Welding Tips and Tricks

I recently took a 7-week introduction to welding on Saturdays:
http://forum.weldingtipsandtricks.com/v ... php?t=3570

For the MIG portion of the class I used the Miller 25x machines, but now I need to re-learn with my own MIG machine, an HTP MIG200. I am using Hobart 0.035" solid wire, 75/25 gas in all pictures, and the practice plate is 1/4" thick, about 12" x 18" or so.



I don't have my welding table ready, but I am using this lightweight stand for now, which holds the two 1/2" thick pieces of steel which will make up the top of my welding table (which will be on casters so that I can move/store when not in use). I am a lefty, so wires are on my left:



The very first couple of beads were with no gas - the instructor told us to do that on purpose so that we could "see" how a weld looks like when you forget the gas and also when you run out of gas!. I then started doing beads from the bottom going up, playing with the various voltage/wire feed settings on my MIG200 to learn what works and not, plus I also started practicing starting/stopping/continuing on the same bead (top two):


side view of above:



I then did another "set", with a few minor changes, again to play with the settings - this time I was playing with the wire feed while leaving the voltage alone:



I then cleaned those with a wire brush and noticed the toes were too high, so I then started playing using higher voltages, which started to flatten out those beads and toes:


Close-up:


Side view:



So then I went back to the side of the initial weld beads, which had the "colder looking" beads, and put down 4x new beads with the higher voltage settings (about 6-2 to 6-3 on my MIG200, and wire set to 4.5-5/out of 10):


side view - the first 4x going left to right had the higher voltage settings:



When I turned over the plate, those last beads with the higher voltage settings had better signs of proper penetration through the 1/4" thick plate:



Last thing I wanted to show was my goose neck for my HTP gun. I played for a while trying to find something that was the most comfortable/ergonomic, and came up with this setup shown here:



Here is how I hold it while I weld a bead:





I use the small edge of the trigger guard to place my trigger finger, and then a light press starts the welding:



So yes, I know I have a lot more to learn/practice, but it felt good to use "my" own MIG machine. I started taking a few notes on what seemed to work better, and I hope to write down more notes as I practice more.

Will

Welcome to the group and like you I'm also in a basic mig class. I recognize the machine and chuckE2009 over on youtube has done a number of video's using the a HTP machine. I have a Miller 252 and it a fine machine also and in the same class as yours. I believe that rusted plate is playing murder with how your welds look and I believe you have better results if you use clean steel. Just don't make my mistake and use a nice piece of stainless. It makes for a muddy looking weld and you wonder what you did wrong.

I like your approach to learning to weld: have a go, first at running beads with various settings. Keep a few notes, (nothing too formal, just an aid to memory). Learn to use your own welder. Test out what you've been taught in your course. All good.

Just some comments, which are more to stimulate you to try more stuff than anything else.

Are you intending to be a career welder, or someone capable of welding stuff well as it needs to be done. If welding is "another string to your bow", could I urge you to start making stuff, even with your current skill level. I have many reasons in mind.

Running beads is one thing, but making true right angles, strong joints, or fixing round tube on to flat plate, etc, is another. I think it is best to develop your initial skills with some of these challenges in the mix. Make a few things that don't matter, so that you don't create catastrophe for yourself. Make a little garden wagon, for example, even though you may have no use for it. Fun, and instructive, at your stage.

Also, and the professional welders will laugh at this, 1/4" plate is starting to be something with a bit of body, mass, "lots of metal", "heavyish". That is 6mm in my language, and I don't often weld with that much steel under the gun. Of course, people who work with heavy machinery, bridges, truck tray frames, girders for large commercial construction will think 6mm is very light. My point is, 2 mm plate will teach you to respond to your puddle and gun very quickly. Or you will have holes. Square hollow section tube or rectangular hollow tube often has wall thickness of down to 1.2 mm. But this material can have many uses.

