Practice welds ...

[RAINSHADOW]

I played around today "welding" some 1/8" strap and also some 1 inch/ 1/8 " thick tubing ---- pure crap welds on my part. .030 FluxCore

Had the feed halfway and the power up to 4 and all it did was bead up, splatter and sputter. Even if I had the trigger on continually, it wouild just
go on/off, on/off, etc, etc.

I have a MIG Northern Tool 135 with house current.

The feed seemed OK and I grounded the table and then also grounded the
actual workpiece and it did the same thing.

Pictures are not worth even bothering with. I am using the wire that came with the welder and will try another brand next week.

Very discourged with this. The strap stayed togehter; but the tubing just
fell apart as soon as I picked it up !!!!!!! tx, Randy from Oceanside, CALIF.

 

[shenion]

Try the Lincoln NR211 wire for gasless.

Also make sure the polarity is set right for gasless wire.

1/8 is about the limit to what you can do with 135 amps. If you are using an extension, it must be short as possible and 12gauge (or even 10.) My Clarke was noticeably weaker on a 20' 12ga extension.

Play with the feed speed till you get a good sizzle sound as in the tutorials. If you are getting start/stops, sounds like the feed is not smooth. Check the wire reel moves freely and the roller tension is sufficient.

 

[RAINSHADOW]

Practice welds

I did change the polarity for FLUX CORE and the feed seems to be fine when I pull the trigger off the workpiece. Big letdown after getting everthing set up ............ Randy

 

[cumbriasteve]

Was the metal nice and clean?...still worth putting pictures up, it shows us a lot more and you have a better chance of helpful guidance.

 

[RAINSHADOW]

Practice welds ....

YES -- new from Home Depot and also wire brushed and grinded. After the first failure, I took both pieces to the grinder for a few minutes. One thing a
friend asked me was how close I was to the workpiece ? I was right on top of it -- maybe I was too close ???? Although I have seen videos of running a
bead and having the tip of gun touching ? It just seemed that it was more
like soldering than welding -- the metal did not even turn color .......

thanks, Randy USA *** anyone get to Dublin ?? I have a very good friend that lives outside of there ..........

 

[RAINSHADOW]

I took some 1 inch tubing and made a 90/corner and welded 4 areas.
First weld -- spotty and stutters
pulled up wire cover and watched the spool while I welded the second
one --- it does seem to catch.
Loosened the spool and turned down the heat to 2 and weld THREE and FOUR
were acceptable. I played around on heat 2 and 3 -- too bad there is not
a 2 1/2.

I also had more wire out the tip and was further from the workpiece.
I did blow out a little part when I had the heat to 3.

thanks guys, Randy PS: that was a much better practice day ....

 

[RAINSHADOW]

WELDING PRACTICE cont ....

I have a NORTHERN TOOL 135 MIG welder that I have been "playing" with for the last few weeks . I finally feel a little more comfortable with the entire process. I have been practicing on 3/16 plate and I think I have the feed rate and voltage OK now. Wire feed at 4 out of 10 and Voltage 4 out of 4. I am using 0.030 Flux Core wire and getting better hand control -- using both of them to steady bead.
** what I do NOT like is the amount of splatter/spatter and metal turns a little tan/brown when I am done. The tint I can brush off, but the amount of "ACNE" is not easy to remove. What should I be doing ? I have the wire out about 1/4 to 3/8 inch out the tip and going slow. I am pulling instead of pushing the tip .....
tx, Randy from USA California

 

[shenion]

What gasless wire are you using? The cheap junk will spatter like crazy.

If the polarity is wrong, it will not work as well (gasless is torch negative).

The Lincoln NR211 wire is good (available at HomerD). Northern tools might have Hobart wire; that should be good.

Gasless will spatter and it is harder to hear if the wire speed is right. There are anti-spatter sprays that will help some.

If you post some pictures it will help.

I did a bit of gasless with my Clarke. I quickly went out and got a bottle of gas. Much easier to use and no mess

 

[RAINSHADOW]

Rookie stuff ..

The polarity was taken care of the first day.
Using Flux-Core that came with the welder.
I was able to knock off most of the splatter/spatter with my trusty
welding hammer and putty knife.
I am currently welding 3/16 " plate and 1/8" tubing.
I think I am finally OK with current and feed rate -- just the "acne" is
more than I would like.....

I am going over an old post about adding pictures and I will see how it works.

Computers are not one of my favorite things to do ...

tx, Randy from USA