Welding

M

Max

New Member
I just got a mig welder....Oh wonderful, wonderful joy! Does anyone have spare chunks of metal they don't want or welding experience they'd like to share?
 
buy a big wheel of wire..not the small ones, make sure youre using your gas right, and keep the tip and the metal as clean as possible..the cleaner the metal the better the weld.

also, thick metal welds nicely. youre going to have to blow through a couple of spools and a couple tanks before you get the hang of running a solid bead.

what type of welder did you get? i have a miller 135 that i picked up from AGL...i havent used it in far too long though :cry:
 
Max said:
I just got a mig welder....Oh wonderful, wonderful joy! Does anyone have spare chunks of metal they don't want or welding experience they'd like to share?
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In my younger life, I had trained and worked as a welder: electric arc, oxy-acetylene, mig and tig. If I may, some pointers that can help:
1) get someone who is an accomplished welder to get you started with good basic technique
2) practice, practice, and more practice
3) Try horizontal and vertical welds. Try welding 2 pcs of metal together of differing thicknesses. Practice different weld joints: butt weld (2 pcs butted against each other) lap weld (2 pcs with one overlapping the other), T-joints (90 degree joint). Each requires different techinique.
4) Most important: take your practice work when finished to someone who really knows welding (maybe even AGL). They will be quickly be able to tell you what you did right, what you did wrong, and how to correct.
Congratulations and good luck.
 
I use my mig welder constantly, it's such a piece of crap though, gotta get a good one.
Good luck!
 
Max said:
I just got a mig welder....Oh wonderful, wonderful joy! Does anyone have spare chunks of metal they don't want or welding experience they'd like to share?
Click to expand...

Metal aint cheap. Head over to Parkway salvage on Rt 46 and see if you can but some scrap off them. When your done you can return it and at least get some money back.

Right across the highway from them is AGL, stop in there and pick up a light weight Jackson helmet with the big lens, also grab the plastic filter lens, stay away from the green glass. Get a shade 10, that will be dark enough for any light weight welding.

Wire- gasless flux core, you can weld anywhere with that without worrying about the wind. Learn on steel before you try to tackle the joys of stainless.

Pick up a 4" dewalt hand grinder, some grinding wheels, some razor cutoff wheels and a wire wheel. Do not use the grinder with out putting on good safety glasses, I've had tons of metal chipped out of my eyes over the years, even with wearing glasses.

Control the puddle, the settings they give are only a guide line. If you're using solid wire, the wire should be melting at the surface of the metal, gasless flux core should be vaporizing above the surface. Watch the puddle, stay just ahead of the solid metal.

Get a pair of tig welding gloves, no need for the heavy oven mitts.

Don't wear flannel shirts. Get a green jacket from the supply house and don't forget the flowerd welding hat. The sparks don't hurt as much as you think.

Tons more that you'll pick up along the way.
 
I've twice been welding on my back under a car and had a cherry bounce off the floor, under my helmet and straight into my ear canal. It caused a bad infection, I'm lucky that I still have my hearing. I should probably wear ear plugs at this point.
 
Make sure you tack both sides of the weld to help with warping. Let the weld cool as slowly as possible.
 
ddorry said:
Make sure you tack both sides of the weld to help with warping. Let the weld cool as slowly as possible.
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Most tedious weld I ever did was my D1.1 cert test. Cool to the touch between passes, 6 passes up hand on one coupon, 5 passes over head on another coupon. All to cut it up and bend it. Took 9 hours.
 
practice practice practice. just remember, if you screw up you can always grind it out and try again.
 
Mig is pretty idiot proof. To set the current vs. feed you play with the dials until you hear the sound of sizzling bacon. i would go to any junk yard get some cheap sheet metal to practice on so you get a feel for what you are doing. What machine did you get if you got it from home depot all you will be able to do is sheet metal. You need a serious mig machine you you want to do anything over 1/8 stock.
 
I've done 1/4" structual with a 110v HD mig, 3 pass. The weld held up just fine. The duty cycle on them is what you have to watch with high heat.

A 110v mig for a garage welder is perfect, cost to use/need is right on.

A gas welder with a remote wire feeder and a field TIG kit is up my line. Add an air compressor and you can carbon arc. Plasma cutter can run off the welders 220v outlet. Throw on a burning outfit. Thats overkill unless your humping iron, or a dockbuilder ;).
 
110 is annoying for working on cars since you either have to go flux core poop welding or clean everything to death or keep the heat high, all suck ;)
Once in a blue moon I'll be welding on an actual new piece of metal and all of the sudden I think I'm the world's best welder, haha.
I can't wait to get a 220 welder.
 
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