Go easy on me...... My 1st attempt at welding!

admin

I bought a Hobart 140 and some scrap metal to practice on. I am using the Flux Core that came with it until I can afford to get a tank and gas. None the less.... this is my first couple beads!
Reply:Good job for your first attempt.
Reply:When asking for comments on your welds, give us as much info as possible. Machine type and settings, wire size and type, material thickness, push or pull if doing solid wire, gas flow for solid wire etc.The more we know, the better we can answer your questions without having to keep asking for more info or guessing.Beads on the upper plate don't look too bad from what little I can see.  Zoomed in a bit more so we can see detail clearly helps. The one on the left side on the vertical plate is probably the best of the group. 1st batch you aren't waiting long enough for the puddle to form, looks like a similar problem on the fillet of your T joint. Also your T joint the bead seems to wander up and down. looks lik a a lot of your beads are mostly on the bottom plate and not much on the top one.Practice practice, practice. I'd recommend 1st simply doing plain beads until you can consistently make good looking beads. Then start overlapping the last bead 50% with the next bead. This lets you practice your aim, and not burn up a ton of material..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:Sorry about that...... I believe my settings were 3 on power and 45 wire speed. Using Hobart .030 Flux Core Wire. The plate was 3/16". I was attempting the pull method as I hear that is best for beginners. I was really having a hard time seeing the puddle at all and i couldn't really see the joints or piece I was working on. I have a auto darkening helmet but I didn't realize till now that there are setting on that as well so I can't wait to try again tonight and hopefully I can see a little better.
Reply:Power might be able to go up to 4, wire speed sounds about right. With FC wire you always drag or "pull" the puddle.The slag for the flux can make actually seeing the puddle a bit difficult. You have to lean to differentiate between what is molten steel and what is molten flux. Having the wrong darkness setting on the hood won't help.You may find thinner steel a bit easier to work with and less expensive..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:If you're pulling with FC, take your nozzle off. You'll be able to see your joint a lot better.
Reply:Try a shade 10 on your hood, too. What was it set on on this first try?
Reply:There wasn't anyone to look at our welds when I started. We were told to smash it on the ground and if it broke apart you f***ed it up!
Reply:go ahead and fill the entire plate with beads overlapping by a 1/2 to 1/3, a bar like that you can cut up and tack weld the pieces together to get more of a square plate and the, fill it up you can dunk it in a bucket of water between welds to cool it of( this should never be done to cool welds on projects as it makes the weld brittle)
Reply:Turn it up
Reply:Keep at it! Keep going and trying! Experiment with settings. Try to watch the puddle ooze and flow.Last edited by Hambone2004; 02-07-2015 at 01:25 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by Bosco99There wasn't anyone to look at our welds when I started. We were told to smash it on the ground and if it broke apart you f***ed it up!
Reply:When running flux core get one of these http://www.amazon.com/Hobart-770487-...ux+core+nozzle a flux core nozzle .Miller Dailarc HF 250 Hobart 140
Reply:Before you start turning that auto-dim helmet down, take a good look at the recommended settings for the welding you are doing. While the lower settings (less than 12) will improve your view of everything around your weld, it also can increase the glare. You may find that setting it at 12 will reduce the glare and actually improve your vision of the puddle. There is a lot of people on here recommending lenses or lens settings that are below those recommended by the manufacturers, which may not be good for either your eyes or reading the puddle.250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:Looks exactly like my first attempt a year ago....you get a lot more splatter with flux core than gas....just finished a 3 piece fire breathing dragon for the lawn.  That's the only worthless thing I have done...fabricating and welding useful stuff all the time.  You won't be sorry...lots of good u tube videos to watch...Dean.
Reply:try pushing...I find it easier to see the puddle
Reply:You can't push flux-core.