Learning to WELD!

[bczygan]

Today was better.

All the good advice above got me grinding my metal where the welds go. It did make for easier welding.

Started off with a couple T joints in 3/32 with 1/8 6010 80Amps. First couple were horrible. Wasn't comfortable and rushed them and just got all cattywampus.

Then I settled down, got comfortable, centered and did a dry run. Ran at 90.1 Amps. I now brace my left elbow on my left let and hold my right stick hand with my left. The leg moves the assembly along.

Got the groove going and just stuck with it to the end.

Much improved. Used a small "e" manipulation, watching the upper edge wash while advancing the puddle. As long as the initial angles were good, and I stuck with them and kept up a proper travel speed (Slower at the start and gradually increasing, with extra fill at the end), they came out pretty good.

Tried a couple laps, and it went good for the first half of each bead. Used a whip and pause.

Went to a vertical up triangular manipulation and it was a cluster F!

Class was over (1:00 til 3:30)

He has a fabrication class at 9 in the morning, and I'm going to go in and get some more seat time. I'm behind in the class and need to catch up. This professor fully intends to get us certification ready. Lots to do.

Photos:

Bill

 

[bczygan]

Fab class was FABulous!

Made it a stick class practice session from 9-noon.

Started out with a couple less than good T joints on 3/16, then settled down and did a couple of good ones.

Decided to do a vertical down on 3/8. It went great, but that's how it should be. They are easy.

Then I figured I'd try a vertical up in 3/8". Those have always been my nemesis, in class after class, no matter the process. I make horrible porous lumps and bumps with blow throughs and drips. After numerous attempts, trying out different heats, travel speeds and manipulations, I improved incrementally until I finally got this with smiley face manipulations and a faster speed than I was used to.

Bill

 

[Jazz1]

I fully understand that for most people, skills like this, are for definite and practical purposes. And for many, the ultimate purpose is making money.

But some people have other reasons to take it up.

My welding class is an example. While most of the class members were interested in welding careers, 2 of the students wanted the skill for their artwork and 2 other students had no practical reason to learn. They just wanted to know how. I was one of them.

Bill

That's not surprising. My boy finally started going to union hall for practice, got his plate and pressure tickets last month. He is not really interested in welding for a living although welding comes into play often in his trade. This is the piece for his pressure welding ticket after heated and pressed to test for cracks,,,,none
Using a mirror while welding definitely takes some serious control, you may want to give that a whirl.

 

[bczygan]

That's not surprising. My boy finally started going to union hall for practice, got his plate and pressure tickets last month. He is not really interested in welding for a living although welding comes into play often in his trade. This is the piece for his pressure welding ticket after heated and pressed to test for cracks,,,,none
Using a mirror while welding definitely takes some serious control, you may want to give that a whirl.

Just wow!

Bill

 

[bczygan]

Auto body class was over in under an hour. Went over what will be on the midterm next Thursday.

So I went over to the welding lab, borrowed some gloves and a hood and got some seat time in. All stick, which is feeling natural now.

Ran a little 7018, just because I like it!

Tomorrow is MIG class.

I've got to start thinking of what I can do with these developing abilities.

Bill

 

[bczygan]

Long and frustrating day in MIG class. 2PM until 8PM.

Did horizontal T joints in 3/8.....looking great as usual.

Tried vertical down.....Came out wonderful, as it should.

Then spent the rest of the evening working on vertical up.

Frustrating!

Started out with horrible lumps and bumps.

After a lot of beads, I finally got some regularity using the triangle manipulation, but too fat in the middle and too big of a distance between laps.

Tried 3/16 and momentarily got some good parts of a bead, but couldn't figure out why.

End of the class came without figuring it out. Will work on it next week.

Bill

 

[sberry]

You might need to turn the wire speed down a pinch for it and overhead.

 

[BajaScout]

You might need to turn the wire speed down a pinch for it and overhead.

Overhead was no fun in my welding classes.

Fortunately as a hobbyist that situation almost never comes up.

 

[sberry]

This is what separates everyone. I do some on the bench but a lot is on buildings and equipment or pipe. To tell the truth overhead is about my favorite. Not so much in tedious groove work but simple fillets.
Here is little wire verts, this might be student stuff I cant recall.

 

[bczygan]

Things went a bit better in stick class today.

Slow start with a couple of horizontal T joints. Got my rhythm after a few.

Then tried vertical up on 3/8. Worked at it using manipulations I was taught.

Then made up my own and started getting it.

Tomorrow there is a fab class I can get some seat time in. Will try for more consistency and closer ripples.

Bill

 

[bczygan]

Fab class was from 9AM until 2PM.

