Welding question

Quote from Dan

I bought a cheap little arc welder. It's hard to lay a bead, the rod keeps sticking. Then the rod finally get red hot and starts sort of dripping, and I can get a bead going, but in the end the bead is kind of crispy and doesn't stick to the shaft. Any suggestions before I return this machine? Maybe I'm using the wrong rod?

Another thing I don't get is how to use the goggles. If I put them on I can't see shit, I can't start the weld in the right place.

If it sticking your holding the rod against the material too long basically welding the rod to the material. The rod shouldn't drip it should be close enough to the puddle to flow into it and you should weave the rod back and forth to build the puddle(make sure you move slow enough and have the amperage set right to achieve good penetration). After stick welding you have to hammer away the slag (protective layer over the bead) then that will reveal the weld. Some rods are easier/harder some cleaner/messier. Also make sure your using the proper rod for the material. With the goggles the basic cheap ones suck you can try that pin the tail on the donkey welding or I would recommend an auto-darkening helmet, it makes life mush easier. Lastly make sure your wear the proper clothing which covers all skin... yes hot molten metal hurts when it splatters but the sunburn it will give you sucks just as bad and sneaks up on you.

Here's my take on the subject......If I were to make just spot welds that are going to be grinded down (like I believe is what Dan is going to do) I would use a MIG welder with .040 stainless wire with a .045 tip. If I cannot find .040 I would use .030 to .045 with the next size tip. My gas mix would be 90% helium- 7.5 argon- 2.5 c02 trimix if can't get that mix would use pure argon. I would set my cfm between 12 and 20 on the gas regulator. Try and buy the most expensive mig welder you can afford in the 220v or a 110 that would go to a high setting and use no extension cord on the welder. Stay away from the ''hi-lo'' mig welder crap. Get one with the multiple settings like ''A B C D E'' on Linlcons. Most important get a wire brush with stainless bristles not the one with brass or plain steel bristles and clean the hell of the area to be welded. GET A PIECE OF SCRAP SHAFT AND ADJUST YOUR SETTINGS AND PRACTICE YOUR WELDS, MAKE SHURE YOU GET ENOUGH PENETRATION. Also make shure that your polarity on the welder is set right for your kind of welding. ( flux-cored welds are made with reverse polarity- ground is + and your gun is neg for gas welding is straight up but follow your welder's specs.) WIRE SPEED IS VERY IMPORTANT. Or do like Papaa said and try a stick welder with a stainless electrode......you might get away with it. This recomendations are not for show quality welds that are going to be used in the aerospace industry but would work for what Dan needs.

PRACTICE,PRACTICE,PRACTICE and slow down, you'll get used to the helmet. Make shure your electrode is for stainlees welding and use the smallest diameter you can get, probably 3/32''.

P.S. Hope you bought that good grinder I was talking about.

Quote from psychobilly

Here's my take on the subject......If I were to make just spot welds that are going to be grinded down (like I believe is what Dan is going to do) I would use a MIG welder with .040 stainless wire with a .045 tip. If I cannot find .040 I would use .030 to .045 with the next size tip. My gas mix would be 90% helium- 7.5 argon- 2.5 c02 trimix if can't get that mix would use pure argon. I would set my cfm between 12 and 20 on the gas regulator. Try and buy the most expensive mig welder you can afford in the 220v or a 110 that would go to a high setting and use no extension cord on the welder. Stay away from the ''hi-lo'' mig welder crap. Get one with the multiple settings like ''A B C D E'' on Linlcons. Most important get a wire brush with stainless bristles not the one with brass or plain steel bristles and clean the hell of the area to be welded. GET A PIECE OF SCRAP SHAFT AND ADJUST YOUR SETTINGS AND PRACTICE YOUR WELDS, MAKE SHURE YOU GET ENOUGH PENETRATION. Also make shure that your polarity on the welder is set right for your kind of welding. ( flux-cored welds are made with reverse polarity- ground is + and your gun is neg for gas welding is straight up but follow your welder's specs.) WIRE SPEED IS VERY IMPORTANT. Or do like Papaa said and try a stick welder with a stainless electrode......you might get away with it. This recomendations are not for show quality welds that are going to be used in the aerospace industry but would work for what Dan needs.

