First Practice in oxy-act and flux core

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finally got started practicing my welding, i really suck. very disappointed after all the reading and viewing clips I used 18ga sheet metal for both weeks except last night, so i used minimal settings for both the flux core and gas torch:first weekMy flux core welding was so bad i decided to focus on gas weldingfluxcore front-metal boogers galorehttp://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/...11ce3eb1_m.jpgfluxcore detailhttp://farm5.static.flickr.com/4104/...a4afe0c2_m.jpgfluxcore backhttp://farm5.static.flickr.com/4092/...9c39c537_m.jpg I just wanted to make a puddle and move it a few inches. all i got was sootAcet was about 3 and oxy was about 10 setting, using a size 0 tip on all my gas weldinggas - fronthttp://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/...4ccc59c7_m.jpghttp://farm5.static.flickr.com/4088/...b0074329_m.jpggas backhttp://farm5.static.flickr.com/4127/...e1f24105_m.jpg============This week, I had about the same results on 18 Ga steel, although I did get more comfortable with setting up my gas tanks without the feeling i might blow myself up. Re - I tried the 16 GA 3 inch square tubinig last night. I used a firebrick under my work instead of leaving the metal on the welding table once again all i was trying to do is make a simple molten puddle and move it a few inches, nothing but black soot over burnt metalhttp://farm2.static.flickr.com/1396/...fd676012_o.jpghttp://farm2.static.flickr.com/1327/...0a21eed871.jpghttp://farm2.static.flickr.com/1100/...76c6296730.jpg
Reply:Are you sure you have the polarity right on the fluxcore?  Torch should be on the negative terminal for self-shield fluxcore.  If that's good, then turn up the machine and don't hold too long a wire stickout length.  1/2" max tip to work distance with those small diameter wires.On your oxy/acetylene, it's too rich, too much fuel gives you the black soot.  Give it more oxygen.  Turn on the acetylene first, light it and bring it to a nice feathery flame.  Then slowly add the oxygen until you see the blue flames appear at the tip.  Add oxygen until the inner flames become one and you have a sharp blue flame.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Originally Posted by mimoosefinally got started practicing my welding, i really suck. very disappointed after all the reading and viewing clips I used 18ga sheet metal for both weeks except last night, so i used minimal settings for both the flux core and gas torch:
Reply:[QUOTE=mimoose;430850]I just wanted to make a puddle and move it a few inches. all i got was sootAcet was about 3 and oxy was about 10 setting, using a size 0 tip on all my gas weldingthat doesnt sound right and if your torch isnt set up right no chance of any success. check the literature from the tip manufacturer and get the ballpark settings ..typically a small welding tip will be 3# of each..then play ..the gas should not be blowing the puddle around..the heat should be enough to get you a puddle in 2-3 seconds..
Reply:Thank you for responding! I I guess I am not sure. this is the welder I boughthttp://www.harborfreight.com/welding...der-98871.html it was 109-20% offIt just has the speed and the min/max switch, and I tried all manner of diI did try to keep the tip short, but it kept running so fast, no matter  if i adjusting the speed setting under 1.fferent combinations that an 18 guage could handle. I tried putting the grounding clamp close to the sheet metal, and right on the sheet metal. the same results.  "Turn on the acetylene first, light it and bring it to a nice feathery flame"check, and it will take a little oxygen, but wheni slowly add more oxygen, the flame keeps going out. not sure why. Originally Posted by DesertRider33Are you sure you have the polarity right on the fluxcore?  Torch should be on the negative terminal for self-shield fluxcore.  If that's good, then turn up the machine and don't hold too long a wire stickout length.  1/2" max tip to work distance with those small diameter wires.On your oxy/acetylene, it's too rich, too much fuel gives you the black soot.  Give it more oxygen.  Turn on the acetylene first, light it and bring it to a nice feathery flame.  Then slowly add the oxygen until you see the blue flames appear at the tip.  Add oxygen until the inner flames become one and you have a sharp blue flame.
