[CrowHorse]

Well, I've been inspired by all the help in my previous post about welding, so to kill 2 birds with one stone, I made a small welding table from metal I had in my garage...

Making it was a good excuse to practice more.....

Can someone critique these welds.... Please don't pull any punches.....

 

[CrowHorse]

Weld #2......

 

[CrowHorse]

I should make mention that I'm using a 110v Craftsman welder with .030 wire....

The welds shown were actually done twice. First run I wasn't happy with so I took a grinder to them and ran another bead......

 

[87zuke]

I wish mine looked that good!!!

Jim

 

[2041]

Crow, I'm sure not qualified to critique your welds, barely just getting started myself..RockRat or Shrock can do that. I can tell you that what I've found helpful is get some scrap pieces of steel from a local fab/machine shop and weld together. They also let me stand and watch (gave me a helmet) a bit while a guy welded a big square tube frame together. Just watching someone do it right and seeing what he ended up with was a big help. I took some pieces back in when I knew they took a break to show and ask help, they were more than happy to give suggestions. Been buying some steel there too so that helps with the advice.

The virtual advice you get here is valueable but seeing with your own eyes is better!

Can any of you pros explain why one would use .023 wire or .030? I've been using .023 just because 2 spools came with the Miller, almost out and time to buy more..

 

[AkDale]

Crow,
Looks like you have a pretty steady hand.
I am not a professional welder, but it looks like you need more heat and less wire, or faster travel with more heat.
The weld does not look like it is burnt in enough on the sides-(Lack of heat).
Best thing to do for testing purposes is to get strap steel 1/8 x1" and cut a couple of pieces.
Weld two pieces together Then break it apart. Was it hard to break? Where does it break?
Do this with different types of welds--Butt---Inside corner---Outside corner---...etc...
keep up the good work.
Dale

 

[wildweasel]

Looks okay, you need to make sure you start at the first joint, and not sure about the penatration on one side on #2 the way to
really tell is to cut across the weld and inspect. that way you can check the penetration. Cosmeticly they look good.

 

[ka4yqi]

Crow, you might want to try the .23 wire. This way you can get it just a little hotter and more petration.

 

[945]

if you stick weld and use a smaller rod it getts hotter same as with a mig i guess
but
i like .025 it does weld diff than .030 i have the lincon weld pac 100

i do weld 3/8" and if it is a straight cut i grind it to 45* and fill it in 2 to 3 passes the first pass really just heats it up sometimes i take a torch and heat it up then weld it

 

[1339]

I agree with Akdale's analysis. You might want to try some smaller wire and see what the results are like.

Test welds: I can't encorage this enough. 20 years ago a friend and I were "discussing" the pros
and cons of Mig vs Arc, and wound up spending a weekend welding and breaking welds. Preheated
welds on heavy stuff, we even rigged an old torsion type torque wrench (the one with a pointer)
and used that to judge actual break points. (I havent seen one of those torque wrenches in years,
other than a tiny In/lbs 1/4" finger pull wrench I have in my toolbox) We learned a ton and improved
our welding noticably.

It's about time I did another stint, if only to learn this Linclon better, and get back into practice.

We even agreed on the merits of Mig vs Arc! He went and bought a mig the next week. He's on his
third mig last I heard, but we both own arc welders, they just don't get used very often...

The welds aren't too bad Crow, but practice, practice, practice...

Shoot an overall pic of your table, I'd like to see it.

 

[Sarge]

Yep, slow your speed or wire speed down a bit , flatten them out and maybe even use some smaller wire . It almost looks like the heat is just a bit too low as well . Nice steady runs , though . Wish I could say that , I can almost thread a Singer with it running ....
Sarge

 

[Guest]

Looks pretty good your well on your way.You might want to bevel the tube that comes off at 90 a little bit, and
when you start let the puddle form before you start moving you have the extra material in the corner to take the heat so you don,t burn through. Its well worth getting some scrap and practicing.Good luck looks real good for a 110 welder.

 

[RRich]

Remember, the idea behind welding is to melt the two base materials together, not slop filler over them. Most folks forget that. You aren't using silicone glue to make the bond.
Penetration is the important thing. Look at the back side - are you melting it all the way through and letting it join?
Break the weld open - look at it with a magnifying glass.
Cut across it too with a good saw or grinder - look closely.
Soak the ends in muriatic acid (pool acid) a few minutes - you can see what's filler and what's base metal.

Don't forget - clean all the joint super clean before welding - grinder etc, remove the mill scale - make it shiney then wipe it down with laquer thinner or acetone to remove any grease or even fingerprints. Try cleaning it and not cleaning it - see the difference.

Making it "pretty" is only cosmetic - doesn't mean it'll hold feathers.

 

[zoomy4]

The penetration could be a little better. Besides that it looks pretty good.

 

[841]

heat the welding area with a torch even a propane one use .023 wire if your ground clanp is steel with a steel cable lug either replace it all with a better clamp (I welded the lug to my clamp) it hept getting loose and burning the mounting bolt these are the tricks I use with my craftsman 110 mig

 

[JEEPN]

Rich is right, I've seen some good looking welds fail in a short amount of time. I even knew one guy that used my welder, and was all proud of his weld, looked nice until I took a big hammer and knocked it off the frame. I welded it back on right for him.

And I agree with AkDale's assessment of needing less speed and more heat.

Try a small spool of .023 wire first, I used it on the Zuk for the body metal, and it was fine, but the MM185 didn't like it as much for anything approaching 1/4". For that .030 produced a cleaner weld.

 

[CrowHorse]

In reply to:

Shoot an overall pic of your table, I'd like to see it.

[/ QUOTE ]

For the most part, here's my welding table and other goodies....

The top is only 1/4", but then again I did scrounge this from a construction site so beggars can't be choosey....

The legs were made from a bedframe that I cut up for projects like this... The welding cart was my first real welding project.....

 

[1234]

Hey Crow, I gotta ask, Doesn't that creeper wear out the back of your shirt?

 

[2041]

Creeper

Was thinking maybe the carpet place is missing it??

 

[1339]

Bench looks good Crow, see if you can scronge an old small vise to put on it. Maybe
with it on a hinged apron so you can swing it down out of the way. I found an old US made
lakeside (??) that has 3" wide jaws, but the sucker opens to 5"! Its light, but pretty strong.
it even has the stupid little anvil off the back. I'd buy another, if I found one like, it for
portable use.

Put a lug off the bottom for the ground, or swich to a magnetic ground, and a hook or shelf
for the all important mini grinder. Find a place for a bernzomatic preheating torch unless you
have a cutting set.

And please, clear the flamable stuff from behind the work area! I think I'm seeing foam sheet,
and rubber floor pads back there?