Tell me what is wrong with this weld.

admin

Started building me a stand for my welder and I am having a heck of a time getting my welds to look good. I am welding 3/16 angle for the bottom frame, 10 ga sheet for the bottom floor and 16 ga 1 1/2 square tubing for the legs. I am using .030 wire with 75/15 gas, my welder is a Lincoln pro Mig 180 220v. The welds seem to have soot arond them with some porosity. I have posted a pic for you to look at to better help me with what I am doing wrong.
Reply:1 - your metal still has the mill scale on it 2 - you haven't ground off the mill scale3 - grind until you see shiny steel4 - a good weld is made by having a clean weld area5 - try that and you'll see better results John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:You either have the gas turned off are out of gas.   Check your shielding gas....I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:It really looks like you aren't getting any gas coverage at all, not even a little bit. In class, we once experimented with welding with bare electrodes (stick electrodes with no flux coating) and the welds looked almost exactly like that.I'd double check to make sure all necessary valves and regulators are open. If your machine has a gas solenoid that turns on the gas to the gun, make sure it's working properly.Visit Tensaiteki.com
Reply:Its a short weld, could be not enough gas pressure combined with no prepurge.  or you could have the garage door open and a breeze blowing over your work...  Its something silly I tell ya.  Are you putting a strain on the gun cable trying to get in that corner??Hope that helps.Various GrindersVictor Journeyman torch200cf Acet. 250cf oxygenLincoln 175 plus/alpha2 gunLincoln v205t tigLincoln 350mpEsab 650 plasmaWhen you can get up in the morning, Its a good day.Live each day like its your last.
Reply:Dont matter...Tig torch or mig gun...If running gas you should be able to hear it go ssssssssssssssssssssBefore you start..Allright allright enough laughing...If not then you have a problem...(I hold them up to my ears...)Be careful of the mig wire.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Once you get your gas problem solved leave a bit of a gap between the 2 pieces or bevel grind them.
Reply:Gas is what I was thinking also so I have tried turning it up and turning it down and everywere in between, What should the flow be on something like this. I am doing this in my garage and I didn't notice any breeze coming in.And on the cleaning of the work, I had been grinding to bare metal but it still looked the same as this one so I just said forget it and stopped bothering with grinding anymore.How much drop is normal on the flow gauage when you hit the trigger, for instance if I have my flow set to 20 and I hit the trigger it drops maybe to 19 is that normal or should there be more drop.
Reply:And then clean the darn base metal like Microzone said too!Crap in the weld bead means porous and brittle.Favorite right now is a Miller Syncro 200.Tons of tools and I blame at least one of them when things don't go right.
Reply:NO GAS coverage.  That is what it looks like.  Even dirty plate would look better than that with proper gas.  Turn the wire speed all the way down.  Pull the trigger, listen for the Hissss like Zap sez.   It should continue to flow while the wire is coming out of the gun.  A mig weld with proper shielding should look much better.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapster(I hold them up to my ears...)Be careful of the mig wire...zap!
Reply:Yes, clean that steel until you can see the bugs in your teeth! I use a wiper with solvent on the filler wire also. The porosity is usually gas related. I would raise the voltage a little bit. A bevel on the edge and a very slight gap works good. That area in the joint is real hard to clean after you have struck an arc, so make sure the machine is set correctly by practiceing on some scrap of the same type. Last edited by tanglediver; 07-11-2007 at 09:32 PM.City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Well I found the problem, you guys was right about it being a gas problem. I went back out in the garage to check and see if I could hear gas coming out of the tip and I couldn't so I grabbed the cable were it plugs into the machine and pushed and it went in about a 1/4 of an inch, I then tried to listen for gas and there it was not only could I hear it but I could feel it too.I am surprised at how easy it is to pull the cable out of the machine, is it suppose to lock somehow or is it just a friction fit.Thanks for the help guys.
Reply:Originally Posted by Hammack_WeldingYou either have the gas turned off are out of gas.   Check your shielding gas....
Reply:If your lincoln is like mine you have to make sure the setscrew inside the case screws all the way down.  There should be a slot in the cable end that the screw sticks down in to keep it from coming out.  Check your set screw on the  top of the wire feeder housing.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Originally Posted by Hammack_WeldingIf your lincoln is like mine you have to make sure the setscrew inside the case screws all the way down.  There should be a slot in the cable end that the screw sticks down in to keep it from coming out.  Check your set screw on the  top of the wire feeder housing.
Reply:have you ground an area to shiny metal for your ground lead? having a good ground helps a lot.http://datingsidorsingel.com/
Reply:I agree it is recommended to clean your base metal prior to welding. The suggestion that I have is look at your electrode extension, try holding the nozzle closer to the weld ( maybe you pulled the nozzle too far back in order to see in that angle corner.Martin MC Weld TechAWS-CWIAWS-CWEwww.linkedin.com/pub/martin-cramer/20/b36/940/
Reply:Am I the only one who noticed he's missing 10% of his gasDewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:Am I the only one who noticed he's missing 10% of his gas
Reply:So, you're saying he didn't eat enough beans? John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:fart gas is only used on bolognium alloys..Various GrindersVictor Journeyman torch200cf Acet. 250cf oxygenLincoln 175 plus/alpha2 gunLincoln v205t tigLincoln 350mpEsab 650 plasmaWhen you can get up in the morning, Its a good day.Live each day like its your last.
Reply:From one newbee to another. Put the gas away! Get flux core, and get used to controlling the gun. Flux core is more forgiving. it helped me to learn to see the puddle, and move the gun correctly. With gas there are just more things to go wrong. This same advice given to me by my stepdad (30+yrs. exp.) You only need to be 2% smarter than what you are working on.Lincoln pm140hacksawa big hammer
Reply:Originally Posted by MB2005From one newbee to another. Put the gas away! Get flux core, and get used to controlling the gun. Flux core is more forgiving. it helped me to learn to see the puddle, and move the gun correctly. With gas there are just more things to go wrong. This same advice given to me by my stepdad (30+yrs. exp.)
Reply:Very true gas is cleaner. I said "more forgiving" You only need to be 2% smarter than what you are working on.Lincoln pm140hacksawa big hammeryour pause is to long and your arc length is to short. Just my nickels worth of advice.
Reply:Originally Posted by 737mechanicStarted building me a stand for my welder and I am having a heck of a time getting my welds to look good. I am welding 3/16 angle for the bottom frame, 10 ga sheet for the bottom floor and 16 ga 1 1/2 square tubing for the legs. I am using .030 wire with 75/15 gas, my welder is a Lincoln pro Mig 180 220v. The welds seem to have soot arond them with some porosity. I have posted a pic for you to look at to better help me with what I am doing wrong.