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Alright guys, here's a few welds that I have knocked out with my 110v Lincoln flux core wirefeed machine.Both pictures show 1/4" diamond plate welded with .030 fluxcore.#1 is an overhead butt joint between the the diamond plate and the bracket.#2 is a corner joint on top of the mounting plate attatching the plate to the side.'71 Basterd Scout 2Intake manifold with NHRA markings....go figureNovice welder with enough schooling to be dangerous.David H. Petraeus for President 2012
Reply:second pic looks ok,  not great but ok,  as for the first one... need to work on that overhead position,   way too fast travel speed ,  slow down and weave a bit,   also make sure torch is pointing about 15 degrees into the weld puddle,   if you are a righty then you should be going from left to right.    heat rises so you can decrease the heat and wire speed a bit too.  you should be going the same travel speed as flat weld beadTiger 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:No offence...That machines underpowered to do a good job on 1/4" under most circumstances and especially at your posted skill level. The little 110v machines even with FC are usually optimistically rated at 3/16" under "best" conditions, in reality 1/8" is usually a better estimate.Your overhead needs a lot of work. If you want to have a chance at 1/4"  with that machine you'd better learn to do better prep than whats shown. As said the 2nd pict is "fair" at best. You definitely need to work on consistency and smooth motion from what I see.If I remember correctly your other post talked about trying to make money doing work.Hey guys, I won't try to portray myself as some master of welding but I do know a little bit about oxy/fuel and TIG. I just picked up a little 110v Lincoln wirefeed and I'm wondering whats the best way to go about learning more on flux-core wirefeed and how to get started in the welding industry either in a fab shop or striking out on my own.Anyways throw out those suggestions, also would be putting an add on craigslist for small mobile repairs be worth the time or would I be losing too much money to make it worthwhile?Thanks in advance guys.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWNo offence...That machines underpowered to do a good job on 1/4" under most circumstances and especially at your posted skill level. The little 110v machines even with FC are usually optimistically rated at 3/16" under "best" conditions, in reality 1/8" is usually a better estimate.Your overhead needs a lot of work. If you want to have a chance at 1/4"  with that machine you'd better learn to do better prep than whats shown. As said the 2nd pict is "fair" at best. You definitely need to work on consistency and smooth motion from what I see.If I remember correctly your other post talked about trying to make money doing work.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=43008I'd say you have a long way to go before you should consider yourself ready to turn semi-pro and do this for money even as side work. I'd have issues with any chassis/suspension work if this is a sample of your abilities. Chassis/suspension work IS structural especially if it's for on road vehicles.I'm not trying to bash you, just give you a heads up that your abilities shown just are not there yet. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt on your tig skills, but to be honest, if you are really good in tig, you ought to see the major issues with your mig welds right away. As others have suggested a class would go along way to helping you out with your mig skills. That and lots and lots of practice.You'd be best off if you stick to 1/8" or less with your little mig. It really won't put out enough heat to do thicker metal without playing lots of advanced tricks. The big issue is that from what I see, you lack the knowledge and experience to tell when you are getting a good weld or if you are just getting a good looking weld that lacks penetration. Little migs are notorious for laying down good looking beads that just sit on top of the steel. Stay within the limits of the machine and they are great for what they do.
Reply:Miller has a decent student pack you can order thru their website IIRC that many have recomended in the past. The Tech school used Hobart materials in the day classes, but I never looked at their site to see what they offered. Lincoln has a great book that covers all processes. It's VERY in depth and to many way over their heads. Its "The Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding", often refered to by many as the "bible". Lincoln also has a number of other good books offered on their site as well. The Bible isn't cheap. I forget what the newest version costs. I picked up one used that was one or 2 versions back for signifigantly less cash as just a general reference when I saw a copy at the used book store. Probably 90+% is still the same as the current version. I'd highly recomend that..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:To improve your welds, you need to prep better. Bevel that material, and get your material set up so you can run a couple passes and lay down an honest root pass, and then go back over it with a fill pass. As for the inconsistency in the bead, especially in the first pic; you have a fork in the road: Fluxcore tends to run a bit better when the speed is slower than mig. Try the heat at max, and then the speed around 3.5, no more than 4. Were it an uphill mig weld, the speed would be more like 4.5-5. Fluxcore welds, from what I have learned with a Lincoln 110 I owned for years, they like to be really steady, and linger as you run the bead. Circles, V's, straight stringer..... what matters most is allowing that puddle to form, and fill. And it does this well, but slower than a regular mig weld. That is the best advice i can give you from those pictures. Keep practicing, and keep posting pics!!And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:Stick a torch to that .250 plate before you weld. If you're welding with a 110v welder good luck trying to tickle that crack. Grind grooves in all those rivers of cracks. If you need to grind all the way thru an use a brass backer to fill that thoroughly. I would stay with the solid wire (70s) but if you don't have a machine with the gas solenoid. Max heat, preheat cheat, liquid nail it w/the brass backer.Good luck.Last edited by thermalfusioneng.; 07-03-2010 at 02:43 AM.
Reply:Here's the funny thing, those welds have held up quite well despite the abuse that I've put them through and how crappy that overhead one is.They're on a front bumper for the winch mounting plate and we've suspended the truck in the air overnight just to prove the simple fact that the welds will hold because I thought that first one also looked pretty sh!tty.I'll grab some more material today guys and post up some more pics for you to critique me on.Last edited by DB_Cooper; 07-03-2010 at 10:51 AM.'71 Basterd Scout 2Intake manifold with NHRA markings....go figureNovice welder with enough schooling to be dangerous.David H. Petraeus for President 2012
Reply:You have to be carefull with testing your welds like that and believing they are strong.  Since you don't know when and at how much pressure your welds will fail by putting a gradual load vs putting a shock load, they are two different things.  I kown there are formulas/books out there that will let you calculate how much a certain size weld/weld designs can handle and might be some nice material to have as reference.
Reply:Originally Posted by Jay OYou have to be carefull with testing your welds like that and believing they are strong.  Since you don't know when and at how much pressure your welds will fail by putting a gradual load vs putting a shock load, they are two different things.  I kown there are formulas/books out there that will let you calculate how much a certain size weld/weld designs can handle and might be some nice material to have as reference.
Reply:Millerwelds has a lot of good learning material and I believe they even have some videos on their site.  They also have a calculator on their site that you put in the metal thickness and it gives you the wire speed and heat settings.
Reply:.030 fluxcore wire16 gauge steelI'm thinking that it was a little hot but I'm looking for a second opinion.Top:Bottom, plenty of penetration...if not a little too much.'71 Basterd Scout 2Intake manifold with NHRA markings....go figureNovice welder with enough schooling to be dangerous.David H. Petraeus for President 2012
Reply:Originally Posted by DB_Cooper.030 fluxcore wire16 gauge steelI'm thinking that it was a little hot but I'm looking for a second opinion.Top:Bottom, plenty of penetration...if not a little too much.