I talked to Dan last night and found out he is not trying to weld fin tabs on shafts like I previously thought.
So yes Dan, these are very good procedures for what you are doing. :thumbsup2:

Thanks for the great post to him Billy.

Dan, look on Criaig's list for a good self darkening hood or a good flip down. Don't weld in shorts of flip flops unless you want a farmer tan.;)

Cheers, Don

Ok Dan, since you bought the stick welder and I found out after I posted you should try this.....
try to find one of the following electrodes; Lincoln E630, E308 or AMS5827B. If you could get the electrode in 9'' size you could get 1/16''- 5/64'' and 3/32'' thickness. In 12'' you can get 3/32'' and up only. Make shure what kind of coating your electrode have EX. LIME(-15) TITANIA(-16) or other. If lime use DC, if titania use AC or DC but preferably DC if your machine has it other coatings same as titania. Try to go to a specialized welding store and talk to the guys there and see what they recomend also these stores sometimes sell you these especialized electrodes in smaller amounts or give you a few to try out, there's no sense on buying 10-50 pounds of electrodes, plus you have to keep the electrodes away from moisture. Also do not assume certain electrodes are SS because even tho they'll weld the SS they'll rust like hell.

Dan, having done a fair amount of all of the above types of welding I would recommend a tig set up 1st. The mig 2nd and stick welding as a last act of desperation.
Tig (tungsten inert gas)offers the most adjustable control, somewhat similar to gas torch welding. Different size tungstens, filler rod, etc. For what you want to do, it is well worth learning.
Mig (metal inert gas) or flux core wire feed is going to build up weld fast and will need more finish work.Its nice for fast tack welding or welding larger components together.
Stick welding is best for larger work and penetration. Its pretty coarse for delicate jobs. Thats why use it for pipe fitting and welding steel beams.

Dan,

I just found this thread, but you've gotten some decent, well-informed advice so far. I'm a Union Boilermaker, as in (at a minimum) I weld all three major processes (TIG, stick & MIG) on most metals for a living. I'm a tube welder (processes usually requiring TIG and stick together in all positions, unlimited thickness) with many certs. Again, good advice from the guys. If and when you run into trouble/throw your first hood, breaking it, feel free to give me a call if you'd like: ( 8 5 O ) 7 O 2 - - 3 7 O 2. Or anyone else on here, for that matter. We all have questions sometime, even me (and I'm supposed to be the professional), so don't ever feel bad. We're always learning and getting better.

As a side note, go to weldingtipsandtricks.com It's probably the most informative website I've seen, whether you're a beginner or a pro.

It's not easy trying to learn on your own, like you are, Dan, but with sufficient practice, time, practice, patience, practice and research (and practice), you can fill those voids without any porosity.

Like it's been said, stick's the hardest to learn. It sticks like crazy when you're trying to learn and sometimes when you're a pro, too. Practice your starts on thick plates with cheaper 7018 rod. Scratch starts are done by striking the rod tip like a match -keep it moving, long arc it if need be and shorten your arc slowly till you get the hang of it. Clean off the slag on the end of your rod between starts by taking it out of your stinger and running it across a heavy file until you see "the shiny". That'll help. Turn your heat up to help from sticking, but if it's too hot and you don't keep moving, you'll burn through/spatter everywhere/leave undercut and it won't run smooth. Stay away from AC. Run DC and "reverse" polarity (ground: - & stinger: +). (TIG will be opposite in DC for what you need.) The rods mentioned are fine, but practice with anything cheap, first. 7018 is easiest of carbon steel. 309 is easy to find and is good for stainless and carbon to stainless, but practice cheap first. Make sure you aren't going too fast by dragging your rod out of the puddle before feeding it/filling it, otherwise, you'll be sucking the puddle away from that area, leaving undercut. Pause and fill it before moving on. Steady and consistent. Watch the puddle, keeping an eye on where you're going. Too slow, and you'll either burn through or leave overfill/leave a bead too high, thus increasing the risk of "roll-over", thus trapping slag in/under the weld bead. Good welding is from the practice of finding the perfect medium in EVERYTHING, keeping it all consistent, all at once: heat, arc length (and keep it the same length), rod angle, rod speed, manipulation size, comfortable body position, etc. You've got to find the perfect middle ground in all these things (and more things) ALL AT THE SAME TIME ...and with confidence. Stops and starts are tough, too, as there's a lot that can go wrong, messing your best work up. It aint easy. Don't weld angry. Breathe. Talk to yourself. Think about what you did wrong and how to do it different. This is where you need somebody to show you what you did and how to do fix it before it becomes a bad habit. A beer helps, but not 6.

