Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello, I am just starting here. Just second post after my intro.
First off the machine. A cheapie Northern flux core 125 with voltage set to high and wire speed at 2. Wire is US Forge heat WO15022 ,Alloy E71T-GS .030
Welding 1/8 steel into a T shape. Did a little destructive testing. When I ripped the 2 pieces apart the middle was
black and "cooked" looking. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks Jay

Did you grind the millscale off both pieces?

Yes, both pieces ground to shiny steel

Welcome, Jay1947! If it's helpful I found the manual for your machine, here:
http://www.northerntool.com/images/down ... 628575.pdf

I was hoping to find a chart or something to indicate what settings should be for 1/8" steel T joint, but no luck. You shouldn't be able to "rip the two pieces apart"! Can you post a photo?

Will try photo tomorrow if my garage gets a little warmer. Never got to 32 today, in North Carolina..........J

That's 37* warmer than my garage was yesterday and 20* warmer than it was today, yikes it's cold.

Len

Did you have a whole lot of spatter next to the weld?

I hesitate to suggest this, since it's a flux-core only machine, but maybe the polarity is reversed? I don't know if you even have the ability to get the polarity incorrect on a flux-core only machine, but it's worth looking at, maybe they are connected up wrong.

It should still weld with the electrode positive, but you'll get a bunch of spatter and I imagine the penetration won't be as good? Maybe that's the problem here? Electrode Negative will have much less spatter.

Braehil, lived in Westmoreland County for 36 years before I came south. Know what you mean...

daniel, good thought, plenty of spatter, will check tomorrow....J

125 amp machine "should" handle the .030 wire OK, it's marginal, but it "should" weld. I have a Hobart Handler 135 and it likes the .030 wire a lot better than the .035. You should be getting a nice quiet hissing sound as you weld, if you're getting a lot of spatter and crackling like bacon frying then something isn't quite right. I agree with your voltage setting, and the WFS is something that you will have to adjust as you see how the puddle is doing....keep your stickout fairly short for that machine. Proabably around 1/2" to no more than 5/8". Stick out is measured from the tip to the work...the nozzle if equipped, has no relation, so ignore that when figuring your stick out. Check the polarity as suggested...that's about all I can think of, that machine "should" do the job for you.

Let us know how it goes

Jay,
I live in Lower Burrell (Yes there's an Upper Burrell) Westmorland Co. and think about heading south every damn day.

Len

Braehill wrote:Jay,
I live in Lower Burrell (Yes there's an Upper Burrell) Westmorland Co. and think about heading south every damn day.

Len

Don't you keep getting offers from the NOLA East facility?

Steve,
If they made an offer today after plowing snow for over half my shift, I probably would accept. F$&cking snow.

Len


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No snow here.

S'posed to get down to 27* tonight. Local plumbing crisis.

Steve S

We have a cyclone bearing down on us right now
Hopefully only a category 1 or 2, but no snow.
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/national ... loop.shtml

Just checked the temp -15f right now. Our high is said to be -13f low -23f. I ask my wife everyday why we still live here.

And we call the guy living under a bridge in Miami crazy, hmmm.

Len

Braehill wrote:And we call the guy living under a bridge in Miami crazy, hmmm.

Len

LOL....

Sorry it's been so long since I posted. A little sickness, drain problems and since I am retired she talked me into a vacation.
Can you take a vacation if you don't work ?? Anyway, haven't figured out how to post a picture. But today I managed to lay down a somewhat decent bead on a piece of flat steel. I thing my main problem is not seeing the weld. Played with the helmet settings and it got better. Cataract eye doctor didn't do a great job. Any way the welds I ripped apart had 1 decent looking side and the other was just like charcoal. Don't think was getting the weld into the right spot. Thanks for the help. I will keep "teaching" myself..............J