My first attempts at welding

[HughF]

I think you need to practice more and concentrate on making sure the underlying metal is nice and clean, looks like it is coated in the pictures?

 

[BrokenBiker]

I think you need to practice more and concentrate on making sure the underlying metal is nice and clean, looks like it is coated in the pictures?

thats what i thought but also wondered if gas flow was high enough due to the brown soot...i used to get similar when i had gas too low

 

[Dantheweld]

Not really, it's horrible stuff

I had read that before. The welder came with it but I haven't used it. Just bought 3 bottles of argon/co2 mix instead and been using that. My practice stuff on fresh metal gave me loads of confidence. But welding old to new is not confidence inspiring :/

 

[HughF]

My practice stuff on fresh metal gave me loads of confidence. But welding old to new is not confidence inspiring :/

Yep, welding up rusty cars isn't exactly pleasant...

 

[Dantheweld]

thats what i thought but also wondered if gas flow was high enough due to the brown soot...i used to get similar when i had gas too low

The old stuff is coated in weld through primer and was sand blasted with glass before that.

 

[HughF]

Ah, a lot of weld through is only any good for spot welding through, not mig welding through. In my experience...

 

[BrokenBiker]

The old stuff is coated in weld through primer and was sand blasted with glass before that.

ive not had brown soot caused by weld through primer before, and glass blasting wont affect it either really...what is your gas flow set to?

 

[BrokenBiker]

Ah, a lot of weld through is only any good for spot welding through, not mig welding through. In my experience...

ive not had any problem before...used to just buy what ever was on the shelf at the time, but usually only doing plug welds

 

[Dantheweld]

what about gas flow settings? those are just voltage and WFS

It goes from 0 to 7 and I had it on 5

 

[Shedendman]

Are you welding overhead ie upwards,because thats a different ball game to welding downwards like on a bench,get some scrap and practice sort out your angles and torch positions,scrap metal,simple,old computer cases,bit of a fridge or washing machine(check you local canal)
But remember mig likes it shiny shiny shiny,so clean back all the tin worm poo
Doing it with straight CO2 is possible(me and lots of us have) but you have to take your time,did i say practice before

 

[Dantheweld]

Are you welding overhead ie upwards,because thats a different ball game to welding downwards like on a bench,get some scrap and practice sort out your angles and torch positions,scrap metal,simple,old computer cases,bit of a fridge or washing machine(check you local canal)
But remember mig likes it shiny shiny shiny,so clean back all the tin worm poo
Doing it with straight CO2 is possible(me and lots of us have) but you have to take your time,did i say practice before

Up I am on my back welding upside down. I have some old steel so will do some more practice tomorrow. Then try again. I am scared to hold the torch too close as I know it adds more heat and I don't want to blow holes in the car.

You're 100% about clean. the clean bits have come out much better than where there is pitting.

 

[Shedendman]

Heres a little tip,grind or file down you gas shroud so it level with the wire contact tip,meaning you get in closer do short bursts just to get the pool going then stop,let it cool a sec then do another,move to another area then same again,so you end up going all the way round,staggered,most of us call it stitch welding,a stitch in time
If its pitted dont waste your time,cut it out,put in fresh

 

[HughF]

I am scared to hold the torch too close as I know it adds more heat and I don't want to blow holes in the car..

You must hold a correct electrical stick out (12mm maximum) at all times, especially when welding upside down...

 

[Shedendman]

I go short stick out and bit more heat,not to much mind,short bursts
Of course depends on the machine

 

[Dantheweld]

Thanks for the tips guys. Will give it another go tomorrow and let you know on progress.

 

[Richard.]

The ratio of CO2 isn't that important and whether it be 5,8,12,15,20,25 it's not going to hurt. You will get a slightly hotter weld and a little more spatter the higher up you go in co2.
Stainless steel is where it's more crucial where keeping it below 3% gives optimum results.

 

[Rob85]

You welding outside? Make sure your gas coverage isn't getting blown away.... The lightest of breeze will blow it away and your left unshielded hence the brown sooty cack. If you are using disposable bottles you might have to turn the wee regulator up all the way to get good coverage. Mind you they don't last long, so get yourself sorted with a decent sized bottle and regulator set up

 

[Dantheweld]

Update time.

So I did some more practice on some clean 1mm steel. I ran a few beads and did some pulse welding.

 

[Dantheweld]

After glass blasting, are you doing anything else to clean it or just sticking the primer on?

Ideally, you should glass blast it to remove the crud, then use a wire brush/sandpaper to remove all the little bits of glass stuck in/on the surface of the metal...

Ah, this maybe the issue then. I just primed it after under the assumption it's as good as clean can get

On my second go I wire brushed it back and the results were better.

 

[Dantheweld]

You welding outside? Make sure your gas coverage isn't getting blown away.... The lightest of breeze will blow it away and your left unshielded hence the brown sooty cack. If you are using disposable bottles you might have to turn the wee regulator up all the way to get good coverage. Mind you they don't last long, so get yourself sorted with a decent sized bottle and regulator set up

This might explain why I have great results on the bench and crap results on the car as the car is outside and the torch is facing up and put rather than down.

Great tip! Gas upto 6 tomorrow