My welding skills stink

[sancochojoe]

I used my mig welder for the first time. Its a Holbart with gas. I don't know how you guys do it. I was burning holes through every weld with a test piece of metal. I had it in the lowest voltage and the slowest wire feed. If my wire feed is any faster, i end up noticing a long piece of metal sticking out. Another thing, I cant see anything until I make the weld, and like usual I miss my spot most of the time. Even if I manage to create my weld bead, I have know clue how I will welding the remainder of the seems without blowing a hole through the metal in the process. I was planning on welding my floor pan to my 51 pickup, but now i'm a little nervous. My technique sucks. What is the secret. All I hear is it is so easy.

[crecity678]

practice is the secret. starting with a dark mask is tough, a good investment would be a auto darkening mask. make sure all metal to be welded is bare metal before starting. for a good bead make small u shapes with the points heading in the same direction your bead is going. start on thicker material you cant burn through until you can make a good bead. tack welding thin material first can solve a lot of hassle by getting it your work into the position you want before starting. what kind of wire are you using?

[MBDiagMan]

First of all, learning to weld is just like learning to play a musical instrument, that is, there is NO POSSIBLE WAY you can learn to weld without lots of practice.

Now, to begin with, read the manual carefully and make sure the welder is set up correctly with the correct polarity non flux wire, correct pressure for gas, about 20CF per hour, correct tension on the wire feed etc.

What kind of metal are you practicing on? I would recommend that you get a scrap of something about 1/8" to start with, and don't try making your first bead on sheet metal.

Also, if you have the welder turned down to the lowest voltage and wire speed setting you will have trouble. Start out with the voltage setting and wire speed that is indicated on the chart inside the wire door. Look up the thickness of the stock you are welding on and set the machine according to the chart. This may not be the correct setting, but it is a good place to start. Make sure you have a good ground connection with the ground lead preferably connected directly to the work piece.

Put your wire down on your work piece where you want it and pull the trigger for maybe a half second or a second and then stop and look at what you've done. Look at the pictures of what the weld bead should look like in your manual. When you are making a short little bead that looks like it should according to the manual, then try to move along a little farther. In the beginning you can make your bead in short little spurts at a time until you get the hang of it. If you are burning through, turn down your voltage and try it. If you are doing more than short spurts, then speed up your travel speed, not the wire speed to keep from burning through. Then look at the weld and see that you are getting good penetration.

Get some scraps of metal and put them next to each other and keep practicing until you can make a butt joint that seems strong and the bead is tieing into the metal real good. When you get to where you can make a good butt weld on 1/8" stock go to something thinner like 16 gauge which is about .060" thick. Again start by setting the welder according to the chart for that material thickness.

The main thing is to have patience. I would be willing to bet that if you have ever played a musical instrument, you did not just pick up the instrument and start playing a tune. You had to do something simple, practice until you could play it well and then move on to something a little more complex. Welding is the same thing. Have patience and practice, Practice, PRACTICE. Don't let it whip you.

Also, make sure you have a helmet with a shade and magnifier if necessary so that you can SEE the puddle. Seeing the puddle is everything. You need to learn to watch the puddle and then stay out in front of it, but don't expect to just start out making long beads. Get yourself in a position where you can steady your hands and you have your head and helmet in a position to SEE that puddle.

Now just make up you're mind that you're going to learn to weld, get some scrap pieces to practice on, get comfortable and hold one hand with the other so you can be steady and TEACH YOURSELF TO WELD! DON'T LET IT BEAT YOU!

Good luck,
Doc

[Customcab]

Totally agree with using a Auto Darking Helment; also with practice on thicker metal and work by spot welding for numerous reason; one to tac-weld the two adjoining surfaces and to keep them from over heating and warping and then fill the gap; don't try and led your welds but watch where you been will allow you to master your welds.

Mitch

[Old Fart]

Couple of things that will help.

Autodarkening helmet (many others have said the same). Buy quality - you only get one set of eyes.

Start thick, your first 10 hours should be no thinner than 3/16. Learn to put that together, then go slowly thinner - then work with dissimilar thicknesses. I can teach my dachshund to weld 3/16" After 30+ years, I still mess up on thin stuff

Get a pair of MIG gloves (mine are deer skin). Thinner than ARC gloves, will allow better control.

Use both hands. I weld with my right, use the left as support.

Listen! A good MIG weld sounds like frying bacon.

Watch someone else if possible. Find a neighbor with a MIG, bring your BRAND NEW autodarkening helmet and watch. If you are by chance close to Southern California, come on by!

