My first project welds

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I bought a bandsaw today and it is heavy as hell so I decided to get started on the base and get it on casters. This is officially my first project with my welder rather than just running beads and practice joints. If the attachments work, here they are....... Attached ImagesPowcon 400SM2-PD60 wire feedersMiller XR controlAlumapro push/pull gunSpeedglas 9100xBFH
Reply:As you can see I was experimenting while building this thing. First weld is a push angle with eeeeee pattern. Second pic is a push angle with a slight side to side motion. Third pic, I believe I tried pulling the gun and I got a tall narrow bead. Fourth pic was a push angle with an OOOOOO pattern overlapping eachother, I like the way it turned out the best of them all. Fifth pic is just a straight push. All the joints were lap joints with 1/8" hot rolled, cleaned to bare metal with a grinding wheel. All of the welds were also done in the horizontal position. I'll list a few things I learned from this little project and I'd appreciate if some would chime in and critique my welds. 1) Metal moves a lot mor than I thought it would when welded. My first corner I started out perfectly square, clamped it and put a good tack on the corner. I checked it again before tacking the inside corner and it was a good 1/8" out of square in 12" of run. I re-squared, tacked and did the same for the next joint. When putting the next two peices on I just tacked 1 corner and used a bar clamp to hold everything square while I finished tacking it together. The tacks held it in square for the rest of the welds pretty well.2) While flap wheels seem like they are good at removing mill scale, they wear out quick. The grinding disk worked much faster and will last much longer....the grinding disk doesn't leave as nice of a finish as the flap disk though.3) A clean lens makes ALL the difference in the world as far as being able to see what you are doing. I used the same damn lense for 3-4 weeks of welding class which was all stick welding in a booth and for the most part the fumes would go straight for the lense. I'd just been wiping it off, the new lens without all the scratches and discoloration made a huge difference.4) A welding table would be great to have. All of my at home practice including this little project is done in my driveway while sitting/kneeling on the concrete. It's hard to get comfortable in any position while kneeling down on washed stone driveway. Leaning way over to reach a weld I could feel my body shaking and noticed it in the final product of the welds where it effected the consistancy of the bead.5) Pushing the gun for me works better than pulling the gun.i didn't change the settings at all between the different techniques. I was at around 75-80% of low range on my power, about 250imp .035 wire, 75/25 mixed gas at about 25cfh.Powcon 400SM2-PD60 wire feedersMiller XR controlAlumapro push/pull gunSpeedglas 9100xBFH
Reply:Anyone have some suggestions as to where I could improve?Powcon 400SM2-PD60 wire feedersMiller XR controlAlumapro push/pull gunSpeedglas 9100xBFH
Reply:You didn't let the arc start properly, your travel speed is incontinent, looks like you tried to whip the first bead, but better than most.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:What do you mean when you say let the arc start properly? I started pushing the puddle too quick?The first pic I could see the arc very well and could see it digging into the base metal as I moved it along, so I tried being a bad azz and do the "mig like tig" look, I think I should learn my role and stick to the basics until I get them down!  I does look pretty good from 5' away though!ThanksPowcon 400SM2-PD60 wire feedersMiller XR controlAlumapro push/pull gunSpeedglas 9100xBFH
Reply:Originally Posted by Bryan27What do you mean when you say let the arc start properly? I started pushing the puddle too quick?The first pic I could see the arc very well and could see it digging into the base metal as I moved it along, so I tried being a bad azz and do the "mig like tig" look, I think I should learn my role and stick to the basics until I get them down!  I does look pretty good from 5' away though!Thanks
Reply:Really doesn't look too bad, with practice you'll start looking more consistent. Don't be afraid to play with the settings either, try to evaluate each bead and then change the settings slightly to "improve" the next one. Same goes for your technique, & even your setup (as in how much gap you set, etc)By the way, I think you mean you welded those in the flat position. If they were welded in the horizontal position, it'd be like welding sideways on a wall. But those don't look bad for a beginner, I've seen MUCH worse! (Noooo, never mine.......  )Give me fuel, give me fire, give me that which I desire.
Reply:Here's a couple of good picts Boostinjdm posted that will show you the positions.Picts 5 and 6 look fairly good. All of them look a bit on the large side for an 1/8" lap joint. The beads look to be about 2x the size I'd expect on that size material and joint. I'm not sure what "75-80% of low range on my power," equates to, but I'd guess you could probably back it down somewhat for 1/8" as well as backing down the wire speed at the same time so you can make a smaller bead. At a blind guess without knowing your particular machine, I'd try 65-70% at about 200ipm or 60-65 at about 175ipm or so and see how that works. That or reduce your movements some and speed up just a bit.Most of your observations are pretty spot on. If you do a lot of work on a gravel drive you might want to get yourself a chunk of plywood to use as a kneeboard to save your knees a bit. Knee pads have a bad habbit of catching hot BB's and the foam/plastic kneeboards we have for doing concrete have the posibility of melting.I save flap wheels for finishing work. I have a backing pad and sanding disks for prep or grinding wheels. The sanding disks I usually get in coarse to very coarse grits for scale removal and save medium to fine grits for finishing work. This is where having several grinders can be a help, so you aren't swaping wheels all the time..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:BryanSomeone posted this for me, and I found it very helpful. You have much better control than I do. http://www.lincolnelectric.com/asset...ture/C2410.pdfLearning one rod at a time
Reply:Primetime, you may be correct about the welds being in the flat position, but I *think* it's horizontal. The work pieces themselves were flat, but the weld is at a 45 degree angle rather than straight down. With 1/8" material I doubt it'd make much difference on a lap joint. I agree with what you're saying on the machine. I need to figure out my settings better, I think that I tend to weld hotter and faster than my skill level permits and it shows up in the finished product.DSW, Thanks for the charts. I agree with what you are saying on all counts. I'd like to know exactly what  "75-80% of low range on my power," equates to also, it'd make the advice I get on here much more tangible if I could work in more definite terms. My machine is a Powcon 400SM, the low range goes from 30-250amps and the high range up to 400 amps on 3ph, I have it hooked up single ph and have been told it will put out about 300 amps high range at 100%. Like you said, I could probably stand to back off of both wire feed and voltage to get a better weld size and profile. I'd say the welds are about 3/8-1/2" in width. With the limit of not knowing what the power setting actually is, I'll probably start charting what wire speed provides the best results on different size materials and adjust my voltage by what I see and hear.  On another note, I see you're from the Philly area....I'll be sending you a pm here shortly.Powcon 400SM2-PD60 wire feedersMiller XR controlAlumapro push/pull gunSpeedglas 9100xBFH
Reply:Saw your PM and replied. I'm not all that familiar with the Powcons. I know they are very similar to the XMT's I've used. Does your machine read in volts or just percentages? Maybe they made an optional digital readout you can add if not. I know there are ones available for my old VS feeder taht I could dig up and add if I wanted. Unless you are doing code work it probably won't matter after some practice. My machine at home has taps. While the cover has suggested settings, I've kind of found what works for most material by practice. I can however make decent welds with a variety of heat settings, something that tends to annoy the students I help. Lots of it is about seeing the puddle and reacting to how it's acting and adjusting from there if needed. I usually do the reverse of what you suggested. I'll pick a voltage tap or voltage based roughly on the material thickness and then adjust my wire feed and movements based on what I need..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:Bryan,Stop trying to be cute (first photo) and run smooth stringers til you know what you're doing.I'd say the majority of your beads are "cold".  Shows up as the "humped bead" with little dig in the toe area.Try increasing your V and WFS slightly.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:If it will only put out 300 on high on single phase probably not at 250 at 75% on low. Assuming the same 25% drop on low as high that would take the top of your low to about 190 75% of that would be 140. 250 amps on 1/8 you would have to move like crazy. Try slowing wire speed or more heat at current speed.Millermatic 252millermatic 175miller 300 Thunderboltlincoln ranger 250smith torcheslots of bfh'sIf it dont fit get a bigger hammer
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWSaw your PM and replied. I'm not all that familiar with the Powcons. I know they are very similar to the XMT's I've used. Does your machine read in volts or just percentages? Maybe they made an optional digital readout you can add if not. I know there are ones available for my old VS feeder taht I could dig up and add if I wanted. Unless you are doing code work it probably won't matter after some practice. My machine at home has taps. While the cover has suggested settings, I've kind of found what works for most material by practice. I can however make decent welds with a variety of heat settings, something that tends to annoy the students I help. Lots of it is about seeing the puddle and reacting to how it's acting and adjusting from there if needed. I usually do the reverse of what you suggested. I'll pick a voltage tap or voltage based roughly on the material thickness and then adjust my wire feed and movements based on what I need.
