Need some help with gas welding

[sapperb]

I just want to say that I am brand new to this forum and from what i can see it will help me emmensely. I started to learn how to weld about a year ago from one of my buddies who is an accomplished welder. He fabricates off road roll cages and suspension components. i was doing fairly well with gassless. He told me that i need to upgrade to gas for a better weld. He uses gas and his welds are perfect, I also know he has been welding for 20 years. Yesterday was my first gas welding project. Making a prerunner bumper. Most of my welds turned out like crap (chewed bubble gum and JB weld!!). It was windy and my house (30 MPH) which I know is bad for gas welding. Does the wind really mess with gas welding?? At times I had that good buzzing sounds but the most of the time, it kept sputtering and i couldn't get a fluid bead going. My welder is a Lincoln
- 125 Mig (with no more than 10 hours on it)
- using 75%argon/25%Co2.
- pushing 15 amps from my garage to the welder
- using a 50 ft 10 guage extension cord
- PSI from gas bottle setting was 18
- wire speed 2.5
- heat "E" (highest)
- welding material is .120 x 1.5" mild steel tubing

Any advice and or suggestions is greatly appreciated. I am also going to try to take my welder do to my buddy and see if we can dial it in.
Thanks

 

[Omniata]

Wind will affect gas MIG quite alot surprisingly
As for 30mph winds I think your going to find it very difficult

Try making a wind break of some description around where your welding to try and stop the draught
Bits of plywood or something similar

The gas your using seems quite heavy on the CO2 for 3mm, but then again it's not a tri mix so should be ok...

You'll be better off with a "flowmeter" to tell you just how much gas is going through, you'll need about 15 litres/min on average...
If you can get a peashooter type one to put on the end of the nozzle that'd be even better


Oh and welcome to the forum

 

[malcolm]

It'll be the wind. Welds have lots of holes in by any chance? Gas mix is good for mild steel.

If the gas was blown away the symptoms would be very poor penetration, loads of little holes in the welds making them weak, and a heck of a hassle getting a nice arc. It's fresh in my mind as I did the same yesterday - couldn't get a nice set up and the wire feed seemed either far too fast or far too slow. No sweet spot!

Gas is best for indoor welding. If you can get a really good screen up it would be OK for outdoors, but a breeze can cause trouble. Better to use gasless wire when welding outside. Breeze doesn't seem to make much difference with gasless.

 

[sapperb]

Omniata and malcolm,
Ok thanks so much for the response. So it does sound like the wind, kinda thought so but I am new to this so i didn't know. I couldn't see my beads doing a complete 180 degree turn around just because i was using gas. Gas is suppose to be easier correct? And yes there were loads of little holes in the beads. ya i live in the high dezert in california and it is windy all most all the time. I do have a garage, so i guess when i use gas, it will be in the garage and gasless in the drive way or build a wind break. I have a regulator on my bottle, is that different then a flowmeter?? Also what is a peashooter? sorry to ask but again I am new to this. Again thank you so much for helping me out.
Bruce

 

[Omniata]

Regulators over here have flow, typically in "litres per minute", printed on them for MIG welding...

A flowmeter usually attaches to the regulator so you can precisely set the flowrate for the gas...

A peashooter flowmeter looks, funnily enough, like the peashooters kids have at school
They go over the end of the nozzle and allow you to see how much gas is being delivered...

Typically you want a gentle "whooshing" noise, or breeze against your cheek, if it comes out harsely it'll effect the weld as badly as no gas does

 

[sapperb]

OK,
I see. I will pick one up. I am going to practice tonight inside the garage (now wind) and see how i do. I will let you know tomorrow. Thanks so much for the help.

 

[piman]

Hello all,

and I thought this post was going to be about oxy\acetylene welding :-(

Alec

 

[sapperb]

Negative, I am new to gas welding and wasn't really aware of how evil wind is to gas welding

 

[shenion]

The 75/25 is the correct gas mix, that is what everyone here uses for MIG (we don't use O2 or tri-mix, so the CO2 content is higher.)

You will definitely need to make a wind brake. Pinholes in the welds is lack of gas coverage.

 

[sapperb]

The 75/25 is the correct gas mix, that is what everyone here uses for MIG (we don't use O2 or tri-mix, so the CO2 content is higher.)

You will definitely need to make a wind brake. Pinholes in the welds is lack of gas coverage.

Ya thank you so much. I am finding that out. This site is awesome.

 

[3Rs]

Pi man


So did I......

 

[sapperb]

 

[Paul.]

Its a language thing Sapperb, over here oxy acetylene welding is commonly called gas welding, what you are using is flux cored arc welding FCAW, or incorrectly called gasless mig, or when using gas it would be Mig or Mags, (Metal arc gas shielded) the terms have become somewhat mixed up, especially in the DIY market

 

[Tino]

A peashooter

(go down to the pic) http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=9805 To use one of these, hold the rubber end tight over the nozzle of the torch, stop the wire from feeding first or you will poke wire up the peashooter. Hold the peashooter vertical and press the torch trigger, the gas flow will push a ball up the tube to show the gas flow. Simple, cheep, reliable and more accurate than the gauges on regulators.

 

[sapperb]

Do you know if it is available in the states??

 

[shenion]

What regulator do you have? I had on of the WeldIt regs that normally come with Lincoln welders. They were accurate enough.

Check the gauge, I bet it does not say PSI but SCFH. If so, should be at 20-22 SCFH.

 

[BChild]

(go down to the pic) http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=9805 To use one of these, hold the rubber end tight over the nozzle of the torch, stop the wire from feeding first or you will poke wire up the peashooter. Hold the peashooter vertical and press the torch trigger, the gas flow will push a ball up the tube to show the gas flow. Simple, cheep, reliable and more accurate than the gauges on regulators.

Excellent - now where the hell do I get one and what is it called

 

[sapperb]

What regulator do you have? I had on of the WeldIt regs that normally come with Lincoln welders. They were accurate enough.

Check the gauge, I bet it does not say PSI but SCFH. If so, should be at 20-22 SCFH.

Hey Brother,
I picked one up from harbor Freight. I will check but you are probably right. thanks

 

[shenion]

I checked HF, the reg they list shows the gauge has two dials: 0-100SCFH, and 0-40 L/min.

22cf/hr or 10 L/min is standard. If outside, I'd use a bit more.

 

[Wozzaaah]

Excellent - now where the hell do I get one and what is it called

They're commonly called 'peashooter' flow gauges or flow testers, Diywelding definitely sells them and I'm certain weldequip does too.