Did this one a little while back. A buddy of mine managed to rip the side of his bucket open a little bit, and asked if I could fix it. I cut out the bad, made a template, and patched it with fresh steel. He abused this thing in his property management business, and the weld has held since I did the work in '09. You can tell I got the setting closer to being dialed in as I went. Not pro work, but I'm getting better as I go. I ground the weld down, and saw that I had done a pretty poor job of penetrating. I ground the gap out, and cranked the amperage up to 11 and moved more slowly. Live and learn.Rusty Attached Images
Reply:How thick is that? Could you of heated it up, bent it back and welded it?Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:I was also wondering the thickness- it looks very light, like a little add-on hoe for a Kubota garden tractor. Maybe it's just how it appears but it looks like less than 3/16". You can't expect much from a 110 mig on stuff like this.Lincoln AC225 & MigPak 140, Lincoln Magnum SpoolGun, Miller Spectrum 375-X Plasma, Syncrowave 200 TIG, Millermatic 252 MIG, Miller Digital Elite, General 7x12" horiz/vert bandsaw, 3' box/pan brake, 20 ton press, milling machine, 12x28 lathe, etc.
Reply:i was thinking the same thing just beat it back into place and weld it , also whats up with all the undercut is that going to workLincoln Power Arc 4000 Thermal Arc Fabricator 252 iThermal arc 186Thermal Arc 26 tigTweeko 200 amp spool gunHobart AirForce 400WP-17V-12R
Reply:Originally Posted by Aquafire You can't expect much from a 110 mig on stuff like this.
Reply:Originally Posted by Aquafire You can't expect much from a 110 mig on stuff like this.
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: How thick is that? Could you of heated it up, bent it back and welded it?A: It's slightly thinner than the 1/8" that I patched it with. I started to heat it, and bend it back, and was making a mess of it. I only have an Oxi-Propane setup with a 0 and a 00 cutting tip so... After about a half hour of that I just cut and patched.Q: I was also wondering the thickness- it looks very light, like a little add-on hoe for a Kubota garden tractor. Maybe it's just how it appears but it looks like less than 3/16". You can't expect much from a 110 mig on stuff like this. A: Chinese Dong Feng "Bull Dog" with an add on hoe. 220v Lincoln 180C (whichever is the LWS version) running the .025 wire that came with it.Q: i was thinking the same thing just beat it back into place and weld it , also whats up with all the undercut is that going to work A: I was trying to get penetration, and was balancing the amperage with wire speed. Both were too high, and I was working too fast (I believe). I went back, reground / refilled, reground, and although not the prettiest, it has held since '09.Q: Running the ground like that ain't helping either. A: This is what the LWS told me was the shiznit... I haven't read anything bad about using the magnetic ground, if there are any suggestions that you have to correct the issues, please let me know. Thanks.Q: I see a 180, so I would assume 220v. Biggest 110v is 140amps, no?A: Yup 220V. In retrospect I should have used core wire, or made more small passes. I still fall onto glue gun mentality from time to time.
Reply:Originally Posted by shaltacA: This is what the LWS told me was the shiznit... I haven't read anything bad about using the magnetic ground, if there are any suggestions that you have to correct the issues, please let me know. Thanks..
Reply:I'm guessing a lot of your issues stem from the fact you are doing this out of position and don't really know how to run beads that way yet. You could have popped the pins and laid this flat and gone at it. I doubt it would have been hard at all. I used to swap 900 lb excavator buckets daily doing trench work.As far as the magnetic ground, you need to make sure you are getting a good solid contact on bare metal. Probably should have ground the steel where you hooked it up. Often the design of the magnetic ground isn't the greatest and they make poor contact anyways. You can also have issues with arc blow from the magnet if it's too close to the joint. I've got a magnetic ground. About the only time we used it was doing work on large sheet items where hooking up the ground was a PITA, like the floor of the dump body. Lots of time it simply wasn't worth the effort to tack in a strap to the bed to ground to and then grind it back off if we were jumping around a lot patching holes from teeth in the floor. You could tell almost right away if you had a crappy ground connection. Regrind the area for the ground and reposition it to see if you could get a better connection.I'd have just clamped the ground to the edge of the bucket..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Thanks for keeping me "well grounded". I'll stop using the magnet as my go-to device.
Reply:Originally Posted by shaltacQ: i was thinking the same thing just beat it back into place and weld it , also whats up with all the undercut is that going to work A: I was trying to get penetration, and was balancing the amperage with wire speed. Both were too high, and I was working too fast (I believe). I went back, reground / refilled, reground, and although not the prettiest, it has held since '09.
Reply:Originally Posted by shaltacA: This is what the LWS told me was the shiznit... I haven't read anything bad about using the magnetic ground, if there are any suggestions that you have to correct the issues, please let me know. Thanks.
Reply:Originally Posted by BoostinjdmI don't have anything against magnetic grounds, just how you used it. The ground wire should be bolted to the lug on the magnet
Reply:Originally Posted by GambleI see a 180, so I would assume 220v. Biggest 110v is 140amps, no?
Reply:Originally Posted by shaltac...It's slightly thinner than the 1/8" that I patched it with..
Reply:Shaltac. You should be shot for having a gas can within 5 feet of your grinding/welding area. No excuses.DavidI always grind a clean spot and hook my ground there. No magnet needed.Last edited by David R; 12-31-2011 at 05:41 PM.Real world weldin. When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Good Job,looks like you had the mig cranked up,nothing wrong with that,better then a cold short curcut weld that looks purty ,,,jimEsab Multimaster 260Esab Caddy160IEsab 161 STLESAB powercut 650Esab 220i tigLincoln Precision Tig 225Lincoln IdealArc 250INE SKYLINE 1500Klutch 140iMEASURE TWICE IS FOR MORONS
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oesn't the magnet draw the current away from where you want to weld or is that only if it's close?Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:The magnet doesn't "draw current". It might however set up a magnetic field usually referred to as arc blow. That's where the magnetic field will effect the puddle and give you issues with control. It's frequently found when welding things like drill stem, but can occur at other times..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Well I did some practicing on a little spray gun stand. Ditched the mag and checked over the ground clamp. Cleaned the clamp surface, some arcing, and tarnish. The first bead started badly, but I got it dialed in after about 2 inches and a restart. Need to weld more then every 7 months or so Focal length of the picture makes the cans look closer then they really are. They were also retired from gasoline use years ago, and only tote dirty motor oil, and antifreeze to the recycler. I've since replaced them with other totes, but didn't worry too much about the motor oil exploding at the time. Thanks, hope to post some of my more rescent work for critique soon.