Reply:It looks soooo easy on the video clips! I thank you for any response!For the flux core welder, the instructions said use w "1" on the speed and MIN setting on 18 ga sheet metal. this welderhttp://www.harborfreight.com/welding...der-98871.htmlI dont see anything on this machine that gives polarity setting. Am I missing something?  Originally Posted by DSWGasp! What after reading from the internet you're not an instant expert! Just what is the world coming too these days...Sorry I couldn't resist.  I hear that all too frequently. "I've read all this stuff, but can't get it right!" Usually after only their 1st or 2nd try...  Understanding and doing are completely different things.If you post up the mig/FC machine you have and your settings, it might be possible to tell if you are anywhere close to where you need to be to weld what you have. It wouldn't surprise me to hear you are way too cold with the look of those, or you have the polarity reversed. 18ga will also be a bit tough with FC. FC is usually a deeper penetrating process than mig with gas. As such it will frequently burn thru thin plate very easily.
Reply:Perhaps my oxygen is up too high, the  oxygen regulator dial goes from 0 then  jumps to 40, its tricky to get a low reading especially beneath 10"the heat should be enough to get you a puddle in 2-3 seconds"what??? I am way off then. whether permitting, i will try set to oxygen close the "0" and maybe the flame wont cut off.  thanks![quote=weldbead;430938] Originally Posted by mimooseI just wanted to make a puddle and move it a few inches. all i got was sootAcet was about 3 and oxy was about 10 setting, using a size 0 tip on all my gas weldingthat doesnt sound right and if your torch isnt set up right no chance of any success. check the literature from the tip manufacturer and get the ballpark settings ..typically a small welding tip will be 3# of each..then play ..the gas should not be blowing the puddle around..the heat should be enough to get you a puddle in 2-3 seconds..
Reply:you have too little oxygen.I'm not sure what you mean when you say it jumps from 0 to 40.Set your oxy regulator to say 5, then light your acetylene then keep adding oxygen as Desertrider explained.  if the flame is going out then you are adding the oxygen too fast.  You are using the valves on the torch to adjust the flame and not the regulators on the bottle right?XMT 350 MPa, w/D52-DTA 185 TSWHarris of
Reply:That little HF fluxcore machine probly doesn't put out much juice.  Switch the voltage to high and adjust the wire speed to match the voltage, meaning, start with the wire speed high and keep bringing it down until the wire is no longer stubbing out on the metal, but burning into the weld. If it starts burning back into the tip, you've gone too slow on the wire speed.On the polarity setting, it would be swapping cable connections inside the machine, usually at or near the wire drive mechanism.  Follow your work cable back into the machine.  It should be connected to the + terminal.  The wire drive mechanism should be connected to the - terminal by a short jumper cable.  Some of these smaller fluxcore-only machines don't have provision for changing the polarity, as there no need to since they don't have provision for using shield gas (no gas valve).  In that case, the connections may be on the other side inside the case and no reason to change them.Set your oxy regulator higher at the tank.   With the acetylene already lit, when you open the oxy valve on the torch, just barely crack it, then very slowly open it as you watch the flame.  If you go too far, it will put the flame out, as you experienced.  When that happens, close the oxygen again, re-light the gas and try opening the oxygen again.  Cracking open and turning it too far all in one quick motion does put the flame out right away, as you experienced.  Slow and careful will get you going.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Friday, i finally understood something about what neural flame really is, I got it! too excited. I saw the two blue flames coming together and the flame sounds going quiet! very interesting! the neutral flame was very tiny and unstable most times and a lot  of  times the flame went out. i tried pushing the puddle, but looking at the results, the metal pool looks like it went the other way. I also tried do a gap fill and made holes instead! i cant believe how hot that  little blue flame is. i couldnt control it, i tried not to keep the rod in the puddle, but it kept getting stuck! http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1188/...49c8bf5c_o.jpghttp://farm2.static.flickr.com/1121/...411b257a_o.jpg
Reply:I use the valves on the regs to set the output, 3 to 5 and the torch valves to adjust the flame, that is right?i just meant the oxy regular just reads 0, then 40, then 80 etc, i have to guess where30, 20, and 10, or 5 is.i was able to get the neutral flame, it was tiny and unstable, but wow is it hot! Originally Posted by sjamesyou have too little oxygen.I'm not sure what you mean when you say it jumps from 0 to 40.Set your oxy regulator to say 5, then light your acetylene then keep adding oxygen as Desertrider explained.  if the flame is going out then you are adding the oxygen too fast.  You are using the valves on the torch to adjust the flame and not the regulators on the bottle right?
