Im dangerous now

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For the last three days I have been trying to learn to weld and getting piss poor to no penetration. Weld it, take a hammer to the piece I just welded on and it breaks right apart. This went on for days.Details Welder: Mig Ready Welder (actually a prototype for it called the Mig Master) Does Flux or Gas. Uses Auto Battery for power.Wire used this project: Started with 0.30 flux.  Then went to 0.35 FluxMaterial: Scrap rusty 1" angle iron and a funky cut piece of scrap 1/4 flat plate. Yes, I cleaned the rust off etc.Now on this welder the only adjusments are thisAmps/volts- --1. The faster you move the wire the more heat you get the manual says. Not sure how this relates to amps and volts. --2. Use better  Batterie$. According to manual 12v for thin stuff and 24v for heavier. (2 stacked in parallel). Started with two inexpensive 12v Lawn mower batteries.  Finished with 2 used Deep cycle Marine Battereis.  (used but newish in age)--3. I read today that you can also stack in more batteries somehow. Not sure if this is done to increase amps or voltage or both. I'm sure their is some limit to. Anyone have more knowledge on this?Wire Speed---1. Trigger finger:  The speed of the wire is controlled by the rate in which you squeez the trigger. Think variable speed drill.  My Mig Master actually uses a variable speed drill to push the wire.  Yeah I know hocky but it works. The newer Ready Welders have their own motor to push the wire.--2. Gear Ratio: My unit transfers the rotational energy of the drill to the wire spooler thru two gears. These gears can be removed and swapped.  So you can have either a 1:2 ratio (1 rotation of the drill is 2 rotations of the wire spool mechanisim) or 2:1 (2 rotations of the drill is only one rotaion of the wire spool mechanism)  The manual says use slow speed gear set ups for thin metals and aluminum (up to around 1000rpm or so if I remember right) and fast speeds for thicker stuff. (up to 5000rpm.)  The manual assumed a 110vlt 1200rpm+ variable speed drill would be used. My drill is portalbe and max output is only 600 rpm as it is. It's slow but I chose this drill cause it is very light in weight thus making the whole thing more user friendly.  Cause of its slow speed I've arranged the gears accordinglyManual says to adjust wire speed to one that gives you a nice BUZZ.  LOL.  Didn't quite know what a good welding buzz sound was till Sun. (the third morning of all this) I saw an episode of a truck build up on the Speed Channel. I got to hear the buzz again as they were welder onto their project truck. Its not like I never heard that buzz before; I had just not paid attention to it.  I went to the shop on the third day with their welder's buzzing in my ears,  with the plan to find that perfect BUZZZ when I welded too.ok.... so what worked and what did not:-- 0.30 wire SUKED -- No matter what I did at 24v, no matter what batteries I used; I got no penetration.  Most my beads were amature, but livable. Yet, could knock off the pieces of angle iron I was attemping to attach to the flat plate easily with a hammer.  No matter what wire speed either.   Fast speeds would just hammer the wire into the piece and break wire off and leave a nasty mess of molten metal with pieces of broken off wire sticking out randomly!!!--0.35 wire BINGO -- Got desperate and went and found some 0.35 flux wire.  Still using the 2 Marine Batteries (Gell Cell) at 24v  and still using the gears set up in fast mode. It was a night and day difference.  Welded up just fine first pass .  The material got MUCH HOTTER  and Bead ended up ok.  Well, ok by my standards   I'll get pics eventually.  Next going to build a table to put my bench top drill press on.  Using a resturant table leg for the base. It  is a single post leg like you find under tables in most mom and pop resturants.  What the table top normaly screws too is a forged plate of some sort attached to the top of the post.  Not sure if it is cast iron or cast steel. In an out of the way place I welded on a small piece of the angle iron to this forged plate and it welded just fine with the 0.35 flux wire. Will report back when I get it put together.  Once drill press is opperational I can then start making shop tables to work on. Will use more scrap. Final "Shop Building" Major project will be a welding table? Watch out world... I'm dangerous- Got welder- will travel.  Last edited by coachgeo; 04-03-2006 at 02:01 AM.
Reply:keep working at it , but remember one thing wire welders are not forgiving if the metal is dirty and you have to adjust your self to the machines capabilitys and speed of travel
Reply:Thanx for the reply boilermaker.  Your points are good. Originally Posted by boilermakerkeep working at it , but remember one thing wire welders are not forgiving if the metal is dirty
Reply:George,They mentioned adding more batteries,   there are two ways to add batteries....series, and parrallel.  To series you add th voltage.  To parrallel you attain same voltage you get longer life.  if series is to add pos to neg,  then parrallel is to add neg to neg pos to pos.  Other than that.  you need to match your voltage for the particular thickness, then you adjust your wire speed.  Wire is a PITB at best untill you learn to use it.  So this will create a challenge, but I think with practice youll get the hang of it.  BTW wire speed is your heat, but youre voltage gets you to the right range so to speakIF it Catches...Let it Burn
Reply:Redneck,Anyone as dedicated to learning to weld as you seem to be,deserves a real welder. Go to a local welding vocational school and take a class. You will thank yourself many times over your lifetime.Don't give up the drive and keep at it.David
Reply:Originally Posted by stronicsRedneck,Anyone as dedicated to learning to weld as you seem to be,deserves a real welder. Go to a local welding vocational school and take a class. You will thank yourself many times over your lifetime.Don't give up the drive and keep at it.David
Reply:Well I do live in the Redneck Riveria but... Im not the "Redneck" from this board.  I'm Coach George.Can't take classes cause of my work schedule cept maybe a summer course but no one ever offers welding in the summers. I've tried in three different states (NV, OH, FL)
Reply:Coach,You might try the continuing education classes in community/Votech schools.  These classes are not listed in the main schedule because they don't count for a degree.  The continuing ed. bulletin is usually entirely separate from the class schedule.  They are not the main classes.  They are often taught at night.  However, they usually are not as geared toward getting you a job, just getting you up to a basic level of proficiency...but, you still get to use their stuff and are often taught by one of the regular teachers.  Colleges do this all the time as a type of community outreach.  In Georgia the Department of Technical and Adult Education does all of the votech school administration for the state...you might have a similar department in FL.  If you contact them, you can find out where might be the best place to start looking locally...You could at least put the bug in their ear about summer welding courses...Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:Originally Posted by smithboyCoach,You might try the continuing education classes in community/Votech schools.  ....
Reply:I am sorry to hear that.  Sounds like budget cutbacks have hit Florida's education system also.  Votech stuff in GA started going through a down sizing about 10 years ago...everyone is placing more emphasis on office-related vocational skills and less on industrial.  I guess it's tied to the decline in manufacturing in the south.  Around here (west central ga) most of the welding classes that used to be taught in some highschools and almost all votech colleges have been centralized in a few votech colleges around the state.  The votech school here in my town used to teach several sections every quarter...now it isn't taught at all locally.I know there are year-round classes in Jacksonville, but they are at a private (for profit) institution and would likely be expensive and geared toward certification.  You might as well sign up for the intensive classes offered by miller or lincoln and travel...they wouldn't be any more expensive, probably.  You could see if any of the major welding companies are planning any 1-3 day events near you anytime soon.  They have traveling demos that double as instruction seminars.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.