This is my very first time with a welder... I have a snap-on 130 turbo and have spent the evening just checking it over and trying out various wire speeds and power settings. It could do with a new swan neck and the feed mech plastic housing screws have at some point been overtightened and it's well ******ed! It feeds ok, but the liner is slipping out of the housing as it's cracked.
Anyway, i have been practicing with .6mm gas wire, but running it gasless as i just wanted to get a general 'feel' of welding and the very basic techniques. Ok, it splatters like hell and I'm sure using gas is a major factor getting it right, but here's where i am after a couple of hours...
I can't seem to hold a steady seam without blowing and I've found the only way to get penetration on 1mm steel is to use maximum power, quater wire speed and 'pulse' the torch while going over the last weld... I can only explain it by saying that i watch the pool build around the edges and where the wire is feeding into the metal it wants to blow, so just before it wants to blow i stop, quickly move the tip back over the red hot depression and repeat. This is how these welds look.
If I try to produce a constant seam welding horizontal it always blows through, especially at the end of the bead. This always happens when there is enough power and a balanced wire speed to get a good penetration.
If i whack the power down and have slow the wire feed down the beads just sit proud on the steel and don't really penetrate.
I did find that welding vertically and pulling downwards worked better as i could actually see the weld pool form and drip downwards, adjusting my movements as necessary. However, it will take lots more practice to get the eye for it, that i know for sure!
All in all i found that without gas, on non-fluxed wire the only decent width and penetration i could get on 1mm was to whack up the power and either do joining spot-welds or overlapping very short beads.
I'm getting some gas at the end of the month so hopefully i will have a head start and not waste so much practicing the real basics, like holding the torch and where to put my fingers etc.
Any help, advice and technical tips will be most welcome. I've done all the videos on YouTube and here already!
Cheers
Ben
Anyway, i have been practicing with .6mm gas wire, but running it gasless as i just wanted to get a general 'feel' of welding and the very basic techniques. Ok, it splatters like hell and I'm sure using gas is a major factor getting it right, but here's where i am after a couple of hours...
I can't seem to hold a steady seam without blowing and I've found the only way to get penetration on 1mm steel is to use maximum power, quater wire speed and 'pulse' the torch while going over the last weld... I can only explain it by saying that i watch the pool build around the edges and where the wire is feeding into the metal it wants to blow, so just before it wants to blow i stop, quickly move the tip back over the red hot depression and repeat. This is how these welds look.
If I try to produce a constant seam welding horizontal it always blows through, especially at the end of the bead. This always happens when there is enough power and a balanced wire speed to get a good penetration.
If i whack the power down and have slow the wire feed down the beads just sit proud on the steel and don't really penetrate.
I did find that welding vertically and pulling downwards worked better as i could actually see the weld pool form and drip downwards, adjusting my movements as necessary. However, it will take lots more practice to get the eye for it, that i know for sure!
All in all i found that without gas, on non-fluxed wire the only decent width and penetration i could get on 1mm was to whack up the power and either do joining spot-welds or overlapping very short beads.
I'm getting some gas at the end of the month so hopefully i will have a head start and not waste so much practicing the real basics, like holding the torch and where to put my fingers etc.
Any help, advice and technical tips will be most welcome. I've done all the videos on YouTube and here already!
Cheers
Ben