First attempt/practice # Fancy a laugh :-)

[mulli]

So here is some pics of my first practice with my second hand clarke 150TE, any critique most welcome.

Its 1.5mm steel, thinking my power settings are not far off but wire speed needs to be fine tuned, think i'll make a table of what works and what dont. Obviously my tecknique needs a lot more practice (and some more offcuts off steel!) But first thought most welcome.

Oh and great forum thanks for making it! and thanks in advance for any tips

 

[mulli]

Oh and btw, the brown sooty deposits around the welds, there was a lot more of this, i wiped it off so i could see clean steel to lay more welds, im guessing this is not normal? Im using disposable co2 bottles atm but hoping to get a big bottle (Maybe argon/co2?) and adapter soon

 

[the snooper]

ive seen worse, disposable bottles are stupidly expensive, pub bottles are a cheap option (pure Co2)

 

[cumbriasteve]

There are one or two decent runs there so well done for a first go.

The brown sooty deposit will be mostly due to poor gas coverage, often an issue with the small disposables ad some may be down to the angle of the torch.

So far so good though, without a doubt removal of the disposables and a proper bottle will help.

Some 3mm clean steel is best for those initial runs, allows you to get used to speed, angle, noise, wire speed and power adjustment etc without worrying about blowing through, then once feeling happy on that drop down to some thinner material

 

[mulli]

Cheers for the reply's guys, i'll get some thicker steel for my next practice, and was thinking something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Argon-Co2...692?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2586f91ca4
should allow my clarke to run on argon lite?

 

[cumbriasteve]

Yes that's the sort of adaptor you require, the small hose from the back of the mig just pushes into where the red part is, if your present hose end is a bit chewed up or distorted then just cut it back cleanly an inch or so.

 

[mulli]

Cheers Steve! Will hopefully post more if (when) my welds (& equipment/gas) progress

 

[mike 109444]

Worth checking what type of fitting the bottle has before purchase of a reg as CO2 usually have a MALE fitting on bottle and a AR+CO2 may have either! MALE or FEMALE depending on supplier of bottle Some of the hobby suppliers supply a bottle of AR+CO2 with the MALE fitting, pub CO2 bottles are MALE fitting.
As you are in Brum then Jawel paints might be an option for your gas. There AR+CO2 bottles are converted fire extinguishers and have a MALE fitting. Check the GAS section of the forum for a listing of suppliers.

 

[gaz1]

as steve has already said and not bad test runs thoe i notice 1 or 2 are near on spot on some are where theres no gas around

if your thinking of buying that one get weldeqips offer or you can go for the 20.00 version from ebay

i think you did what i did try a test run to check it all was working as you have the same machine as mine what was your settings for that type of welding that you did as rough idea min/1 or a2 dial 3-4 position as 3mm is around high/1 or a2 dial 3-4

try to get yourself on the boc y offer as is better off when your learning and at least you can go get another gas bottle again

 

[mulli]

Cheers Mike i wouldn't of known about the male/female issues with bottles/regs, I was having difficulty finding a local supplier of argon lite, looked on the gas section but couldnt find much local, but a chance search on google threw up Neon auto 5 mins drive from me, rent free bottles refills @ £36 inc VAT

NEON AUTO LTD
276 Lichfield Road
Sutton Coldfield
West Midlands
B74 2UG
http://www.neonauto.co.uk/gas/index.html

I will pop this some where in the gas section too

 

[mulli]

Hi Gaz, already ordered the one of ebay, worked out a little cheaper hopefully i wont get some nasty Chinese tat in the post, yes I was basically playing with all the settings really as first time i used the machine, I settled for these:


A 2 Max, now ive downloaded a manual that seems in line with what clarke recommend. I still think the wire speed needs adjusting a bit, and the gas but the regulator I got on disposable co2 bottle is a bit naff

 

[gaz1]

i havent got a manual for mine i suppose i really should do but mines the same as yours and im using the 5kg 0.8 super 6 also from ebay but i am building a 15kg roll into the frame im building up at moment also pictured on link below

im newish to mig welding myself the settings used is with boc y offer and welding a mixture of thickness metal also video included of welding with 3mm thick

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/first-time-with-mig.34988/page-2

 

[mulli]

So Second Attempt (2mm steel, alternating between 2 highest power settings, still using disposable CO2 bottle)
Started laying welds on this piece (Note sooty brown deposits still,any idea's?)



Ran welds all over this playing with welders settings. Penetration is pretty poor, either building up on steel or too much penetration....(I think this is bad technique- a bit of moving too slow, mostly to fast(?), and torch too far away possibly, I find it hard to be consistent...)
TOP:



BOTTOM/PENETRATION:



This is the same piece of steel as in the first pic, once I ran welds all over I cut it in half and attempted to weld the two cleanest sides together.
The penetration was bad in parts so I ran a weld over the other side too. (I know this is cheating )
The welds were built up a lot/too high and messy....
So I ground them down with a 80 grit flap disc.... a bit neater. Then i hammered the cr*p out of it, it didnt snap.

Still need a lot more practice needed before I go anywhere near my project cars... Might try build myselg a trolley for my welder and a big gas bottle (when I get one.)

Any thoughts/ideas/hints/critics most welcome.

 

[mulli]

P.S I'm going buy a big bottle of argon/co2 when i get paid hopefully this will get rid of the sooty deposits in the first pic...

 

[mulli]

P.S I'm going buy a big bottle of argon/co2 when i get paid hopefully this will get rid of the sooty deposits in the first pic...

My welding is steadily progressing, but still hove brown sooty deposits, im using a big bottle off co2/5% argon.Flow rate set to 10 L/PM. I can here a constant stream of gas at the torch and have tried increasing flow rate up to 15 L/PM but still no change. Any further things i can try out this weekend? Thanks in advance

 

[christofloffer]

i am by no means an experienced welder, i am still learning myself. doing a course on it at the moment. it says in my books that argon/co2 should be 14-17lpm to get good cover. wether or not that equates in real life i am not sure, i only just started using gas as i am a fan of gasless wire.
i have never managed to get a weld that doesnt have any slag or deposit on there, but it has never bothered me as it cleans off easily enough. one thing i have always been told by everyone who i asked is that cleanliness is key. more time cleaning the metal = less time cleaning the weld. at least that is what i was told and so far it has worked well.
to get used to setting and see where the differences were i practised on old exhaust pipe. clean a section off and do a run, then change one setting and do another and its quick to see where the penetration lies. its also good practise for control. in the end i made up the entire exhaust system for my land rover from scrap. not pretty but its working great, i learnt more doing that thin old pipe than i did trying thicker stuff.

are you using a flip down auto darkening helmet? my welds improved massively when i was able to use both hands while working. wouldnt be without one now.

 

[Jan]

It's the slag from flux cored wire that takes the place of the shielding gas in gas welding, so a covering is inevitable. If the weld has progressed correctly it should almost fall off by just looking at it hard. In MIG and TIG welding the cleanliness of the metal to be joined is vital, but less so with arc or O/A although still preferable.

 

[mulli]

Thanks for the advice, Im trying to clean the metal as best i can with a flap disc, I will try turn the gas up more this weekend. I thought 10-12 lpm was ok but i was outside despite there being not much breeze i guess the gas may have blown away. Still it comes off easily with a wire brush not a great issue, just makes it harder to see my work.

And totally agree with the mask, those ones clark provide with there welders are pathetic, got a good one as a gift a ehile back

Thanks again