newby, challenges w/pics

[robertbruce]

hi everyone...
I have some patch-panel to do on my vehicle so off to supercheap for the 140A G/NG MIG welder...

got it home and started mangling some steel...

Some questions i would like to ask.....

In the images below I am concentrating on penetration, yes i need a new tip...
I am using flux core...
My mask is hopeless, no straps but some rope, moves around, presses against my nose and scratchs' my glasses. It usualy moves when i start the weld, gota get a decent mask...

Have i selected some suitable practice steel?
The first one is 1mm steel plate that i have had lying around for years. I originally picked it up from a campsite on fraser island. I would not know the difference between plate steel or panel steel but this piece seem very stiff and hard...as you can see i have grinded it off as cleaning

The second piece is a PC case, again the coating ground off for cleaning...

I think i have penetrated enough but i;m not sure about the bead? Should it be higher than the pics...

workarea

1mm plate steel

1mm plate steel

PC panel steel

PC panel steel

a huge thanks for any help

 

[cumbriasteve]

I am afraid they are not good welds at all, you have admitted most of your problems and I think you need to sort those first.
Get an autodarkening mask that does not move around.
Get a new tip and get some 2mm or 3mm steel to practice on, once you can lay some decent runs without worrying about blowing through then move to the thinner steel.

 

[cumbriasteve]

Just noticed the fan, if that is aimed at the weld during the welding process, it will do more harm than good

 

[robertbruce]

many thanks for your comments.

There is a method in my madness, Im getting the bits weekly, didnt have anything thicker to work with and couldn't really use my grinder on easter sunday...

One good thing is I can now solder wire onto thin panel with my MIG, that will be sure handy...

The fan is set pointing of to the side so it sucks the smoke sucks away. i hold my breath for double redundancy and normally trigger with a very slight draft to triple... probably be a bit different with thicker stuff...

I would like to ask...

Using flux wire and no gas, with practice, how many milimeters high can I expect to weld on 1mm steel?

Also using flux is it possible to put a bead on something as thin as a PC case's panel?

 

[rich r]

I can't agree more with the advice to get yourself an autodarkening helmet. Being able to look at what you're about to weld, then during the weld, then after you stop welding makes a massive difference to your technique. They're only about AU$40. Also most can be set to stay light whilst you're grinding, so you get protection from grinding sparks to some extent too.

Thicker metal is better for learning on too, as you won't get frustrated because you're burning through all the time. You can use a higher current and thicker wire which makes control easier too. Then when you've got more confidence in how fast to move and what settings you need on the welder, you'll know what you're doing wrong when you move to thinner metal.

 

[keith19]

I'd second everything the guys above have said, especially practice on thicker metal and get an auto helmet.
Don't worry about the height of the welds when you are using flux-core wire; they'll always look a bit flatter than equivalent gas wire welds anyway. Flux core wire has good penetration, you generally need to worry about not blowing through!
But starting on thin stuff like that (1mm) is making it hard work for yourself, especially with flux wire, so get some 2 or 3 mm, and give yourself a break.

 

[robertbruce]

okies & ta to all...only my first try

Does using the gas make that much of a difference?

 

[cumbriasteve]

okies & ta to all...only my first try

Does using the gas make that much of a difference?

It makes a lot of difference and provides a much easier learning curve, there can however be problems if your welding is outdoors, draughts can make the gas ineffective.

 

[technomaster]

The reason why the welds look like that is because of the fan. You cant have a fan blowing like that when your welding.the puddle is moving from the fan. you need a special fan by the metal yes but the kind that will suck up the air and not blow air out.

 

[robertbruce]

got some 3mm stuff today & migweld fluxless .8 wire & tips & acetone and a Cigweld Auto Helmet...

my machine has ABCDEF power and 123456789 wirespeed... 140 Amp G/NG

i cant get seem to get good penetration with .8 flux on 3mm steel plate without a lot of splutter above Power C and Wirespeed 2... Tried different angles, really clean brush and acetone wipes

with quarter high and 2.2 wirespeed settings i can get excellent burn time and puddle

i made a T section making small e' u's c's so on, vertical and horizontal... vertical ones went good, hori's im still stiching on and off.

im finding it difficult to maintain sight of the puddle, sometime it's like the tides going out but at others it likes it coming in...

tomorrow il make a 3mm but join and then go back to that 1mm panel

i like the way this welder easily burns thru that stuff at B2 so it keeps me on my toes

i already said this about that's not how i had the fan when i was welding - it was closer and pointing away... drawing the smoke away,

 

[robertbruce]

yeeeEHaaa... got some gas today

what a huge difference i makes...

with flux, try as i might, i could not a decent pool, bead or penetration on 1mm steel...

with gas, by the fouth short weld i was piling it in there, had beautiful penetration and wanna' work or night now...

now i am starting to feel the shortcoming of a cheapie machine...

 

[robertbruce]

woohooooo, put a "proper" bead on a baked-beans can today

 

[robertbruce]

Penetration side - 1 from 3

what a difference 0.3 of a gap makes.... i like my penetrations here

messy fat runs with gummy arm and fckd neck

 

[Norm]

Good progress there, what a difference with gas, keep the updates coming.
Norm

 

[robertbruce]

44 days after thread open i;ve welded, prepped and painted the front left door, door-jamb and one side of the nose - and i had never welded or painted nor hung a door before

Inspite of using a tiny tiny amount of bog to skim a straight surface and I say inspite because I had a some fantasy about been able to paint straight over the steel but it's just too thin to fully work, I am very pleased with myself, i have learnt heaps...

many thanks to forum for encouragement to continue....

plus.... after those paint repairs, it now goes faster...hehehe