Complete newbies welds

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Hey guys, here are some of the welds i have played with on my 160 amp DC inverter MatWeld stickwelderHere is my practise thing, I thought it better to just keep welding pieces together until I have a better feel/understanding then I will attempt making somethingAny critique or suggestions very welcomeLast edited by KangaWolf; 10-12-2007 at 02:15 PM.
Reply:some pictures look like you were trying a weave.... were you?
Reply:yes tried a figure 8 type thing in the first
Reply:I would bet most stick welders would suggest you work on a straight bead first.  Figure out your amperage and speed and get the best penetration and shape first, then work on the other techniques.  Remember to practice butt welds, T-welds and such... then try to break them apart to check out the welds.
Reply:Looks like you may be cold there, and moving too fast to keep a puddle going. Try just draging the rod 90 degrees to the steel and tip your rod back in the direction of travel, if you tip it too much you will be pulling a too long of arc, just keep experimenting and pay close attention to how different angles, speeds and movements can change things. if you do a weave too large like that figure 8 you can trap slag and make a big list of errors,if you want to weave just try stringers, stay ahead of the slag and keep it tight move that puddle until you get it to the size you want then move it along, a nice C motion works well for me when weaving.Nothing Ever Got Done By Quitting, Never Give Up.
Reply:More heat, more consistent speed.  (slow down a little)A great start.  Forget the figure 8 weave.   First run perfect stringers, then go for the weave.Looks great for a start.David Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Thanks guys, yes i have been smacking the practise thing with a hammer real hard to see if it breaks.David, do you have a simple diagram of a stringer?
Reply:Wolf,  a stringer is when you dont weave at all.  just turn your heat up some and slow down a bit like David said.what helped me a lot was to try and figure out the difference between what the slag looks like compared to the actual steel while you are melting the rod. if you can do this, you will weld much better in any position.
Reply:Originally Posted by KangaWolfThanks guys, yes i have been smacking the practise thing with a hammer real hard to see if it breaks.David, do you have a simple diagram of a stringer?
Reply:OK tried a bit more, battling to get it neat, the heat was up to 120ampthe heat penetration looks better on the opposite side though, still looks remarkably like bird crap though
Reply:Ok thanks for the advice guys  I gave it a few more tries, up to 160amps, 90 degree angle seems to work better, although its still looks awful.Should I try lower heat and slow downHere is the problem though, after some really heavy pulling and tuggung and mangling metal I can break the welds, like I say, not easily but after some sweat they break.hear is what the back looks likeafter some sweat it looks like this (5mm steel)Last edited by KangaWolf; 10-14-2007 at 10:28 AM.
Reply:Attachment 13302Where's the penetration?WeldingWeb forum--now more sophomoric banter than anything else!
Reply:Chevy, my thoughts exactly, is it posible that my arc is too long?
Reply:With that amount of spatter, could be.  Arc length should be equal to the diameter of your filler metal.   Did you bother to mention what size rod those bubblegum welds were made with?WeldingWeb forum--now more sophomoric banter than anything else!
Reply:3.2mm 6013 rodsMhh true does look like bubblegum
Reply:Kanga it looks like you don't have any gap between the pieces your welding together. If thats 5mm try tacking it together every 200mm or so with a 2-3mm gap between steel..... settings maybe a bit less than last one.... you'll get penetration!Good luck , don't get discouraged and practice,practice ,practiceA good guess is better than a bad measurement
Reply:Thanks Brett, that makes 200% sense, mhh never thought of that.You have given me something to think about
Reply:Originally Posted by BrettKanga it looks like you don't have any gap between the pieces your welding together. If thats 5mm try tacking it together every 200mm or so with a 2-3mm gap between steel..... settings maybe a bit less than last one.... you'll get penetration!Good luck , don't get discouraged and practice,practice ,practice