That said, even though stick should be learned first, TIG is easier, cleaner and safer (in that it can be done in a white business suit without catching the shop on fire or burning your nice, PPG Aquapon epoxy garage floor -yes, less fire blanket required). Just don't clean anything with brake cleaner and light up an arc on it... you'll get phosgene poisoning and die slowly and painfully. A good thing about TIG is thre's no real slag to deal with and what you see while you're welding is exactly what you're gonna get. You can practice TIG with brazing, but remember, brazing isn't welding. It's just adhering metal to the base metal. Welding is heating the base metal BEYOND its melting point to make a homogenous/soild metal for much better fusion/tie-in. If it's not, it's called all kinds of names, but that's for guys that say they're real weldors. For you, it's all called practice, so fire away. No worries. Post some pics, regardless how bad it looks. You'll only get better, so we'll all get a chance to see improvement. Feel free to call anytime. If I don't answer, I'll call right back (unless I'm on a job somewhere out of state, which will be late August, this time of year).

Sorry for the length, but it's welding... c'mon. A whole book isn't enough, y'know? It's time under the hood. Like driving is seat time. Shooting is trigger time, etc. You just need to know where ALL those happy mediums are to call it a science and an art. Don't work angry... Don't work drunk.

Ivan

I agree with the cost point. If you or anyone on SpearDiver need any welding or other heavy industry pointers, I'm here to help any way I can. The only dumb question is the one not asked, so don't worry, I enjoy helping others any way I can, even with those little questions, too. Mention SB for a free hangup, though!:thumbsup2:

Edit: Oh, btw, you can TIG with your DC welder you've got now (if you ever want to play with it). Just connect the ground to positive/+ and connect any used air-cooled tig torch to the NEG/- side and connect the torch hose to an argon bottle with a flow-meter. No need for a foot pedal or anything crazy. Just set the heat low, start the gas, scratch start and away you go, keeping the tungsten just off the puddle... add wire to the molten puddle. 3/32" 2% thoriated tungsten is fine (the one with the red paint on the end).

oh oh

please get rid of the red ones... thorium is atomictoxic( don t know the right word)

in my firm we no longer use these elektrodes because it s a problem if u do for example a radiographicpicture in ur local hospital -- this will activate the thorium in ur bones..uah

i prefer the golden ones they are not so fast getting stun

creets

Great informative post Ivan...:thumbsup2:
Vivat Na zdrowie.

Cheers Don

I would recomend a small mig welder sometimes people call it wire feed. Will do a great job with stainless wire and argon/co2 mixed gas hooked up. I have one of these setups and I make great welds on stainless all the time. Just got finished with a badass stainless beer keg grill. You can prob get a cheap setup for a few hundred bucks and get gas at local welding supply or rental store.

i have a lincoln electric mig welder that welds stainless very well with stainless wire and argon/co2 mixed gas. you can probably get a similar setup for a few hundred dollars. Also brazing works very well on stainless if you have a hot enough torch(realy need to be oxygen/acetelne or map/oxygen)

Vivat Na Zdrowie Don! :alchohol1: How did you know how to make my mouth water? I like "whodka", as it's definitely a heritage thing. Lunker's probably the same. I'll bet Bison's a smooth one, too. I see it's genuine "Polski". I'll have my eye out for it now, as I'm usually looking to try something different just about every trip to the liquor store (which isn't as often as it used to be --raises your cholesterol and can decrease one's awesomeness if used too often). That said (for those that haven't heard it:), "NAHZ-DROH-vyeh"!! :toast2: It sounds good just saying it, doesn't it? "WHODKA!" "c'mon, don't be beech!" -Good times!!

