welders

[batty]

I like welding but just can't do it very well. I have a mig welder very rarely use it last job was welding gates up due to fact I clouted them with my van. They will never be the same.

 

[revjames]

I can weld, stick or MIG. as long as its horizontal. Don't ask me to do vertical or overhead!

 

[kerching]

vertical, horizontal, inclined, overhead, even underwater makes NO difference to me at all. Does not concern me in the fricking slightest!

My welding is equally pants in ANY orientation...the only time it looks any good is when I have been with Mr Merlot..........well it looks good to me

........................... :coat

 

[OnOff]

I like welding but just can't do it very well. I have a mig welder very rarely use it last job was welding gates up due to fact I clouted them with my van. They will never be the same.

Because of you hitting them with the van or the subsequent welding?

 

[batty]

Because of you hitting them with the van or the subsequent welding?

Just the welding.

 

[steptoe]

question, and Ive never ever been able to do this with arc with any sort of decency,

when joining metals of differing thickness do you use a small rod and big amps, or a big rod at small amps?

Im going to have a go at this tomorrow and see how it goes, Ive got a load of old scrappy bits kicking about from about 1mm up to about 1/4".

I know loads of people say it can never been done properly on a stick, I dunno, surely there must be times when its needed?

 

[Andy™]

can be done with a stick, just a little harder. i managed 1.5 onto 4mm the other day with a 2mm rod at around 55 amps

 

[steptoe]

I have saw it done Andy, and some really nice joints too, I would imagine some good kit and a proper welder makes a lot of difference though, along with decent rods,

Ive only got some tat rods that I bought with the box to mess with, its been a while since Ive done any welding, need to practice a bit.

 

[Andy™]

if the rods are damp, throw then in the oven for a bit to dry them out

 

[Sidewinder]

Another one is just stick the rod to a bit of scrap and let the welder dry it out.

TBH I rarely use anything less than a 2.5 (12Ga) rod, below that I find them more flux than rod TBH.

I have done down to about 1.0mm with a 2.5 rod.

Never would I go below say 2.5 with MMA out of choice though.

Below that I would resort to MIG, or Oxy if distortion was not an issue.

If I had a TIG, that would be my weapon of choice below 2.5mm TBH.

The beauty of MMA is its flexibility, change the rod change the weld.

I can do Cast Iron, Stainless Steel, Mild Steel, Gouging, Structural Steel, all with the same set.

Can't do Ali as I don't have a d.c. set.

I only have CCLCS MIG wire, and I use CO2 so I'm actually doing MAGS, rather than MIG, but that's just pedantic, you know me!

I "think" the process name has changed again recently too.

To do owt bar normal "mild" steels with a "MIG" you need Pure Argon, or an Argon mix really, too expensive for the amount of welding I do.

 

[kerching]

[quote name='Andy

 

[steptoe]

[quote name='Andy

 

[apprentice87]

Hi Steps,

Thin stuff to thick is always a problem as you have to try to restrict heat input so you do not burn through the thin stuff, but still have enough heat to fuse the thick stuff.. If it was a butt joint you would [or at least should] machine [sort of taper down] the thick stuff to match the thin if you wanted a proper job. All sort of depends on the joint configuration...

Best thing you can do though in general, is to use a small rod with as much heat as you can without burning through the thin stuff, and preheat the thick stuff with an oxy torch or whatever..

Multiple small runs [to build up weld size] are generally better than one big one anyway, as the later runs, sort of heat treat the previous ones. You will end up with more distortion though...

john..

 

[steptoe]

thanks John, its not really something I 'need' to do, but just thought now I got this little box I might actually try and teach myself how to improve on my bird droppings somewhat....

like I said, I mostly tack stuff up, and make the odd thing, but nothing critical, if it breaks it breaks, not the end of the world.

might even make me some brackets for cable etc in the van now,

 

[OnOff]

Damp rods............back of the airing cupboard for a few days, top of the central heating boiler etc.

 

[steptoe]

I learned on gas waaaay back when I was a nipper, it was all my dad had, havent used it in over 20years now so wouldnt have a clue these days,I learnt my MIG on a race truck we had, never had a MIG in my hand on the monday morning, by the end of the week I was pretty decent, you could see the welds I had done on the monday morning, and it was obvious the ones I done on friday afternoon,

I'll try get a pic scanned and posted, its only of the truck mind, not my welding, never really thought about that sort of thing then, and the weldings probably not really that good anyway.

the pic is actually of a bike I had at the time, but the truck is behind it.

---------- Post Auto-Merged at 22:07 ---------- Previous post was made at 22:06 ----------

gawd only knows what they would say about mine?????????

pic of the race truck, it doesnt show any of my bird poo, but thought Id post it anyway,

it was actually a pic of the bike I used for work, but the truck is in the background.

 

[kerching]

Damp rods............back of the airing cupboard for a few days, top of the central heating boiler etc.

In preparation for my new boiler install tomorrow I have been ripping out the old cylinder cupboard. At the back of the cupboard, on top of the boiler was a box of Oerlikon 316 [austenitic] 3.2mm rods . Gave them to my mate the welder. He was as happy as Fat Chick at McDonalds... :coat

 

[OnOff]

In preparation for my new boiler install tomorrow I have been ripping out the old cylinder cupboard. At the back of the cupboard, on top of the boiler was a box of Oerlikon 316 [austenitic] 3.2mm rods . Gave them to my mate the welder. He was as happy as Fat Chick at McDonalds... :coat

Bu**er! I've just bought some st/st rods off of eBay!

On the st/st rod front is it well known about the **** "jumping"? I copied an external aerial bracket (one of those angle iron things that seem to come pre rusted)and made the new one o/of the same size stainless angle. It came out a treat. BUT........during welding you would lay down a bead then seconds later a lump of the **** would go "crack", ping off and go hissing through the air! Gave my bro in law quite a fright. In the end we were welding then turning the piece upside down so the **** hit the floor. Maybe we were doing something wrong?

p.s For **** read "s.l.a.g" as in Ray Winstone's famous line. Seems the profanity filter is working overtime!

 

[Sidewinder]

Hope, all the St/Stl rods I have have self detaching **** also!

 

[OnOff]

Hope, all the St/Stl rods I have have self detaching **** also!

Don't think we even got near it with the chipping hammer.........and welds were dead clean underneath too so no wire brushing, nada!