Reply:Yes, set your regs first and set your flame with the torch valves.On your tube joint pics, your joint gap was a little wide and torch too hot, either that or you hung around too long or didn't add filler to bridge the gap.  Tighten up the fitup, lower the acetylene flame, then get your neutral flame again.  Get a little puddle going on each piece and add filler to join them together.  Don't sit there till it blow through, move on forward adding filler to the puddle as you go.  This is assuming your tip size isn't too large. Really, you should be practicing this first on flat plate, no filler, just practice moving the puddle along with the torch.  When you get moving the puddle down, then start practicing adding filler to the puddle.  Once you get that down, then try joining 2 plates together flat butted up edge to edge, no gap.  Then try it with a small gap.  Once you get that, then practice t-joint fillets.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:You can't change the polarity on that welder,it is flux-core only.Maxus Pro-125 MigChicago Electric 90 amp DC flux-coreLincoln Electric AC 225 tombstoneO/A torchM/O mini-torch10 acres of flatland15 acres of holler
Reply:Today I did lower my act flame and was able to get  to a stable neutral flame quite easily I did practice moving the puddle, also practiced adding the filler, which didnt go too well as I kept getting stuck, I know I just need to do the puddle, I just get impatient,but I will keep practicing my puddle pushing and progress from there, thanks!!   Originally Posted by DesertRider33Yes, set your regs first and set your flame with the torch valves.On your tube joint pics, your joint gap was a little wide and torch too hot, either that or you hung around too long or didn't add filler to bridge the gap.  Tighten up the fitup, lower the acetylene flame, then get your neutral flame again.  Get a little puddle going on each piece and add filler to join them together.  Don't sit there till it blow through, move on forward adding filler to the puddle as you go.  This is assuming your tip size isn't too large. Really, you should be practicing this first on flat plate, no filler, just practice moving the puddle along with the torch.  When you get moving the puddle down, then start practicing adding filler to the puddle.  Once you get that down, then try joining 2 plates together flat butted up edge to edge, no gap.  Then try it with a small gap.  Once you get that, then practice t-joint fillets.
Reply:Thanks for the clarification! Originally Posted by dugndeepYou can't change the polarity on that welder,it is flux-core only.
Reply:for the little flux core machines from harbor freight - this is a case of getting what you pay for.  It is very difficult to maintain a good arc because they do not have an output capacitor, so basically instead of a constant output of DC power, it is a 120hz pulse that is shaped a little bit by the output Inductor filter.. It makes the arc hard to maintain.  I sold my flux core only machine a few months ago when a god deal on craigslist came up for a MIG machine.  I have not tried flux core wire in the new machine yet, but gas shielded wire improved my welds by a factor of 10 at least.. and I am still embarrassed to show any pics here.  I found for the little flux only machine  that 10 years of intermittent practice ( IE any time I or friends needed exhaust work) my best results were to leave it on high pretty much no matter what ( 16-18 gauge exhaust tubing, some schedule 40 iron pipe for a manifold, nothing ever thicker successfully), to never use an extension cord, but if required, the shortest thickest cord possible ( I eventually got a 10 gauge cable so I could run that machine or my air compressor from it), and I tended to err on the side of too low of a wire feed speed..  No gap when butt welding worked best or else it would burn through too easily, cleaning the material to weld with the wire brush until it was SHINEY made a huge difference, and then each time you stop, re-brush it as the flux coating leaves so much junk that it interferes with continuing from the spot you left off.  This applied even for something as simple as welding 1/3rd around a pipe, and the flipping the muffler over to have access to the next section, or for tacks applied earlier to hold it together.In any event, good luck! and check out the harbor freight sub forum for some threads where people have upgraded their weldings by adding capacitors to make them function pretty decently.
Reply:thanks for the description of the flux core. in point of fact, i have pretty much put away the flux core because i dont think i will get much out of it. maybe if it was small projects like tomato cages, then i might go back to practicing with it. right now i am focusing solely on the gas torch, even though its a pain to go and get the tanks re-filled. at least its far from the house and no electricity involved. i am going to have get some cash to get better quality equipment.i have gotten almost comfortable with working with the oxygen/acetylene tanks.  Originally Posted by jdchmielfor the little flux core machines from harbor freight - this is a case of getting what you pay for.  In any event, good luck! and check out the harbor freight sub forum for some threads where people have upgraded their weldings by adding capacitors to make them function pretty decently.
Reply:practice of last weekall gas torch oxy-act welding, no 2 tipThe week started off good with my first real welded joint, but the week ended disappointingly as only one line of weld bead(is that how you say it?), survived the "stress test"for the noobs: I didnt want to use my steel I bought my bike project, so I went back to the steel place and bought scraps of of cut steel bars and angle Irons and small squares called "shim" at 90 cents a pound, minimun 5 pounds, very glad I did as I found out, I really couldnt find anything to practice on at home, to my great surprIse. although I dont know the thickness of most of thIs shim by looking at it yet. I think most of it was thicker than 18 ga. anyway, it makes excellent practice metalsundayAT LAST! A WELD! sunday-november 14 2010 http://farm2.statIc.flIckr.com/1295/...5509828144.jpgat last- a weld-november 14 2010 no 4 2nd sIdehttp://farm2.statIc.flIckr.com/1039/...7c95df7489.jpgI dIdnt stress test this weld, as it wIll be a keepsake...loltuesnov 16 tues - push puddle practIce no 1-made a mIstake and left it out in the rain.http://farm5.statIc.flIckr.com/4154/...4641992cb9.jpg4 peices joined, practicehttp://farm5.statIc.flIckr.com/4153/...e0483f1afa.jpgwelding joinshttp://farm5.statIc.flIckr.com/4129/...ef6907950e.jpghttp://farm5.statIc.flIckr.com/4085/...d62da16a9e.jpghttp://farm5.statIc.flIckr.com/4086/...4040b1e3d1.jpghttp://farm5.statIc.flIckr.com/4151/...081dce99c8.jpgFRIDAY:3 pieceshttp://farm5.statIc.flIckr.com/4131/...45a4b65384.jpgPush puddle practicehttp://farm5.statIc.flIckr.com/4129/...65afbf84ab.jpgLooked like a good weldhttp://farm5.statIc.flIckr.com/4110/...fc2d7ef810.jpgsloppy, but strong or so I thought...http://farm5.statIc.flIckr.com/4089/...67fc69dc75.jpghttp://farm5.statIc.flIckr.com/4144/...b642795747.jpgbut only one wack pulled this aparthttp://farm5.statIc.flIckr.com/4131/...1e94d459bf.jpgtook several wacks to pull apart weldhttp://farm5.statIc.flIckr.com/4110/...ff67232c38.jpg So only one line of welding (from tuesday) survived the vise and ball hammer, I knocked it both ways, but it held on.I have to say I think angle iron I used was too thick for a noob to practIce on, I thought I had adequately adjusted for connecting such a thick metal to something much thinner, but it didnt work. the only pIece that really welded was a much thinner bar.nov 20 stress test survIvor http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4130/...7d51a99569.jpghttp://farm5.statIc.flIckr.com/4124/...a721ac7962.jpgStill burning holes before the puddle is made, I think I will go back to using a # 0 tip instead of a #2 soon as I get a new one. Also, have nearly used up my first tanks. so I would say size 40 tank, I forget the designation, lasted about 8 hours, maybe.