Pics of my first welds

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I picked up a HF 90 Amp flux wire welder a few months back and finally had some time to test it out. Basically, I wanted to learn how to weld, so I picked this welder up along with an auto darkening helmet. I'm not looking to quit my day job; just want to pick up another skill/hobby. The unit: This setup is right out of the box and I'm using the wire that came with it. These first welds were with the unit set on "min" and the wire speed around 6ish. I'm using an old edger blade. Round 2! Set the unit to "Max" and brought the wire speed up to 8. I've moved up to an old lawn mower blade. I've already learned a few things: Metal needs to be clean on the welding and ground surface. I grabbed some scrap steel that was painted (old window channels/frames) and that didn't work so well. So from here out, I'll try to locate some non painted stuff. Again, this is the my first welder. But it seemed fairly easy to set up and get going. And adjustments were pretty straight forward. Looking forward to getting some more practice time.
Reply:I am also a newb to welding so I am gonna take a stab at what I see and find out if I have paid any attention in class.Looks tome like your welds are sitting atop the metal. No penetration and I think you are running too fast.Also a lot of spatter but I do not know what causes this.  Maybe too much heat?Forgive me if my criticism is wrong. I am also learning.Last edited by MWalden; 06-07-2011 at 10:19 PM.
Reply:to learn, teach....
Reply:Originally Posted by MWaldenAlso a lot of spatter but I do not know what causes this.  Maybe too much heat?
Reply:Keep on practicing. Look for vid's on youtube.200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:Go down to the local supply store and buy a piece of the thickest metal 1/4' or 3/8' thick so you can really turn it up, prevent melt through, and see how your doing. It will last a long time. Weld on it all over, and grind it down, and repeat.....Or sheet, stock around 14 gauge is generally good as well.Make sure to grind off any mill scale.If you pick up some gas from the local welding store you'll see a marked improvement and it will get rid of the splatter, and really help.Remeber to make small cursive E shape as you go. Looks like your on your way...Good start, just practice, practice, practice.1981 Lincoln SA 200Miller Trailblazer 302gMiller 211 Mig Welder w/ AutosetI'm learning to stick metal together
Reply:Originally Posted by jsm11Go down to the local supply store and buy a piece of the thickest metal 1/4' or 3/8' thick so you can really turn it up, prevent melt through, and see how your doing. It will last a long time. Weld on it all over, and grind it down, and repeat.....Or sheet, stock around 14 gauge is generally good as well.Make sure to grind off any mill scale.If you pick up some gas from the local welding store you'll see a marked improvement and it will get rid of the splatter, and really help.Remeber to make small cursive E shape as you go. Looks like your on your way...Good start, just practice, practice, practice.
Reply:for starters that 90 amp is only good for at the most 1/8 steel mayb 3/16 with multi passif you are using the wire that came with your welder  go get some lincoln 211 FC wire you will be maxed out for 1/8 '' and as said  it is practice  but it will have its place it will give you the basics as to how to weld... start with some lap joints, but joints , then filets but it is a start watch your stick out as you weld some where about 1/4 ''  then do a bend testidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tigidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tig #2 used for sticklincoln sp100hh125dual arbor grinder polisher30 yrs of hand tools52 pitch blocks 6p-26prake gauge -pitch gaugeG&D prop repair 918-207-6938Hulbert,okla 74441
Reply:Sign yer coupons & sell 'em as art!!!
Reply:Originally Posted by prop-doctorfor starters that 90 amp is only good for at the most 1/8 steel mayb 3/16 with multi passif you are using the wire that came with your welder  go get some lincoln 211 FC wire you will be maxed out for 1/8 '' and as said  it is practice  but it will have its place it will give you the basics as to how to weld... start with some lap joints, but joints , then filets but it is a start watch your stick out as you weld some where about 1/4 ''  then do a bend test
Reply:The first rule of buying a welding machine, and it ought to be a warning label on the box lid, is don't tell your family or neighbors that you bought a welding machine.Two turn tables and a microphone.
Reply:Forget the weaving and just practice running straight stringer beads and working on your machine settings. There are no shortcuts, just lots of practice.
Reply:Originally Posted by Old SkoolForget the weaving and just practice running straight stringer beads and working on your machine settings. There are no shortcuts, just lots of practice.
Reply:Not to bad. Just keep on practicing a little every day if your having a bad day then wait till the next day. Use some 1/4" plate and as many amps as you can with out burning through. Good luck and make it stick.A true story: At work they had a welder that made walking bridges for the parks. I didn't even know we had a welder in the parks devision until they shipped him to the mechanic's shop to do the welding for us (we did our own welding) came to find out that a few of the bridges had welding issues. His welds was as nice as I have seen the only thing was they didn't hold, NO penetration, looks 100% penetration 20% maybe. He no longer works there.www.georgesplasmacuttershop.comPlasma Cutter and Welder Sales and Repairs--Ebay storeTec.Mo. Dealer Consumables for the PT and IPT torch's
Reply:Well I am not against 115 volt wire feeders (I have one).  I am not against AC power source welders (I have one of those too, but it is an arc welder which works okay for stick but AC output for a wire feed stinks badly).  I am not even against cheap welders either as they do have their place in the market.  Unfortunately, I would not want to own your welder if it is the one that I think it is.  If it is an AC power source welder it is likely always to be spattery even as your skills improve.  Most flux core wire is designed for DC use so this welder is likely to never work really well even on the thinner metals that it should work well on.  See Harbor Freight section for lengthy thread on all the owners modding this particualar welder to convert to DC.  If you just bought this thing new then I would return it and put the money towards a different DC wire feeder - there are alternative options in the low cost arena that are better options than this unit.If it happens to be DC output then disregard my rant.
