Mig welding near powerful magnet

Ok I bought some new triangle shaped high power welding magnets. They grip amazing and worked better than anything I have seen. But then.....


I tried throwing a couple tacks on a butt weld so I could tig it up. Every pull just almost was like being out of gas. I tried everything but then tried setting up on a scrap piece and worked fine. Tried again near the magnet and same deal. I can tack or weld as long as it isn't within a couple inched of these magnets.

What the F'k is going on??? I know there is a lot of info here so I ask "Why can't I weld near a high powered magnet??????"

 

yep, bin dere, done dat...... I had a tradesman welder buddy tell me "in very technical terms" what was going on. Can't remember what he called it. If you can buzz a tack in, knock the magnet outta the way and carry on..........

 

Yup, same here. And it seems the magnet always ends up in the exact spot you need a tack

 

i thought it was just me!

 

I don't use those angle magnets too terribly often, and the ones I have are weak anyhow, so they don't bother the MIG very much. They were from Harbor Frieght on sale for a buck a pop.

I do however use some small high-power magnets almost everyday. They are about 3/4" tall and about 2" long with steel glued on 2 sides. They are used for making channel letter signs so most sign shops use them and could probably sell you some or tell you where to get them. You can't weld near them, but I find them invaluable in my day-to-day fabrication as an extra set of hands, or holding a pattern to a piece of material, or anything.

 

You are not the only one. Really strange arc.

 

The electromagnetic field is screwing with the weld puddle. The magnet works on molten metal as well as solid, add the tig torch using electric current to heat the metal and you've got a serious problem. I worked for a bridge building company that sourced some Brazilian I beams that were magnetized and while trying to tack plates to these beams you could watch the arc rotate from the magnetic fields. Beyond that explanation you've got to wait for someone that went beyond grade 14 ;}

 

Geez, keep talking you guys, this seems to be answering some questions for me. Could it have something to do with the electromagnetic field around the wire and the affect the magnet has on it?

 

Sorry, Billet didn't realize I was jumping on your post. However as you can tell I'm at least considering the mag field and the magnets and well I tried, I....... Never mind

 

Some guys call it arc blow, try looping your ground around the part.

 

Discovered this really fast when I was learning how to weld. Now I just get my tack in and then carry on without the magnet.

 

I like magnets! Magnets and electricity are my most favorite things. Plus, I just hate it when you hit the trigger of the mig gun to start welding, and you find that you forgot to open the gas valve on the tank.

 

Another tidbit. Do not weld on a car with a magneto!! Take the magneto out and take it to your friends house down the street!

 

I used to weld fume pipe under a smelter line with a DC voltage of about 246,000. The amperage total was something along the lines of 80,000 at any given time. We would stick or mig on reverse polarity at the highest amperage we could. It was a trip to weld uphill and chase your puddle! The trick was to start welding and see which way your puddle wanted to travel, then stop and set up so you could weld into the path it wanted to flow.

The magnetism was so high down there under those cells that we would waste time by hanging wrenches off the ceiling grates (floor vents from the main room) and try to see how many we could get up there.

The company had a certified welder come down once to weld up some caustic lines, poor guy spent about two hours laying a bead, grinding it out, then trying again. We told him what we did and he got it done, but he wasn't very impressed...

 

What?

 

Magnets are used to oscillate arcs while welding. In more sophisticated welding application and robotic welding it is how they manipulate the arc to do different puddle designs. You usually notice it more in Tig welding and a little less in Mig.

 

I am laughing because in all the years I have been welding I always almost never used magnets and when I did the were cheapo deals that just never worked.

Well as a positive I guess I can now hang 25lbs of stuff on my frig with these new magnets.

 

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Another tidbit. Do not weld on a car with a magneto!! Take the magneto out and take it to your friends house down the street!
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What?


what he ment by that, is welding with it in the car(engine) or near it will fuck it up..
due to the electromagnetic field and its ability to ruin the magneto

so its best to get it the heck away..far away..he was just messin when he said take it to your neighbors house

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I wonder if you were to put a powerful magnet on the backside of 2 pieces of metal you are butt welding. Would you get better penetration. My guess would be no, but I think its an interesting question.

Gary

 

If elctricity and magnets didnt "talk" to eachother, your Generator/Starter, etc wouldn't work.

 

I think that if you are Butt welding then you will end up filling in your crack

 

I tried to arc weld a bracket on a magnet once to make Tow lights (before you could buy them for $20)

The weld jumped off the magnet !

My welding instuctor could not tell me why and I never did get it to work

Beaulieu

 

GEez, I thought it was disturbing my shielding gas. It makes too much sense!!!! Magnet and molten metal..................smacking head.

 

magnets will mess with TIG as well, it just can't figure out where the steel is i think.

 

the welding arc is plasma, and it has polarity, which causes the atoms to react to the magnets polarity, sometimes being attracted, sometimes being repelled...in a nutshell

 

Bringing back an old thread.

Check out this link vs what the discussion is here. Jody at weldingtipsandtricks doesnt seem to have an issue with magnets. Welding magnets are to be used for tacking only!

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/magtab-welding-magnet.html

 

It's called "magnetic arc blow" I'm sure you can Google it

 

I lauged so hard I dropped the lap top. I am really happy it still works.