Welding Tips and Tricks

My1g mig test failed,practice plates pulling apart on the sidebend test,
using a36 plates e70s6 wire with 230ipm and 20v does anyone have any thoughts.
Thanks

a36 at 5/16" or 3/8" thickness can be welded a little hotter than 20v. try 24.5v and around 285<300 ipm ...it's got to be better than the poor penetration you described in your post...also be careful to grind your edges lengthwise and not "shortways"...the grinder hash marks can perf. the edges and start a split.little stuff makes a difference!

what parameters did they give you?

what ive learned about mig is. hot is better.3g 4g vert or overhead,200amp300w-speed gets good penitration. well i should say on 1/2inch 3/8inch test plates. ive seen the best looking welds at 18.7amp 200w-speed and watch them crack on the bend test.. but good luck..keep welding

Although I have taken and successfully passed many Welding Certifications, I must admit, I too failed my first attempt at a 1G Mig Certification. Open root, 3/8" Plate, V-Groove. What I learned from my experience with the test was this..... STAY OUT IN FRONT OF THE PUDDLE. In the flat position it's easy to let the puddle catch up to you, hence almost a guarantee for lack of fusion, may look fine, but didn't tie in to the base metal. So, don't hang out and just let it flow in there if you are doing short-circuit transfer, stay out in front of the puddle and direct your arc onto those sidewalls. Best advice I have for ya.

Andyp1.

Could you be more descriptive of the "plates pulling apart on the sidebend test". The length of the separations? The number of specimens that had this indication? Perhaps a photo or two would also be helpful.

The weldor normally follows the parameters from a WPS (welding procedure specification) when performing the weldor performance test. If that is the case, then the WPS parameters have been shown to already be reliable. This would invite us to look at the actual welding technique used and/or the processing of the test specimen.

Independent of the welding technique, it is important to remain within the WPS voltage parameters. It is difficult to know if you are at the optimized voltage within that WPS range. If you intentionally increase your voltage until it is excessive, and then slightly back it down, you should have it optimized. That slight difference in voltage is not noticeable by the weldor's eyes, but it helps avoid fusion (cold lap) difficulties.

The wire welding processes are very fast compared to stick, and it is more difficult to understand the puddle. Following the already tested parameters (voltage, amps, etc.) is important. Imagine submergered arc wire feed welding, where you cannot follow the puddle at all due to the flux blocking the view, the correct parameters are critical. They are also critical for mig/mag.

Alexa

You said side bend test so I am assuming the plate was 1" thick or thicker. It is important to know which part of the weld failed, ex. lack of fusion with the base metal, root pass, or something in the middle of the weld because of how the passes were stacked in. With a face and root bend test, usually on 3/8" material the part of the weld that is causing the problem is usually very apparent.

Kevin