First Post Welding Questions

admin

Hello everyone, I bought a mig welder a month ago and finally had a day to spend with it. Ive only welded 2 small pieces of metal before today in my life so there were some bad welds. My question is why were the welds bad and what went wrong. I have 4 pictures here. Number 1 and 2 seemed to be good but Im not a pro. Maybe the look good to me but are bad too. 3 and 4 had some big problems that I noticed.Weld 1Weld 2Weld 3Weld 4Any feedback and constructive criticism would be great. thanks!RyanOC
Reply:There's no scale on the first two and they're at an odd angle, so I can't really say much.  The last two show porosity, which is an indication that you're not getting enough welding gas.  Make sure your stickout is less than a half-inch, your nozzle is not clogged and your gas is set to ~25CFH.  Also, don't try to MIG weld in windy conditions.-Heath
Reply:The first two look just a bit cold. Look at the edges and overall bead profile. Looks a bit like lava. Like halbritt says, last couple definitely no to low on sheilding gas. What order did you weld these in?
Reply:I did them in the order shown. 2 and 3 are the same long weld. I didnt use gas though, i used the flux cored wire. but it might have been a little windy at times if that maters with flux wire.Ryan
Reply:what im wondering, that second to last looks awful but looks not like its mig but flux core.  are you running fluxcore or are my eyes decieving me again.  If your running th efluxcore always always always clean the slag off real good before taking pictures...reason why  cause slag tells nothing about a weld and if Irun a 7018 vertical up prior to deslagin it looks like hell.  after I chip it, oh my jiffy pop she looks like a dream come true.  Now, im not eatin your butt here dont get me wrong, but youlll kill yourself tryin to make perfect welds when your problem is your looking at the wrong thing.  Also, the second shot actually dint look too bad, looks like slag again.  However, the heavy spatter indicates too hot or too much wirespeed...which indicates too hot.  Having trouble on the last pic to see what im looking at.  Its obvisous a weld, however, not sure what is wrong with the steel.  Did you clean the joint up before taking it up?  Looks almost like youve got some kinda grease gunk or someting else thats no good to a welder which would of course cause your porosity problems no matter if you a stick welding mig flux or tig.  Could also give you more pointers if I knw what type of machine, mm135, lincoln pro mig, ect, and the wire size .035in, .030in ect and whether your running fluxcore selfshielded or solid wire on gas, and not least of which what gas and the cfm's.  I know its a lot of questions but it will help me, and fellas like Sandy who know his wire feed to give you not only pointers here but to grow on.  Good luckCHRIS
Reply:oh good you were responding whyhile I wrote my novel, lol   well fluxcore is right with no gas. Flux shouldnt be affected by wind, but I need some input from sandy on this as to his experience.  My experience with flux is strictly the gas shileded type....yes there is gas shielded fluxcore which is differnt from what your using.  Gas shielded usually runs same polarity as solid wire, and requires the gas just like the solid wire.  Gas shielded flux came first before selfshielded and burns a lot hotter.  Given that two and three are the same long weld one thing I can say is 3 looks like you went too fast.  Looks like you werent keeping a good puddle, in some cases none at all.  Thats alright youll get the hang of it once you can really see what your doing. Most novice welders dont actually see the puddle.  they see the arc, they see god I dont know what.  I dont never see the arc, unless im working by someone else and they flash me, ouch. Another point, the flux I do beleive is less sticky about the cleanliness of the steel, however, oil and grease will give you porosity.  Now, another thing,  how old is this wire.  Did you just buy it from a retailer?  was it plastic wrapped.  Ive heard many times that flux wires are subject to similar problems that certain arc rods are when it comes to moisture damage.  Not necessarily water, but just moisture in the air.  Age can be a major contributor.  IF you try it and it sucks, try it and it sucks,  clean your steel all good with a grinder and it stills ucks,  throw the wire out try a new rolly..   Im lookin to Sandy on tihs one for some feedback cause I know hes had to have run across this at somepoint in his time.   Anyway, good luck RyanCHRIS
Reply:Both self-shielded and gas-shielded flux-core can be used outdoors when solid wire cannot.  Self-shielded wire works as well as stick in windy conditions.  I've never run enough gas-shielded wire to have an opinion about how much wind it can bear.-Heath
Reply:Did you change polarity when you swapped wires? Flux is pos ground.
Reply:The polarity is correct according to the manual. The welder is a Lincoln HD3200. I was using some of that anti splater on the welds. Maybe im using it wrong. I sprayed it on the joints before welding them. The metal was all freshly cleaned with my angle grinder. The wire was new and in the plastic also.
