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Welding Techniques - Pic in post #28.

badmix

badmix

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May be picking up a Miller 140 unit (Long story short, Im stuck with a 110v welder, 220v is out of the question)

I dont know much about welding. So, I figured Id hear from some of the best and worst on here and get all the advice from the Been There, Done That crowd. So what advice or tips and tricks can you give that would make me a good proficient welder.

Ive been all over YouTube and the Net, but want to hear from you guys.

Things ive learned so far;



Keep Stick on leading edge of puddle to get good penetration in heavier steel and you leave it in the puddle for sheet metal to avoid burn thru

Using UpHill Technique in an upside down V gives better penetration with less heat but is harder.

Upside down V works by stopping on the sides for a second and not stopping in the middle.

Using DownHill Technique is a quick easy way to weld

Staight on stick or 10* is good any more angle and its bad

Use Push Technique with Gas to keep the Weld area clean and pure

Question: Will the V technique work in any position? I was practicing this on a piece of paper with a pen and it seems to work pretty well, just have to remember not to stop in the middle. lol

Question: Ive seen the "continuous whip method" shown and the welds look great, but they didnt explain the motion used. Anyone?

Question: What is best, push or pull (drag). The miller site says: A drag or pull gun technique will give you a bit more penetration and a narrower bead. A push gun technique will give you a bit less penetration, and a wider bead.

Thanks
 
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I wouldn't worry mucha bout the pen and paper tech, your going to have to get a feel for it with that machine. Some of the techniques that you described are for more of a structural (1/2" or better like the vertical up).

The easiest way I can describe is to 'let it flow', other then that I'm not really sure. What I can offer you is to use quality gloves, helmet, support you body through the complete weld bead (if its continuous). Play it safe and not sorry, I've been welding now, about 10 years, whenever I get a new welder at home I buy a few rolls of wire to practice with, just so I can hopefully get it right, when it needs to be right. Maybe it's the right time to look at taking a class, it's one thing to listen to us, or watch a youtube video, but it's a completely different thing to have an instructor right there that you can ask a question to, and they can show you another way of doing things. Don't get me wrong, I commend you for being open and honest about wanting to learn to do something better, but for you to be able to pick it up, at a speed that will keep you craving to push yourself to be a better welder. I learned from a bunch of old timers that had nothing to do but to **** with the new guy (me) that just got out of the Marines, that was frustration! I finally stuck with it and gave the old timers their laughs, looking back I think its funny now, but at the time it was all I could do to keep from hurting them.

Take it for what it's worth, I don't call myself good, but I am capable and can make my beads look like a machine produced them.
 
and....if you can weld it on the bench instead of in place, do it that way. it's much easier to weld flat that vertical or upside down.
 
CLEAN. CLEAN. CLEAN. Rust and wire feed welders do not get along. Get your metal that you are fusing together as clean as possible of paint and rust.
 
Practice is key I think also, knowledge is great and to know what your doing, and why is great, but without good technique you can have a disaster when it counts.
I've had pretty good success with 10ga. and up stuff, but butt welding 14 ga has given me fits at times, so just keep pulling the trigger and follow proper prep, did someone mention clean?
Practice on scrap, and just think about your technique while your welding...back and forth motion, or circular works good for me.
 
As said PRACTICE is where it's at, and taking classes would allow you to learn things you probably would'nt learn elsewhere. Having an instructor and others there to help when you find yourself stuck and frustrated is invaluble. This would also give you the resources and access to equipment to help you hone your skills.
 
Learn to recognize a good weld from a bad weld. You could have a pretty weld with very little penetration. Look at pictures of what a good weld looks like - the outside of the bead should be fused to the metal, not rolling under where it looks like the weld bead is sitting on top of the metal.
Make sure you get your set-up correct: Gas shield or flux wire? If gas, make sure you have the right mix and it is flowing at the correct setting (stay out of the wind). Make sure your polarity is correct for gas or flux.
While practicing: crank the wire speed up to just feel what it is like with too fast a wire speed (pushing the gun back). Turn the wire speed way slow to get a feel for that (wire burns back and kind-of drips off). Do the same for the voltage - too low will not penetrate, too hot will burn through and splatter a lot.
In a nut-shell: Experiment with it. Get a lot of scrap mettal and just start melting it. Don't wory about joints at first, just put beads on flat steel. And at first, don't wory about all the "technique" that you listed. Just keep a steady pace and move in a straight line or do litte moving circles.
Put some pictures of your beads up here and we can comment.
 
As said try to get every thing as clean as you can, also get a good auto darkening helmet. Can`t weld if you can`t see!
 
When you are just starting and learning, as just stated above, an Auto Darkening helmet helps big time. It help tons to be able to see where your wire or stick is in relation to your work. Later, when you get better, use an Auto Darkening helmet. LOL. Yeah, I meant to say it like that. Once I used the AD helmet...there is no going back. I love it.

I had to learn to start with the older style helmet screen that you cant see through. I woud line up my work, drop the helmet and generally move a tad an miss my start point by a bit Or I would end up sticking the rod to the metal. Wire too. Of course, I got better at it but the AD helmet was an awesome advancement in welding.
 
Don't try to make stacked dimes with a mig
 
Ok. what about welding off of a generator. I have a Dewalt DG2900.


  • Max AC Output: 2900 watts
  • Rated AC Output: 2400 watts
  • Max Current (120V/240V): 24.2/NA amps
  • Alternator Type: Brushless
  • Rated Current (120V/240V): 20/NA amps
 
If you have a 110 welder that should work, although maybe a drop in voltage when you first strike your arc, then the generator will catch up.
 
