Welds with a Lincoln pro mig 180

[Sokoji]

Okay, I'm kinda new to welding and before I go all crazy with building up of my rock crawler I would like some advice/criticism from more experienced welders than I. All these were done on full power with a lincoln pro mig 180 at a wire speed of 3.5 with .35 flux core wire.

They are in order of when I did them. 5/16th to 5/16th

3/16 to 5/16

3/16 to 5/16

5/16th to 5/16th

This last one is a butt joint


I hope this is the right section, it looked like the best and most apt.

[DSW]

Picts 2 and 3 look fairly good. 1 & 4 look a bit cold at the lower toes. The but looks decent, but I'd want to see the backside to see how much penetration you got. Definately moving in the right direction. In the future it helps to post up your settings as well so that people can make suggestions about where you are and what they generally run. The more info we get, the better we can help make suggestions.

Keep in mind that structural vehicle work needs a lot more skill and practice than whats shown here. If your plans are to build things like sliders. bumpers and small brackets, then you are well on your way.

[Sokoji]

Thanks for the reply, I'll work on it a bunch more before I try the spring hangers.

In the future it helps to post up your settings as well so that people can make suggestions about where you are and what they generally run.

I thought I had, was this not what you were looking for?

All these were done on full power with a lincoln pro mig 180 at a wire speed of 3.5 with .35 flux core wire.

I could just be using the wrong terms, I set the welder up for what it told me for 5/16ths.

[DSW]

opps I missed that the 1st time thru, probably just because the way it was worded.

[brucer]

you planning on using gas and solid wire?

[Sokoji]

you planning on using gas and solid wire?

Yes I am, I have only had the welder for 4 days so far. Still trying to find a cheap used bottle on CL. After that I'll probably only run the flux core when I have to.

[JoshD]

I'm very inexperienced but I've done several welds like those shown lately with similar equipment, 255 mig w/ solid .035. I was shocked at how nice a mig weld could look, and have absolutely zero penetration at the joint root.

If you grind the joint edge of the vertical T piece perfectly flat, weld it like in the picture(s), you can bend it or break it off, in the direction of the weld. Then you can look at the joint and see how much penetration you got. I don't know anything about rock crawlers though, for all I know a 110v harbor freight machine might be good enough for what you want to do, LMFAO.

[Rojodiablo]

Originally Posted by Sokoji

Yes I am, I have only had the welder for 4 days so far. Still trying to find a cheap used bottle on CL. After that I'll probably only run the flux core when I have to.

For the thicker stuff, I would stick to flux core welding. Yes, you can hit it with gas, and it's cleaner. But FCAW welds do penetrate better, and they will work better on dirty steel, they burn through light rust/ paint much better than straight gas. Also, FCAW is great in the wind. It's a toss up, one is cleaner and one is more versatile.

As to the welds; the middle ones look pretty darn good. The last couple show some undercut; not enough filler. A little more whip, and slower forward progress will cure that. As you have read, steady hand is the main ingredient on the actual welding side. Other than that; it's a lot of good prep work that makes for great welds.

[welderShane]

Not bad at all. Try to maintain a consistent travel speed.