B man
Tecumseh FTW!
Today was great! I got to weld for the first time ever. It was wire fed. had gas tanks also. Turns out im a natural. took to it in about 5min. I love shop class!
Any tips for me?
Any tips for me?
First time welding!!
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Ghanem
Member
I am also a beginner in welding, Welding is easy but you must be careful,
You must put on your welding helmet until you finish welding , Before a couple of weeks I was welding and taking the helmet off so something got in my eye and it got all red but I am ok now haha so this is the Tip that I wanted to tell you
Thanks
You must put on your welding helmet until you finish welding , Before a couple of weeks I was welding and taking the helmet off so something got in my eye and it got all red but I am ok now haha so this is the Tip that I wanted to tell you
Thanks
B man
Tecumseh FTW!
yeah,are shop got new helmets. there great!
devino246
Official DIYGK Chem Nerd
You took your helmet off while you were welding?
Not to burst your bubble B man, but wire welding is like using a caulk gun. Try arc welding, thats where the fun starts
machinist@large
Active member
Today was great! I got to weld for the first time ever. It was wire fed. had gas tanks also. Turns out im a natural. took to it in about 5min. I love shop class!
Any tips for me?
They are starting you out on mig, which is a double edged sword. You can do a lot with it, but, there is a great deal of work out there where mig is not the method of choice. Knowing when it's time to use another process can make your life a lot easier. Going out and learning those others can be a lot of fun!!!
B man
Tecumseh FTW!
yeah im learning arc tomorrow!
Ghanem
Member
You took your helmet off while you were welding?
Not to burst your bubble B man, but wire welding is like using a caulk gun. Try arc welding, thats where the fun starts
Ok I have Arc Welder
Bluethunder3320
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mig is so easy, arc is an art, and tig welding is suuper hard! especially when the pedal is going toyota on you, and it makes a huge arc right by your face.
They are starting you out on mig, which is a double edged sword. You can do a lot with it, but, there is a great deal of work out there where mig is not the method of choice. Knowing when it's time to use another process can make your life a lot easier. Going out and learning those others can be a lot of fun!!!
For a first time welder, MIG is the way to go. IMO, it's the best way to get comfortable with molten metal, deadly amperages, and blindingly bright light when you're all new to it. I would love to learn how to TIG weld. MIG is very useful though, andI believe some type of Rolls Royce is MIG welded with aluminum spool guns by hand. I'm glad that you love welding and took to it quickly, it's a great skill to have.
Bluethunder3320
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the only bad thing i can say about my $100 FCAW is that on thin stuff, it blows holes....
messed up a clone gas tank that way.
messed up a clone gas tank that way.
ryf
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I keep strips of aluminum and copper etc around for heat sinks, and lay it up behind the join and tack the joint pressed against them, then you can work it a few seconds longer
best bet on the thin is to burn a dot at the outside lip if there is one (so you dont loose your line) and then work your way in if its just a crack, and I do it as tacks then connect those with more tacks, it usually needs another pass to seal it up after that, but the metal doesn't warp so you have to pick your battles I guess.
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for "in a tank" I would take a copper pipe cap (as big as I am sure will fit) and put an piece of #10 or so threaded rod through the lip and nut it on, then bend said rod to allow me to feed it to the place that needs welding, clip that to the tank mouth with rubber/plastic tipped clamp and you have your hands free.. these small heat sinks are seriously only for tacking and its a pain to keep adjusting it, but the benefit of having something back there to push your weld against is usually worth the effort if you want a good weld without blowing holes
best bet on the thin is to burn a dot at the outside lip if there is one (so you dont loose your line) and then work your way in if its just a crack, and I do it as tacks then connect those with more tacks, it usually needs another pass to seal it up after that, but the metal doesn't warp so you have to pick your battles I guess.
__added this__
for "in a tank" I would take a copper pipe cap (as big as I am sure will fit) and put an piece of #10 or so threaded rod through the lip and nut it on, then bend said rod to allow me to feed it to the place that needs welding, clip that to the tank mouth with rubber/plastic tipped clamp and you have your hands free.. these small heat sinks are seriously only for tacking and its a pain to keep adjusting it, but the benefit of having something back there to push your weld against is usually worth the effort if you want a good weld without blowing holes
I started welding only a few months ago with a cheap arc welder. I am not good at it yet, but I think I am lightyears ahead of where I was. Arc is a little difficult to get the hang of, and I think it takes years to perfect. I have gotten to the stage where I get some pretty good looking welds (I think).
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devino246
Official DIYGK Chem Nerd
Pretty good, maybe need to work on your starts a bit as you can see where theres a gap.
machinist@large
Active member
devino246
Official DIYGK Chem Nerd
Pin hole was at the stop. Otherwise, decent weld.
Your absolutely right. My bad!
B man
Tecumseh FTW!
....arc...
my first weld went ok,but then the other times the rod kept getting stuck when i would try to start.(i only had a few minutes to try so i didnt get much time on it.) im ok when i get it started though.
what am i doing wrong?
my first weld went ok,but then the other times the rod kept getting stuck when i would try to start.(i only had a few minutes to try so i didnt get much time on it.) im ok when i get it started though.what am i doing wrong?
devino246
Official DIYGK Chem Nerd
Your a beginner, it happens to everyone starting out. Dont just stick the rod to the work piece, strike it like a match.
Ghanem
Member
That's right man
To keep rods from sticking with a cold start, I'll usually scrape it a few times on a piece of scrap steel (easy to do if you're grounding the table you're working on) to get it nice and hot before I start. A quick tap where you want to weld will usually get it going from there.
It's tricky to strike it and lift just enough to maintain the arc and land it in the right spot, although some of the more experienced guys can do it without a second thought.
I've actually tig welded a bit at my friend's shop, but only with aluminum. To me it seemed like one of those things you could do fairly easily if you just took your time, but needs a lot of messing around with and practice to be able to do it quickly at all.
It's tricky to strike it and lift just enough to maintain the arc and land it in the right spot, although some of the more experienced guys can do it without a second thought.
I've actually tig welded a bit at my friend's shop, but only with aluminum. To me it seemed like one of those things you could do fairly easily if you just took your time, but needs a lot of messing around with and practice to be able to do it quickly at all.
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