Welding Tips and Tricks

So I'm new to welding just got a miller 140 auto set mig welder. My only experience was in highschool stick welding.

So this is gonna be my thread to document my stuff as I go along.

The only scrap I have is engine parts they are dirty and covered in oil. It took me a couple months to round up all the supplies I need to start welding the last being a quality regulator.
My first time out I did what any man would do and I ignored my instructions on the auto set diagram and tried to make metal stick to metal. This was where I remember the pistons I had were aluminum while the rods were cast

Any who I kept experimenting with the setting wire speed and voltage trying to get what I think is a good puddle. Soon realized I have no idea how to run the regulator(<5lpm Lol). I think I figured it out any who here are my first welds with the new welder. Hopefully I'll get some decent scrap soon.






I think my voltage guessing worked here but took a few tries to get the wire feed to be my friend

Question is it good to close the tank and empty the air from the system or am I wasting gas

I would at least turn the tank off.
I actually had a question on mig, how important is it to purge the oxygen from the line before welding?
(Hopefully someone will know)
But as far as bleeding it down, being low as the pressure is, I don't see it wasting much gas, nor would I see if harming anything if you just left it.
So same thing, maybe someone else will know. Great question, by the way.

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I always turn the bottle off, purge the gas and open the regulator. Mainly this is because if there's a tiny gas leak somewhere in the system I don't come back and find a half-empty bottle.

I find that by the time I set the flow rate next time, I have displaced any air in the line. Remember, there should only be shielding gas in the system up until the gas solenoid valve in the machine, because all of the section up to that point is sealed.

The only place there might be air is the vented section between the gas solenoid valve and the torch. That can only hold a miniscule volume, and I find it is displaced in only a few seconds of gas purge while setting the flow.

That's my method anyway. I use the same for my Oxy-Acetylene also.

HTH

Trevor

You should at least always turn the tank off, there always seems to be a small leak somewhere. Why waste gas? I've noticed that some spoolguns are the biggest leakers of gas. When I use a spoolun and have at least 5 minutes between welds, I will always shut the gas off. It saves gas, but, of course, there are those times when I forget to turn the gas back on!

Other Steve

Had some free time today (actually was suppose to work on my truck) I started out trying to Fab up a fastener but that did not go well (I'll post again a min about that).

So I still only have scrap from a motor I took apart .... I made this.

And I started a trophy

(Blurry pics camera sucks operator sucks)

Any who again figuring voltage to speed and trying to make bacon which is harder on oiled metal but I'm happy and getting better with my control.

Things I realized.
I need a dedicated workspace if I'm going to get serious. Right now I just weld on the floor and it is not comfortable at all and def would impact any work product and inhibit learning good technique.

Light you should be able to see what your welding hood up or down (I have a Miller pro hobby)

My lead sucks. Still just a bolt (and now a ziptie and bolt) holding the lead cable to the copper clamp. I am suppose to be picking up a channel lock lead from a family friend.

Evaluating my weld. Did I actually weld or did I put a glob of hot metal onto 2 pieces of metal hahaha penatration is something I have trouble with but I'm already a father so...

I use just as much metal welding as I do cutting off to get a decent stick put to start with. Negligent trigger finger....

So here is what I wanted to make.



It didn't work out well. I didn't have enough supplies to continue experimenting.

The wing nut is stainless and the bolt is grade 8

The wing nut seems to melt faster. I'm using the wrong wire and the wrong gas for stainless but I'll keep messing with it until its presentable.... or I find an off the shelf fastener....

If you can get the same size wing nut as bolt, cut the head off the bolt and screw on the wing nut till just above flush, then a little tack on both sides of the bolt will do it. Or just ditch the wing nut all together and use a piece of round bar, 4mm dia or bigger. Across the head. Even cut a groove in the head to aid central fit up.

The tack part is where I'm going wrong. I either couldn't get the penatration on the bolt or I burned through the wing nut.

That's because its hard to get the weld down it to hole. Having a bolt right up in there will make it heaps easier to ning a quick yack on there.

Please excuse the plastic wing nut. Its all I've got. But it illustrates my ramblings.

I'll try again tomorrow and post the results.

Thanks!

You'll get it for sure.

I had some time off and needed to clean the intercooler on my truck. Well the egr tube attempted to break my pinky..... in a fit of rage I destroyed it. I had some of the parts for the delete as I planned to do it next month. The last thing I needed was a block off plate.....this will have to do until then hahaha. Still need to finish my wing nut project. Hopefully when better weather is around for good I'll be able to bear being in the shop for a prolonged period of time.

I had some time off and needed to clean the intercooler on my truck. Well the egr tube attempted to break my pinky..... in a fit of rage I destroyed it. I had some of the parts for the delete as I planned to do it next month. The last thing I needed was a block off plate.....this will have to do until then hahaha. Still need to finish my wing nut project. Hopefully when better weather is around for good I'll be able to bear being in the shop for a prolonged period of time.

Instead of that big-ass crack across the top of your weld, why not fab a block-off plate and be done?

Cast does not like quickie welds... Hardware is cheap...

Steve S

I had some mild steel I wanted to use but had no way to get holes into it. Maybe around mothers day I can sneak a drill press into my life finally..... wife will be distracted with mothers day stuff hahaha

D3vst8r96gt wrote:I had some mild steel I wanted to use but had no way to get holes into it. Maybe around mothers day I can sneak a drill press into my life finally..... wife will be distracted with mothers day stuff hahaha

Whatever it takes to get tools!

I'd have clamped the cast piece to some scrap of new metal, used the existing holes as drill bushings, and used my old Black&Decker hand-drill to make holes, to close up that EGR. Beats hell out of trying to weld to cast anything.

Steve S

weldin mike 27 wrote:Please excuse the plastic wing nut. Its all I've got. But it illustrates my ramblings.

Is that a toilet seat nut?

weldin mike 27 wrote:Please excuse the plastic wing nut. Its all I've got. But it illustrates my ramblings.

Is that a toilet seat nut?

Yes, yes it is. And the bolt is something like a foot for a table.

Not welding but wanted to share today project. I have 2 shelves dedicated to sprays cans. Its not easy to find stuff and overall inefficient. So I took some measurements and found a rain gutter for $6 at home depot and boom

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Ford 4.6 or 5.4 parts huh? Scorpion is cool

Yeah I have an addiction to fords modular motors lol

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Cool, I build a lot of motors on the side, I'm a ford nut. Have a 32v with a 98mm on it, 25.5 chassis 91 GT.

You don't have a loaded RH Romeo 4.6L head from an explorer laying around do ya?