cant get a proper weld

[woody280]

hi,
i am a complete novice at welding, im a mechanic and as part of my training i did a bit of oxy accetaline welding. i thought trying an arc welder would be fairly straight foreward, but i cant get the hang of it my weld is either bird poo or im burning through my metal. the pool i create makes a ball shape and i cant move it along and if i linger too long to try and move it i burn straight through. if anyone could give me some advice i would greatly appreciate it. my welder goes upto 180A but if i go above 50A it trips electric, so i've been using it at that. i got a little project car that failed its mot for holes in sills.

thanks for reading

 

[Tigman]

Arc welding isnt the favoured tool for car welding , it can be done with small rods and low amps , but I would recommend you try a mig welder , much better !

 

[brightspark]

arc welding isnt any good for repairing cars the amperage doesnt go down low enough. realisticaly speaking anything less than 1/16th thickness and a mig is needed anything over that arc is fine . if its blowing fuses on a 13 amp plug it will need a 16 0r a 20 amp supply

 

[woody280]

thanks guys i haven't even tried on the car, i cant get to grips with it on a sheet, do you think im using the wrong type of metal? dont know what im using its not magnetic so im think maybe its alu.

i got the arc welder given to me, maybe im going to have to invest in a mig welder. is mig any easier, if i cant get it right with an arc machine will i be any better on a mig?

cheers

 

[Tigman]

Yes you will find it easier ! but lots of practise first before you touch the car . If its not magnetic then its alu or stainless , dont go there yet get some mild steel and have a go at that !

 

[woody280]

thanks, is it because of the metal i couldn't move the pool then?

 

[Tigman]

you cant arc weld alu with mild steel rods , and thin stainless steet would probably burn through

 

[woody280]

brill i'll get some mild steel give it a bash failing that i'll buy a mig thanks for your help

 

[brightspark]

brill i'll get some mild steel give it a bash failing that i'll buy a mig thanks for your help

try some general purpose welding rods 2.5mm run them round about 90 to 120 amps and see how it goes . some rod makes are easier than others to strike and weld

 

[cumbriasteve]

thanks guys i haven't even tried on the car, i cant get to grips with it on a sheet, do you think im using the wrong type of metal? dont know what im using its not magnetic so im think maybe its alu.

i got the arc welder given to me, maybe im going to have to invest in a mig welder. is mig any easier, if i cant get it right with an arc machine will i be any better on a mig?

cheers

A mig welder allows you to weld in a less fierce fashion if that makes sense, they use a thin wire and run at lower amps.

I have arc welded for nearly 40 years yet find my recent move to MIG welding a pleasure to use, much easier to control.

However...do not expect to pick it up right away, it takes practice but I think you would find it easier than arc welding, especially on thinner material.

The type of welder you want for car work is something that has a low amp range, the lower the better, gas is nicer to use and only a problem if you are welding outside where there could be a breeze.

A solution is to get a MIG that will take gas/no gas, something like a Clarke around the 90 to 130 amp range is a popular choice.

A welding helmet that auto darkens is also a big help when learning, a £25 cheapie will do the job ok.

 

[woody280]

thanks guys i've got 2.5 rod not sure on the make though. thanks for the advice i think a good helmet might help cause i've got an old hand held thing and cant see anything lol.

 

[keith19]

Hand held shield is bad enough for those of us who think we know what we're doing. A self-darkening helmet will leave both hands free to guide the torch, particularly important if you're new to welding.

If you find the arc stick difficult to control at first, cut it cleanly in half - don't disturb the flux too much - and then use half at a time to begin with. On the fully fluxed half clean off the flux one end and stick that in the holder. Read up the arc section on here, watch some arc vids on youtube, and be prepared to practice regularly.

Arc is more difficult to learn than MIG, but it's a good skill to learn while you're maybe saving for a mig welder. And if you get a gas and nogas mig welder, some of your arc practice will be useful for welding without gas, as some of the techniques are similar. With your arc welder, when you get good using 2.5 rods, drop down to 1.6, the smallest size, and start again using 1.6 to 2 mm steel.
Regular practice is the most important part of learning any kind of welding.
Best of luck with it!