Well I started some welds on my four link. Let me know what you think. I think I have pretty good penetration. I've been practicing but got a little nervous when it came to doing it on the project. I'm using a 180 HD <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Lincoln</st1lace></st1:City> with gas. Gas is set to 22. 8 on speed and E on heat. Running .23 wire. Any advice you guys could give me would be appreciated.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o> <o></o> Thanks<o></o>
If you want to test your welding; take a 2 inch wide piece of that thickness and just weld one side to another piece of same thickness. Make it 90 degrees like a T, the after it cools see what it takes to break the "one side weld". by the way..Inside corner welds always need more amps than outside IMO
Looks good, but it looks like there may be some undercut or incomplete tie in on your vertical(?) pass in the last pic, otherwise, looking good.
Hahah sorry I don't know how that smiley face got on there. I actually did weld two pieces together and hit it with a sledge hammer. Couldn't break it. My Lincold only goes up to E setting. Should I be using .035 wire instead?
A smack with sledge hammer is not an accurate test of weld strength/penetration. Do you know what cold lap is? Because you have it going on, and that's not good. Also a step up to 35 wire would be a wise choice. Good luck.
It's not how good the weld looks, it's how it penetrates the steel. Take a look at the opposite side of your test piece from where you welded and see if you got complete penetration. Good sign if you could hit it with a heavy hammer and bend the steel without breaking the weld.
53Kemper, A ambitious start! It would be nice to start with something other than your suspension but you gotta start sometime. First off, good for you for jumping in the deep end. Since you asked for it... advise that is: The vertical welds appear to be much hotter- larger heat affected zone. I'll assume that you did not adjust the machine and that you traveled faster of the horizontal welds. The horizontal welds also appear to have a peaked weldment- again - less penetration. But thats just my 2 cents- Welding is a skill that takes practice to become skilled and a lifetime to master- The tip of welding scrap material to check the welds quality is a good tip. Stay with it you're off and running! Good Luck
Not sure what cold lap is but I'll research it and figure it out. I'll step it up to .35 wire. When I hit the test peice with the sledge it did bend the metal and didn't crack the weld, but I also welded it on both sides. So should I weld a little slower to get more heat pentration? Thank foor the advice guys. I can use everything you can tell me.
Stepping up to .035 only if your machine can handle that generally .023 is for body metal .030 for frames and thicker. Goodluck
My manual says the Lincold can run .035 wire. I'll try it tomorrow on some test pieces and see how it works.
cold lap is when the weld bead just sits on top of the piece and does not actually penetrate, you can see you either have cold lap or you are going too slow and your wire speed is too high. I would do some research and do some more pratice pieces before welding anymore
Looks good for a first time. I have to agree with above posts about cold lap and using the .035 but, want to ask how are you prepping the pieces to weld ? Are you bevelling the weld edge of the plate ? This will help with penetration. The inside welds can be difficult to master What type of shield gas are you using ?
For a first time weld, that is mighty good welding, but that isn't to say it is perfect. It is wise of you to get advice, problem is you are asking it from the wrong place. You need to go to a welding forum, post your pics and get thier opinion. The guys on here are giving all kinds of different advice and you don't know how to sort it out, keep this thread alive long enough and somebody'll tell you to raise your float. Everybody is trying to be helpful and sincere, the problem is some of the guys weld 8hrs a day and some 8hrs a month and they are all giving you advice. I go to 'weldingweb forum' from time to time, i know there's others, post your pics there and you'll get lots of experienced advice. Keep at it, looks pretty good. I'd quit banging shit with a sledgehammer, run it thru a saw and have a looksee at the penetration.
doesnt look like you did get very good penetration, some of your beads look to high, not laying flat, it is hard to look at a picture and say just how strong a weld is, if you havent been doing this long i think a better test of your skills is on order, make some sample pieces much like your brackets, weld them together and then do a test to distruction, by that i mean smash them apart, they will come apart just keep beating. yes you need .035. crank up the heat till your blowing through, then back it down.
Basicly good advice here, yes, .035 wire is best all around welding. Can't believe this is your first attempt at welding!!!---Good job! Slow up on your downhill stringers, for better penetration. There is no substitute for PRACTICE, this will make you a better welder. ---------Don-----Welding since 1951
Will practice more and check out the Welding forums. I'm going to try the .035 wire today. I'll keep you guys posted. Thanks for all the help.
Was there anything more important to your safety that you could have tackled for your first-time welding project? Maybe something in the steering area. Fools rush in where angles fear to tread. "Welding for the first time" and "suspension" aren't things you do at the same time. -Brad
53 Do us all a favor and weld some body tin first. Don't jump into the deep end of the pool "Head First"when it comes to welding. Frames are like Roll Cages...in a crash would you want to question the welds?
035 wire is the best, it looks to me like u need to slow down a little bit, and i weld in right to left as i weld or u can try in small circles try it on some of the same thickness of scrap that u r using on your frame, good luck
Your welding looks pretty good. I wrote this article a few weeks ago, it might give you a few tips: http://www.fordmuscle.com/forums/exhaust-articles/497062-automotive-mig-welding-basics.html
Best advice I can give you (and I teach welding for a living) is to learn to watch the puddle... This used to be critical with stick welding, but a lot of guys think that with a MIG they can set the machine and take a nap while they run the bead. You have to be able to see what is going on as the metal is melting...going back and looking at the finished bead is too late. If you see the weld puddle melting in to the base metal on both sides, you will never have those "caterpillar" humped beads we see so much of. Always weld toward your face, and get your head out in front of the gun so the nozzle isn't blocking your view. Use a gun with a slip on gas nozzle so you can adjust the position of the nozzle to keep the electrode length consistent (slide it back further to get closer on those fillet welds for example). Looks like you are off to a good start. Just never forget that excuses won't hold the car together...
You need .030 wire on that thickness of metal to get good penetration. Your heat was a little low on the inside weld. Be sure to tie in both parts with a circular motion and keep an eye on your puddle. Since these are critical welds I would re-weld them with the .030 wire. Grind the existing welds flush before you start. Practice, practice, practice. Scott Fab Manager Welders360
Hard to tell from the pics.,But..If that`s a bare frame you might want to rotate it so you are in the horizontal position for welding. Practice,practice,practice. Decent "first try"
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