[dffay]

All good advice especially the autodarkening helmet. Try several things: Watch the holdoff of the end of the MIG gun. Keep it at the recommendations and integrate your hearing into all the other things you are doing. Get used to the sound of the weld happening. That way if you get too close, cold, hot or far away you'll notice the difference. Welding short beads helps a lot when. Squeeze the trigger and let the puddle happen. Then stop after 3/16 or 1/4 inch and just before the puddle changes to a darker red, pull the trigger again so it flows in and go for another 3/16 or 1/4 inch. Pretty soon, instead of one long, scary bead you will have great penetration and a fish scale looking weld. Just don't let the last puddle go too cold before pulling the trigger for the next short amount. This technique helps too much heat building up and blowing through. As your skills develop, and they will, the longer beads will go a lot easier. Quite frankly, you'll still do the pulling of the trigger in a smooth and constant rythm for lots of your welding. Plus, watch the usual things like plenty of gas flow, wire speed and amperage. Be patient. You'll get there.

[jesse1385]

Turn the gas down. It won't burn as hot and practice till you get it just right.

[sancochojoe]

What autodarkening mask do you guys suggest??

[trike1946]

Are the autodarkening masks really safe? I hear conflicting views.

[horsepuller]

Here's a link to a good article on lens shade and auto darkening hoods. FWIW, I think they are a great idea. But I prefer a lift front lens so I can have eye protection while I'm grinding without having to take the hood off or wear goggles.

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowl...dinglenses.asp

[MBDiagMan]

I think that for MIG welding an auto dark is a convenience, but for stick welding it is almost a necessity. With a MIG you can get the wire where you want it without worrying about flashing your eyes, then nod down the helmet and pull the trigger. You just can't do that with a stick.

There are lots of good auto darks on the market. I got a new one that just came out called an InWeld. It is adjustable with the knob on the outside and is solar powered so you don't have to remember to turn it on.

There are many others. Shop around. But in the meantime, use the helmet you have and PRACTICE!

Good luck,
Doc

[SoCalDesertRider]

You're starting off with too thin material to learn on. Sheetmetal is difficult to weld even for people with exeperience.

You can spark the torch to see where you are if you're using a regular helmet. Get a glimpse of it, move it to where you think you need to be and spark it again. The problem with nodding the head to lower the helmet is the whole body ends up moving, including the hands, untill you have practice at it. Hold the torch with 2 hands and rest the left hand on the work to stabilize the torch keep it in position while you lower the helmet. Set your headgear loose so the helmet drops with just a slight head nod. A tight headgear will have you jiggling the torch every time.

I agree with the others that an auto helmet is much easier to use.

With mig welding, push the weld, don't pull it like stick welding.

Good luck with the welding!

[sancochojoe]

SoCal,

thats exactly what I've been getting frustrated with. When I make the helmet fall over my face, everything is out of wack and I miss my spot and then I get a nice hole burnt through the sheet metal.

The price difference among autodarkening helmets are so wide. Can I say I get what I pay for if I buy a cheap one, or do they all have to meet the minimal standards and the expensive helmets are just the ones with the nice artwork on them?

[MBDiagMan]

The Inweld helmet that I spoke of was $107 and is very good quality. Just like any other electronics technology, the price comes down over time. Remember when VCR's were $1000? The Inweld is a new generation and is less expensive.

SoCalDesertRider is correct about moving your body a little when you nod, and he is correct about that causing problems if you are stick welding, but this does not hurt your position with MIG if you actually push the wire exactly where you want it and THEN nod down the helmet. Since you have the wire in place and can feel that it is in place, it won't move. This gives you time to pull the trigger and then you can see.

You have to be a practiced weldor to nod down a helmet when stick welding because if you move your body very much you will strike, or not start the arc where you thought it was going to strike.

Also, get your head in a postion where you can see around the nozzle of your MIG gun.

Good luck,
Doc

[ckal704]

Generally speaking, faster wire feed speeds produce a cooler weld and slower wire feed speeds produce a hotter weld. Wire speed has a direct influence on the length of the arc. If the wire feeds faster, the arc length is shorter generating less heat. Vice-versa for slower wire speeds.
Auto dark helmets are great.
Previous advice on practice, practice, practice is essential.
Practice on 1/8th or thicker metal until you can produce beads that look as they should. Then move to scrap sheet metal until you can produce acceptable quality welds.
Then practice some more. You weren't able to tie your shoes perfectly the first time you tried that either, were you? Right. It took a lot of practice.
Good luck and be patient. It will pay off.