weld in frame kit questions

[skelly1]

Well, I got the hard part done with the kit and that's getting it ready to weld, clamped, heated, bolted, and banged into place. I made an attempt to weld, but I can't so I gotta wait until tomorrow for my neighbor. I guess I need a little more instruction the first few times I weld. How hot and how fast wire speed on a 110 mig welder would an experienced welder use for this job? I realize everybody's welder is different but speaking in relative terms, like hot and slow, cold and fast, etc.? I have the bottle-less wire, is this ok to use?

 

[skelly1]

ttt

 

[skelly1]

I guess I'm going to Pirate, nobody wants to help me out here.

 

[camiswelding]

ok... its really pretty easy to do initial setup....

open the welder or look in the manual,, if its a sp135 lincoln its printed right there inside,, I think somewhere around g5 setting would work... but please confirm.. one setting will be listed for hard wire,,,, another for flux core

I dont think you will like "FLUX CORE" wire,, it leaves a lot of spatter... that being said you can weld just fine with it,,,, but do some practice first... remember what you are doing is trying to control a molten puddle and make sure it bonds both pieces of metal... if you have never welded before welding a frame patch in probably isnt what you should attempt for your first welding experience... you need to understand where to put the welds.. you can do that by following the directions,,, but you also need enough experience to be able to start and end the weld cleanly,,, and that takes a little practice..
as you are welding it should sound like frying bacon.. and not spit and ball... and the weld puddle should lay down smoothly... like molten lava.. or metal... which obviously it is
IIRC most 135s come with a short demo tape,,, if not you should have an experienced friend teach you...
Weldors are skilled technicians,, I have been welding for 30 years and Im learning new stuff everyday... its a little more than just getting a machine and think you can weld like a pro the next day
start on something non critical for a hour or so... until you get the hang of it

cam

 

[skelly1]

So, do you push or pull the puddle? I couldn't seem to make either work.

 

[readymix]

I usually push, but I am by no means an expert

 

[jekquistk5]

I push most of the times but sometimes you have to pull. If your asking that quesiton I think you should have someone that knows what they are doing weld it up. You dont want to mess with frame repairs if you do not know how to tell a good weld from a bad one etc.

 

[camiswelding]

When you push the puddle the weld has shallower penetration because you are coming back over cooled..or I should say slightly cooler molten metal.. the weldment is usually wider
Pulling allows for deeper penetration because you are maintaining the heat longer in the front of the puddle...the weldment is usually narrower
there are techniques such as a short weave a side to side whip like motion... or what is called rolling dimes... making small repeating and overlapping circles... you need a little practice to develop a reliable technique for you...
I like pushing myself and using slightly increased amperage to make the wire gouge into the steel ahead of me for penetration... but this is what Im comfortable with,,, and I can weld either technique...practice practice practice
Sometimes on a smaller machine pulling is a better technique because you may already be operating at the machines maximum output... or pretty close,,, but that being said..setup properly an sp135 can weld a frame patch reliably ( I personally would get the gas selonoid and use argon/co2.. for the cleanest weld.. or straight co2 for deeper penetration.. and not as nice an appearance.. co2 is cheaper.. a small customer owned bottle isnt too expensive)

it also depends what position you are welding in.. flat.. horizontal.. vertical.. overhead.. for a frame patch you will probably use horizontal and vertical down... they arent long welds for the patch... like 1-2 inches... and there are only like 6 or 8 iirc...
If you never welded before there is a way to hold the torch to the work,, like a 20 degree angle.. and have a wire stick out of about 3/8 of an inch... try this to start and get comfortable with it
I would suggest at minimum trying the two techniques I spec'd on some scrap and then taking some pictures and posting them up for us to help you with some critique BEFORE you do the patch... better yet.. get a weldor friend to help you the first time out... and now that you have stated that you are having "problems",, dont weld the patch until you are sufficiently trained to produce a quality weld,,, its not easy to TELL someone HOW TO weld,, it requires some hands on instruction.. and a poor weld wont hold, may be dangerous, and is a waste of time... and will require 3 times the effort to remove and redo
Make sure the area is thoroughly cleaned of all rust paint oil and grease... small machines ... have way less ability to burn thru "stuff" if you arent being as careful as you should in preparation... everything should be nice shiny metal for a high quality weld....
look at Lincoln or Millers welding sites... they have good info in their library or training sections
It would help if you told us what type of machinie you are using... make model type