Puddle/bead control?

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I've been welding for about 3 months or so, not counting the small amount of experience I gained in senior year of high school.So far, I've gotten by mimicking the style of my instructor to a T to make good welds. It usually takes a few tries to lock in all the nuances before I mimic them to an acceptable degree.However, I... am still at a loss of understanding. While I may attempt to mimic my instructor's technique, the actual welding is lost on me- a shot in the dark multiple times until I hit my target.Undercut here. Humped up here. You should have ground that flat, you shouldn't have moved so fast.... I cannot foresee these mistakes happening. I've not attained "precognition"- I cannot see the finished appearance of my weld before I do it. I do not know the geometry of filling a groove, or fillet- I do not know what makes a weld flat, how to keep gravity from pulling a weld out of its intended position. I do not know whether one should aim for a two-bead cap or a three-bead cap on such-and-such weld. I do not know the beginning and end of variables- how wide should I make this bead, what should my wire speed be, do I need to compensate for this or that- I've no control over much of anything.People would say that you learn this from experience- but that is a lot of trial and error ahead of me, if that is the case. I cannot even fathom the time it will take for me to recognize the patterns of a good weld while welding.Surely someone out there has documented these effects, in some sort of study of physics, or fluid dynamics, in greater detail? As I see it now, welding might as well be magic, given how truly little I know about it.Keeping it down in the hood...literally!
Reply:Experience will teach you.If your bead is too humped up, you're either set too cold, joint too tight, moving too slow, or have too much wire for the voltage.If you're undercutting, you're either set too hot, moving too fast, or wrong torch angle.Filling a groove-  simple, fill it from bottom to top, with no voids or inclusions as you go along.Bead width-   stick to running stringers and you won't have an issue with that.  Leave weaving for later when you have more experience and can read the puddle and the toe lines as you're welding.Recognizing what the weld is doing as you're welding-  watch the puddle and toe lines.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Hey Drake,To really get a basic understanding & to improve your attempts to learn to weld, I strongly suggest you take an adult class, local college program, or vo-tech. Most newbies cannot fathom the vast parameters of the welding arena. Believe me, after 47 years, I still learn something new. It takes patience, willingness to do some homework, and the lust to be & get better with each stage of learning. It's not hard if you don't make it hard. Perseverance will pay off.DennyComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:The big question: Can you actually SEE what you are doing?There is a lot to this. Type of weld process, mig, tig, stick etc. Mig and tig aren't too bad as you can clearly see the puddle. Stick and flux core, you need to learn to differentiate between the flux and the puddle. Most new welders don't look at the puddle they watch the arc. If so you are looking at the wrong thing.You helmet shade: I ran shade 10 for years and never realized how much trouble I was having really seeing the puddle. After I got my adjustable AD helmet and could play with the shades easier than swapping lenses, I was amazed at how much better I could see. For mig I needed an 11 instead of the 10 I had been using, and in stick a 12 helped a lot as well. If you have a fixed shade helmet the different shade lenses are cheap, try an 11 instead of the stock 10.Glasses: I've needed glasses since high school. I'm near sighted. Right now I am looking at going to a new prescription for welding. I either need to get up close and personal with the weld and no glasses or I need to weld at arms length. PITA as I frequently look over the glasses or thru them and change my focus. If you can't see well, you can't see whats happening I'm afraid. It might be time to go see the eye doc. Be sure and explain what you do and why. Looking thru glasses to drive is not the same as looking at a weld. Your focal distance is different, that can change you prescription..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:I think DSW has a really good point about shade #'sI can see what I'm doing better with a #11 than I can with a #10.  I'm not being drowned out by the flare of the arc.  I can't get a #12 at my store where I buy, but would like to try one.LIke I said on a previous post, I'm having better vision of the process by monitoring the line between slag and puddle.  The darker shade helps to actually concentrate on the puddle which you can now see.I think I've said this before, but it does seem to hold true.  And it may be simply a difference in my eyes, or aging"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by farmersammI think DSW has a really good point about shade #'sI can see what I'm doing better with a #11 than I can with a #10.  I'm not being drowned out by the flare of the arc.  I can't get a #12 at my store where I buy, but would like to try one.LIke I said on a previous post, I'm having better vision of the process by monitoring the line between slag and puddle.  The darker shade helps to actually concentrate on the puddle which you can now see.I think I've said this before, but it does seem to hold true.  And it may be simply a difference in my eyes, or aging
Reply:i found a #9 gold to be best. but it was a big improvement  in my welding when i tossed my ad in the outhouse and got my huntsman  tuned up  good. if you cant see you aint got no chance at all at all...
Reply:Good morning, Drake.I have been hobby welding over 2 years now, and I predict that you are just about ready to "see the puddle". At around 3 months of reading, practicing, reading, taking a welding course, and reading, I finally got what the pros were talking about when they said "see the puddle". DSW said "Most new welders don't look at the puddle they watch the arc." and he is exactly right. My welding improved when I concentrated on the flow of the puddle. Watch the liquid metal and control the flow of that into the joint. Move your wire just enough to wet both sides and move on. Like me, you are probably moving too slow. When you see the puddle you can better judge how fast to move.Don't get me wrong, I am still just melting metal - I don't consider myself a "welder", yet. I'm getting there but it takes a lot of practice and patience. But, Boy is it Fun! especially when you do it right.Burt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 12010FtDrillBit.com