Post pics in the forum, they'll have seen (much) worse, it's the best way to get feedback, other than have a trained welder with you obviously
well basically. im still practising but i seem to do a couple of perfect welds and just as i seem to be getting the hang of it i do a couple of crap ones and nock my confidence!! does anyone have any tips on it?? i can obviously spot weld ok but actual welds are sometimes perfect but sometimes crap. so yeah, any suggestions?? thanks.
www.mig-welding.co.uk
Post pics in the forum, they'll have seen (much) worse, it's the best way to get feedback, other than have a trained welder with you
obviously
define 'crap' 
blowing holes through metal, lack of penetration, weld full of little pin holes?
stick some pics on here too 
If it's any reassurance I'm sure you're better than I am
Show us some piccies!!!
ill try to get some pics tomorrow night. Its just not neat. sometimes its like nop notch but other times its just not right. seems like loads of spot welds rather than 1 continous weld. thanks.
wire speed too slow maybe? like the wire's melting up to the tip, loses contact so stops sparking, wire feeds, it sparks and burns back? do'nt know without pics
quote:
Originally posted by Z20let Corsa
well basically. im still practising but i seem to do a couple of perfect welds and just as i seem to be getting the hang of it i do a couple of crap ones and nock my confidence!! does anyone have any tips on it?? i can obviously spot weld ok but actual welds are sometimes perfect but sometimes crap. so yeah, any suggestions?? thanks.
If you are using a handheld helmet throw it away.
If you hold the torch with your right hand then support your wrist with your left hand.
Keep the torch lead as straight as possible, cheap welders 'like mine' do not have high quality feeding reels or liners so anything you can
do to ensure even wire feed is a bonus.
If you are using 0.8 wire drop to 0.6 and crank everything down a little.
Welding vertical sections start from the bottom and work your way up.
Try different weaves, I prefer figure of 8 to just left to right find one that suits you best.
Go slowly, its not a race.
Regards Mark
it took me 4 years to become a welder(apprenticeship)so you wont get it perfect straight away.Shouldn't realy weave atall,straight runs are
better.We were always told to listen for a sound of bacon and eggs in a frying pan,and it should be set near enough,percivier
I'm liking the idea of a Z20LET in a Corsa. Bit more innovative than a C20LET in one.
Back onto topic though, preparation of the surface is just as important as the technique. Any contamination will really screw up the weld.
People are presuming this is MIG, is it?
Make sure you've got enough gas flow else you'll get contamination that way too. Perhaps some drafts were giving you the nasty welds?
quote:
Originally posted by Z20let Corsa
well basically. im still practising but i seem to do a couple of perfect welds and just as i seem to be getting the hang of it i do a couple of crap ones and nock my confidence!! does anyone have any tips on it?? i can obviously spot weld ok but actual welds are sometimes perfect but sometimes crap. so yeah, any suggestions?? thanks.
good news guys. im getting there!!!! its just sods lae though. welds are getting better all the time but as soon as i go to weld something important i mess it up. get too nervous haha!!! just need plentey more practice i think.
Welding is a craft that is only learned by practice...
...but you can make life easier for yourself.
Have the metal REALLY clean - no grease, oil, paint or rust between your work and the welding torch. Use a 'helpful' welding gas like
Argoshield - it's so much easier to use than anything else. Get an automatic welding helmet, if you can afford it. Get proper clothing for
welding - Draper sell really cheap leather aprons, for example, and wear decent gloves. Learn how to set up the welder (90% of the battle).
Each thing will make welding a little bit easier, so you end up with just the craft of welding to learn, not the 'overcoming the obstacles'
bit.
[Edited on 7/12/08 by David Jenkins]
Auto welding helmet is a definite. And if you get a cheapo one off Ebay it'll cost all over £20-30. Not perhaps good enough for TIG but enough for MIG....
Hold the gun firmly but not in a death grip, steady it with your other hand and don't let the tip drift more than 10mm away from the job. Practise welding straight and moving the gun forwards away from your body, extending your arms, if you weld the other way your gas is not shielding the weld. Have a look for tutorials there are lots about. Oh and don't forget to breathe evenly and not get wound up or you'll rush and c0ck up.
Get your face really close to the weld. The closer you get, the steadier you will be and the more you will see. A bit of extra illumination helps to
see what you're doing during the weld too. I always try to get a light shining directly onto the work piece.
I have the same problem of getting nervous when I'm welding a piece of metal I've spent ages cutting and preparing properly. You're
not the only one.
quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
Welding is a craft that is only learned by practice...
quote:
Originally posted by mark chandler
If you are using a handheld helmet throw it away.
If you hold the torch with your right hand then support your wrist with your left hand.
Keep the torch lead as straight as possible, cheap welders 'like mine' do not have high quality feeding reels or liners so anything you can do to ensure even wire feed is a bonus.
If you are using 0.8 wire drop to 0.6 and crank everything down a little.
Welding vertical sections start from the bottom and work your way up.
Try different weaves, I prefer figure of 8 to just left to right find one that suits you best.
Go slowly, its not a race.
Regards Mark
Don't worry matey,
I started doing the exact same thing last week when I first got my welder. I've done a few mini practice projects to see what my welds are like.
Did some box section, then tw@ted it with a hammer till the section itself broke (not the weld).... then I did the same but ground the welded joint
down with a flap disc and unleashed the hammer. Again, the metal fractured before the weld = good weld apparently?
Then when I thought I was doing good, it seemed like every other weld I'd do an amazing zig zag to get a really strong joint, and then on the
next weld, it would be absolute shit! Stopping and starting, frowning behind my helmet...
I think there comes a point where you can try too hard and end up talking yourself out of being able to do it. Or on the other side of things, I
became too relaxed and started to make stupid mistakes, like releasing the trigger and lifting my helmet, only to notice the wire had fused to the
work and was still connected to the gun... "easily solved" I thought, just squeeze the trigger to strike an arc and move the gun away...
maybe I should have looked away or put my helmet back down, but I did it without thinking = dunce...
I think it's all part of the learning process, so if you're not sure about the quality of your weld, grab a bit of scrap and mess around for
10 mins till you get your confidence back. Also, try cutting and grinding through your practice welds to see what the penetration is like