Pics of my very first flux wire welds

admin

These welds were done with a Chicago 90 amp Flux wire welder onto 1/8" flat stock steel.The welder only has a MIN and MAX Current setting and 0-10 wire speed control. I used 0.035 Lincoln flux core wire.Weld #1   settings   MIN     1.5 wire speedWeld #2   settings   MIN     2.5 wire speedWeld #3   settings   MIN     4.0 wire speedWeld #4   settings   MAX    1.0 wire speedWeld #5   settings   MAX    4.0 wire speedWeld #6   settings   MAX    7.0 wire speedWeld #7   settings   MAX    7.0 wire speedWeld #8   settings   MAX    4.0 wire speedWeld #9   settings   MAX    4.0 wire speedWeld #10 settings   MIN     2.5 wire speedWeld #11 settings   MIN     3.5 wire speedWeld #12 settings   MIN     2.0 wire speedPlease let me know how I can improve my welds, these were my very first welds with a wire feed unit. I'm looking forward to lots more practice!Thanks! Attached ImagesJourneyman Electrician(2) 135AC/ 105DC Amp Arc Welders(1) 165A Inverter Arc/TIG Welder with Digital Readout (1) WP17V Torch for Scratch/Start TIG welding(1) AR300 Cylinder
Reply:Give me another dozen! 6, 7 and 11 were the best I saw, keep at it!! City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:With only 90 amps available, you'll probably find the voltage of that machine is a bit too low for .035 wire. .030 FC wire probably fits the voltage that machine puts out better and will give you better results in general.You will probably find 1/8" is a bit above what that machine can handle under real world conditions. Those little machines really have a very narrow window in material thickness they will do well. Too thin, and you'll burn thru. Too thick and even though the welds may look ok to you, you won't get decent penetration into the base material. 18 ga to 14 ga is probably the range that machine will handle under real world conditions despite what the literature might say. Even 14 ga is probably being generous with that machine..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:Do you clip the wire tip before each weld pass? Dont use wire cutter, it leaves a sharp point and you are more likely to bounce and pop.
Reply:Originally Posted by Thunderrig15These welds were done with a Chicago 90 amp Flux wire welder
Reply:Originally Posted by toycoma98Do you clip the wire tip before each weld pass? Dont use wire cutter, it leaves a sharp point and you are more likely to bounce and pop.
Reply:Originally Posted by JoshfromsaltlakeProbably the best you're going to get with chinese equipment..Come back when you have a gas tank, regulator, and a domestic machine with at least 150 amps. then buy some low-cost .035 E71-T1 gas-sheilded wire.
Reply:Originally Posted by JoshfromsaltlakeProbably the best you're going to get with chinese equipment..Come back when you have a gas tank, regulator, and a domestic machine with at least 150 amps. then buy some low-cost .035 E71-T1 gas-sheilded wire.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWWith only 90 amps available, you'll probably find the voltage of that machine is a bit too low for .035 wire. .030 FC wire probably fits the voltage that machine puts out better and will give you better results in general.
Reply:Originally Posted by Thunderrig15I did clip it a few times... I will make sure not to clip it. Thanks!
Reply:Originally Posted by toycoma98I meant dont use regular wire cutter, use a round cutter to clip the wire....Mr. Wise guy.
Reply:How thick of metal are mic stands? And what material?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:Couple other adjustments you can fiddle with.  If you can adjust how you hold your work for welding, try doing an uphill (say 45 degrees up to vertical) pushing the puddle up on that 1/8" material.  You might find it gets a bit more penetration / tie in at the toes because the heat will rise and preheat a little.You can change your drag angle a little and see how that changes things.Keep your work clamp fairly close to where you're welding.  Also, make sure you've got shiny metal and a good connection on the work clamp.  This will help you get as much amps from that machine as possible.Change your stick out distance a bit from weld to weld and see what that does.To make sure you are comparing apples to apples, quench your scrap piece between welds.And, for that matter, you can try preheating the work and see how that improves your penetration a bit if you have something like a propane torch.Bon Apetit and enjoy your new machine.  Looks like it will do very well for what you are building!
Reply:ps, if those numbers are the order in which you did the welding, and you did not quench your work in between, you can see the helpful effects of preheating by comparing #11 and #12 with the earlier beads 1, 2 and 3 where you were at MIN and at lower wire speed (aka lower amps).  The earlier ones look cold.  Btw, #10 looks like you held the arc too long and forgot to take your allergy medicine.