1st time welding need help please

[winnie2457]

hi there guys i need some help i just got my wolf weld 135amp turbo cooled dual purpose mig

i have tried a few welds on my 1st night of getting it but i dont know where i am goin wrong they just dont look right and i need advive on what to do

here is some info

power setting goes from 1-6 1 being the lowest on 30amps these welds were on settings 1 and 2

wire speed was on low

using 0.8mm mild steel wire with a 0.8mm tip

using co2 gas

and welding some steel shelves about 1-1.2mm thick but they are powder coated but i have sanded them down to bare metal

hope you guys can give me advice cheers

1st pick is of front
2nd pic is of rear.

 

[Porschemaniac]

Hi Winnie2457,

To be fair, I think these looks like most people's first welds (especially with a new welder) - they certainly look like mine.

To me, it looks like you need a bit more power, slightly more wire feed or possibly slightly slower torch movement (or, in fact, a combination of all three).

Also, 0.8mm wire could be a bit thick for the thickness of material that you are practcing on - for that thickness I would generally opt for .06mm (but that could just be personal preference).

Try laying down some parrallel runs, increasing the power by a notch each time. Label each one with the power setting and that will give you a guide to the right power setting for the thickness of material that you are using.

Once you've got a power setting (good penetration etc) try playing around with torch speed to see the difference it makes.

In my experience, it just a case of you and your welder getting to know each other - soon comes though (and good fun learning).

Good work and keep at it.

Cheers,

Ian.

 

[pedrobedro]

Get some thicker metal to practise on. something like 3mm will be easier for you to get the hang of putting a run down, turn it up and push the gun away from you holding it with two hands, not like a water pistol, so it is braced and at a constant distance from the work.

 

[winnie2457]

thanks guys i have finally managed to weld in a straight line now with no bubbles and no splatter a nice smooth weld. i turned the wire speed down to its lowest setting and i was holding the torch too far away i now practically touch the torch shroud to the metal and the gas covers it so much better i will now try and do some joins

any of you guys could give me some tips to start my first joins which ones are best to start with and also do i need to adapt a different technique as at the moment i am just laying welds down straight with the torch do i need to sway side to side with the torch etc etc

any help much appreciated thanks