Third, does your welder come with a chart of recommended settings for various gas mixtures, wire sizes, steel thicknesses, wire speeds, etc? If so, try applying these, because I have found welding machines tend to be different, and I suspect you have to reach the "sweet spot" differently on different machines. On one of my welders, I had to learn to work things out, wire speed, voltage (rocker switches), stickout length, travel speed, etc for given steel thicknesses. On my Lincoln, I had to learn to do what I was told: follow the Lincoln settings, and speed up my travel: they knew better than me how to sizzle.

Anyway, join some steel together, break a few joints, cut a few joints up, make a few projects, weld often, watch the puddle, watch the puddle, watch the puddle, and have fun. (Get on to that welding table project.)

Thanks, and good luck.

AnvilJack wrote:weld often, watch the puddle, watch the puddle, watch the puddle, and have fun.

Good advise.

I also like to listen to the weld puddle, it should just make hissssssssssss sound if you have wire and volts set right, this will give you a nice flat weld (if that is what you are after).
If you get too much of a crackle sound you have the wire feed set too high or volts too low, which will also give you too much spatter.

Thank you guys!

Gene wrote:Welcome to the group and like you I'm also in a basic mig class. I recognize the machine and chuckE2009 over on youtube has done a number of video's using the a HTP machine. I have a Miller 252 and it a fine machine also and in the same class as yours. I believe that rusted plate is playing murder with how your welds look and I believe you have better results if you use clean steel. Just don't make my mistake and use a nice piece of stainless. It makes for a muddy looking weld and you wonder what you did wrong.

I will try with some cleaner steel as well. This was pretty much a scrap piece I got a while back.

AnvilJack wrote:I like your approach to learning to weld: have a go, first at running beads with various settings. Keep a few notes, (nothing too formal, just an aid to memory). Learn to use your own welder. Test out what you've been taught in your course. All good.

That was basically what the instructor had us do. I am now trying to repeat the basic skills from class, but with my own welder.

AnvilJack wrote: Are you intending to be a career welder, or someone capable of welding stuff well as it needs to be done. If welding is "another string to your bow", could I urge you to start making stuff, even with your current skill level. I have many reasons in mind.

I am not doing this with the intent of becoming a career welder - just want to be able to make good/strong welds for myself and friends.

AnvilJack wrote:Running beads is one thing, but making true right angles, strong joints, or fixing round tube on to flat plate, etc, is another. I think it is best to develop your initial skills with some of these challenges in the mix. Make a few things that don't matter, so that you don't create catastrophe for yourself. Make a little garden wagon, for example, even though you may have no use for it. Fun, and instructive, at your stage.

Gotcha - makes sense. Doing beads (although necessary to practice/learn settings on the machine) is actually quite boring!

AnvilJack wrote:Third, does your welder come with a chart of recommended settings for various gas mixtures, wire sizes, steel thicknesses, wire speeds, etc? If so, try applying these, because I have found welding machines tend to be different, and I suspect you have to reach the "sweet spot" differently on different machines. On one of my welders, I had to learn to work things out, wire speed, voltage (rocker switches), stickout length, travel speed, etc for given steel thicknesses. On my Lincoln, I had to learn to do what I was told: follow the Lincoln settings, and speed up my travel: they knew better than me how to sizzle.

Yes, it does have a table, and based on my initial "experiments" yesterday, I would say that yes, those settings seem to be pretty close, which of course makes sense - they know their machines.

AnvilJack wrote:Anyway, join some steel together, break a few joints, cut a few joints up, make a few projects, weld often, watch the puddle, watch the puddle, watch the puddle, and have fun. (Get on to that welding table project.)

Thanks, and good luck.

Thank you. I will buy more steel and start joining pieces together

Follow da blue light wrote:

AnvilJack wrote:weld often, watch the puddle, watch the puddle, watch the puddle, and have fun.

Good advise.

I also like to listen to the weld puddle, it should just make hissssssssssss sound if you have wire and volts set right, this will give you a nice flat weld (if that is what you are after).
If you get too much of a crackle sound you have the wire feed set too high or volts too low, which will also give you too much spatter.

I also noticed that as the metal was warming up, that the sound changed a little towards the end of the bead. I don't have a torch to pre-heat, but might need one for these "thicker" pieces.