I suck at welding.

[Weasel]

never even thought of that, not a bad idea.

 

[tealcherokee]

tow points that i add on in a similar manner, i always bolt on in addition to welding. even if you had a perfect weld ALOT of stress gets put on tow points

 

[lawsoncl]

I'm not a professional welder, just an amateur so take this with a grain of salt. Looking at the second and third pictures, it looks like you didn't get much penetration and the bead is mostly sitting on top. Are you weaving side-side to get a wider and deeper weld? Maybe needed to go hotter as well. How did you get all of the spatter on the d-ring and no where else? :}

As someone else mentioned, an auto-darkening helmet and a bright work light will significantly improve visibility. I think you're on the right track though and practice will definitely help. That bung welding looked pretty good.

 

[Weasel]

I was already running it pretty hot, I think the wire speed was too fast. I was trying to work it back and forth in sorta a "8" feed path, I have no idea on the splatter. Might have had the gun down too low pointing at the d-ring. Had an auto helemt and was outside but I do think I need to get closer to the weld.

 

[tealcherokee]

thanks about the bung weld.....its not bad for a flux core weld, wish i had a tig at my house

 

[chris_amrein]

What shade lens are you using? If you are having a problem seeing you might try going one shade lighter.

For the record, when I started production MIG welding I used a shade 10 lens. As I got better and more comfortable I swithed to a shade 11 (darker) because welding for 8 - 10 hours straight was starting to wear on me a little.

You might be able to get away with a shade 9 if you don't weld for hours at a time. A lot of it depends on your eyes and what you are comfortable with, but use caution if going with a lighter shade because flashburn hurts.

My only other advise is to not "overthink" welding. You will only get better with practice so don't get frustrated when you are just starting out.

Chris

 

[Mr.OverKill]

...... wish i had a tig at my house

dont we all? but haveing one at work i can use any time i want for personal projects is almost as good ( i use it all day for work ) its how i am welding my cage, when the time comes.

 

[buzzbombxj]

go to your local comunity college and take a welding course. mine has many tig, arc and stick machiens, plus a plasma cutter an iron worker, shears, and all sorts or good stuff. with the free metal ive built all sorts of good stuff, and the advanced students and teacher right there are a huge help.

 

[creeperjeeperxj]

One thing to remeber if mig welding is to make sure your shelding gas is at 25-30 working pressure. If this is not right your arc will not be at it's fullest. I agree with buzz I've taken welding and autobody at a vocational school and they make you from a good welder to a top notch welder. My mig course only took one semseter to get I-Car certaifed.( I-CAR = ASE of autobody)

 

[gearwhine]

One thing to remeber if mig welding is to make sure your shelding gas is at 25-30 working pressure. If this is not right your arc will not be at it's fullest.

Explain this more. I've always used around 12-15 psi when I'm indoors with no kind of cross breeze and haven't noticed any kind of problems. You saying if I use 10 more or so I will be getting a better and possibly stronger weld?

 

[lawsoncl]

What shade lens are you using? If you are having a problem seeing you might try going one shade lighter.

For the record, when I started production MIG welding I used a shade 10 lens. As I got better and more comfortable I swithed to a shade 11 (darker) because welding for 8 - 10 hours straight was starting to wear on me a little.

You might be able to get away with a shade 9 if you don't weld for hours at a time. A lot of it depends on your eyes and what you are comfortable with, but use caution if going with a lighter shade because flashburn hurts.

My only other advise is to not "overthink" welding. You will only get better with practice so don't get frustrated when you are just starting out.

Chris

It also depends on what you're welding too. If you're only doing thin stuff at low amperage a lighter shade will be better. If you primarily do thick stuff all day, running very hot, you'll want a darker lens.

Or you can spend a lot more money and get a self-dimming lens with variable shading. I've got a nice Sellstrom that can be varied from a shade 9 to 12, has adjustable dimming sensitivity, and variable undarkening delay. I usually have it at a shade 9 since I do mostly thinner stuff and like to see the weld pool better. The sensitivity is nice if you're under flourescent lighting which can cause false triggering. The delay setting is great if you're doing stitch welding and you don't want the helmet lightening between each stitch. Of course, that's probably way overkill for the occasional welder like me.

 

[lawsoncl]

Explain this more. I've always used around 12-15 psi when I'm indoors with no kind of cross breeze and haven't noticed any kind of problems. You saying if I use 10 more or so I will be getting a better and possibly stronger weld?

Actually thats cfm not psi. I usually run 20 unless I'm outside and then I'll run 25-30. If you in a breezy area or welding an irregular surface, you might need more gas flowing to protect the weld pool. It's noticeable if you've got sheilding problems as you'll get bubbles in the weld and it'll look like crap.

 

[tealcherokee]

yeah, i run 25 inside, 30-40 outside depending, the mig at school has to be at about 45 all the time, or you get a shitty weld, i think the guy who fills the tank screwed us w/ some 50/50 instead of 75/25

 

[CMNCHE]

also might try a Harbor Freight auto darkening welding helmit - then there is no guessing where your hands are when you start welding...

More ambient light Ive found is very helpful for seeing whats going on after you have started the weld...

X1,000,000 Auto darkening welding helmets are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

 

[txredxj]

tealcherokee "yeah, i run 25 inside, 30-40 outside depending, the mig at school has to be at about 45 all the time, or you get a shitty weld, i think the guy who fills the tank screwed us w/ some 50/50 instead of 75/25 "


50/50 would be pretty much hard facing. i would not weld with that.

 

[tealcherokee]

yeah, its at school, i dont weld my own stuff w/ it

 

[LS1Jeeper]

X1,000,000 Auto darkening welding helmets are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Yes it is !! Ha Ha the 1st time I started using it I kept fliping the hood open after I quit welding to do stuff ... My dad kept laughing, I was like whats so funny.. He said you know the darkness goes away when you stop welding lol

 

[rangerjoe2001]

I had a pro welder help me also

Are you dragging or pushing the weld.. ?

Pushing is easier for most people and results in better penetration!

also slow down!