Weld penetration question...

So here is my situation. Need to replace / move the leaf springs on my 37 Nash. The current springs are sitting too wide to get the rear end and rim / tire combination in that I want to use.

Is a 110 mig powerful enough to get a strong enough weld on spring mounts and pads? Have a friend with a 110 welder that says it will be ok, but he's not a pro.

What do you think?

 

The machine will work. The person doing the welding may not.

 

Preheat with a propane torch will help penetration...

 

A decent 110 machine should be able to weld 1/4" no problem, so I don't see why not. But if you're asking this question here, you ought to let someone with better equipment and more proficient welding skills to handle the job for you.

I just spent half the morning re-welding some chicken shit welds on the rear spring pads that were done by the previous owner. I backed out of the shop this morning put it in gear, hit the throttle and CLUNK! BANG! POP! SNAP! CLUNK! Backed it back in slowly and peeked under it to notice the little bubble gum welds holding the pads to the axle tube didn't like the 1500 extra pounds in the bed for the past week of daily driving so the welds broke and the rear end housing rotated up. My 220V machine made sure that won't happen again.

 

inside the machine there is a settings guide. mine is rated for up to 1/4inch steel, but it says to use a flux core wire; which i dont use, but i use the ole' .025 stuff. so when i need to weld something a little thicker i will pre-heat till its red, like conniptor suggested (cool avatar by the way) but i never had luck with the propane,takes too long, i use the oxy/acetalene torch. if you dont have a torch just throw it in a fire for a while.....kidding. if you dont have a torch weld it from both sides at the highest setting and slow your wire speed down.
and of course, practice/test on something similar first to be sure you get enough heat.
good luck.

 

I don't have a 110 machine, but i have a huge tig and when i weld up axle tube brakets i am in excess of 250 amps. None of my shit has ever broken, from hots rods to promods to a nitro coupe and funny cars. You do not short change yourself on rear axle bracketry. You might be able to tack where you want it with 110 but let a welder do his job on the rest.

What you don't realize is that the biggest stress on the rear bracketry isn't pot holes or sidesteps on the clutch - it is the brake pedal. I have personally seen where the brakes would start to tear a bracket loose and have the gap tighten/close up when the gas pedal is reapplied. Whenever the guy would hit the brakes hard his car would go all over the place, scared the shit out of him. He'd drive off to the side and crawl under for a looksee, but by then the gap would have closed back up. I cought it by shear chance, an odd glimmer of light reflecting where there shouldn't have been. Just passing it on.

 

I think it has less to do with the welder than the person using it. A 110v is strong enough to weld 1/4" quite well. If the person using it doesn't know how to weld properly, the problems will persist regardless of what machine he is using.

 

This guy was wondering the same thing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB4EdVql8dE Just kidding, like said above its the welder, and most important the metal prep that will make the difference

 

spring steel is quite differant from mild steel- I sure wouldn't use it on a structural weld like that and would never touch it unless it was flux core wire.. you can pre heat the spring, but you might end up changing the molecular structure of the steel and the spring could just as easyly snap on the first good pothole.. take it to a reliable weld shop and have it done properly with the correct equipment

 

Before you post you should really understand the question

 

It depends alot on what kind of 110 mig you have, but since you are having to ask, I would say no.

 

yep- I should understand the queston, my apologys. That being said, I still mean what I said. Just delete the spring bit. I would still recommend against it. Can be done by someone that knows what they are doing. but best to use the proper tool. 110 and you will still run the risk of snapping it on the first good pothole you hit- you would be better off gas welding it

 

Do not use the mig or a 110v to do the finish welding, Will NOT be strong enough. Tack it together with the mig, hire someone with a big welder to finish, then you know it will hold Laurie

 

Keys to solid welds are clean and proper fitting of the pieces. Grind the areas to remove all scale, dirt etc. and fit the pieces together without gaps or voids. Even the best welder can't penetrate gaps.

If you have doubts just tack everything in place and take it to a shop. It shouldn't cost much and if the guy is car friendly it might be free.

