stack of dimes

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On several of the video's i've watched, i've noticed the "stack of dimes" look to the weld and have heard thats what you want them to look like. I've followed all of the patterns recommended by the the videos without even coming close to that look. Each time i've done the weld, i get a smooth (but it penetrates through) weld.I'm using a flux core setup, so, is it me or is it the welder... to much heat? or just typical of flux core... The setup i have can switch to MIG, but i havent had a reason to buy the tanks.Here is a picture of the weld, sorry for the quality.I am a new guy, please don't be to harsh.Welding Equipment so far:First Welder: Blue Hawk Flux-MIG 100 (no tanks, so only Flux for me right now)Second Welder: Miller MillerMatic 211 Auto-Set with MVP
Reply:I don't think you can get them with flux core, or with 7018. Tig, and 6010 are a piece of cake to get a stack of dimes.Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Its you.
Reply:Stack of dimes is more of a decorative thing with mig or stick, you don't need to have a weld look like that, to have a good weld.
Reply:Originally Posted by BlueweldersStack of dimes is more of a decorative thing with mig or stick, you don't need to have a weld look like that, to have a good weld.
Reply:Doesnt that look pretty!I am a new guy, please don't be to harsh.Welding Equipment so far:First Welder: Blue Hawk Flux-MIG 100 (no tanks, so only Flux for me right now)Second Welder: Miller MillerMatic 211 Auto-Set with MVP
Reply:If your a beginner your on your way! As for not being able to lay dimes with flux core and stick....  I lay them out like I'm paying my mortgage with a flux. It's all technique (it will come with practice).One thing I tell every new welder is (SLOW DOWN!!!!) trying to remember and adjust for everything up front can be overwhelming! Grab some scrap sheet metal (not flimsy stuff it will be hard to weld) and practice one point at a time!,1. Heat settings, play around and see what amp and wire speed setting works best for that steel (wire speed should be slow enough not to push the gun when you start and fast enough the wire doesn't look like it's melting before it gets into the weld puddle, should sound like frying bacon!)2. Speed, pull the gun in a straight line (forget about patterns for now) and practice getting uniform sized beads3. Penetration, you want your weld to have an even color and depth it sinks into the base metal (preferably as deep as possible without distortion or blow through on the back side)4. Now you have the fundamentals to start making your welds pretty and practicing some patterns and different positions (that's a whole nother conversation though)good luck to you and hopefully this helps a little (I'm sure the other guys will catch anything I forgot) and don't be afraid to practice,practice,practice,practice, then when it's midnight .... Practice just a little more! I've been at it for almost 2 decades and I still go out to the garage every now and then and throw beads on scrap metal.Real welders know how to penetrate!(Equipment)Whatever can be used to beat my opponent into submission!
Reply:Penetration is important, but too much heat I prevents you from actually running a nice bead of weld. Too much heat with flux core can cause you to make a weld that is porous, poorly shielded, deformed in it's shape, and therefore not as strong as it should be. Your welds in the pics look too hot to me. When you are done with a flux core weld the slag should cover most of the weld. It looks like you need a little less heat and less travel speed.Also, make sure your welder is set at electrode negative for flux core. When you are welding with flux core your gun should be the negative and the ground should be positive. If not your wire and flux will seem like they are burning up before they should. Then later if you switch to solid mig wire with gas, you set your electrode positive and the ground negative.With flux core wire I generally run with a lot more "stick out" than mig, by "stick out" I mean the distance of wire sticking out from the contact tip to the puddle. Experiment with different lengths of stick out and see where the weld seems to run best, it varies with heat and position. Your puddle should never be right up close to the contact tip with flux core. Generally the closer it is the hotter it is and the further away it is the more calm and under control it will be. I often find that if I run more heat and more stick out then I will get a good hot bead that is well shielded and smooth running. My favorite all purpose flux core is Lincoln NR-211 Innershield. There are some flux core wires that just don't seem to shield well. Lincoln says that their NR-212 is better for thicker steel but I don't know what they are talking about. I have tried the 212 in different sizes and at different voltages and I thinks it sucks. The last spool I had here at the shop sat around half full till I finally threw it in the dumpster.The worst thing I can think of happening is if everything I ever welded instantly became UNWELDED
Reply:NBS Welding,  Thanks for the advice!... the welder i have only has a MAX and MIN amp setting, so i will try the min instead.I've noticed with the stick out to much, the wire breaks and i get a popping of the wire. Is that because of to many amps?I confirmed the polarity is correct for flux, so that isn't an issue.I am a new guy, please don't be to harsh.Welding Equipment so far:First Welder: Blue Hawk Flux-MIG 100 (no tanks, so only Flux for me right now)Second Welder: Miller MillerMatic 211 Auto-Set with MVP
Reply:Don't forget that the cleaner the metal is, the easier it is to weld.The amount of flux in the wire is tiny and just a little paint or mill scale can mess you up.Just a quick pass with a grinder along where you will weld, can make a world of difference.
