My First Weld (TM)

[geoffbeaumont]

Finally got round to trying my hand with the welder I bought several years ago, sorted out a year or so back and haven't really had a chance to play with since... These where actually my second set of welds - I did some much worse ones yesterday! The hole was were I started with the same settings I finished on yesterday (power setting 2 and wire speed 8 - out of 6 and 10 respectively), which were producing okay results. The other three runs were done with the power at 1 and the same line speed. At that point a wire jam stopped play - it seems rather prone to them, problem looks to be that the liner isn't held securely after the drive and slips back leaving too much unsupported wire after the rollers, so I'm going to have to find some way of clamping it properly.

The welder is a Sealey 180amp MIG. Not sure exactly what gauge the steel is - it's a scrap Discovery wheel carrier. It was just roughly cleaned up with an angle grinder, which I'm sure won't be helping me, but this is just to get a feel for the welder before I waste any decent steel.

Front:

Back:

Comments? No need to be gentle - I'm quite well aware that I've still got a lot of practising to do!

I'm a bit concerned that I'm using the lowest power setting and close to the highest line speed to avoid blow through - is it just that this steel is pretty much on the lower limits of what the welder can cope with or am I doing something wrong?

[matt bristol]

I'm not a trained welder or expert by any means, however the welds on the right of the first picture look OK to be honest.

ITs penetrated the metal but not really burnt through (odd bit) Have you tried welding 2 pieces of steel together? Not wishing to ask daft questions but that is a bit of a different story.

[Range Rover Blues]

Once you've done a couple of welds get your grinder out and cut through the weld. Have a look for tiny inclusions or voids in the weld pool and that you have penetrated right through the steel without burning it away.

you welding should not be sat on the surface like bird poo either but it does look like you were getting the hang of it.

[steve b]

That looks quite alright for a first shot Geoff, you have good penetration mainly , obviously too much where its blown through.

What size wire are you using? 0.8mm or even 1.0mm would work with your welder easily.

Its easier to start out with thicker material to practice your technique too , make sure you have the torch angled in the direction of travel and try to weave the tip left to right as you weld so that the weld pool is being dragged by the tip if thatt makes sense.

practice and enjoy it

cheers

Steveb

[Riz Sauvage]

Good first attempt Amigo.

Make sure you have a good earthing area

Smooth wire feed

Clean prepped weld area.

Correct amps is something that will come with trial and error, as will a steady hand.

Well done man, have fun, it can only get better from what is a good start.

[FridgeFreezer]

What Steve said - the stuff on the right looks to be heading in the right direction. 0.8mm wire makes life much easier. I tend to aim for the lowest wire speed without blowing holes, which makes for better penetration. Weaving the torch, as Steve said, also makes for a ncier weld.

Most of all, practice practice practice!

[geoffbeaumont]

Well, that's comforting - the welds on the right were the last ones (apart from the very short mess in the middle, which was when the wire jammed). I'm already angling the torch in the direction I'm welding and trying to 'stitch' with it.

Off the top of my head I think I've got 0.8mm wire in it, but it's quite a while since I bought it.

And yes, I do realise that actually welding two pieces of steel together will be a rather different game, but I had to start somewhere!

Cheers,

[Disco-Ron]

To be honest, putting a bead of weld along a flat piece of steel is relatively easy, try welding two p[ieces of steel together at an odd angle, and then add in a small gap between the two..... we all have to start somewhere, don;t get me wrong, just don;t over estimate your ability too soon.... also, welding thinner steel such as exhaust pipe is interesting, and then even thinner bodywork, and if it's rusty, well, thats a whole new game..LOL

Well done though..... keep practising!

[simonr]

Well done Geoff. I've seen MOT welding, apparently done by a grown-up that is a lot worse than yours.

When I first bought a welder, I collected together all the scrap steel I could find and welded it into a 4 foot cube abstract sculpture in my back garden as a 'gift' for the next tenants / my scrotey Landlord . I learned a lot about welding dissimilar thicknesses at funny angles. Maybe you could make an interesting "Christmas tree of the future" out of recycled scrap steel?

Si

[daugs]

I've been learning to weld at the local college in evenings and so much easier with an experienced welder pointing you in right direction especially when it comes to doing things vertically etc which is much harder as said above. Will see if I can post pics of mine to give you a comparison.

[Darren Roberts]

Hi,

I'd go with what daugs said, especially if you're going to be doing anything structural. I did a local City and Guilds and yes it was worth the money. If you don't have access to a course locally, then try setting the current and wire feed high and blow a hole in the test piece and work back until you don't. The test piece needs to be nice and clean with a good earth and the set should sound like frying bacon when the ammpage and wire speed are right.

Another good site to check out is the Mig Welding Forum where there are loads of guys (including professional welders) that are more than happy to help.

From the pictures in the post the test pieces on the right are definitely heading in the right direction - just need to make sure you've got enough penetration so ideally all test peices should be welding two pieces of metal together....

Keep up the good work!

Darren

[nick w]

its a black art welding as afore montioned plenty of trial and error plenty of practice my big mistake was not cleaning the surfaces properly still not very good at it mind 2 minuits of welding 20 minuits of grinding seams the norm

[geoffbeaumont]

Evening classes aren't a practical proposition at the moment, sadly

When I cut through the welds the penetration wasn't great on the welds in the photo I posted, but considerably better on some later ones after I'd spent some time measuring the wire speed and setting up properly. After I'd cut the bracket in half I welded it back together - very messy, partly because I didn't prep it properly, but I haven't managed to break it despite applying a fair bit of violence, so I'm pretty happy for a first effort.

I really need to get some more steel and prep some joints properly next.

[dazwell24]

alright mate welding is something you have to learn by trial and error its always handy to have someone thats experienced pointing you in the right direction but by the looks you are doing pretty good if those are your first attempts it just takes time to learn when and where u need more or less heat and faster or slower wire speed i spent 3yrs doing ag engineering and learning to weld with m.m.a (stick) and mig but like many others have said practice practice practice then when u think its good practice some more because i can weld to a half about standard but really struggle welding vert and upside down but your doing good mate

oh ps if u are welding something u need first time always start low amps and work up till u get desired heat saves blowing holes lol i have done this on my final year project was gutted