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Re: Looking to learn MIG - self teaching?
my 2 cents (for what it's worth)
I would say you can absolutely self learn welding, especially the MIG Process which isn't the most difficult process in the welding arena. I started Tig Welding in 2001 and got the bug for it. I wanted to weld small parts for robotics. Now it's 2021 and I'm still doing the same thing, bigger and better. When I started there was no youtube so I bought several books and they were quite helpful. Yep remember back when people could only find information if it existed in books. lol But now you can teach yourself how to professionally weld off of youtube. If a picture in a book is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million. You can learn a lot of technique, tips, and skills just from watching someone. Now sure if you have someone local who can spend an hour or so with you that can be worth it's weight in gold, but it's not always easy to setup something like that. So yes it's very doable to DIY this skill and build up a good deal of expertise and confidence.
As someone else mentioned, penetration is important so if in doubt make some test welds on coupons and cut them in half to see your penetration depth. Also don't take any critical welding jobs (auto, aviation, structural etc) until you are significantly experienced, insured, and confident in your abilities. Welding something is one thing, putting someone's life in the hands of that weld is another. You'll figure it out. The more you practice, the better you become.
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Re: Looking to learn MIG - self teaching?
Originally Posted by
Sberry
The chart is a start. You need to find out where wide open is. The charts are ok for vert up. Newbies usually try too cold and fuss around turning it up, we start with burning holes and turn it down when we have to.
Didn't realize the charts were for vertical up, thought it was the recommended setting for flat. I usually turn the wire feed speed a little lower when I go vertical up. Looking at those welds I can't really tell which one would be the winner, they all look pretty comparable to me. Getting that trained eye will take a long time and probably close to impossible for me without more professional training/instruction. I've been cutting up all my welds to check the penetration and inspecting the fusion, hopefully that will help me learn what works best.
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Re: Looking to learn MIG - self teaching?
Originally Posted by
Ambull01
Didn't realize the charts were for vertical up, thought it was the recommended setting for flat. I usually turn the wire feed speed a little lower when I go vertical up. Looking at those welds I can't really tell which one would be the winner, they all look pretty comparable to me. Getting that trained eye will take a long time and probably close to impossible for me without more professional training/instruction. I've been cutting up all my welds to check the penetration and inspecting the fusion, hopefully that will help me learn what works best.
The door chart is intended to be a recommended starting point to be fine tuned as needed.
UNITWELD 175 AMP 3 IN1 DC
MIDSTATES 300 AMP AC MACHINE
LET'S GO BRANDON!"INFLATION-THAT'S THE PRICE WE PAY FOR THOSE GOVERNMENT BENEFITS EVERYBODY THOUGHT WERE FREE."RONALD REAGAN
JEFF
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Re: Looking to learn MIG - self teaching?
I agree
I have even had the power going to welder change from morning to afternoon.
Dave
Originally Posted by
CAVEMANN
The door chart is intended to be a recommended starting point to be fine tuned as needed.
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Re: Looking to learn MIG - self teaching?
I had a neighbor moved here for retirement and was a master in his own right,,, said that man the electric is hot here. Said he had to turn the buzzer down a notch at least.
I had my bud lineman load test a service we wondered about. There is a lot of speculation about circuits but the reality was it deliver 1V drop at 130A on a 100 service. I am not sure how much tranny was on it, I was gonna ask but it was a long bugger, hundreds of ft overhead with about 6 maybe 8 homes on it. I will grant he pulled it off hours for the real demand but not a single thing on the property gonna suffer from loss legal code wired. Would launch a 300 Synchrowave and well tolerate a 251 class mig for Joe Hometime.
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Re: Looking to learn MIG - self teaching?
I will stop right as a hole is forming and that even leaves a good place for a restart. I am going to edit this or add ramble but there is a bit of point to it.
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Re: Looking to learn MIG - self teaching?
This isnt a perfect weld. What it is,,, I should have used a longer strip to get to the point of perfect melt thru this being 1/4 plate, 3/16 gap or so, no bevel open butt, welder simply melting thru best he could so to speak. The first picture is the back, the last is the face or side the weld was made from and made any better may not have broken under this simple test. Even with the defects under some durress fully intact and only fail under extreme stress. Tried one earlier without considering this and couldnt really break it open for a picture.
Only a minor lack of fusion local in the root and where we intentionally stopped, as Rocky D used to say,,,, you get used to doing it and hard to do it wrong.
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Re: Looking to learn MIG - self teaching?
This could be done better, wouldnt pass some critical inspection but on Joe Hometime bucket job its well burned in with the machine doing a lot of the real work and operator trying to hang on and not make a hole.
Turn it up till it burns holes then down to manage it. Never see a hole burned with lack of fusion,,,, kind of like paint, dont see dry runs.
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Re: Looking to learn MIG - self teaching?
The mechanical properties might be better going the other way as the face has better gas coverage during the weld, the bend is against the root.
Last edited by Sberry; 11-22-2021 at 05:26 PM.
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Re: Looking to learn MIG - self teaching?
Originally Posted by
smithdoor
I agree
I have even had the power going to welder change from morning to afternoon.
Dave
Yes, agree with your agreement. A little harder to tell on a step machine like the Lincoln but earlier in the career where did more critical work, where machines could be fine tuned could tell the difference in a couple A on small electrodes. There is a lot of opinion about what it takes and I dont remember some settings for 1/8 lo hy as well as 3/32 but about 92A depending slightly on the machine. Thats not on the dial but in meter readings with someone can carry proper arc length etc. for high quality deposit.
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Re: Looking to learn MIG - self teaching?
Guys done it know that self peeling slag with good rod running toasty where it washes in at the right speed and if he looks super close or under magnification can see the tiny gas bubbles boiling out of the puddle.
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Re: Looking to learn MIG - self teaching?
Originally Posted by
Ambull01
Didn't realize the charts were for vertical up, thought it was the recommended setting for flat. I usually turn the wire feed speed a little lower when I go vertical up. Looking at those welds I can't really tell which one would be the winner, they all look pretty comparable to me. Getting that trained eye will take a long time and probably close to impossible for me without more professional training/instruction. I've been cutting up all my welds to check the penetration and inspecting the fusion, hopefully that will help me learn what works best.
While I'm not the expert, I think in theory. If stick welding, a process where the machine modulates to keep current constant, a vertical weld is kept from dripping by keeping voltage down. A series circuit divides voltage. The higher resistance points along the circuit get most voltage. A long stick arc gets more volts, a very short arc gets fewer. The formula for sag free stick welding is more amps, fewer volts & moving on before enough liquid accumulates to drip. You keep it moving, if stringers, move ahead, then fall back. If weaving, press it in each side of the weave, move across too quickly to have a sag.
MIG, the same rules apply, except the machine modulates to keep voltage constant. Stick out affects amperage somewhat, but feed speed also controls amperage. Arc length affects amperage. If feed is too slow, amperage falls & more of the filler is molten before it touches a surface.
In both processes Watts is the unit of measure makes molten steel. We have to melt filler, but equally important is melting the surface of the weldment. We seek a balance. MIG melting only filler will be a cold deposit with little strength. We want surface being welded & filler to be equally viscous to attain fusion.
An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
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