First time welding!
#1
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!
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!
#2
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!
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.
#4
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).
Last edited by rockp2; 02-17-2014 at 02:37 PM.
#6
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
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
#9
But then again, trying to do anything that takes concentration and needing to **** results in a bad outcome.
#10
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?