trogdor
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| posted on 16/3/08 at 06:19 PM |
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Learning to Arc weld
Hey all, have spent the day trying to weld, i first tried to MIG weld but the welder we have is rubbish, was very difficult to get a decent wire feed
from it.
Much Prefer arc welding, once i managed to strike a Arc that is! Will post a picture of my welding so far want to know what people think. Hope to be
able to weld the thinner stuff, have only used 3mm angle bars so far. I know people much prefer MIG but i don't see the appeal in it. ARC seems
easier, tho i have access to a much better ARC welder than MIG.
Cheers
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trikerneil
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| posted on 16/3/08 at 06:42 PM |
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You might find stick welding a bit more difficult with thinner material.
I know I do.
MIG is better on thin stuff and you won't get slag inclusions either.
Neil
ACE Cafe - Just say No.
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trogdor
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| posted on 16/3/08 at 06:51 PM |
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Doh, the images are far too big to put on and i have no software with me to edit them. Will do it at work tomorrow.
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Alex B
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| posted on 16/3/08 at 08:14 PM |
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An Inverter Arc welder is good for a Locost chassis. Light and portable too.
Alex
Much work still remains to be done before I can announce my total failure to make any progress
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andrew-theasby
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| posted on 16/3/08 at 08:20 PM |
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Microsoft paint will do it, click image, then stretch/skew and choose percentage
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trogdor
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| posted on 16/3/08 at 08:55 PM |
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you learn something new everyday! Didn't know paint could do that. here are the pics
 
Rescued attachment arc.JPG
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trogdor
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| posted on 16/3/08 at 08:57 PM |
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heres another angle
 
Rescued attachment arc1.JPG
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trogdor
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| posted on 16/3/08 at 08:58 PM |
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yet another
 
Rescued attachment arc2.JPG
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trogdor
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| posted on 16/3/08 at 08:59 PM |
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and finally
 