It was great.

I use the time to practice stick. Couldn't find the gloves the professor gave me the other day, so took a pair I fished out of the trash. They had holes where the stitching was missing. So some hot ones got in. WOW, that hurt a few times? So the instructor gave me a pair of 1250 Tillmans. So nice!

Started with a couple of 6010 T joints to get settled. Then decided to try some cover passes of some old ones with 7018 cover passes. That was kind of droopy until I tried some other manipulation. Did some rows of 1/2 overlapping beads over a 6010 root to get a flat fill.

Then I went back to vertical up, which was kicking my **** for a week or more. Getting much more consistent.

Overhead has always been a scary bugaboo to me. An impossible unknown thing that I have thought was impossible, especially for me.

But based on doing better, I decided to give it a shot, especially since the girls in the MIG class were doing it already.

Wow!

Not so bad! If you don't mind stuff raining down on you. Especially after getting the gloves that don't capture hot BB's.

Did roots and got much better with cover passes and just had some fun.

Tomorrow is stick class 1-3:30PM.

Bill

 

[jhn9840]

Had a welding instructor that told us overhead is just flat, upside down.

jhn9840
John

 

[bczygan]

Had a welding instructor that told us overhead is just flat, upside down.

jhn9840
John

That's exactly what mine said today.............after I stuck my toe in the water, and tried it!


And he was right!


Bill

 

[royce]

The old man that broke me in, had me practice barefoot in a barrel, didn't take long at all to learn to keep the iron up where it belonged!

Royce

 

[bczygan]

Stick class yesterday was a test session.

Prepare a standard test coupon, 7"x6" in 3/8" plate with a 1/8" gap and a 75 degree V groove. Root pass in 6010 and beads and cover in 7018. 30 minute time limit.

I jumped on it and used every trick and method I knew and ultimately did 2 coupons.

But I never really got the root pass down during my training, so it was horrible. No penetration. Second one I used a backing plate and started getting it, but still no cigar.

Will need a lot more practice on that.

I'm going in this morning to use a machine during fabrication class, so I can get that practice.

Bill

 

[dr_clyde]

Yeah, open root welding takes some practice to get right.

I've found you want to get your gap set about as perfect as you can get, and adjust your amps so you can just put some pressure on the rod in the joint and it will burn in fully without punching holes.

Alternatively, you can keyhole the root with a whip and pause. I find this way messier, and with more heat to deal with.

Fitup is EVERYTHING in open root welding. Yeah, you can compensate for some mismatch and high/low, but you'll fight it.

6010 is such a cool rod, it really does some useful things in the welding world, worth getting to know.

I prefer to run a TIG root now, but sometimes you only have a stick welder.

 

[GaryM909]

You don't want to see the flame when running the root. You might have to use less of a land to get your penetration. I was taught with 1/8 land and 1/8 gap with a keyhole. Now its 3/32 x 3/32 and quite often turning my amperage down a bit on the top side whether its plate or pipe.

 

[bczygan]

Went to the welding lab twice today. Didn't have any classes, but the lab was open for other classes, and I just grabbed an empty booth and machine. Started at 9:30AM until 2PM doing more stick open root practice and got incrementally better, but still sticking and burning through.

Took the wife to the Dr's, and then went to Auto Body class and took the mid term. Probably missed one or maybe 2. Took her home, made her dinner, walked the dog and went in to the evening TIG class and grabbed a machine for more stick work.

Made some coupons (I'm really getting good at making coupons), and finally, after a couple tries, got penetration in the open root pass, for almost the whole 6" coupon. Not as pretty as I would like, but the bottom looks like a weld, with ripples and everything, just as if it had been welded from the bottom.

Hard work, but getting improvements with every session.

Made myself a heavy part hold down from 2 pieces of hot rolled 3/8 plate. Flap disk'd and welded it up.

Tomorrow evening is MIG class. Should be fun!

Bill

Tired, signing off.

 

[sberry]

Yeah, open root welding takes some practice to get right.

I've found you want to get your gap set about as perfect as you can get, and adjust your amps so you can just put some pressure on the rod in the joint and it will burn in fully without punching holes.

Alternatively, you can keyhole the root with a whip and pause. I find this way messier, and with more heat to deal with.

Fitup is EVERYTHING in open root welding. Yeah, you can compensate for some mismatch and high/low, but you'll fight it.

6010 is such a cool rod, it really does some useful things in the welding world, worth getting to know.

I prefer to run a TIG root now, but sometimes you only have a stick welder.

I have seen the push in root done a couple times. I wouldn't mind a lesson. I do it keyhole whip/pause but looks like more work and I see the other way done by guys not much really welders, must pass though.

