Ax,
Bumping this back to the top. This thread is just full of useful info. Also giving props to weldingsupply.com. I ran out of my initial 2lb spool so I ordered the 12lb spool. Got in the mail, but the plastic spool was crushed in 50 pieces. I called up the company and they are sending me another spool free! (With 2nd day delivery, should receive on Tues.)

When you need more wire order the below:

Weldingsupply.com / ESAB / 69130051

 

Chris, I'm glad you liked the lessons and the easy-grind wire.

 

Thanks for the tip and the link Chris. Very useful.

 

AX this was a great tutorial. Very informative THANK YOU

 

Thanks AX I need all the help I can get, subscribed and repped.

 

Newbie here, just finished reading the whole thread. Thanks a lot for all the great info. Gonna get started practicing as soon as winter hits.

 

Ah, I remember this thread! A while back I copy/pasted every lesson into notepad documents (for my own personal use) for a later time. Starting in the fall I'll be taking a welding class, and I'll use these lesson as extra help! Thanks again!

 

Subscribing. Great post

 

Addendum: To clarify, it is important to clip the end of the filler wire clean, removing any balling of the end of the wire before starting each tack or bead, especially when welding thinner material. I recently read in a letter to "Professor Hammer" (Ron Covell) from an engineer that worked for the company during the development of the MIG welding machine verifying my instruction and reasoning on this. The MIG machine is a constant current machine, so it "sees" a ball on the end of the wire as a much thicker wire (the diameter of the ball), so it ramps up the current to match that diameter, adding excess heat to the start of the weld increasing the likelyhood of burn through. So keep those cutters at hand and clip every time!

 

OK. I will throw in a question. This is a problem I have had on and off since I started welded. Burning a hole through. And tall welds. I was lap welding and in places butt welding some exhaust tubing last week, and burned through several times. I would spot weld fix it and carry on, but it sure makes your job look less than nice. What are the common causes you can see? 110v Miller with .023" wire and 75/25 mix. I generally start where the miller guide tells me, and start tweaking, until I am finished usually.

 

Subscribed!

 

Easy fix first: too tall weld beads. possible causes in order of likelyhood: 1. too cold welds, bead is sitting on top rather than penetrating. symptom bead taller than wide, edges of bead turn under at contact point with metal being welded, unfused seam still visible on back side. Fix, increase heat. check back of weld for penetration, seam should show melting and complete fusion with a slightly raised surface. face of bead should be wider than tall, bead should be ~ 1/4" wide, 1/8" tall single pass with no weaving. edges should blend into metal being welded. 2. too much stick out of filler wire. Symptom: tall bead with penetration. Fix: reduce stick out. stick out should be clipped to 3/8 to 1/2" max at start, don't lift stinger as you weld stick out should be the same at the end of the bead. Practice until you can run a 6" continuous bead on 16 ga without lifting torch tip so stick out remains constant. Support torch tip with free hand resting on surface or support, do not weld one handed. 3. Weld speed and wire feed rate do not match. Symptoms similar to 1. or 2. Fix adjust weld speed and wire feed rate. Practice running beads at different wire feed rates at constant weld rate: too fast without lifting tip wire will start pushing tip away from surface. too slow and sound will be like popcorn popping as arc makes and breaks. Each person is different find what works best for you. 4. Not looking at (or not seeing) weld puddle size, This should be the first one for most non-pro welders! You MUST be able to see the weld puddle size and travel before you can really start calling yourself a welder!!! You need to get down close and personal to see your weld happening. The front of you helmet eye plate needs to be within 6-8" of the point of welding, definitely no more than 12". Arrange you welding bench height or what you are welding so you can comfortably get your face close enough to the weld to really SEE the weld puddle. If need be, buy a +1.5 or 2.0 diopter magnifying lens to go into your helmet to help you see up close, they are inexpensive ~6.00 and can make all the difference in the world on the quality of your welds. There is no shame in using them, I use one in my helmet even with my bifocal glasses. You need to be able to watch the puddle form, the size and travel speed. I prefer to weld sitting down whenever possible, and have my welding table at 48" high with an adjustable height desk chair set normal sitting height to sit on. If your bench is 36" high adjust the chair as low as it will go. if your bench is 30" it is too low, raise it up. When you weld there will be a very bright light at the point of the arc, and the weld puddle will be a dark red area around it, Don't look at the brightest part of the arc, but try to look down the filler wire and just ahead of the bright arc concentrating on seeing and watching the dark red puddle form and advance. Seeing the puddle requires concentration, getting your head close enough in the right position, and practice. Work on it and when you get it, it will be like riding a bike from then on and your welds will improve 100%.

I'll come back to the burn thru issue later.

 

I'm excited to try all suggestiions. Thank you!!

 

I suggest everyone view this sampler video: It shows some very important information. Things to notice: 1. The appearance of an ideal bead, height, width, way it blends into base metal. 2. The height of the torch tip above the metal and the way the second hand supports and guides the torch. 3. The speed of the torch movement while welding (novices tend to think they need to move much quicker that what is actually needed.) 4. The appearance of full penetration on the back of the work. 5. The torch angle. Again novices tend to angle the torch too much, rotate it as they proceed, tilt the torch at right angles to the weld direction. The two exceptions are when making a preliminary tack the torch is held perfectly vertical with the wire touching the joint, and the trigger pulled for 2 seconds. A small round tack about 3/16" should form. The second exception is when welding two dissimilar thicknesses of metal together. In that case the torch should be tilted so it slightly points towards the thicker metal.
NOTE: When adding on to tacks or continuing a previous bead you should start the new bead from on top the previous bead not along side the previous bead or tack (notice that there is a small depression in the bead where the wire was located when the weld stopped (or in the center of the tack weld spot) that is the point where the new bead should start so you don't get skips in the weld. Place the end of the wire in that small depression to start the new bead.
6. The difference in the heat affected zone between continuous bead and repeated tacks on welding sheet metal.

 

i just love it when we have movies in class.

thanks AX this is great stuff.