MIG Techniques

[scolliflower]

For an amateur, do the types of weld dictate your technique? Meaning, for what kind of welds do you use simple side to side or the u or e pattern? I'm trying to improve and I notice what appears to be too thick of bead when I use the e pattern on some fillet welds but also too thin of beads in some cases for side to side. What do you all do?

 

[jedmand]

Yes the type of weld will dictate technique for most of the welds I do on fillet welds I will use a simple e type motion the thickness of your bead will usually be determined by your travel speed if you think that your bead is too thick try increasing your travel speed as much as you can while still Controlling your weld pool on vertical up and down welds I will use a kind of curved side to side motion I hope this makes sense and is helpful good luck with the learning and improvement

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

Unless I'm on anything 8mm plus you don't need to use any pattern it can actually reduce penetration

 

[jedmand]

Really? I wouldn't have thought that this would reduce penetration in saying that I have no qualifications in welding just general experience from welding trailer frames and various bits and pieces and farm experience welding gates and general repairs when I was younger

 

[BrokenBiker]

in with LMB, unless doing a cap or welding above the capabilities on my welder i just run straight beads

 

[jedmand]

Yeah I guess in saying that I do e type welding I have began (just recently) to run straight beads I guess the e type motion was a habit thing for me that I'm trying to ditch but I still Don't think that it would reduce penetration

 

[scolliflower]

When you say straight beads, what exactly do yo mean--no motion at all?

 

[jedmand]

Correct it means just running straight along the weld joint with no motion

 

[jedmand]

As said above to it all depends on the situation and your welders capabilities and do what ever you feel comfortable with and if in doubt run a few bead with different torch movements and do a destructive test on them or cut them in half to see if you have adequate penetration or post a couple pics of your welds and someone could hep you from there cheers

 

[scolliflower]

True. I guess I never before considered not moving between the two pieces of steel for fear of not properly penetrating both pieces. Though I suppose if you watched the puddle closely...

 

[jedmand]

Yeah very true just watch the puddle closely and find what works for you its quite allright to move between the to bits of metal you are trying to weld which is what I often do and I havent had a problem with any of my welds not being strong enough have you got any pictures of your welds?

 

[backpurge]

As said above any sort of weaving motion is a bad habit to get into, concentrate on straight runs to start with

 

[scolliflower]

I do have some pics. I am actually going to do some welding hopefully tonight. I'll snap some additional pics to post.

 

[scolliflower]

I did some welding on my trailer I'm building. Below are some pics of my welds. Keep in mind I've only been at this intermittently for a year. The material is hot rolled, 1/4 " steel.

 

[jedmand]

Those welds look fine to me nothing wrong with those and considering that you have only been at it for a year the only thing I would say is the 3rd photo down the weld on the bottom of the angle looks a little light on but not to bad try slowing your torch speed a little to a more consistent speed but other than that they look to be ok penetration wise

 

[scolliflower]

Thanks. I do need to work on consistency with speed and angle. I find myself letting my torch drift especially when the arc becomes difficult to see.

 

[jedmand]

Yes can be very difficult to see but awesome work man looks like you have done well for a years worth of welding have you got or tried those auto darkening masks? Those things are amazing I havent got around to getting one yet but will be very shortly makes l8fe alot easier

 

[scolliflower]

I have a cheap auto darkening helmet from Harbor Freight-which is like a discount brand of tools and equipment that are known for being good for the short term only. It was $40 a year ago. I'm waiting to see how long it lasts.

 

[Ed.]

Some of your welds don't appear to be too bad and the rest appear to be too cold and uneven for my liking, height, width and consistancy, but there is enough weld there for it not to be too much of a problem on a small boat trailer. However I said "appear" as you really can't tell 100% for certain if there is penetration or not, or if it is a good weld bead from appearance. For your own peace of mind do some test samples to destruct and that will tell you if your welding method is good or not. Been welding for a long time and I still occasionally do tests on my welds just to make sure I haven't got sloppy over the years.

As for Auto masks, they make your work productivity go so much faster, still have my old mask which I also keep in case something happens to the Auto mask or as a standby in case I have someone who wants to watch. They are also invaluable when working in tight spaces or under trailers where you don't always have enough room to nod your helmet down, or when trying to keep position by holding on to something with one hand and or need to also hold a piece of metal to tack. Don't go for the cheapest possible auto mask either, there usually is a reason it is cheap, as a hobby type welder you don't need the best available (unless you can afford it of cause), a medium of the range will work fine.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Cheers

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

They look a bit on the cold side. Up the voltage a notch or 2