 

[dr_clyde]

I have seen the push in root done a couple times. I wouldn't mind a lesson. I do it keyhole whip/pause but looks like more work and I see the other way done by guys not much really welders, must pass though.

I was taught both in welding school. We had AWS CWI instructors with degrees in welding engineering. I trust them, as they can weld me under the table.

Obviously, if you're doing inspected work, you need to be able to do whatever the WPS says.

 

[sberry]

I have done a lot of very highly inspected work. I never ran that type of root as I never pipeline. I have ran opens in process piping, all uphill. I have seen samples and pics of some, tell the truth some pass and not really look all that great.
I know a couple Gas fitters, run around with the truck, not genius or gifted by any means and weld barely well enough to hold shelled corn. They seem to get paycheck.

 

[bczygan]

MIG class was interesting.

Instructor had a test, List the 7 functions of whelpers (MIG pliers). I could only think of 6.

Then cut 2 3"x3" pieces of 1/8", set them on top of one another, creating an L shaped lap weld on front and back. And weld them. I used push.

All of a sudden everyone forgot everything they had learned!!!

He used mine as an example for the other students of what to do right.

We also got 3 new multi-process Miller machines to replace three that went down.

The big occasion of the night though, was the setting up of the aluminum MIG machine!

The instructor spent all of last evening and half of class it up and going and tweaked.

I waited until everyone else was through oh-ing and ahh-ing over it and cut some metal.

Got to try it out, and I love it!

Here's my second T joint.



Bill

 

[bczygan]

Here's the 3x3 lap joint test plate.

Bill

 

[BajaScout]

Time to build ships!

https://jobs.nassco.com/go/San-Diego-Welding-Jobs/4198500/

 

[bczygan]

Yesterday was stick class.

Test assignment was to do a standard coupon in the flat.

I did 2 and had the usual trouble with the root pass. Kept sticking the electrode in the depths of the joint. I had never actually gotten more than half of a bead with good penetration.

Then it finally clicked and I got a complete root pass with penetration.

So I then filled in the groove with 2 passes and a cover pass. Ground it front and back.

Today I hope to cut 2 test pieces and do bend tests for certification.

Then it's on to overhead work.



Bill

 

[bczygan]

Went to the certification class yesterday, to get some extra seat time.

Finished up the coupon and tested it.

Failed on the face bend. Bent the root off center, so couldn't tell, but felt confident it would have passed. Spent the rest of the hour working on vertical up and perfecting multiple bead fillet welds.

Today is stick class again. Gotta get some of the welding assignments knocked out and approved.

Tomorrow I can get another 5 hour cert. class and Friday is MIG class. My instructor called me a "Persistent" welder. I like that he called me a welder!

Bill

 

[thooks]

I recently bought an Eastwood MIG 175 and all the gear. I’ve never touched a welder. Seen a little prep and welds on pipe as I’ve worked for some mechanical contractors the last few years.

I finally unboxed and assembled everything Saturday and looked at it. I will admit this craft makes me nervous as I know next to nothing about it but have a desire to learn.

Sunday afternoon I decided it was time and I got it all out, in the driveway as I’m not yet comfortable making all the sparks and fumes in the garage.

I decided I’d try to make a grinder stand out of some scrap I’d been collecting here and there from job sites.

I started gathering it all up and figuring the stand out about 4:00 pm.

Decided I should have a small resting block for a pipe so I took a piece of 2x2 angle and made that. Then proceeded to cut and fit and fab the grinder stand.

Done and cleaned up by 7:30 and didn’t even have to a break.

Remember, this is the first time I’ve ever touched a welding machine and tried to weld.

The pipe is plumb/square to the baseplate on the rotor and to the C channel.

 

[sberry]

The rotor will probably be fine for this but they ain't great to weld to. Totally unpredictable. This doesn't look all bad for a first try

 

[bczygan]

MIG class was interesting this afternoon and evening.

Didn't get to do any book work or regular practice.

The instructor assigned a project to me and another student, although I ended up doing virtually all of it so far.

It was a chance to do some fabrication. A stand for a charcoal BBQ out of angle.

Here is a photo of it upside down on the layout table. Not finished yet.

Bill

 

[bczygan]

Yesterday at stick class was a bust. Did 3 coupons for OH and couldn't get a complete root pass. Did help the professor fix the Trumpf nibbler.

Did not get a chance to work on the BBQ base.

Today at cert. class was a different matter. Spent most of the class working on the BBQ base. Welded every seam that I could. Way over welded. Knocked off one of the side reinforcement angles that was crooked and re-welded it. Went over any tacks with full welds. All MIG work. Then went at the welds that will show, on the ouside, and ground and shaped them with grinder and flap disk.

Tried a couple of overhead coupons. Still a no go.

Then I decided to try a vertical up, which I had never gotten right.

Finally got a halfway decent one. See photo.

The guys in the cert class were doing piping, so I decided to try going round. See photo.

Bill

 

[sberry]

It takes most/many guys 2 years to get this. The flaws are highly magnified here, those are pretty strong welds and you got the idea with whip and pause. Last one is overhead. The pipe were done with only minimal rolling, some of that vert and overhead. It looks crude but its torch cut, no bevel, poor fit, fast weld, no leak. Old free rods.

 

[bczygan]

Yesterday in stick class was again a bust. Trying overhead and failing miserably. Finally just went back to 1/8" **** joint whip and pause on 1/8" material.

Couldn't even get that going.

Today in cert class was an entirely different result.

I was the only student to show up, and I am not even a student in the class.

Did some warm up T joints and then a bunch of unsuccessful 1/8" gaps again.

Finally I called the instructor over for a demo.

Turns out I was doing it all wrong. Tried some with the new method and got a lot better. Heat control, speed and angles are all critical with this whip and pause.

I am determined to master this and apply it to overhead work as well.

Then tried a couple vertical ups. They went well. Could use some more improvement in consistency, but I'm no longer afraid of vertical up.

Another session with improvements. Always worth doing.

Tomorrow is MIG class.

Bill

 

[thooks]

My 'class' last night was pretty bad as well. I'm trying to get my 4x2 11 gauge (I think) frame welded up that will be the frame for my offset smoker. I tried my hand at miter cutting the tubing with an angle grinder and cut off wheel, my fitting is not great. Have some pretty big gaps.

I found out that it is easy to blow through the 11 gauge material even with light heat settings. I finally was able to weld some filler beads on some of the gaps and I made the tight joints work fairly well. It's all sticking together but I'm going to cut some 2x2 angle clips and use them on the inside corners for structural support.

My respect for professional welders increases daily.

 

[BuffettFan]

Looking good Bill! Love your attitude!
That's a nice clean shop too!

 

[sberry]

Actually overhead is about my favorite. I had a repair a while back and the customer was waiting. He said when I start to weld it the sound was so much different than the last guy did it. On occasion we see failures where it's not design but it would worked if the guy was a better welder.

 

[bczygan]

MIG class was interesting Friday evening.

Didn't weld a single bead.

Used the box and pan break to bend up handles.

We got a new down draft table too.


Bill

 

[bczygan]

Today is a certification class, 9AM until 2PM. I sit in to get more seat time.

Got a little project to modify the strut compressor for the automotive lab. Then will work on my certification coupon for in the flat and maybe do some overhead.

Bad news is only welding 101 classes available in the summer. At least that will give me access to the lab.

Signed up for engine performance and painting I but that's only 8 credit hours. I need 4 more to be full time for the summer.

Bill

 

[bczygan]

Today is a certification class, 9AM until 2PM. I sit in to get more seat time.

Got a little project to modify the strut compressor for the automotive lab. Then will work on my certification coupon for in the flat and maybe do some overhead.

Bad news is only welding 101 classes available in the summer. At least that will give me access to the lab.

Signed up for engine performance and painting I but that's only 8 credit hours. I need 4 more to be full time for the summer.

Bill

Just signed up for small engine repair. It's 4.5 credits, but they are continuing education credits. And it's a bit of a drive to class at a distant campus. Saturday class though.

Bill

 

[bczygan]

Wednesday was stick class and I only got to burn a couple of rods.

Spent the class fabricating.

I went over to one of the instructors from an different class, who was messing with a sheet metal box about 2'x2'x3' tall. Wanted to know what it was.

My mistake. He is a beekeeper, and this is a project started over a year ago, and never finished. It's a heat box to melt the beeswax out of the frames after the honey is spun out. The box will have 1' high legs and a small burner will fit underneath.

He horns-waggled me into finishing it. So I'm fabricating legs with foot pads, a bottom and a top. Then need to weld it together liquid-tight.

Been doing lets of cleaning and shearing of sheet metal, shearing and cutting and grinding of 3/8 steel for pad feet, and cutting of 2x2 tubing for legs. Did I mention grinding???

Lots of bending and welding are in my future.

Today I got a half hour of TIG seat time. Then went to auto body class and sanded my fender.

Tomorrow in MIG class and I need to fab 3 or 4 handles for the BBQ we're fabricating for another instructor.


Bill

 

[Farmall450]

Man, you're sure keeping busy. Why sweat to stay a full time student over summer?