Rescued attachment arc3.JPG
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jacko
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| posted on 16/3/08 at 09:12 PM |
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Sorry but if thats your welding with a arc welder dont use it
I know MIG will be far easier for you after a bit of practice and easier for thin box
Iv been a welder for 35 years
Jacko
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trogdor
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| posted on 16/3/08 at 09:23 PM |
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so more practise is in order then? i don't particularly want to use MIG, i didn't like using it. Will keep at the ARC welding, would like
to use TIG but is just too expensive.
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owelly
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| posted on 16/3/08 at 09:33 PM |
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Sorry if this is a serious post but that welding isn't........
Just weld two pieces of steel together. A weld about 10mm long and try to break it. If it comes apart, it's not a weld. If you take away the
slag from those 'welds', ther'll be no metal there!
http://www.ppcmag.co.uk
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NigeEss
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| posted on 16/3/08 at 09:54 PM |
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I find the trick with arc is to go slow and do a weld that looks 3 times as wide as
you want. Then when you break off the slag you've a weld that's just right.
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jacko
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| posted on 16/3/08 at 09:54 PM |
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If you do a good weld with arc the slag will peel off its self no chipping hammer
you would be far better of with a mig practise with the mig not arc
+ arc is a lot hotter it will distorts the chassis etc more then mig
Jacko
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locoboy
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| posted on 16/3/08 at 09:59 PM |
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You say you much prefer arc over mig yet you say the mig you tried is not running right and does not maintain a set wire speed.
I much preferred my trusty pinto over my initial run with the R1 engine..............................
that was until the R1 was breathing right.
Its all in the machine set up.
ATB
Locoboy
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trogdor
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| posted on 17/3/08 at 10:39 AM |
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the MIG welder i have will never run right as the wire feed motor runs off the same transformer as the arc producing one. Presumably to cut costs, it
wasn't too bad at 3mm metal but with the thinner stuff the wire feed was so erratic it was ridiculous.
Will keep at the ARC, have only been doing it for 30 mins, can't expect wonders. Besides the welds were strong, i couldn't break them with
anything i had to hand.
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 17/3/08 at 11:34 AM |
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I think going by your pics, you’re moving to fast. With arc you really need to move the rod from side to side and make the arc work i.e. watch for the
arc jumping from one piece to the other, rather than it floating around in the gap between, remember it’s lazy and only wants to take the shortest
path. Only move on then you see the puddle build up. Try to get as close as you can to the weld as you will see much clearer what is happening, even
if you hand is no longer in front of your face, one of the disadvantages I found with arc over mig. I like being very close to the weld for better
precision but the tint must be quite dark, by the way how dark is your lenses? Is it enough to actually make out the arc or is it just a blinding
blur?
I'd recommend you still have a go at sorting the mig out, wire fed is always a bit naff but can be sorted. If it's sticky the wire feed
tube may need replacing, try just pressing the button with the cable straight and then coiling the cable, if the wire feed speed starts to slow down
or even stops then I'd change the feed tube. Also look at how tight the wire spool is, it should only be tight enough to stop the wire unwinding
by itself. You can buy a spray from good welding shops that acts as a lubricant for the wire which I now use and it makes a big difference. The wire
spool motor isn’t supplied by the transformer but just shares the same supply. Keep the wire feed as straight as possible, even if that involves
moving the welder to a better spot as you’ll find much less wear occurs and the feed is more reliable.
Fame is when your old car is plastered all over the internet
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trogdor
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| posted on 17/3/08 at 12:57 PM |
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excellent i was hoping for some critical judgment, will try and move slower, have brought some 1.25mm angle steel, if i can weld that well i will be
on my way. My visor is ok, i can see the arc fine with it down, forgot to do it once, won't do that again in a hurry!
The MIG welder i have has a design fault in that to get the wire feed to run smoothly while welding you need to add a transformer for it. There is a
mod guide on the Internet somewhere. I spent a some time getting it to feed properly, new liner etc. Will practice with the stick as i don't
have to faff with wire or gas, both of which i am not keen on.
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Dangle_kt
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| posted on 17/3/08 at 01:39 PM |
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I'm learning at the mo, and I find that welding on flat is MUCH easier than lap joints etc.
If you lay it down right the slag peels itself off, and leaves a lovely looking weld underneath.
Got to say my welds did look a little like yours at first, which to be honest aren't very good. There are big blobs, and then nothing (looks a
bit like bird poo!) which obviously isn't strong, and then other bits it looks like you have carried on welding over the top of another weld
without chipping of the slag first.
Another point is that I found it easy to get an arc going by having the amps set REAL high, problem being when I came to the end of the metal I would
just blow a massive hole in it, and it looks like you have done the same mate. (look at the top of one of the peices of angle, about 1/2 cm is
missing)
Try dropping the amps a little, going slower, watching the arc length (you want it about as long as the welding rod is wide- or so I read and it seems
to work). Try weaving back and forth slowly, it will slow you down and make you concentrate more - plus it makes a nicer looking/stronger weld.
All in all I think it's a good effort, but I would NOT risk welding anything structural yet until your welds are much improved.
I'm not trying to have a go, I was doing the same a few weeks ago, but lots of practise, taking your time and distructive tests are in order.
Try welding two flats together, end to end, that will give you plenty of leverage to break it, what you want is the metal to TEAR before the weld
gives way, thay shows a good strong weld. If you can't break it with anything at hand, then you arn't trying hard enough! 
It aint play dough, and so it's going to feel really strong, even if its a rubbish weld - after all it is metal.
It is a good effort though, I love welding it's like playing with lego again, but betterer! 
[Edited on 17/3/08 by Dangle_kt]
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trogdor
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| posted on 17/3/08 at 04:39 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Dangle_kt
All in all I think it's a good effort, but I would NOT risk welding anything structural yet until your welds are much improved.
I'm not trying to have a go, I was doing the same a few weeks ago, but lots of practise, taking your time and distructive tests are in order.
Try welding two flats together, end to end, that will give you plenty of leverage to break it, what you want is the metal to TEAR before the weld
gives way, thay shows a good strong weld. If you can't break it with anything at hand, then you arn't trying hard enough!
[Edited on 17/3/08 by Dangle_kt]
Thank you for your comments, its what i was hoping to get, i wanted pointers on how to improve, hopefully with all these comments i can get better!
Will actually prepare the metal properly this time! ie so it isn't dirty corroded slightly and has no gaps of about 3mm. Don't worry am
not planning to weld anything structural until i am much better! It is lots of fun, tho all the safety gear is very hot!
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