1/2 inch penetration

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Just got my old hobart beta mig 250 up and running its 250 amp I want to know if I butt two pieces of 1/2 steel together with 1/6" gap how deep will it or should it penetrate I am running .035 wire.
Reply:I just cant figure why you would want to do this. If you want penetration then bevel the edge gap it and run a stringer bead. That way you can make sure it is going thru all the way to the end of the weld.  If you weld like you say they will spread apart or if tacked at the ends they will pull together in middle and you will not get a continous weld. Hope this helps
Reply:I think you misunderstood my question I know you bevel it for a strong weld I was just wonder how deep it would penetrate if you were to do it that way .I was just tring to get amps and wire speed set and just playing around with welder and didnt think mine was peretrating very well.
Reply:Dont know there. Cept a 250 machine turned up all the way should fall thru that in about an inch of welding. Is that what you mean.
Reply:hondaman - I would feel comfortable in saying that the most penetration you would get with this square joint configuration would be approximately 1/8" if you pull the weld and less penetration if you push the welding gun. Try it both ways pulling the gun and pushing the gun then if you have a band saw cut the two welds perpendicular to the weld and see for yourself what penetration you got. Have fun and keep on experimenting.Weldor/ Certified Inspector
Reply:The 1 amp per 0.001 inch rule should give about a 1/4 inch of penetration.
Reply:On 1/2 in metal all kidding aside. The 250 welders I have to use at work would go clear thru depending on the settings with a 1/16 gap. Not that it will be a good weld but it can be done. I think I would just experiment with making sure a wire welder was penetrating both pieces. I am a stick welder by trade. I hate wire because it seems to me that too many of the welds are going out the door only welded to one piece. With a stick welder you have the flux to tell you you are not getting thru to both pieces by spinning in a circle.  Harold
Reply:Is it .035 solid or self shielding flux core? With that .035 solid somewhere around 200 amps you can keep turning it up but you begin to start just piling on wire wire than adding a lot to the amps relative to the middle of the operating range. The curve starts uphill fairly steep after about 180-200 amps. What you will notice on a bead of appreciable length is that the there will be more apparent depth of fusion after enough distance that the base has heated up some. Of course with a tight narrow gap a lot of that may be molten metal flowing deeper too and not really what you'd want to call penetration. It is a very worthwhile experiment tho. All things like that are. It's important to know "what happens if" for a whole gamut of scenarios. If you don't get some of this out of the way during play time and practice you're gonna find yourself grinding out a bad one or with a failure at some point. A guy needs to find out the what the limits are. Be sure to tack the ends open so the gap doesn't close up on you. Or better yet, do it both ways, see what happens.
Reply:do itcut it in halfpost a pitcher
Reply:If your planning to weld some 1/2" plate and are try to set your machine, why don't you practice on that exact joint your going to be doing.  I really don't see any benefit in setting up the machine the way you'd like because none of the info gathered would help you.  If your in the learning stages just realize people are trying to save you wasted time and effort.
Reply:If you want penetration, set up with C8 gas and spray the joint.You've got a big enough machine to do it in spray.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:Originally Posted by SundownIIIIf you want penetration, set up with C8 gas and spray the joint.You've got a big enough machine to do it in spray.
Reply:Originally Posted by transitThe 1 amp per 0.001 inch rule should give about a 1/4 inch of penetration.
Reply:Ok to answer some questions I am running soild .035 wire with 75/25 gas.I did some more playing I cranked it all the way up on amps and wire speed and got a good solid 1/4" penetration.I also checks volt with the machine  all the way up I was getting 43 or 45 volts how does that measure to amps.
Reply:i get about 6" of penetration        thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:Originally Posted by woi2ldi get about 6" of penetration
Reply:i'm a giver , not a takerdefinately bevel man.  what's wrong with u.        thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:Originally Posted by hondamanOk to answer some questions I am running soild .035 wire with 75/25 gas.I did some more playing I cranked it all the way up on amps and wire speed and got a good solid 1/4" penetration.I also checks volt with the machine  all the way up I was getting 43 or 45 volts how does that measure to amps.
Reply:I clipped this crude looking little chart out of some document or other, can't remember whoes or what wire brand or even if any brand. What it does indicate is that somewhere around 250-to-300 ipm you'd already reached the amp max of your machine plus or minus a few for fudge factor. After that you were just piling on wire. You should theoretically be adding more heat in the form of joules/watts from the increased voltage as well as the piled on molten metal running at warp 6 but that doesn't necessarily mean that all that heat is directed right into the joint or results in increased fusion. Attached Images
Reply:What I am trying to do is find out if this machine is working correctly that is why I was do the test.I guess what I was doing is not a good way to check machine .It has been sitting for years and I dont know if it is working right how can I test the output to see if it is working right
Reply:Originally Posted by hondamanWhat I am trying to do is find out if this machine is working correctly that is why I was do the test.I guess what I was doing is not a good way to check machine .It has been sitting for years and I dont know if it is working right how can I test the output to see if it is working right
Reply:I dont have a clamp on meter can I use a regular meter and what setting do I put meter on if I can use it.
Reply:Originally Posted by hondamanI dont have a clamp on meter can I use a regular meter and what setting do I put meter on if I can use it.