rich r
Member
- Messages
- 645
I've been learning flux core gasless with an £80 Lidl Parkside unit for a couple of weeks. I never intend to do anything more than the occasional repair and am really welding just for the fun of it so it isn't worth me going for gas mig at this stage (but I may do in future). I've some previous experience with 6013 rods on a cheap buzzbox so had some idea of how things behave when an arc is pointed at them.
Following the tutorials on here and online videos, I've reasonably happy with sheet steel around 2-3mm for butt, lap and fillet joints. They're obviously not perfect but something I can practice to get neater and better. My approach is to start with thick metal then working to thinner metal and more complex techniques rather than jumping straight in with a cheap gasless welder and having a strop because I can't do car bodywork in the first week
I've recently moved down to trying 0.8mm sheet with some success. At the moment I'm using the spot/stitch technique on lap joints. Then when I'm happy with that I'll have a proper go at butt joints.
I'm waiting until I can see the weld pool melting the edge of the top sheet then stopping and letting it cool until it's more orange than yellow, then doing the next spot. Working left to right (although I find working towards myself easier, I think left to right might be a better direction to get right). Wire is 0.9mm flux core GYS Toparc, machine is a Parkside gasless PFDS120A2, metal is 0.8mm sheet offcuts about 10cm wide.
So - my question is, in the photos below I think I've got too much penetration as the weld spots look rather wide and flat (about 4mm wide), and there are blobs on the back. I don't think I'm far off, but would the advice be to reduce wire speed, reduce power or change my technique?
Following the tutorials on here and online videos, I've reasonably happy with sheet steel around 2-3mm for butt, lap and fillet joints. They're obviously not perfect but something I can practice to get neater and better. My approach is to start with thick metal then working to thinner metal and more complex techniques rather than jumping straight in with a cheap gasless welder and having a strop because I can't do car bodywork in the first week
I've recently moved down to trying 0.8mm sheet with some success. At the moment I'm using the spot/stitch technique on lap joints. Then when I'm happy with that I'll have a proper go at butt joints.
I'm waiting until I can see the weld pool melting the edge of the top sheet then stopping and letting it cool until it's more orange than yellow, then doing the next spot. Working left to right (although I find working towards myself easier, I think left to right might be a better direction to get right). Wire is 0.9mm flux core GYS Toparc, machine is a Parkside gasless PFDS120A2, metal is 0.8mm sheet offcuts about 10cm wide.
So - my question is, in the photos below I think I've got too much penetration as the weld spots look rather wide and flat (about 4mm wide), and there are blobs on the back. I don't think I'm far off, but would the advice be to reduce wire speed, reduce power or change my technique?