Welding to a frame

[ApocGoD]

I started welding my go kart frame yesterday, i'm welding at max 60A, my welds look ok, but when I give them a few whacks with a hammer after about a 10 minute cool, they break. Any suggestions on what I could be doing wrong? Should I make more than one pass?

 

[1992suburban]

sounds like no penetration.

are you using flux core/ mig or a stick welder?

 

[Rickracer]

If 60 amps is all you've got, you need to go with perhaps a smaller wire or rod, and turn the speed down or weld slower so you get more penetration.

 

[KieranM]

Could be that your welder is not strong enough try using a lower grade rod or wire.

Also make sure that you have cleaned out all of the steel where you are going to weld getting rid of any paint or grease or oil, you should have firm welding points.

If its a matter that your welder is too weak it would not hurt to pass along it again. You can also use a firm wire brush to clean out your welds to make them look shiny and nice.

Also make sure that your pieces fit together, eg if you weld a piece of bar to a flat piece of steel unless you have good experience, strong welds and a nice welder it will break off easy.

 

[frederic]

Maybe this chart will help you. This applies well to any method of welding - MIG (gas or gasless), gas welding, arc and tig:

I've noticed a lot of the stores that sell the lower-power welders are also instructing their customers to move the gun (and internal wire) in a zig-zag pattern, left and right across the seam to be welded. With a lower-power welder (or any welder that's undersized for the job) instead of a zig-zag you should be moving the gun in a spiral pattern, like little overlapping circles. This allows the material to get quite a bit hotter in the weld area and the puddle solidifies into the material easier (i.e. more penetration).

 

[Rickracer]

....If its a matter that your welder is too weak it would not hurt to pass along it again....

If the first pass doesn't have good penetration, the 2nd or 3rd pass will have even less, more to have to grind off to go back and do it right,
Frederic has it right, (of course, ), gotta concentrate the heat you have and use it to the greatest benefit.

 

[frederic]

Layering beads is okay for certain applications... for example if your welder is only capable of 1/8" thick material and you need to weld 3/8", you can grind the two edges of the material to a bevel, then lay a 1/8" inch deep weld joining the points, then zig zag over that bead to join the rest of the bevelled edges together until you're at the top surface.

The drawback is the amount of welding supplies (gas, rods, wire) is vast compared to using the correct tool for the job, i.e. a much larger welder. In a pinch one can survive however.

Just remember any welding process makes the area of the weld and immediately surrounding stronger than the base material - and also more brittle - that's why most failed parts seem to break right near the weld rather than actually in the weld - hydrogen enbrittlement.

And thanks for the compliment Rick ;-)

 

[Rickracer]

...And thanks for the compliment Rick ;-)

Not so much a compliment as a statement of fact, as I see it anyway, from what I've read, you are one sharp dude, , obviously closer to my age, mindset and experience than many of our younger members,

 

[frederic]

So, you suffer from OFS also? Cool ;-)

 

[freakboy]

Ummm did you strip the paint and rust off the metal and clean it up really well?

 

[IHcubguy]

What is your wire speed set at if the Amps are maxed! When you start welding, don't take off right away, let it sit there and burn for a sec. preheat that steel, and take your time, , you can run it uphill using a upside down U motion! holding on the sides keeping the pattern tight, very strong weld! keeping the nozzle 90 degrees to the weld, can be used with MIG or flux-core! try using .030 with a 80 amp!!

 

[Rickracer]

So, you suffer from OFS also? Cool ;-)

Well, the calendar says I'm 50, but I feel about 29 most of the time, so let's go with that,

 

[AutoMX]

what kind of stuff are you welding? a 60amp is gonna have a hard time with some of the heavy duty box sections i see people using on frames. its certainly not going to be a straight forward affair as mentioned in the posts above, not with anything above 1/8 or 3/16 with 60A

 

[jr dragster T]

Whats OFS stand for? I have a feeling its not very polite lol.

 

[freakboy]

old fart syndrom?

 

[frederic]

Yes, Old Fart Syndrome. And those of us with OFS also have CRS (can't remember squat)

 

[Rickracer]

What were we talking about???

 

[ApocGoD]

I stripped the paint on all the area to be welded, wire brushed it, Im using flux core mig wire, .030. Welding 1 inch mild steel square tube to a 1/4 inch thick flat piece of steel from a tractor frame. I just bought the welder so im not used to it yet. I probably need more practice to work my way up to this job.

 

[Rickracer]

Got a link to the welder? Maybe that would help...also, is it plugged into at least a 20~30 amp 110 circuit? Low voltage (from a marginal supply circuit and too much draw) can cause low or unstable output,

 

[ApocGoD]

Umm, trying to find a picture, not really working. Its a MultiMig welder from Telwin, 65A model. Runs on 120V.