Reply:Wire is lincoln .035 innershield
Reply:how long after you sprayed did you start welding?   The gas shielded flux behavesjust like solid wire with gas,  least bit of wind and your weld is nothing but pinholes.   They use tents outside for fluxcore gasshielded unless the wind is real light.  Can do the same with solid wire.  Ive weldded solid wire outdoors, but very little.  At mercy of the windCHRIS
Reply:Flux core eh?? Fooled me with all of the bubbles in the tail end of 3 and looking head on at 4.  Those craters coming out of the molten bead in number 4 are very typical of "gas out" or gassing out. Stuff is in there burning and the vapors are working their way up thru the molten metal. Like a volcano. The gas with solid and the flux with stick or flux core all do the same job (more or less), they shield the weld from oxygen to help prevent this burn from happening. There are also agents in the flux and wire to help bring these pollutants out in the form of slag since they can't flare or flame. So in that context shileding is shielding whether it's flux (smoke) or external gasses. Two or three ways to get this 'gassing out'. One is lack of shielding, since your are using flux core this probably isn't the critter. The other is to have more oil and crud in there than the 'shielding' can handle. The second coupled with being a little cold and fast. Sufficient heat keeps the puddle fluid long enough for these pollutants to work their way to the surface gracefully, instead of craters through mushy metal.I'm gonna say for now, cut the anti spatter unless you're going to sell your practice pieces, and turn the heat up some. Keep the stick out as per your manual.
Reply:I turned the heat down because I burnt a hole in one piece but maybe I was going to slow. Also I thought I didnt have to wory about wind when using flux cored. Thanks for the inputRyan
Reply:If you're using self-shielded flux-core, which you are, then you don't have to worry about the wind.  What you may not be aware of is the fact that some flux-core is gas-shielded, which is what we're talking about.  I've not run much of it, but according to Chris (TXRedneck) it suffers from porosity just as badly as gas-shielded solid-wire in windy conditions.The porosity that you're seeing could be the anti-spatter spray boiling off through the puddle.  If you need to use the spray, try masking off the weld area and then cleaning it with acetone after you spray it.-Heath
Reply:Howdy Howdy!  My vote is the anti-spatter neads to go.  To me, it doesn't make sense to spray an anti-stick agent anywhere near where you want something to stick.  Alot of times with the spatter, a slag hammer can chip it off easily as it is "raked" across the surface.  I think the thing to try for at first is structural integrity without porosity.  then next I would think about cutting down on the spatter.  If you have flat scrap, that would be great, run several beads at different settings... but on the same piece of parent metal.  Using scientific method, we should be able to find out what the issues are.  Also I think on one of your pieces, it was originally galvanized...?.  the gases coming off of galvinized steel being welded don't react to well in a weld puddle.  if that's the case.  Just some more thoughts. Brian Lee  Sparkeee24
Reply:None of the metal was galvanized. I think the problem was with the spray and maybe it being a little windy. Is it effective to practice just running beads on a single piece of metal or do I always need to practice with joining 2 pieces? thanks
Reply:Ryan  Good welding.  You know where to lay the metal.  Looks like you see the puddle.  Here are some more considerations.I believe the HD3200 is a 110v machine.  Are you sure you are operating within the capacity of the machine.  Make sure the electrode/gun line is not twisted or curled any away, this will reduce the amount of work the machine must do. Check the amperage coming into the machine (20 or greater).  If you are using an extension then is it of proper gauge (12 or larger).  I had a 110 machine that I disconnected the gas solenoid, not sure how much this helped.  Buy extra tips and a liner, before you need them.  If you have to add tension to the wire then this is a sign that something is dirty( tip or liner).To practice keep the metal between 1/16 and 1/8 inch thick, though the machine may boast of thicker capability.  If you operate at the top end then you have no ability to adjust the machine.  Too thin can be frustrating for practice.  I think your with your ability you can keep doing joints, though they take longer to set up.  Practice listening to the weld.  A good weld will sizzle, "like frying bacon".  Also,  look at the wire as you weld, the wire should stay at the puddle throughout the weld, not get longer and shorter.  It also should not hit the base metal and push the torch back.  Also by moving the torch closer to or farther from the work will control the heat.
Reply:Thanks tapwelder, I have the heat setting on C (theres A,B,C and D). I originally had it on D but felt like it was to hot. I burned a hold thru one piece but that was on a butt weld like on pic 3. 1 and 2 are lap welds that I had much better luck with. The pieces are all 1/8 thick but the last one is a tiny bit thicker. I din notice that the tip pushed away from the wire feed a couple times though.
Reply:RyanIf the wire push the torch back then reduce the wire speed.  If the wire is burning not reaching the puddle or your tips are getting fouled up with melted wire then increase the wire speed.  Get a piece of scrap hold the gun in welding position, pull the trigger and adjust the speed up and down, and listen to the difference as you adjust.  When you find the "sizzle" stop.  Don't let the bead pile up to the nozzle/tip.What projects are you planning?
Reply:I just bought a bunch of metal at a shop near me and want to build a welding table/cart. I think im going to post an new thread on how the best way to do it is.