Alfaromeoguy said:In reply to Streetwiseguy :
If I cut the welds open, would I not have to build/weld a new panhard rod mount, again? Then cut the welds open again to see how good they are? Then repeat agian?
Get some cheap cutoffs from someone building a cage and weld them together then hit the crap out of them to see how your penetration looks. You will have a clean edge to weld against so its the best case scenario. then work up to some ones with gaps in them. You will be better for it.
I'm def not a welding instructor, but I've done quite a bit over the last couple years. 95% of the stuff I've made gets used in weightlifting facilities, where it gets pummeled with weight by design, and I've yet to have anything come back to me with broken or cracked welds, so I guess I'm ... decent at it. Anyway, when you're moving the torch, do you have a pattern/rhythm? It doesn't look like it. If you're doing a butt weld, try moving the torch like you're doing a continuous stream of cursive "e"s. If you're doing a corner, I like to do more of an up-down zig-zag, but I will often [welding instructor, skip this part] just touch the side of the torch to each piece of metal, so you have a feel for where the tip is. If you expect to nudge the vertical piece (for example) and 3 times in a row you don't, that's a good sign that you have drifted off line somewhere. I don't think the pattern itself makes much difference, it's the fact that it puts you into a consistent, repeatable, rhythmic motion that allows you to lay down a consistent bead.
Also, as others have pointed out, with 3.2 mm (1/8"), I wouldn't be afraid to set it hotter than you might think. You want a constant sizzling bacon sound, but none of that bacon spatter sound that you also get when cooking bacon.
Is anyone else hungry now?
I stopped trying to judge welds by their appearance years ago. A buddy had a ‘36 Chevy street rod and we were trying to make some brackets to hook up the TH-350 shift linkage. He says, you know what, I’ve got a welder buried somewhere in this garage under a pile of stuff. Haven’t used it in years. So he digs out this “Sear’s Best” buzz box. Finds some 6011? rods too. Then he hooks it up, and I hear the perfect sound of eggs frying. It sounds right. I look at it. It looks like stacked dimes. I test it by putting it in a vise and locking down some channel-locks on the opposite end. Yep. Broke like a Hershey bar.
I did smack it with a hammer in all directions..,but still going too crude off one weld at a time, and run .030 wire next time
I did check insides of the boxes with my indo scope. Nice pattern of metal discoloration, behind the welds.
With regard to getting a straight, even bead with the proper rate of movement, the four things I have found to help me the most are:
1. Good helmet. Already mentioned. If you can't see well, you can't weld well.
2. Good lighting that doesn't interfere with the helmet. For the same reason.
3. Find a way to position the work so it is stable and in a good position for you to weld on.
4. Hand position. My hands shake sometimes. Helps me to steal a page out of the pinstriper's manual. I almost always hold the MIG gun with both hands and drag a finger for reference to the work surface.
In reply to JohnInKansas :
Cool...thanks
I’ve watched almost every video from this guy. I only stick weld but I’ve learned a lot about the other types. You can never have too much knowledge.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8veisgOaHUg
And ChuckE2009 is fun to watch:
SkinnyG said:I run only 0.023" in small machines. Better wire speed control.
Slow down.
Probably needs more heat, and/or a little less wire speed.
More (or less) coffee - whatever helps you be more steady.
Pretty good for a beginner.
Spend free time at weldingtipsandtricks youtube channel. You will learn TONS.
Hey! Jody taught me to Tig. Bought like 5 years of weldingtipsandtricks DVDs. Money well spent.
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Nice work. They are straight and have a very consistent size. I don't see any overlap or undercut.
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