I agree with blackbeard, too. Wire feed is easiest to learn and easiest to get good weld appearance, it's true. Tip: (especially if you're just starting out) It helps to have an auto lens for more accurate/better looking starts, as where ever you have that gun pointed when you pull the trigger, it starts depositing weld metal RIGHT THEN, RIGHT THERE, like it or not. There's no time to "figure out where you are". It CAN be the "easiest"/least frustrating/most user-friendly (and most cost effective) process for most people. I like it for its forgiveness and ease of welding thin metal, just so long as you move your tacks around to spread the heat. -Can't be beat for autobody, especially. You can also weld a bead as long as your body positioning(s) and relative comfort will allow: one start, one stop. There's nothing like slag (from gasless flux-core wire) peeling off in 20" sections on its own. I often try to stay away from the stainless-only jobs, though. Burns from stainless take forever to heal (and you WILL get burned with stick or wire-feed, especially in BS tight spaces, odd angles, etc -no avoiding it sometimes -especially arc-gouging) It's got a high arsenic content for one, thus the OSHA-required respiratory protection if there's no fresh air. If I'm not buddy/tube-welding, I usually wear a respirator under my hood, regardless of weld process or material. Besides keeping your insides cleaner, it also stops people from talking you to death while you're working. They'll bother you less if you're "darth vader". Respirators and conversation don't mix. Respiratory protection doesn't mix with vodka either, though. (Maybe a tube from a beer-hat that would work with a hood? -That's a lodda vodka. Appearance would eventually suffer anyway.) Props to the stainless keg-grill. I like it.

75th Yes, air arcing sucks,especially if your in a double bottom tanker or the fire room.Were you talking about shrinking tubes?
NAHZ-DROH-vyeh"!!

[quote='75th','http://spearfishing.world/forums/index.php?thread/&postID=54329#post54329']Vivat Na Zdrowie Don! :alchohol1: How did you know how to make my mouth water? I like "whodka", as it's definitely a heritage thing. Lunker's probably the same. I'll bet Bison's a smooth one, too. I see it's genuine "Polski". I'll have my eye out for it now, as I'm usually looking to try something different just about every trip to the liquor store (which isn't as often as it used to be --raises your cholesterol and can decrease one's awesomeness if used too often). That said (for those that haven't heard it:), "NAHZ-DROH-vyeh"!! :toast2: It sounds good just saying it, doesn't it? "WHODKA!" "c'mon, don't be beech!" -Good times!!

The good stuff with the potent blade of Buffalo grass in the bottle was banned in the US. The buffalo grass grows from buffalo dung and contains the drug Coumadin.

Super chilled Zubrowka is very smooth.... like arctic ice water.:D The Polish mix it with apple juice with good effect. Later tonight I'll tell of one bad side effect.....after I mix up a fat martini.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEqNUYL8Z2U
Cheers, Don

Papaa, I can tell you've been burnt up, too! :frustrated1: Sometimes, it's just :bs2: part of the job. If it has to do with tubes (high pressure/high temp), boilermakers do it, waterwall or anywhere else, big or small -usually 100% x-ray'd. To my knowledge, I've not "shrunk" tubes, though... at least, not on purpose anyway. lol

Don, coumadin?? Really? Damn, that's hard. I know about coumadin from my mom dying of cancer in hospice. She called it rat poison, but it was used as a blood thinner to stop her from getting a fatal clot -up until she died (ironic). In vodka, no less? Who knew? It sounds like something only "professional Polski" or "professional Russian" should try. "Don't try this at home..." lol

For instance, this is real "Professional Russian":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8IGDIujijQ

Wait for the, "C'mon, don't be beech". :laughing3: