Messing around with the welder..

[reb78]

I'm renovating an old lamp for my mum.

Bad pic of end of lamp

I started by removing the rotten 'roof' from the square frame and the first thing was to make a new 'roof' for it

What am I doing right (if anything) and wrong with the welds?

[reb78]

Cleaned up and welds ground down.

[reb78]

Sorry, if this thread should be in tools and fabrication, then please move it.

[Bowie69]

Gasless MIG or....?

[Team Idris]

Probably best fix for an easy life is weld the inside instead ?

You might ask how that helps "the weld", but getting a good finish is mostly strategy

[reb78]

Gasless mig

I used the old lid as a template so should have tacked the outside and welded inside really

[Scotts90]

I'll get the daft question out the way first... Gasless MIG...are you using flux cored (ie gasless) wire? Welds look pretty similar to what welding without a shielding gas produces.

Are you prepping the metal prior to welding? Some new sheet has a coating on it which doesn't weld well so nice clean and shiny steel is always best. A quick blast with a flap wheel often suffices.

The current looks to be a bit on the high side, rather than getting good penetration your weld is almost falling through.

Best advice. If you can convert your welder to use gas then do so, it will produce a much neater weld.

[reb78]

Yep. It's flux cored and the polarity is reversed correctly on the machine as well (it's a gas/glass less machine).

Metal is prepped along the welds - I ran over it with the belt sander first.

I should try with gas, I've just never got round to sorting out bottle hire. I wonder if that will help me get those nice welds I see pics of everywhere!

[Scotts90]

Was your steel galvanised or zintec coated? Tends to produce the white residue when you weld through it ( the fumes are quiet nasty too), looking at your last pic the welds haven't penetrated well. What adjustment settings do you have on your welder?

[reb78]

It's a Butters AMT 180. Six settings for power and 12 (I think) for wire speed. That was on power 2 and speed 4.

As far as I know it's just a sheet of steel I bought for doing bits and pieces, no coating that I know of. I was under the impression that gas less wire caused that residue?

[Scotts90]

It's been about 15yrs since I used a gasless MIG, couldn't remember it causing chalking or leaving a slag residue...my memory ain't what it used to be lol

[reb78]

I've got so many tools in my garage, I don't think there's room for a gas bottle at the moment! I will get one when I finally get/make the space though!

[stuck]

It's a Butters AMT 180. Six settings for power and 12 (I think) for wire speed. That was on power 2 and speed 4.

As far as I know it's just a sheet of steel I bought for doing bits and pieces, no coating that I know of. I was under the impression that gas less wire caused that residue?

You have a reasonable Mig set then.

Do it a favour & switch to using shielding gas.

[Lewis]

Or at least get a can of anti-spatter spray

[Scotts90]

I have a size Y from BOC, got it on a deal about 7 years ago, £40 a year rental and £20 a refill...they've never altered the terms. I use argoshield light which has an AR/CO2 mix, pure CO2 (pub gas) produced a narrower weld IMO. The disposable bottles are a waste of money and don't last long...especially when the cheap nasty regulators that fit them leak like a sieve.

Got oxy and an inverter arc but I much prefer the MIG....looking for an excuse to buy a TIG but that will have to wait.

Back on subject tho, on my welder I'd have increased power and slowed the wire speed to get more penetration and a better weld pool. Also the angle of the torch and distance from the pool effects the weld, I tend to try and keep about 8mm from the workpiece and drag the weld although what and where you are welding dictates this. You may find it easier to try joining spots first than trying to run a long weld, especially on thinner material.

I'm no pro welder but have rebuilt a few old crusty things in my time so just my experience.

[ejparrott]

Doesn't look like its penetrated, did you grind in a weld prep?

It almost looks like you've not had enough power and travelled too fast, but I find it's incredibly difficult to give welding advise over the interent via photogrpahs of finished welds, as opposed to videos of the welding being done.

I use plain CO2 gas with my 150A welder, I don't build bridges though

[Bowie69]

BOC are doing a very small bottle now, 2l, you can easily strap it to the back of even a hobby welder, and holds equivalent of 10 hobby bottles.

[Bingy]

As others have said try and convert your machine to use gas.

Its a lot easier and neater in the long run.

Looking at the welds, looks like a lack of penetration

and at first glance i thought you had welded it using stick rods

[reb78]

Hmm. Turning the power up a setting meant I blew through the metal (I did have a fiddle but settled on the settings above in the end).

I'll look into the small boc bottle.

[Retroanaconda]

There are plenty of rent free welding gas suppliers about these days, might be worth finding one near to you and checking their prices as well.

[vulcan bomber]

Hobbyweld is worth looking into as well Richard. I think its the way i'll gowhen funds allow.

[steve b]

There's a lot of slag on there compared to my experience's of gasless MIG , but that's probably down to the brand of wire .

The weld itself looks to me like too much wire feed and not enough power , with that type of joint edge I'd be aiming for almost a fusion weld

of the edges of the parent metal so low wire speed to give almost spray transfer rather than the higher end of dip transfer - what you have now

Also , with that much slag at every stop , you really need to clean the slag away to continue

Shield gas will transform things , we only use gasless if outside in the wind , or 20m up in a manbasket

cheers

Steveb

[Hybrid_From_Hell]

My 2p worth for what its worth

1. Gasless is horrible - get gas and std wire !

2. Clean clean clean, prep the metal with a linishing pad to remove the surface scale and also so the edges where the weld is going is shiney clean

3. Turn UP amps

4. Turn DOWN wire speed

You wnat to be hearing "Bacon sizzling in a frying pan" - you will have had more machine gun nosies

Nige

[Hybrid_From_Hell]

Last

Did you PULL the torch towards you, or PUSH the torch Away from you ??

[Hybrid_From_Hell]

I use albee now - very good as contents of large Match BOC Contents, no rental !

http://www.albeegascylinders.com/

Nige