Hobart 187 bead CO2

admin

I finally did it what I would call a perfect bead. I am using my Hobart handler 187 with 100% co2 after a lot of trying and reading a lot of your post on here really helping get welds perfect.I am shooting for the mig like tig look as close as I can get with 100% co2. I have pics which makes everything better here is the ugly.After trying wire speeds and finding my tip worn out I did a swap put the speed on 38 speed IDK how many IPM that is. I got this 1 on the left what I would call my best and a perfect bead. The bead on the right was a push with the same setting and as you can see im much better on the pull.If you want critique my weld nothing can make me mad after that sweet bead.
Reply:you should make the metal shiny before you weld on it.. other than that a little practice is all you need.
Reply:To determine wire feed speed - pull the trigger for 3 or 5 seconds, clip & measure it and then multiply by 20 for 3 second pull or 12 for a 5 second pull. Then go write it down...Keep after it Matt
Reply:Originally Posted by Matt_MaguireTo determine wire feed speed - pull the trigger for 3 or 5 seconds, clip & measure it and then multiply by 20 for 3 second pull or 12 for a 5 second pull. Then go write it down...Keep after it Matt
Reply:Oh swell Dan!   I didn't much like the soft starts when they showed up years back on the feeders you couldn't turn it off.ThanksMatt
Reply:Not too bad. I do think the weld you pushed on the right is slightly better than the one you dragged on the left. My biggest issue with the weld on the left is the lower toe and the "crevices" I see there where the puddle didn't wash in all the way with the previous oscillation, marked with the yellow lines. The blue area of the left hand bead got better at the bottom. You don't have this issue as much with the right hand bead where you pushed the weld. I can still see it, but it's not as bad. There are consistency issue with both welds that could use some improvement.My guess since the issue is only at the bottom and not really at the top, is that this is either related to the way you  move the gun doing your oscillations or the angle of the gun. You are possibly favoring the upper plate and getting a slightly longer stick out at the bottom. Attached Images.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:Yes I was favoring the upper plate because I thought the rule was to stay on the upper longer thin the bottom. I really see a lot of styles this is done with what I would call a Z pattern in yellow where most people do cursive e. The reason for the consistency issue is I don't make beads that much. I do a lot of body work which is all tack welds. I will try other styles later on cleaner metal this is just trying to get the mig like tig using co2.
Reply:Both welds look to be to cold for the material thickness. The bead on the right looks to have a lack of fusion issue along the upper toe (edge) of the weld.The only CO² weld that I could find a picture of, that I ran with a Handler 187, was on 1/8" steel. This bead was produced using the push method. Pay close attention to the toes of the weld on this bead compared to your weld that you pushed. Attached ImagesESAB Migmaster 250 Hobart Ironman 230Multimatic 215TWECO Fabricator 181i & 211iHH125EZ - nice little fluxcore only unitMaxstar 150 STH - very nice
Reply:I'm still not getting the intense desire for the "mig like tig" thing.  In an inexperienced welder (as I am too), it appears to add another dimension to welding which may distract one from paying all of their attention to actually joining the two pieces of metal together with a mig bead.Sure, someone like ZTFab who probably lays down more beads in a week than I will in a year is so good at welding that he can join metal perfectly and manipulate the bead for aesthetics to his liking.  But for the hobby guys, it looks like it results in alot of lack of fusion, stress risers, and probably a string of tack welds in most cases I've seen here.If I had to depend on a weld saving my life, I'd pick Dan's straight mig weld every time.  A good looking bead should be the byproduct of a sound weldment, not visa versa.  No disrespect meant the the OP, but I'd concentrate on fusion of the parent material and less on bead appearance.Last edited by Drf255; 04-16-2013 at 06:06 AM.TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum