Newbie and mig help?

admin

Hey whats goin on, this is my first post, i have a lincoln 175 and these are some of my first welds, let me know what you think. It was at "A" heat setting and abotu 2.5 wire speed id appreciate any help or tips.Last edited by MicroZone; 06-22-2007 at 12:46 PM.
Reply:Steve - Welcome to Weldingweb! Congratulations on the new machine. While a few of the welds look decent, most are a tad on the cold side, meaning not enough heat. Turn up your dial some, then turn down the wire speed. Other than that - practice, practice!John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:only one more question... am i supposed to have a bead on both sides of the metal, or just a heat trail?
Reply:Yes - you want penetration on the other side. The project you're working on depends. If, like me, you're doing turbo piping, you don't want an excessive amount. Think of it like ice cream on a cone - too much and it falls off the cone, too little and it's not enough to fill the cone, just the right amount and you have a happy ice cream! John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:I have a lincoln 140. I am also new to welding but I can tell you what little I know because we have the same machine. By the looks of things you were hearing Pop sssssspop sssssssssspop pop. Turn the heat up to c or d, wire speed on 1.5 . slow down and watch the puddle fuse with the base metal. The machine if set right will sound just like bacon frying and will not burn through. Practice on clean metal. Try to lay straight even sized beads. Grind your welds and look for holes. Cut through and see how deep your penetration is. I had to teach myself, and this was the advice I was given by my stepdad (ibew welder for 30 fears). Keep going, soon you will need to weld or risk getting the dt's. Ps. your welds look better than my first welds You only need to be 2% smarter than what you are working on.Lincoln pm140hacksawa big hammer
Reply:hard to tell but it looks like around 1/8" to me. did you go by the welding chart that should be on the wire door (its usually a good starting point anyway). either way the "A" setting is too low for that it seems.  and right now an ice cream sounds like a great idea!
Reply:Hahaaa, sorry LuzRD, I was craving an ice cream when I wrote that, so it went into my analogy! John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:its way thinner than 1/8 it was just some really thin sheet metal i had laying around... it was also somewhat rusted as well
Reply:i swear somtimes i think john is a pregnant woman with his cravings. lol he does that crap and makes me hungry63' Lincoln SA200 2008 miller trailblazer 302fibre-metal pipelinermiller camo BWEand all the guns and ammo a growin boy needs
Reply:John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:I have the same welder, and I usually run the speed higher than that. 2.5 is a little on the slow side, but for thin sheet???Only you will get the results you are looking for. I agree with everyone else, try the heat around 3 or so for that kind of thickness. For regular 1/8" and 3/16, I run the speed around 4-5 and the heat around 4-6.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:Originally Posted by steves86taonly one more question... am i supposed to have a bead on both sides of the metal, or just a heat trail?