WOHOO! Learning to weld!!!! (few questions)

My friend i got a simple $120 Harbor Freight flux core wire feed deal. We figured once we learn to get a "decent" weld out of this thing, our first welds with a nice MIG later on will be great.
But we kind of just jumped into this head first not knowing a whole lot about welding. We know the that we have to clean the metal and get a good ground, but thats about it. There are only two heat settings on it, low and high.
Im wanting to weld up some rocker guards and already have the steel. The plan is to practice all week on scrap making ok zigzag welds. Then spot weld the rockers, go to town, take a grinder to the boogers, then weld on top again, grind, repeat on the highest setting. Sound good?
Any newbie tips and advice are appreciated. Already did a search, but just trying to get the nuts and bolts of welding dow. TIA.

Couple of tips....bevel the metal with a grinder so when the two pieces fit up it makes a V shape....don't fit the joints dead tight together, leave about a 1/8" gap....tack in several spots...chip out all slag...first pass is the root pass...bottom of the V groove...chip out all slag...grind out any areas that you find pits in...and reweld...PRACTICE, PRACTICE on scrap...if the weld is pitted or has poor penetration, it will not only look like Fido's behind, it will most likely fail just when you need it the most..after making a few practice welds on scrap flat stock....clamp the test piece in a vise and hammer it apart so you can see the actual weld bead...it must be fully penetrated, not just laying on top of the joint...HTH

Dawg

I'm not a welder but I pretend to be. Go slow. That is one thing I cannot seem to do. Oh good set of wire brushes will clean the fux off well with lots of arm work!

Ghost said:

I'm not a welder but I pretend to be. Go slow. That is one thing I cannot seem to do. Oh good set of wire brushes will clean the fux off well with lots of arm work!

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or throw a wire brush on the angle grinder...
that cuts down on the "arm work" and will really clean things up well.

Hmm, I've seen them on drills but never for a angle grinder! Where do I get such a brush?

Ghost said:

Hmm, I've seen them on drills but never for a angle grinder! Where do I get such a brush?

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Most places that have angle grinders should have them.
They look like this.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=6773
This one looks to be brass and the wires are twisted into knots.
I typically have used steel brush versions with straight individual bristles.
They can get a little pricey, but usually are worth their lifespan in amount of arm work they save. An angle grinder is much easier to control than a drill with a brush, so you can get pretty agressive with it when trying to clean up rusty parts. Also when getting into a big wire brush session, I use ear protection, a ventilator mask, eye protection and sometimes some gloves.
If you are in a tight spot and remove the second handle from the grinder it can get away from you... the gloves will save brushing your skin.

Ok, so how does it attach? I have seen them but could not figure out how they attach? Is there a shaft that goes in the grinder? Or does the lock rings hold it on some how?

Ghost said:

Ok, so how does it attach? I have seen them but could not figure out how they attach? Is there a shaft that goes in the grinder? Or does the lock rings hold it on some how?

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These brushes have an attached nut instead of a shaft.
You don't use the nut that normally holds on a grinding disk and just thread the brush on there instead.

Also there are more than one size, so make sure you get the right one.
I have a 4 1/2" angle grinder which happens to be different than the ones that work on 4" Makita grinders for example...

As I am a newb welder again, I just ordered the Student Kit from Miller: 13 reference books & 3 calculators for $25 shipped.

http://www.millerwelds.com/education/tools/basket.php?action=A&id=211630&qty=1

Ghost, Sears has those grinder brushes if ya cant find them elsewhere.

I perfer the flat round brush. You can get them at sears, home depot, lowes, and any hardware store worth a dang.

I think I'm an alright welder with a stick or MIG. I built my bumper and that thing is as solid as my roomate's head, (read solid as sh#t) but I'm no proffessional by any means. I say don't bother with the brushes, go straight to it with the angle grinder for the weld and the ground. Look for shiney bare metal.

As far as technique think circles: cccccccccccc

or triangles: /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I think of it in my head like: The arc is melting everything by the weld; the wire and the two pieces that are being joined, and all that molten metal is forming into little pools which then solidify into the weld bead.

You have to have it hot enough to melt into the metal being welded and have it slow enough to burn into the metal. Otherwise you are just creating an arc that is melting the wire and making booger surface welds on top.

As mentioned before weld something and then beat the hell out of it with a hammer to get a good idea of how the weld is going.

If any proffessional welders have a problem with this explanation, sue me. :cheers:

I had an graduate student in Art look over my shoulder and check out my welds. Apparently they look pretty good for my first time. welding vertically downwards seems a lot easier, I have a good view of the pool and have a good "stacked dime" pattern considering its flux core. Ill get pics up. BTW, I have som FUNKY sunburn patterns on my face now!

Lucas said:

BTW, I have som FUNKY sunburn patterns on my face now!

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You should be using a full face helmet. I don't know where you could find suitable arc-welding eyewear that doesn't cover your whole face, so I wonder what you are using.

Really. Aside from the obvious not wanting to burn your skin off, make sure you are using the right gear, so you don't burn your corneas out. They don't grow back.

