Jumping in

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Well, it's time. I think I've progressed from bird poop to something that I think is pretty close. But I need your opinions so I know where to make my adjustments to better my ability. Now please don't kill me. I've got pretty thick skin coming from the entertainment industry so I can take criticism but I need constructive criticism. Just hacking me does no good except make the hacker feel better so I'm putting this out there for you to comment on so I can get better; not as a pinata!!!I think they're a bit cold and I think that's where the benefit of a continuous machine over a tapped really makes a difference.
Reply:Showing improvement Jonathan Do you have enough light, magnification and a good enough helment to see well?I mention this because these are the things I need for quality welding.Don't worry about tapped vs continuous machines - you will get the same results after you have enough hood time.Keep having fun Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Thanks. Lighting? I'd like more but I attached an HF LED to  my hood to help that. Magnification? Cheaters. and a quality helmet; I' getting a Jackson someone here was kind enough to tell me about because of a mega-discount. I just have to find that post again. $400 and something down to like $240 or something. Right now I have a Lincoln $125 special that's better than my first one. I was going to buy it online right when he told me about it but I didn't . Should have.
Reply:Thanks. I'm still wandering the bead but I'll worry about straightening out the weld when I'm comfortable with what you said;my puddle read.
Reply:Not bad. As said the toes could stand to be washed in a bit better, but you are close. I don't know what technique you are using, straight stringer, C or Z motion, circles etc, but a bit more motion on each wall might get the toes to wash in a bit more. I'm not talking much, maybe 1/32" or less on each side to spread the bead out just slightly and help with the roll you are starting to get.Picts can often be deceiving with the flash and shadows from lighting, so these may just look worse than they do in person. I've had quite a few picts of really nice beads that don't look any where near as nice in the picts due to poor lighting. I'd also agree you need to work some on your tendency to wander as you weld.  A lot of times it's simply due to lack of hood time and consistency. That would be my guess in this case and that should improve with practice.No real way to guess on your settings without more information on machine, wire speed and size, stickout, voltage tap you are using, material thickness etc. With that info we might be able to get you tuned in a bit better. With a tapped machine if you want to go up slightly in "heat" you can move your gun in a bit tighter to the work to up the heat. If you are already pretty close, up your voltage to the next tap adjusting wire speed accordingly, and back up a bit with the gun distance to "cool" the weld puddle down slightly. These are more advanced techniques and usually require you already have a good working knowledge of manipulating the puddle and can see what the puddle is doing as you manipulate the gun..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 you're on to something. I'm right there with the cup within mm of the work leaving a 1/16" or at most 1/8" stick-out to work with. It's a very precise union between geometrically dissimilar but composite-similar materials; mild steel. They have been, at one time, precision-milled  to dissimilar thicknesses rendering one .067in. and the other .176in. The joinder of the subject specimens is 90 degrees and joinder is effected via a 90-degree angle with an angular deviation of......  Oh what am I talking about!?!?!? I'm a noobie and it's an old, freakin' horse stall hinge I found in the back of the barn with 50-years of paint on it that I'm practicing welding to a piece of scrap square tube. I do think you're right about starting to futz with the power/ tip distance relationship though because the whole puddle/sound/wire speed/voltage/tip angle/feel thing is starting to come together in my head so I'm seeing the puddle and being able to control it, even if it is all over the map...I'm following it. Now I need to control it like you said. The part about washing up the sides; I'm welding different thicknesses and that plays a part in my thinking as I apply the heat and weld and my "e"s or "c"s are directed to the thicker material.  I'll try expand their width and wash a bit more to see what happens. Another thing I notices was that silicon beading is increasing appearing in between the waves of weld material. Is that good, bad, makes no difference, poor wire condition, poor wire manufacture or do I just ignore it? Thanks again for all your help. I'm just a plain ol' rancher tryin' to get good at something that's really fun and completely functional on the ranch!Last edited by jlames; 11-03-2013 at 11:54 AM.
Reply:1/8" is a fairly tight stickout. 3/16" to 1/4" is fairly common and with newer welders even 3/8" isn't too bad. If you are that close, I might think about jumping up one tap and backing off to 3/16" to 1/4" and see how that changes the look you get.I wouldn't worry too much about the silicon unless you need to do multiple passes. Then just hit it with a wire wheel or sanding disk to knock the majority of it all off..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:What I'm seeing right now is your positioning. You need a real bench, a good seat (if the bench lacks height) and room for both arms to contact the bench in front of the work piece.Do this.Tape 2 pieces of paper to a table. That's 20 inches in length.Grab a pencil and draw a perfectly straight line. When you see a line you're happy with, you found the right position. The acrobatics come later. I'll guess the line will be about 13-16 inches from where your forearms rest(just forward of your elbows) on the table. My standing bench and sawhorses are 36" tall. My seated bench is 31,w/ an 18" stool. a world of difference.Last edited by Burpee; 11-03-2013 at 12:19 PM.Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:Looking better jump your heat up and you will have to adjust your speed up a little but the puddle will tell youBacked my CATMA over your CARMA oops clusmy me  What would SATAN do ?? Miller Trailblazer 302 AirPakMiller Digital Elite  Optrel Welding HatArcair K4000Suitcase 12RC / 12 VSHypertherm PM-45Rage 3 sawRusty old Truck
Reply:It's incredible how you guys with experience can tell I need to change my position just from the welds. You're right. I'm in a most uncomfortable position on a small table that I'm making due with while we're building the shop. I didn't take time to do any welding at all today; just took the horses out and Joyce worked with her arm on one of our older, bulletproof horses but tomorrow I'm going to try the pencil/line idea and as Al said, jump the heat up. Thanks to both of you. I'll post the results.Oh, it's not much but she was riding today outside the roundpen.Last edited by jlames; 11-03-2013 at 11:35 PM.