Opinions wanted judge if you will

[Mrrcarney]

I have been welding for a while but I am still very much a beginner

I made the mistake of buying a small Clarke gas/no gas machine a few years ago and I hated it from day one Needed the wire speed set to 11 no matter what so was useless really

Anyway recently went out and bought a sealey supermig 230 for £650
With new auto mask, large spool of .8 wire, gloves and a regulator (non gauge etc).

So this is my first few welds on 3mm thick box



This welder is so much better it's a pleasure to use makes me want to weld all day

So what does everyone think I want to get better thinking of taking a course but it's hard because I work 4 on 4 off

Cheers guys

 

[grim_d]

£650 for a sealey.

For £650 you could have bought a portamig.

 

[Paul G]

Is "wiggling" a techy term PDG ?


That setting looks as if your afraid of it.
Welding is the opposite to ladders. Start at the top and work down.

Or to put it another way, blow holes, then reduce the settings till you don't.


Paul G

 

[God mode restorations]

Wiggling/weaving of the torch is a bad habit to get in to.one I have been told off for many a time....

 

[Gareth0123]

£650 for a sealey.

For £650 you could have bought a portamig.

Yes you could, but in my personal experience the Sealey would have out performed the Portamig by miles!
However, You'd be lucky if the Sealey made it to 1 or 2 months beyond the expiry of the Warranty... again my personal experience of two Sealey SuperMigs.

And £650 would have bought a decent 250amp single phase inverter mig

 

[Bill Edwards]

Move the torch in a straight line rather than weaving.

 

[john paul]

Hi im new here i bought a sealey mightymig150 . And i know this is going away from the post . But im wondering if i can replace the pvc liner with a steel one cheers

 

[Bill Edwards]

I would think so, but I suggest starting your own thread. Aside from being impolite by hijacking a thread, it is less likely to get read by those who can answer your question.

 

[john paul]

My apologies . If you don't mind i do have a question about mig welding . Do you push or pull the gun

 

[BrokenBiker]

dont weave the torch, just run straight beads and the welds will probably be better again...i usually push unless i have to pull i normally only pull when going downhill or if its just easier to pull

 

[john paul]

I will do that thank you

 

[God mode restorations]

The pull or push method has been argued for years..it depends on what your welding. Sometimes there is a need for pulling the gun because of obstructions there is not a great deal in both.pulling is supposed to give a touch more penetration. ..

 

[BrokenBiker]

The pull or push method has been argued for years..it depends on what your welding. Sometimes there is a need for pulling the gun because of obstructions there is not a great deal in both.pulling is supposed to give a touch more penetration. ..

I thought pushing was supposed to give more penetration due to the arc force being directed to the front of the puddle?

 

[ukracer]

Wiggling/weaving of the torch is a bad habit to get in to.one I have been told off for many a time....

What should you do then increase the wire feed if you are filling a gap.

 

[pedrobedro]

I thought pushing was supposed to give more penetration due to the arc force being directed to the front of the puddle?

It depends which philosophy you follow, pushing gives a wider flatter, neater bead with less penetration according to most authorities.

 

[ukracer]

dont weave the torch, just run straight beads and the welds will probably be better again...i usually push unless i have to pull i normally only pull when going downhill or if its just easier to pull

I don't like pushing as the torch then covers what you have welded mean g you can't see if everything is straight or looks good.

 

[Paul G]

As in most things, look where your going, not where you've been.


(Ex clay shooter)

 

[God mode restorations]

What should you do then increase the wire feed if you are filling a gap.

Weaving

What should you do then increase the wire feed if you are filling a gap.

Weaving or a slight manipulation of the torch has its place..to much and it tends to wash the sides or wall and can lead to less penetration. ..

 

[Richard.]

Fillet Weld along a straight into a corner and come out of it in a continuous run. You'll find you end up pushing and pulling. Both are acceptable methods. Generally we push simply from a visual point of view and it gives a more presentable look to the cap. Pulling can offer deeper penetration and a slightly more peaky cap that's not as desirable to look at. Flux cored wires are best used in a dragging motion but that is because they are to be treated like an electrode. The slag produced must be kept behind the arc with the wire going into the leading edge to avoid it running in front causing a trap. Solid mig also the wire must be at the leading edge but because there is no slag this can be done in pushing/perpendicular/dragging position. Problem arises when the pushing angle is too great and the pool rolls out in front of the wire. Then you get lack of fusion/penetration.