I was using these goggles with VERY dark flip up shield-lenses (#10 I think, they block out a 100w lightbulb) . the rest of my face was covered by a hankerchief. I have a weird burn that runs around my cheeks and forehead and in a triangle over my mouth.
Oh, AND my pants caught on fire.Im going to invest in an auto darkening helmet and coveralls really soon though. Thanks for the concern. :thumbup:

Lucas said:

I was using these goggles with VERY dark flip up shield-lenses (#10 I think, they block out a 100w lightbulb) . the rest of my face was covered by a hankerchief. I have a weird burn that runs around my cheeks and forehead and in a triangle over my mouth.
Oh, AND my pants caught on fire.Im going to invest in an auto darkening helmet and coveralls really soon though. Thanks for the concern. :thumbup:

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dont use goggles. wear ANSI z87 safety eyewear (or somewhere along those lines of shatterproof eyewear) and a full welding helmet. shade #10 would be too weak for me as i would use no less than #12 shade for mig or stick. my eyes are very sensitive tho, and after TIG welding 8 hrs a day i have found that i prefer a shade#14 for that. remeber that your eyes like jello and anything flying around during grinding and brushing will slice right into them. once (and only once) i got a metal shaving in my eye and it rusted (cause i didnt feel it in there) and they had to go in and scrape the damaged area out...dont let this happen to you. the arc from welding has been known to cause eye damage at 100ft on unprotected eyes...you wouldnt stare into the sun right? for stick and mig...leather will last a very long time and its worth it! safety in all forms of metal work is key to a good experience every time...just ask some of the old timers who were around before safety was mandated by law, and ask em 'bout the missing fingers and such.
my welding teacher pounded this (with other) into our heads...correct electrode size. correct current. correct arc length or voltage. correct travel speed. correct electrode angle. = a good start. for mig the old stack of dimes actually rarely applies as you should have a smooth, regular, well formed bead. the sound i good set up makes is akin to frying eggs and sizzling bacon...jeeze i think i'm getting hungry! the most important thing to remember is to have fun, because you are only limited by your imagination.

Suggestions..Speed lenses(auto darkening) thses can be a little on the $$$ side.Might wanna go with a regular shield,with a#9 lens.
ANSI approved safety galsses are not for welding and cutting goggles aren't either.
If anyone has ever experienced welding flash,then you know the pain.I have,and it ain't fun.The theory about putting potatoes on your eyes has been around for many years...and it doesn't work.Extreme cases of welding flash require immediate medical attention.Slight cases can usually be taken care of by:
Flushing eyes w/cold water
Go to a dark room no lights w/cold rag over eyes for @ 4 hrs after that wear sunglasses until eyes feel better.
I ahve been welding for @ 20 yrs,I have only had to go to ER twice,but was not afraid to go.
If you can visualize,small particles of sand stuck to your eyeball,then everytime you blink the eyelid slides over the "sand" it hurts.Ask an optomitrist about welding flash if your lucky,he may be able toshow you some nice pics.

churky89 said:

Suggestions..Speed lenses(auto darkening) thses can be a little on the $$$ side.Might wanna go with a regular shield,with a#9 lens.
ANSI approved safety galsses are not for welding and cutting goggles aren't either.
If anyone has ever experienced welding flash,then you know the pain.I have,and it ain't fun.The theory about putting potatoes on your eyes has been around for many years...and it doesn't work.Extreme cases of welding flash require immediate medical attention.Slight cases can usually be taken care of by:
Flushing eyes w/cold water
Go to a dark room no lights w/cold rag over eyes for @ 4 hrs after that wear sunglasses until eyes feel better.
I ahve been welding for @ 20 yrs,I have only had to go to ER twice,but was not afraid to go.
If you can visualize,small particles of sand stuck to your eyeball,then everytime you blink the eyelid slides over the "sand" it hurts.Ask an optomitrist about welding flash if your lucky,he may be able toshow you some nice pics.

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unfortunately i might not have been specific about the ansi glasses...i meant that they should be worn at all times...even under an approved welding shield. since we're at it earplugs are a good idea for two good reasons: keep out flying metal and/or sparks and prevent hearing loss. as with radiation exposure to the eyes, the length and number of times you are exposed to high levels of noise determine the extend of the damage to your hearing.
also i would suggest no lees than a shade#10 if you are doing any wleding where the current is over 60 amps (SMAW) if you're doing mig or flux core minimum #10. i would rather err on the safe side and suggest shade #11 or greater for any welding over 60 A...

Learned my Lesson.

Welded some more yesterday and holy crap my face is burnt up. Feels like I stuck my head in a flash fryer. The goggles are certified for welding, they have clear plastic lenses with glass shields that flip down over them. Plus I wear polycarbonate glasses so thats three layers of protection. Still, im getting a helmet asap.
The welds just keep getting better. I put some armor on my diff cover and there was about six inches that looked really really good, another guy thought I had a friend do that part with a MIG. The rest was decent, but the cheapo welder is already starting to act up on me. Irregular wire feeding. I think its going to go back and the money will be put towards a little Hobart unit thats on sale.


What exactly is welding flash? Churky, you make it sound like something actually gets into your eyes?

Thanks for the advice, keep it coming. Learnin to weld is a BLAST, and with all the little things I can do to the jeep, its already paying for itself.

Re: Learned my Lesson.

is it a schumaker? FWIW, thats what i've been borrowing from a friend, its not a bad little guy, but i use it mainly for tacking and then take it to a friends to weld it better. but i usuaklly keep it on high setting and go at it, it seems to get decent penetation on 1/8" stuff, not so great on stuff much larger than that, tho heating it witha torch before hand seems to help, at least on 3/16 stock....

A welding arc gives off radiation in virtually the entire spectrum...long term exposure to welding arc can cause skin cancers...dark glasses stop the visible light, but don't stop the UV or infrared...you must get a helmet as a minimum...you need to wear long sleeves and gloves too...if you weld in a close space, drape the back of the helmet...reflected light will burn your eyes too. Check your lens carefully before each use...a crack in the lens will allow enough light through to burn your eyes...