My First "Real" Welding

[JoeyMitch]

Well here is my first welding project. I needed a grappling hook for pulling out crab pots and small stuff like that so I decided why not make one. 1/4" roundbar from Home Depot. It is a Chicago 90 AMP welder. It holds my weight (200lbs) even though it doesn't have too. I am 15 so go easy please lol. There seems to be a lot of splatter from the Harbor Freight welder.

 

[rockwithjason]

pirate approved grappling hook? are you using flux core wire?

 

[JoeyMitch]

Yes. It is flux core.

 

[HMCFab9]

Flux core will give you crappy looking welds.
If it holds what you need it to, that's what matters, right?

 

[JoeyMitch]

Right. That's why I put heat shrink over it lol

 

[sharkytm]

The heatshrink is going to hold water, and make it rust 10x worse (unless you used adhesive-lined heatshrink). We use it over the ends of our hydraulic lines on our research boats.

Nonetheless, congrats on getting your first welding project under your belt. I was about your 13 when I started building a go-kart... I finished it when I was 15. It weighed about 900 lbs, thanks to me overbuilding the frame.

 

[JoeyMitch]

Lol. I've always wanted to build a go kart. The inside is filled with grease and I don't mind if rusts...it will give me an excuse to make a new one!!!

 

[MoonRise]

Not 'horrible', but could be a bit 'better'.

Slow down a little on your travel speed and try to be a bit more even/uniform in both travel speed and travel direction (you were wavering around a bit there).

Watch the "puddle" of molten metal and get that puddle to include at least some of all the pieces/parts being welded together as well as the filler metal being added to the joint.

Don't watch the arc itself (the bright light!), but watch the puddle of molten metal being formed from the arc. You typically want the puddle to be melting 'into' the workpiece(s) and the filler is filling it all in to help you get your desired weld bead 'size'.

Keep practicing and try to always do a better job/weld than you did the last time.

 

[RedRob]

Looks good,
If you buy better name brand flux wire it works way better than than the cheap stuff

 

[raddksn]

Not 'horrible', but could be a bit 'better'.

Slow down a little on your travel speed and try to be a bit more even/uniform in both travel speed and travel direction (you were wavering around a bit there).

Watch the "puddle" of molten metal and get that puddle to include at least some of all the pieces/parts being welded together as well as the filler metal being added to the joint.

Don't watch the arc itself (the bright light!), but watch the puddle of molten metal being formed from the arc. You typically want the puddle to be melting 'into' the workpiece(s) and the filler is filling it all in to help you get your desired weld bead 'size'.

Keep practicing and try to always do a better job/weld than you did the last time.

good advise moonrise nice welds can be made with flux core, watch the puddle and practice,practice,practice

 

[JoeyMitch]

Thanks guys!!! I watched some Youtube videos and picked up some tips so I might make another one lol. Unless you guys have any other ideas

 

[Zeke]

I saw a few areas there that were really nice. That's what you do, change settings and make notes. When you get a good bead, stop and write down your wire speed and current setting. Try to remember at what angle you were holding the torch. When you need that weld again, you will know just how to do it.

Also, if you were outside and the wind kicked up a bit, that's where the welds changed from good to messy.

 

[gahrajmahal]

What Zeke said. Your welds look plenty strong. I like my beads to penetrate a bit more. Can you increase the amperage any more? Are you pushing the bead or pulling the bead. Sometimes that can make the difference. I think you chose the perfect material and project for your first go round. I started welding around 15 yrs. Old too. I loved it then and I love it now 40 years later.

 

[machine_punk]

Oooooooo....now I need to make a grappling hook (not 'cause I need one, just 'cause that is COOOL) (i.e. why didn't I think of that).

I see some decent welds in there and I see some which could use a little improvement, BUT, great job on deciding what you want to do and doing it. There is nothing like looking and something and recognizing, "I built that."

Keep it up! Thanks for posting pics!

Some other common projects with welders are a welding cart and welding table.

Kev

 

[koditten]

Nice job JM. Not too shabby for the first time out. A bit more amperage, a little less travel speed, maybe steady your welding hand by supporting it with the free hand and I think you will see your results drasticly improve.

Now build another one and show us the the pics. Looking forward to more pics.

By the way, you aren't the first welder to hide a weld they weren't proud of

Later

KO

 

[JoeyMitch]

Thanks guys!!!!! I think I might just build another!!! What brand of wire do you guys find work best?

 

[lilscorpion]

Cool project. Ya know, that's how Batman started...

 

[ilovevocs]

Not 'horrible', but could be a bit 'better'.

.

Don't watch the arc itself (the bright light!), but watch the puddle of molten metal being formed from the arc.

Great advice their. I learned SMAW before MIG and when I first started mig welding it was hard to get past the brightness of the arc.

 

[MoonRise]

What brand of wire do you guys find work best?

I'm not a good enough welder to use unknown/off-brand electrodes (stick or wire). So I stay with 'name' brands (Lincoln usually).

For a small wire-feed machine, the usual FCAW wire of choice is Lincoln NR-211-MP. It is not too expensive and can be bought/found at lots of places (Lowes, Home-Depot, Walmart) as well as on-line or at a LWS.

 

[BD1]

Here's a couple of welding sites that will help. Do a search and you will be reading and learning for hours.

http://weldingweb.com/index.php

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/communities/mboard/forumdisplay.php?3-Welding-Discussions

 

[bsaint]

Practice your hand writing.

 

[Zrexxer]

Flux core will give you crappy looking welds.

********. Fluxcore can produce beautiful welds when used correctly. Don't try to make the OP think the process is to blame.

OP: The advice you're getting about travel speed is corretc. You're travelling too fast and not allowing the puddle to form and fill behind the arc. One of the harder things to accomplish in arc welding of any kind is to focus on the puddle, not the arc. You've got to be able to see what the molten metal is doing, even though there's a mesmerizing bright light that you want to stare at.

Secondly, you're getting so much spatter for one of two reasons - the machine is set wrong, or you've got too much wire stickout. I see a lot of beginning welders that tend to get farther and farther from the workpiece as they progress, and that will cause increasing voltage and spatter.

The recommendation for Lincoln NR-211-MP wire is a good one. It's a very forgiving wire that's readily available in Home Depot or Lowes.

Finally, just to show that fluxcore can perform well when parameters are correct, here's a photo of a fluxcore weld I did using Lincoln NR-211 wire. And this was done with a small inexpensive Hobart 125 welder, too:

 

[Zrexxer]

As another example, here's a piece of 3x3x1/4 angle welded to a 1/2" plate with fluxcore. This was done with considerably more amperage than the previous pic, but shows that you can produce clean, low-spatter welds with this process.

 

[03protege]

Be careful with the youtube videos, TONS of bad info out there.

I looks to me you may have been a little light on the penetration (on the first close up) and that could be due to moving to fast.

Are you trying to make a pattern or are you just dragging the electrode along?

You should try to zig zag, script "eeeeeeee", J's, or circles there are ton's of options. Find one that works for you.

While I agree you need to slow down, I think your energy needs to focus on filling in the weld area better.

The idea when welding is to be consistent and by that I mean the exact opposite of this picture, but it should give you an idea of what I am talking about.

 

[JoeyMitch]

Is it better to push or pull the puddle?

 

[Zrexxer]

Is it better to push or pull the puddle?

The general rule of thumb is that any electrode that has flux must be pulled, to avoid entrapping slag inclusions. "When there's slag you drag."

 

[madosta]

As another example, here's a piece of 3x3x1/4 angle welded to a 1/2" plate with fluxcore. This was done with considerably more amperage than the previous pic, but shows that you can produce clean, low-spatter welds with this process.

How long did it take you to clean this bead up for vs how long does it take to clean with MIG?

 

[Zrexxer]

How long did it take you to clean this bead up for vs how long does it take to clean with MIG?

One swipe with a stringer brush in an angle grinder, so... 10 seconds?

 

[JoeyMitch]

Ok. I guess I should stop pushing!!!!