Reply:Originally Posted by SundownIIIBryan,Stop trying to be cute (first photo) and run smooth stringers til you know what you're doing.I'd say the majority of your beads are "cold".  Shows up as the "humped bead" with little dig in the toe area.Try increasing your V and WFS slightly.
Reply:Make sure that you get rid of the dross from the cut edges with your grinder.  Mig welding has a pretty low tolerance for that crap.  One of the most important rules for a good weld is good prep.  Now practice.  Then practice some more!"The man of great wealth owes a peculiar obligation to the State, because he derives special advantages from the mere existence of government."  Teddy RooseveltAmerican by birth, Union by choice!  Boilermakers # 60America is a Union.
Reply:Edit,   Ignore my comment, I just looked and realized the 400sm and the 400smt have different layouts and no digital display on the SMLast edited by soutthpaw; 06-24-2011 at 12:20 AM.Tiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:I have to laugh when you said you were on your knees welding - I have yet to construct a table also so it looks like I am torching ants on the sidewalk when I practice.MUST decide what kind of table I want - and SOON!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:Originally Posted by soutthpawEdit,   Ignore my comment, I just looked and realized the 400sm and the 400smt have different layouts and no digital display on the SM
Reply:Hey Bryan... do you own a video camera of any sort? If so, set it up to record the display readout as you weld. Maybe your cell phone will work if it does video.Lincoln Idealarc 250 (circa 1962)Lincoln Weldpak 155 w/Mig KitLincoln Squarewave TIG 175
Reply:Originally Posted by Bryan27Thanks. I tend to get the "humped" bead regardless of my weld setting, even when I have my V and WFS turned fairly high. Do you think that travel speed might be playing into this or I just haven't gone high enough. I only ask because I've seen guys with little 110 machines post pictures of welds with a better profile where their machines wont even get to the V and WFS that I'm at. Could it be I'm dumping too much filler into the weld for my travel speed?I arrived at my chosen settings by guessing at WFS and adjusting V until it sounded good.....Not very scientific I know! I did take your suggestion and get the Miller student pack, I'm making my way through it. One thing I'm finding out though is that having someone look over your shoulder and teach is much better than trying to read it out of a book.
Reply:Bryan,Not at all familar with your setup.  Looks like you control the V and slope on the power supply and the WFS (amps) on the wirefeeder.  You may want to review the section on the effects of slope on the bead in the GMAW handbook you have.Pushing the bead (vs pulling) will also result in a flatter bead profile, but you mentioned that you were already doing this.The other thing you might want to consider is that your stickout may be too large.  That will result in additional electrical resistance and a reduction in the heat in the bead.You may want to go to millerwelds.com and download a copy of the owners manual for say a MM 251/252.  That manual will give you a table for V/WFS (amps) for most materials you'll be dealing with.  I use those tables to get a rough setting for setting up my XMT and wirefeeder.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.