 

I commend you for asking, but with that said if you are asking you probably dont have the skills needed for the job. I would not do anything frame, suspension, or structural with the 110. Now heres a suggestion, you can probably find a real good 220 stick welder on the local whatever sales list, for around $75.00. Practice or find someone to weld that up correctly. Ive had people offer to give me the welder when I was done just for doing the job. Thats very cheap for piece of mind, and your safety. Sell it when your done for what you paid for it, or keep it and use it. You will always find use for the 220 stick welder for something.

 

The only difference between a 110 and a 220 or a 440 production welder is the speed at which the weld can be made. A 110 could be used to weld 2" plate with proper prep, preheat and multipule passes in the hands of a trained weldor. It would take hours per foot as compared to a single pass with the 440, but it can be done. That being said, if I were you, I would use the 110 to tack things in position and have someone with skills finish it.

 

I can see doubting the 100, but doubting MIG in a blanket statement. Ludicrous.

and in case you didn't know...

lu·di·crous

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zman, I called Miller and told them my MM251 wasnt enough, I need to buy one of those " BIG " welders, they hung up

 

Rember
There are two things in life where penetration is really important.....and one of them is welding.

 

could it do the job? ..maybe..like your non "pro" friend said.."it will be ok"
man that just doesnt make me feel all that warm and fuzzy inside , you dont want it to be just Ok

should you use a bigger machine..I know i would

this isnt someplace where a maybe is a good choice...theres more out there on the road than just you and your jalopy

I owned a 110V welder once..I gave it to my nephew that does exhaust work..it fits that job much better, if you know what im sayin?

 

Yes, I'm thinking about the tack in route and having someone else finish it...

 

Steve, I did the front spring mounts on the bones on my car with a 110 V Hobart. We took the time to use a gas torch to preheat the area to be welded to around 200 degrees. We got great penetration and after a bunch of miles, everything is as planned.

 

Is he a HAMBER? Have him do a sample for you from the same thickness of stock. Post it for the guys to look at, if he is good he will not balk, if he balks, well then.

 

Obviously you've never taken a 6g welding test or welded any pressure vessels.


"Even the best welder can't penetrate gaps" complete nonsense. !!

Best thing to do for piece of mind is try welding a couple pieces of scrap the same thickness and break it. Study the penetration and make the call. Your housing should be. 0.188 thickness and the bracket is 1/4 ". That machine will have ZERO difficulty digging into the 0.188 . The bracket wouldn't hurt to have a bevel ground on it where it contacts the tube.
The machines capacity and penetration will increase with fluxcore because the polarity is different. If you ran fluxcore on those brackest there's every possibility of a perfect weld. Provided the operator knows what they are doing. Fluxcore with the addition of argon c02 gas coverage makes for some very strong and pretty welding.

 

Burn it in, the mig weld is about 80,000 lbs per inch when welded correctly.

 

ditto dat- but the question (once I understood it, I think) isn't can it be done. Naturally any competent skilled welder COULD do it.- But they would most likely use the proper equipment for the job- However, since you are asking it would lead me to believe you have doubts. And if you have doubts then you shouldn't do it. It's structural, it's intragal, and it could be a safty issue at some time. If not for you then for some poor smuckatelly shareing the road with you. Hate to wreak a car or lose a life over a $50 weld job

 

Get yourself some .030 flux core wire, clean the area to be welded, crank up the heat and have at it. Just keep in mind you will have a short duty cycle so it will take a little longer to weld the entire project.

 

Yes, it will work, *V*, your work section if possible. The metal/area you need to weld isn't that thick. I've welded plenty of stuff for people with a good 110v welder. It obviously wouldn't be my first choice of welders but if you weld correctly it will be fine...

 

I'm from Missouri, show me the sample. I know the machine can do it.

 

That's what I do ... I'm no pro welder, just an amateur but for heavy duty stuff (frame, rear axle brackets...) I'd use my 220 stick welder over the 110 MIG.
Probably catch hell for this but with a stick I like the 6011 welding rod.... hell on my first hotrod (avatar) I used that for the sheet metal !!