Newby Welder needs advice on weld.

[acornejo]

Hello all, I have been reading a ton of info on this forum and went out and bought a lincoln 135T mig welder. I messed around for about 20 minutes but just cant seem to get a good looking weld. I took two semesters of welding about 20 years ago so that gives you and idea of my experience...next to none. Anyways, I was practicing on 1/8" mild steel and was using .035 flux core wire with welder setting of C and 2.5. here are two pictures of the same weld. What is the problem? Not enough heat....too fast....too slow?????? Please help.

Acornejo

http://www.bytephoto.com/photopost/data/500/289weld2.jpg

http://www.bytephoto.com/photopost/data/500/289weld1.jpg

[lock down]

I'm far from an expert...but if you use Ox or better yet a mix of 75/25 ,the weld will be better.......Just my 2 cents.I'm sure others with more experience will chime in.......

[acornejo]

I sure would like to add the gas mix to help in my welds. I just bought the welder today....so have to save a bit for the bottle, gas and etc....Thanks for the reply.

Ac

[chopper5]

if you use flux core you don't need gas do you have the polarity set right?

[acornejo]

Yes, Chuck. I verified that the ground is on the + for flux core wire. Some welds came out better than others. I know what a weld should look like...but my problems is I don't know what is the fix for bad welds...does this make sense??? Confusing myself. hahaha

I believe the inside panel calls for settings of D and 3 for 1/8" but this seemed way too powerful. What do you think is the issue with my weld?

Ac

[lock down]

I sure would like to add the gas mix to help in my welds. I just bought the welder today....so have to save a bit for the bottle, gas and etc....Thanks for the reply.

Ac
Sorry ...should have said flux core wire & gas don't go,as was stated.....
Also you have to prep the metal before welding.........

[tapwelder]

Weld doesn't look bad and you know where to put the bead. Looks like you are doing a lap joint. Throughout the weld you are not concentrating enough heat on the lower plate. It is more pronunced at the end of each weld. Also, try increasing your voltage one tap and decreasing the wire speed. Looks like you have recalled a lot from your two semesters. Good Job.

[acornejo]

No problem. I am new to mig welding. I do understand though that flux core does not use gas...and solid wire does need it...like 75/25 ratio of argon/CO2. and 100% argon for aluminum. I am going by the specs on the side of the cabinet for recommended voltage and wire speed settings. What I don't know is where I should do small figure 8's or just drag it along with a 10 degree angle away from the weld. This is just stuff I have read, but I don't know what is the best technigue for the best weld possible with flux core wire. I am searching the web as this remains posted.....but I prefer to get great information from all of the welders here. I have really enjoyed this forum!

Ac

[acornejo]

Thanks tapwelder. I will try what you recommended here in just a bit. I will post back a picture of the weld so that you can let me know how it came out. I really appreciate it.

ac

[acornejo]

Tapwelder, here is a weld with the settings that you recommended. I set the voltage tap to D and the wire speed to 2.5 Please let me know what you all think. Here is a link to the pick. Thanks,

http://www.bytephoto.com/photopost/data/500/289weld3.jpg

Ac

[acornejo]

I decide to up the WFS to 3 and leave the tap on D. There are two welds on this pic. The first weld at the lower half, I decided to slow down my gun movement. On the weld above, I slowed down even more. To me the top weld looks pretty good. Am I right? Is this okay for mig?

http://www.bytephoto.com/photopost/data/500/289weld4.jpg

Ac

[TxRedneck]

not sure but looks like you might be havng a shielding problem...i am too lazy to read back so ill ask and yes I understand the consquences...are you running selfshielded flux? and if so either you dint clean your welds up of the slag all the way or youve got a shielding problem there which means junk that rolly of wire and put new wire in and dont crank your tensioin down too much...just enought o make it feed. If you crank flux down you can crush the wire and the flux can come out inside the liner. Otherwise its looking better good luck

[acornejo]

Hey TxRedneck,

I did not adjust the tension....This unit is new out of the box to include the wire. When I installed the wire, I fed it through the gun and fed out about an extra foot. I inspected the wire to see if it was flat...like if the tension were too tight, but it looked fine. As far as the nut that holds the spool in place, I tightened it down while rotating the spool, once I felt a slight drag on the spool, I gave the nut another 1/4 turn as the manual stated. The wire being used is Gasless flux core wire by hobart. The size is .035 ET71-GS I believe is the model. The iron was purchased today at home depot, 1/8 " just to practice on. Fairly clean for the most part. I am trying to hold the nozzle about 3/8 to 1/2 at the most away from the work piece. I am welding inside of the garage so wind is not a factor.

The tension....from the what book says is factory set to 5 full turns from the point were the first thread catches once the wind nut is turned on the threads. So I did not mess with this.
The gun is fitted with a .035 tip and the ground cable is attached to the + terminal for flux core.

Does the top weld look good or is it still bad?

Ac

[chopper5]

your top weld looks ok the bottom weld you went uneven speed whtch you puddle but i think your getting the hang of it

[Sandy]

Hey acornejo,

Had to chuckle just a bit at your fisrt post. I messed around for about 20 minutes but just cant seem to get a good looking weld. :laugh:

The machine and wire are both new to you so give it some time. That top bead in the last pic wasn't bad at all. So keep on playing, and give it some time.

Besides the fact that for practice purposes your not going to get graded and welding on flat is pretty forgiving as far as setting goes, try this. Look at your chart for the material thickness, set it there then turn the wire speed up a couple of touches. Your going to listen for something close to a sizzle. Run a slow two inch stringer concentrating on watching the puddle and listening. For this one stay just ahead of the puddle, that dictates your speed of movement. Next one could be a very slight weave, no more than half a width of the original bead you did. Again concentrate on the puddle and sound and that will dictate your speed. Then try any dang thing you want that might be fun but always watching the puddle and never worrying about how pretty it is going to look. The real point is to learn what is happening "in/at" the puddle and how to manipulate it. Pretty can be later.

[chopper5]

yup what SANDY said i would have typed all that but i should be sleeping right now:laugh:

[tapwelder]

Yeah

Ac the top weld on the second photo looks good. You applied the heat properly. Looks like you are using a whipping action, good. I don't usually do circles when I mig. May have rushed at the end of the weld. Now try listening to the sound as you weld. Should be a steady sizzle. Make adjustment to keep the steady sizzle. If you can duplicate that weld then you are doing very well. The weld on the first photo looks strange because it has gas bubble in it. Maybe metal was oily. Are you applying antispatter spray?

[TxRedneck]

I dont know my ole eyes are having a real hard time with that...but yeah I think its a good weld on top with residual slag left over. I cant tell:confused:

[acornejo]

Thanks for all the tips!!! I really appreciate all of you for taking the time to look at my photos and giving me your honest opinions. I am really excited about starting to make some "stuff", maybe I will even be brave enough to take a photo and place it on line for you all to see. ha ha ha

Thanks again,

Albert

[Hyjnx]

Ditto to what Sandy said...... practice practice.... I am strictly a hobbyist and have been doing this for two years and every weld is an adventure at times when you only do it once in a while.. Sandy is pretty savvy about this read his posts on anything and he knows whats up, and how to fix it.. this is a great forum, with years and years of knowledge and experience,Good luck and keep practicing....

Marty

[andre st georges]

flux core dosen,t need a gas sheild but with the limited output of this type of mchine it will work a hundred times better

[after12beer]

I think you should just keep up the practice. It will come. and listen to tapwelder. gotta get the sizzle right. should sound like bacon frying.lol. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. good luck.