Reply:Thanks for the input guys. I'll keep practicing. I have a tailgate on the yard trailer I tug behind my ATV that needs to get fixed...and a fire pit screen that's seen better days. Maybe I'll pots some pics of those projects when they come around.
Reply:I bought this very same welder, tried it out a few times, found that flux is a dirty business all around, went out and bought what I really wanted, a unit that uses gas with enough power to do more than I wanted - so $1200 later my HF flux 90 was back in its box waiting for someone to come along and give me $100 for it. Hardly even used....Just quoting my experience, I am very new but my welds were 1000 times better on the first try. And instead of modding my 211 to do aluminum with the spool gun, I added a TIG machine so I could do aluminum and stainless the best way from the start. I am into this $3K now, but the quality is lifetime and I won't need any excuses - just practice.Welding is a very worthwhile skill to learn correctly. I will be building a driveway sliding gate this summer and will more than pay for the tools with the labor I will save. (At least that is how I am justifying the expense of it!)Good luck to you.Millermatic® 211 Auto-Set™ with MVP™Miller Diversion™ 180 AC/DC TIGEvery air tool made...if it can be driven by air, I want it.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Neon Sign Fabricatorwww.casinoneon.com
Reply:I also have this welder.  I bought to fix Exhaust system on my car and learn how to weld at same time but, my exhaust system is long gone with rust.I need better way to transport my kayaks to water but I don't want to pay $$$ for fancy ones. I already got design drawn out and start collecting parts. Mean while I practice welding by scoring line on piece of metal and tries to follow it.  I was laying down beads but completely missing the joints lol.
Reply:This is what I did and I can weld 1/4 inch with good results.Take nozzle off and buy Lincoln tips and flux core nozzle. Push flux core nozzle on torch and twist clockwise. Buy horbart 35 thousandth flux core wire and get rid of the wire that came with the welder. turn welder on high set wire speed at 3 or 4 and weld in half moon motions slowly so the welder will have time to heat the metal red hot. This welder can't be used with gas and its no good for sheet metal. I made a stand for my grinder and the floor plate is 1 inch thick. I welded 3'' square tubing to the base and it's still together after pounding on it with a 5 pound hammer. Make sure it's plugged into a 20 amp 110 circuit with nothing else running on that circuit. Good luck and have fun.
Reply:Thanks for posting guys...it's good reading about others' experiences. I was "fixing" the tailgate on my yard trailer last night. Man, did that come out ugly. I think part of the problem was trying to weld 1/8th to really thin sheet metal. Burned through in a few spots. I'll see what I can clean up with the grinder. I found making a little cursive "e" as I pulled the bead to be helpful. I really need to practice more on plate before I try to weld stuff together. I'm not event going to bother with pics. It's embarassing. kctgb,Cool...good advice there! I'll try the Lincoln nozzle and tips. I picked up some Lincoln .35 fluxcore wire the other day...I just need to change it out in the machine. I'll give the half moons a try too.
Reply:1. Get a can of that stuff you spray on the metal to prevent spatter. Well, it doesn't really prevent it per se, but keeps it from sticking. You can practically blow it off. You can buy it anywhere - Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.:2. Put a wire brush on a good cordless electric drill.  It's really handy for quickly brushing the paint and crud off a strip of metal to get a cleaner weld, and to clean the bead afterwards. I always have it within grabbing distance.  A twisted wire is better, like this:Last edited by Ruark; 06-16-2011 at 07:52 PM.
Reply:pam works well  for anti-splatter spray and cheaper than the box storesidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tigidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tig #2 used for sticklincoln sp100hh125dual arbor grinder polisher30 yrs of hand tools52 pitch blocks 6p-26prake gauge -pitch gaugeG&D prop repair 918-207-6938Hulbert,okla 74441
Reply:Excellent! I can try some form of spray. I saw the anti-splatter gel the other day at the Depot. Does that work the same way? Last night, I put in the Lincoln .035 wire, a Lincoln .035 tip and a Lincoln flux nozzle. The nozzle leaves a bit of a gap on the backside of the nozzle (where it should meat the torch/gun) but I didn't find that to be a big deal. I did find that when I put the welder on "max" and the wire speed on 7, it laid down a thicker bead, and there was less spatter. The flux nozzle keeps the tip at the very end of the nozzle...vs recessed like the stock nozzle that came with the welder. I found it easier to see around the nozzle; which made seeing the puddle easier too. I have almost that exact same wire wheel that was posted above. I bought one for my grinder. It does an awesome job at stripping off old paint. It works pretty fast! I need to visit Logan Steel and pick up some scrap. I want to see if I can actually weld some metal together.
Reply:Originally Posted by Skier76Excellent! I can try some form of spray. I saw the anti-splatter gel the other day at the Depot. Does that work the same way?
Reply:Aah tis to the learning, for one try to practice on clean metal you must clean clean and more clean and with practice... practice... practice you will eventually get  it right good luck and post more pics as you progress we're never too old or young to learn!  Good LuckwboldenGotcha. Now I understand what the gel is for. I'll get some more pics up soon hopefully. I really like getting out into the garage after work and practicing.
Reply:I hit the semi local metal yard and came home with some scrap. I tried welding two pieces at an angle. The welds still aren't the prettiest. Part of my issue is I'm working on the garage floor. If I had a proper table, I may have a bit more control when I run a bead. Still, it probably wouldn't make that much of a difference. Two pieces joined together flat: