Welding Guidance...I Need Some

[Gore]

Well I went and practiced more yesterday and I think I found my problem. I wasn't going slow enough across the piece I was welding. I slowed down drastically and was able to get full penetration when I was just running beads on top of the 1/8" sheet. I feel confident that if I was welding two pieces butted up to each other with beveled edges I would have had no problem getting full penetration.

I really appreciate all of the input guys, and now I going to watch those vids you linked.

 

[Gore]

Ok...I am an idiot.

I went to the store to get a few pieces of steel to weld and noticed that what was labeled 1/8" looked really thin compared to what I have been practicing on. I grabbed a tape measure and it measured out at just over 1/16". I guess I figured that metal would be true to size, and 1/8" would actually be exactly 1/8". I have never worked with metal, only wood, and obviously we all know that a 2x4 isn't really 2x4. When I measured the sheet I have been using for practice I looked at the edge which may have been rounded a bit and it was just a hair over 1/8"...after further inspection I realize that it is actually 3/16" which probably explain my difficulty in getting penetration.

I was able to blow through the actual 1/8" material with the machine set on C, no problemo.

*hangs head in shame*

 

[camjeep3]

some tips for your welding and dialing in your beads.
with mig, push like it has been stated. watch the edges of the puddle to make sure they are tying into the metal, you dont want it to gouge out the metal and not fill it back in, thats undercut. You also dont want a bead sitting on top of the metal the edges should be smooth running the length of the weld and should blend to the base metal. you are doing very well for a beginner. keep it up

 

[Gore]

Thank you for the vote of confidence and the great tips. I am burning through my tank of gas but having a blast practicing.

 

[camjeep3]

glad you are enjoying it! thats what it is all about, plus welding is an awesome skill to have. being able to look at your bead and know what you are looking for will help you tremendously. as soon as you finish a weld u will be able to look and see where u need to fix.

 

[805gregg]

Just take a class at your local Jr college, there is a lot more to learn than just running a bead

 

[Gore]

If I had the time to do that I would...but as of right now it's not in the cards.