Reply:I've had pretty good luck with NR-211, NR-212, and Hobart's Fabshield 21-B. Before the Northridge earthquake in California we took 1-inch side bend tests with 21-B all the time. Attached ImagesDon’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Consider calling up your local steel supplier and asking if you can buy 'drops'.  These are the left overs from sheering operations.1/8" thick on the thin side, 1/4" thick on the thick side.  You can use thicker, but your paying for thickness.  Many places will sell by weight.First time there get flat pieces.  If you don't have a way to cut them, consider paying to have them cut down.  Straight joints are important so I wouldn't advise cutting with a torch unless your really good at it.  On thinner material, you can get an abrasive blade for a circular saw and make nice straight cuts.Con Fuse!Miller Dynasty 350Millermatic 350P-Spoolmatic 30AMiller Multimatic 200Hypertherm PowerMax 1000G3Miller Maxstar 200DX
Reply:Originally Posted by amatoolboxNBS Welding,  Thanks for the advice!... the welder i have only has a MAX and MIN amp setting, so i will try the min instead.I've noticed with the stick out to much, the wire breaks and i get a popping of the wire. Is that because of to many amps?I confirmed the polarity is correct for flux, so that isn't an issue.
Reply:Welcome to the forum, I hope you stick around (sic welding pun).  One thing you will learn is the so called "stack-o-dimes" look may not be an indicator of a quality weld.   If you want to try MIG for cheep; get yourself a small cylinder of CO2; 5lbs will be enough to have some quality MIG time with.   Your going to need an adapter for your regulator, so ask your gas supplier for it.  My steel supplier has these 8" square plates they call shims.   They come in all sorts of thickness, and are cheep; the drops are a PITA to sort out.    I like keeping them handy for mocking up and dialing in my settings.Last edited by Billdacat; 07-25-2014 at 08:27 AM.
Reply:I think i get what you are saying about the wire speed and temp. I only had one set of small pieces to play with so i lowered the speed to 2 with a min power setting and the wire was to slow to weld (basically touch and loose contact). i finally got a steady feed at 5 with the gun about 1/2" away from the material.I did 3 tests in the picture below, from left to right... first was to high. second i think (correct me if i am wrong) but it looks like i was going to slow and had material build up. third looks ok to me (again, correct me if i am wrong), and even has some ripples. Also attached a picture of the wire i used.I am a new guy, please don't be to harsh.Welding Equipment so far:First Welder: Blue Hawk Flux-MIG 100 (no tanks, so only Flux for me right now)Second Welder: Miller MillerMatic 211 Auto-Set with MVP
Reply:That weld is way too cold! Turn up the voltage, and wire speed / amps.Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Your weld to the far right looks better, notice how there is not as much bead buildup and your weld pool started to even out over the joint. The slight ripple tells me you were controlling the speed of your movements a little better. Good work! I also agree that they look a little cold, but that's just a little bit of practice on your settings to get it down.I was taught that while watching the weld... Don't look at the point of contact, look slightly ahead so you know where you need to go with the weld, and also to keep an eye on what you have just put down so you can adjust your speed accordingly... You need to continuously do this while running a bead (ahead.. Behind..ahead..behind) this will help you see how much heat and material your putting into the object being welded. It works for me! Might help you with controlling heat and ultimately the quality of the weld! Keep up the good work.P.s thanks for the shout out NBS, you have a good way of explaining thing yourself!Real welders know how to penetrate!(Equipment)Whatever can be used to beat my opponent into submission!
Reply:I think the wire you have in the pic is an excellent choice, that is what I would use in a machine like yours.Now that you know more about setting your machine with heat and wire speed you can start to think more about "weld control". My thoughts on weld control from looking at the pics, on those first two, at the left and center, I notice you have weld metal up on the angle iron that should be on the down on the tube. The amount of weld metal is not well shared between the two base metals. This is important to consider since weld strength depends on equally fusing the two base metals together. You could burn an entire spool on one side and it won't help unless you get even fusion between the two pieces your trying to weld together.Another thing to consider when you make any weld is that it helps to start welding where you need the least amount of heat and finish where you need the most. All material gets hotter as you go so if you keep that in mind you can make stronger welds. If you look at the far right of the weld you made to the right you can see that oval shape where you stopped welding, that is called a crater and it will exist at the end of any weld bead. The crater at the end is the hottest and thinnest spot of any weld and this is the most likely area for a crack to form in a weld. So what could we do to make a stronger weld on the example in your pic? We know that the crater is the thinnest hottest part of the weld so the "start" is the thickest. So if I were welding that bead that is in your pic and I wanted maximum strength and crack resistance I would start at the left like you did and weld to the right. Before I got to the end I would stop welding, clean off the slag, and then re-start another bead at the right traveling to the left and overlapping some in the middle. This will give you thick starts at both sides and an overlap at the end of each weld to make sure that there is no thin crater in the weld at all.The worst thing I can think of happening is if everything I ever welded instantly became UNWELDED