors open a bit for ventilation) when it's raining outside? What it it's storming? Also how much does temperature affect welding?
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Originally Posted by 01 Jimmy SLE
(Post 619428)
Does moisture in the air affect welding? Is it a bad idea to weld (in a garage with doors open a bit for ventilation) when it's raining outside? What it it's storming? Also how much does temperature affect welding?
As far as temperature, the hotter the metal is, the quicker the puddle will develop. But you can weld in freezing temps no prob...as long you get the metal flowing properly. You will also notice that as you weld that metal will of course get hotter and hotter. You don't want to weld to the point of it deforming, so know when to stop and let it cool down a bit (that's where the wire brush) comes in to play. |
that welder probably cant do over 1/4 inch steal. it should say in the directions. i have a fluxcore century welder and it CAN do 1/4 inch steal if the steal is good and hot and you crank the heat and go a little slower on the speed.
also make sure you wear that mask, its not just there to protect your eyes. one of the first things i welded was shock tabs on a axle and just used the lens cause i was in a tight spot. ended up having a nice sun burn the next few days expect it to take a while. id say i went through about 4-6 lbs of wire before i got good |
Yeah it says it can do 1/4" I'm pretty sure, but I'm not expecting much out of it. Since I've never welded, I don't have huge expectations for it. Actually it says it can do 1/4" with multiple passes. But going by that logic, couldn't you technically weld any thickness?
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Originally Posted by 01 Jimmy SLE
(Post 619627)
Yeah it says it can do 1/4" I'm pretty sure, but I'm not expecting much out of it. Since I've never welded, I don't have huge expectations for it. Actually it says it can do 1/4" with multiple passes. But going by that logic, couldn't you technically weld any thickness?
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ive tried to weld 5/8th plate to 5/8ths plate before, i couldnt get penetration for anything. basically i was working on this giant push bumper thing and was just trying to tack the brackets on where i needed them to be so i could weld it at work and yeah it didnt like it at all.
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3 Attachment(s)
Here are a few welds I did the other day, on a trailer I've been working on. What do I need to do better?
https://blazerforum.com/forum/attach...ine=1401758255 https://blazerforum.com/forum/attach...ine=1401758255 https://blazerforum.com/forum/attach...ine=1401758255 I'm thinking the wire speed was too high? |
i've seen and done worse - first pic you just wasn't steady and consistant enough - other two don't look bad for a flux weld
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I'm also not as concerned about the welds looking nice as I am about them being strong obviously
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A Quote from my FFA instructor too many years ago - [hel- it's a good looking weld as long as it dosen't look like a chicken squated on the metal] - looks like you have good penetration from what i can tell in the pics {blueing of the metal around the beads} as stated above first one just not as consitant enough with bead - the only other thing is you didn't quite start at the edge and stoped before the edge - IMO from what i can see your doing fine
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Haha that's what I look for.. does it look like bird crap? No? then its fine
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It looks like you're getting the right amount of penetration (as stated already), but I would continue around the corners. Also, as you can see from flux welding, it creates a lot of spatter. You don't want that spatter in your weld because it weakens the weld. If you happen to stop a bead, you need to chip off the spatter and wire brush the whole weld clean before you start again. That's where a angle grinder with a wire brush disc is really handy. When I'm MIG welding (flux) I also use the spatter spray you can get in an aerosol can. Makes chipping off the spatter not much more than just a wipe with your chipping hammer.
As my instructor once told me, it's better to weld a little hot than a little cold. At least if you're too hot you'll know it right away. So I usually kick my amps up a touch more than many people. Have you seen/found the dot yet? :) |
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