Noob Bought a welder, Needs help!

[Shane284]

Hey guys,

I just bought a brand spanking new 140amp Arc welder for $120, cheap and nasty After welding for the first time ever in my life, all I succeeded in doing was blowing holes in the steel :/ No surprise there lol.

So I was hoping someone could help me out, give me a few pointers. I've done a fair bit of reading and I think I've set up the welder right. I'm using 2mm electrodes atm. Hoping to get it sorted out and weld up the steel for my go kart I'm making

btw, I know the welder is probably not the best but I'll only be using it for the go kart build.

Thanks guys,
Shane

 

[danc9]

if you are blowing holes...try starting with a thicker material...keep turning down the power till it works....use both hands to hold the stick as steady as you can...are you using the right electrode, can't remember off the top of my head but seems like 7018? for mild steel ...three things to remember, arc (the distance the electrode is from the steel), angle ( are you pushing the stick or pulling?) amporage (are you burning at the right heat?) hope this helps, DAN

 

[KieranM]

yea just try at different lower settings on the welder to stop blowing holes, i use to use 2mm 6013 and gave me hopeless welds, so i moved to 3mm, much better, had to move up the power because starting with a bigger rod was alot harder. i was welding 2.5mm thickness steel. dont leave it on the one spot too long or you will burn threw the piece, best to go in circles, or back and forth while keeping the pool going.

As dan said its vital to get the angles right, make sure you can see that the weld will want to flow into the area you want. I find it alot easier to have the ground as close as you can to the rod, easier to start and just all that more convenient.

Make sure the steel is as clean as you can get it, but avoid using oils or wd40 to clean it. when you weld a bead, and you wish to cool it, leave about 10 seconds then chip off the slag, if its a nice continues bead then all the slag should come off in the first chip. If you cool it with water make sure all the water is out of the piece before you got to weld again or else it will flow down and cause a quicker cooling which will upset the bead.

Bare in mind that arc welders can handle welding to dirty steel alot better than tig or mig.

Kieran

 

[TerryOlson]

I'm a horrible welder - I don't weld often enough to maintain my skills. I'd recommend practicing quite a bit with scrap metal before you get to work on your kart. For me, the biggest challenge is reaching the spot I'm welding from a position that allows me to remain steady and control my equipment properly. This makes a huge difference, especially for the new or occasional welder.

Good luck.

 

[KieranM]

terry- do you use one or two hand, to weld

 

[Shane284]

Hey guys, thanks for the feedback.

I took all your advice on board and gave it another go. I turned down my amps and got a nice bead going but it doesn't look very neat, but at least no more holes being made! I guess now that I found the right settings its just a matter of practice. I'll grab a plate of metal as said and start doing some lines as practice. (btw the pieces of steel I was welding before were 1.6mm thick)

The technique I'm using is have a 80 degree angle from the steel plate and move left to right. I try to keep a 2mm gap between the steel and electrode. (not so easy on its own and even harder when taking into consideration that the electrode is slowly disintegrating!) I tried with 2 hands but felt its more easier with 1 hand.

I think the only thing I'm having trouble with is knowing how what is considered fast and slow. I think I'm doing it slow lol If I am too slow then ill end up burning holes right? If thats true then I have a rough idea of what speeds to go, just a matter of keeping a constant pace.

Thanks for all useful tips guys, much appreciated.

Shane

 

[KieranM]

Take a look at best welds thread

http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=6821

This will give you a good idea on how strong your welds are.

Have you tried resting the electrode on your other hand ( wearing welding gloves ) to get more control of the electrode?

Also its hard to explain a speed, not too fast or slow, try to keep an even pool for the whole bead. Really its just practise, you have developed a way that is easy for you so just keep practising that way.

 

[Wobbly]

I can highly recommend THIS website. Lots of tutorials and the guys on the Forums are very friendly and happy to offer advice.

 

[r97]

visit this site too, full of any info on any welding you could ever need! http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/

 

[Shane284]

Thanks for all the usefull content guys, I gave it a go and did some nice welds (comparing to the weld thread ) Pics below. I've started my frame and ill be starting a thread in the project section soon!

Thanks guys,
Shane

 

[KieranM]

perfect, just watch the start and finish, other than that its perfect