Just practice. You'll quickly learn if it's welding good or not. Welding is something that you just have to do yourself and it's pretty self explanatory once you start practicing a lot. I wouldn't waste much time looking for directions, just go start welding on a piece of scrap steel making beads first. Once you can make a nice bead, try welding two pieces together.
 
Gunny65 said:
When you are just starting and learning, as just stated above, an Auto Darkening helmet helps big time. It help tons to be able to see where your wire or stick is in relation to your work. Later, when you get better, use an Auto Darkening helmet. LOL. Yeah, I meant to say it like that. Once I used the AD helmet...there is no going back. I love it.

I had to learn to start with the older style helmet screen that you cant see through. I woud line up my work, drop the helmet and generally move a tad an miss my start point by a bit Or I would end up sticking the rod to the metal. Wire too. Of course, I got better at it but the AD helmet was an awesome advancement in welding.
Click to expand...

I learned with the old school flip down helmet, and still use it to this day. I've tried the AD helmets, and they have their good points, but for me the flip down is 100% A-OK. The only place I'd love to have AD is when fitting a large part that may require a few hundred tacks and small welds to put together.

I'd recommend a night course at a community college to get the basics, then practice as much as you can at home.

Rene
 
Some of the techniques you've listed sounds like stick rod, but I haven't seen a 110v stick welder before, never the less have the voltage to push even small stuff like 3/32" 7018 LH. I'm no professional but here's what I know based on experience...

Mixed Inert Gas doesn't play nice in the breeze, it takes away the argon/co2 mix that protects the weld from impurities in result making your weld look like swiss cheese. Also .030 flux core wire would be more versatile in the outdoors but some liners and tips don't like the flux, so your wire will get hung up from time to time, note that flux core is ran in reverse polarity (stinger is DC- ground is DC+) and solid wire or dual shield wire is straight polarity (stinger is DC+ ground is DC-).

As mentioned before practice makes perfect, start out on some scrap 1/4" plate (pretty hard to burn through that with a 110v squirt welder) and set your machine to the proper wire speed and heat specified with that thickness of metal to use as a boundary or guideline, always try to drag your puddle and have the arc visible; general rule of thumb "if you can't see it, you cant weld it" (nozzles on wire feeds can be big and bulky and tend to get in the way). The distance from the tip of your nozzle to the puddle should be roughly around 1/4" to 3/16", too close and you'll plug your nozzle full of dingle berries, too far and you'll be dropping blobs by long arcing. Increased heat allows for more penetration and lays down a flatter bead, increased wire speed allows for a fatter, taller bead with less penetration, however moving the puddle in concentric circles, or weaving in and out will make a nice wide bead (works wonders in butt welds and fillet welds) but it wont be too hot to melt away the parent metal. If you have your heat and speed dialed in right, and your position of your gun about perfect, you should hear the arc make a nice loud buzzing noise; then you're gold :waytogo:

My guess is that you'll mainly be working with carbon steel, or mild steel that hopefully isn't magnetized (lines of flux through your metal is no fun) but solid wire can weld mild steel to mid grade stainless (usually helps to preheat stainless to around 200-300 degrees before welding)

Other than that it takes a certain "feel" to lay some nice beads, you can read books all you want, but you 'learn by doing' in this field of work.
 
Listen for the continuos buzzing sound when setting welder up is a good tip, said above. Deep weld with good penetration, think like you have to literally melt the two pieces together, not just stick a bunch of weld in there. You mentioned something about stick welding, to me its a bitch, go with a mig if you can, I have a small 110v mig I leave at home for doing all around small stuff and some body work. Keep your body and hands supported, hand propped up with a small block of wood, works for me. Have a good ground connection so you don't get arching between table and work. Keep mig line straight, no kinks or hard angles. And keep mig cone tip clean. Practice alot, play with settings, see what they do, have fun, very good skill to learn. No body has said it but try not to weld galvanized, or **** with paint on it, it smokes like a bitch.
 
Yeah,and sniffing the fumes that comes off galvanized metal is a GREAT cure for constipation!.:doah:."Zinc Chills"...been there & done that more than once after using galvanized steel ductwork for floor patches in my trucks ...had the squirts and cramps for days after inhaling a dose of those fumes,even with a fan and welding it outdoors it still got me!...

Also its worth mentioning here that you should NEVER use Brake Cleaner to clean metal that your going to weld--the fumes will KILL in short order!...read lots of horror stories online about the effects that stuff has on you,its not something to take lightly..
 
Thanks everyone.

Yea, im going to get a MIG, not stick welding. The one im getting gives me option of Gas and No Gas welding. Ill weld as much with gas as possible, Ill get the 75/25mix.

Auto Dark helmet will be a no brainer for me.

Most of the welding will be body work and the highest I would go is 1/4" but will stick with 3/16" or smaller when possible. If I need anything major ill just tack it and take it to a shop with 220v welder to get better penetration.

Im pretty OCD about stuff and taking my time is not a problem. So, ill have the patience for welding with no problem. I wont rush the jobs This is a reason I dont get into auto repair for a living, im too slow and want to make sure everything is done right. Most projects that take someone a day will take me 2-3 days. lol
 
A lot of good info so far...:waytogo:

Get some scrap, then point and shoot... All the tips and info in the world goes right out the window when the sparks start to fly... Play around with it, then come back and a lot of this info will make a ton more sense...

Listen for the sizzle and learn by watching your puddle... It really is a practice thing...

Good luck and have fun...:woot:
 
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