My first attempts at mig welding

[decca]

These are my first attempts with a Clarke 151en.

This was gasless and seemed a right mess. I quickly ran out of gasless wire and changed to co2. A

The difference was amazing on gas I was really pleased with the results. I know its thick metal but the joints seem really strong. I am going to get some thin plate tomorrow and see how that goes. Any comments on the welds or tips greatly appreciated.

 

[defender dan]

Gas is alot better and those second to last weld pictures look good, especially for a beginner. It looks like you may of been going left to right on those welds ? Anyway keep practising, the thinner stuff will be a bit harder not to blow through but your on the right path.

 

[WeldingDirect.co.uk]

As above.

And depending on the thickness you may find it easier to do short blasts and move along a bit to help keep heat distortion down to a minimum.

 

[Richard.]

The problem with practicing on thick stuff like that is your starving the weld of heat because the steel absorbs it so easy. The result is exactly as per the bottom pic, high prominent beads, no or little edge wetting and weld toe transition is vertically vertical. Penetration will be minimal also as the bead practically sits on top. You need to practice on some sensible thinner material to make use of the machine and progress. 3mm should be nice to practice on and you'll see a great improvement in your runs.

 

[decca]

I thought the beads looked a bit bulbous and your explanation is spot on. I have some 2mm steel and will give it a try. Pics to follow.

 

[V6BOY]

I have a 151en what gasless wire is that? I started with the Clarke wire and my welds were like yours changed to sip flux core the difference was night and day.

 

[decca]

I have a 151en what gasless wire is that? I started with the Clarke wire and my welds were like yours changed to sip flux core the difference was night and day.

The top picture is with the Clarke gasless wire that came with the machine. The rest are on gas as I wasn't happy with the gasless and found it difficult to use. With co2 it seems much better.