Did my first bit of welding today and I got to say I'm sort of impressed with my progress but it took me 2hrs to do 2 welds on 25mm RHS and they
were far from perfect.
How long did most of you take to get the welfding standard needed to make a reasonable joint>
I am using as Arc welder at the moment but think I may change to MIG as I am getting slag IN the joint when filling gaps (I know I shouldn't fill
gaps really) maybe an Arc isn't the best option!!!
Throw the arc welder in the bin the best route for learning to weld is a mig
i bought a mig, did half an hours practice and then started on the banana... sorry, car! its far from perfect but it is solid, drives just fine.
Use more power and don't be shy with the rod, get it stuck right into the job. Its holding the rod too far away that leads to lack of penetration and overheating. Better than mig anyday if done right, and nearly as fast.
I spend nearly half a box of weldrod on flat pieces of iron when learning to weld.
It took me ages to produce a nice line with uniform weld build up.
My welds are still crapy but good enough for me.
There are loads of people saying 'Get a mig' but I'm afraid I can't see why. Surely a weld is a weld if done correctly. OK, the
Arc is not great for smaller stuff as it isn't as graceful as a MIG. I'm sure that if I get an Arc weld right, it'll be as strong and
durable as a MIG and I am likely to be grinding most welds so the look of it isn't such an issue.
My Arc welder cost £40 and used sticks at £8 for about 50. A Mig costs £120 cheapest and needs wire at £5 ish a reel and gas at god knows how much.
If I get the Arc right, it's cheaper by far and will still be a strong weld.
My main concern is that I wonder how long it will take to get to a good standard of weld. I have an issue getting the spark and not sticking at the
minute but it is getting better - just takes a very long time to get the arc going.
i suspect there is more skill invovled in arc welding, mig is very easy to get working results from.
quote:
Originally posted by undecided
Throw the arc welder in the bin the best route for learning to weld is a mig
Oh they weren't what I would call GOOD welds but they penetrated and were solid - in parts. It seemed that some slag formed in the welds (I was
sort of filling a hole though which I shouldn't do!) Maybe if I run a 'proper' weld, it'll be good enough.
The main issue is getting the ARC to form, the stick stuck (mad phrase) loads of times rather than creating an arc. When an arc did form, I found the
job relatively easy. I also found that the slag on the end of the rod after a weld stops or at least hinders the formation of an arc so if I start
welding and after finnishing want to add more, I have to clean the weld up, tap the slag off the stick (rod) and then start all over again. I suppose
this mades it a lot more tedious than MIG welding!!!
quote:
Originally posted by Mark Allanson
quote:
Originally posted by undecided
Throw the arc welder in the bin the best route for learning to weld is a mig
If you have produce good welds with an arc in a couple of hours, you are doing well. Your are best to learn with the arc and then move onto mig. The arc gives a real understanding of how very hot metal behaves. After that, mig will be a real sinch.
Totally agree
Always use the arc uphill, this way the slag will be behind the weld pool and will not interfere with the weld
Don't get uphill - you mean work from bottom to top? If so do I angle the rod at all? I have been trying to keep it at about 90 degrees to the surface.
Mark is best placed to answer you, but for my part, I'd say you want the rod between about 55 and 75 degrees.
Always try to weld horizontally (in position, as they say), even if it means moving the chassis to do so, it gives much better welds unless you are a
real pro (I'm certainly not!)
Lastly, get a load of clean mild steel scrap bits, around 2mm thick, and practice! Play with the settings on the welder and see how much you can turn
it up and not burn though, and practise starting and controlling the arc. After a while this will become second nature and striking the arc will not
even be a thought.
one thing I was told which is so very important is to watch the weld pool not the arc, if you watch the arc it's too late to control, but if you
watch the pool just behind the arc, you can see what's going on in time to control it.
Good luck
[Edited on 31/1/05 by NS Dev]
And with that last bit, it goes for Mig just as well as for Arc, mig is not "point and squirt", you still have to control the weld pool in exactly the same way.
What size rods are you using? and turn the power up if it's sticking. Don't let the arc get too long and keep the rod moving. Practise on a decent size piece of metal. When the rod is melting it should feel like it's sinking into the surface of the metal as you draw it towards you slowly.
This seems like some good info on arc welding: http://www.aussieweld.com.au/arcwelding/page1/page1.htm
I'm on a 1.6 rod as it stated I should use that or a 2.0 for this size of metal. The current was about right I think as I did at one stage burn
through but then turned down a bit and get it to refill the hole.
I was watching the weld pool so I got something right!! The one thing I did notice is that when it all does start working well, the rod dissapears
like no-ones business!!!
I think I'll get some scrap steel from the local fabricator and see about practising on that. An old car door would be good wouldn't it? I
also think that the arc was a little long though as the weld was lumpy as if sometimes I wasn't getting enough material in there. It was also
vertical so I probably made things harder there!!!