My first welds!

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BradenM

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I got a Cigweld compact 2 (stick welder) from a friend, and he gave me a 3 minute verbal course on stick welding. These are the results:






Braden.
 
kibble

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:iagree: with pezgoon and Kenny. Doesn't seem like you got much penetration action going there. Otherwise, not too bad, looks a little better than some of my first welds.
 
rgvkid

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No offense, but I wouldn't trust those welds at all. Make sure you always grind the metal or sand with a flap disc before all welding, the rust and impurities on the steel will make a bad bead even worse. If you don't think the welder is pushing enough heat, then slow down your wire feed, shorten your extension cord or get a thicker one, Try heating the material first with a torch before you start to weld. But most important, grind off all the old bead before trying a new one so that it penetrates the metal itself and not the old bead.

Although it looks like you have alot of weld, the bead has not penetrated the base material and the whole bead will pull right off. Practice some more on scrap to get the heat to wire ratio down before trying it on the project.

Good Luck, keep practicing.
 
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fluxcored

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BradenM said:
The welder I have is marketed as a home welder, and the only knob or dial on it is a selector between 2.5mm rods and 3.5mm rods.
Click to expand...

One of my welders is like that .

Some tricks - use a smaller rod eg. 2.0/2.5 mm and set the dial to 3.5mm which'll give you more heat.

Move slower - if you stay in one spot longer you'll also heat up the base metal much more and can gain a bit of penetration.

Both not ideal but it'll get the job done.

Any case your welder should easily be able to handle the material used in building a kart. Unless of course it's been damaged.
 
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BradenM

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Welder was only used once, before I got it, and hadn't even finished one stick off.

@ ryf. It's a stick welder, no amperage setting. Don't have a torch at my hands, nor the funding to just get one. I'd buy a wire fed mig before an oxy.

Fluxcored, I tried moving slower and pooling the molten metal, then blew a hole in my exhaust header.

Overall, I would have to say "Practice makes perfect!" I'm still please with my results, and will continue to practice. Thanks everyone!
 
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fluxcored

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Fluxcored, I tried moving slower and pooling the molten metal, then blew a hole in my exhaust header.
Click to expand...

Do'nt let blowing holes put you off. Filling holes means more welding time.

Very few people can weld exhaust headers with stick so do'nt sweat it.

If you watch the sides and the height of the pool closely - just before it falls thro you'll see that the pool flattens and broadens.

Sometimes I just count - weld until the count of 5, break the arc for a second then continue especially when I can't see properly.

The sides can also be used as a yardstick to get a consistent good looking bead.
 
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BradenM

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I believe it sounds like a welder. With the buzzing and the arcing, e.t.c.


All the crap around the weld is what's left over when I brush the electrode over it. I use this block of metal for heating up the tip until it glows red, so I can weld cleaner.
 
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