Mig Welding that look like tig

I'm always looking for a way to make my Mig welds a bit more presentable. For the past year and a half, I've been using this technique.

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Then I came across these welds and automatically thought they were Tig only to find out they weren't. Does anyone know the technique on making your Mig welds look like this? I have an understanding in my head but would like to hear your thoughts to see if I'm far off. Do you think it'll be as strong as welding the regular way?

 

Shore is purdy!!!

 

"triggered", series of task or spot welds.
I'd say it looks pretty, but isnt as strong as a full pass.

 

What he said.

 

Yup, I thought that when I saw it in the incredible welds thread.

 

That pic is from one of Skoty's threads... there is a video showing that it is NOT stitch welded. He runs a continuous weld, he just moves back and forth.

ETA- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28ifqvEBJfE

 

This was done with a MIG..not bragging; just saying.

 

Skoty Chops welded that and I have trouble believing that he "triggered" it even though it looks that way. I have seen mig welds look really really good and they were continuous like that..

The weld thats frozen on the video screen looks about perfect to me.

 

If you use a "stitch" pattern you can achieve that look while still making a full pass. Start the puddle, out then back in, out then back in, etc..... Wish I had some pics.... Works the best with "T" joints obviously.

 

Looks good. Is it a constant weld but you are pausing the gun?

Andy.

 

Thanks for the link.

 

I always get a kick out of these stupid bare hands welders. Put some fucking gloves on idiots !

 

Nice weld!

 

Not tack welding by any means, just plenty of skill and practice.

 

Awesome welding there

 

Boring lolllllllllllllllllllllllllllll.

 

Scotty Chops is a welding God!

 

I will sumise this to say that having the ability to burn in a solid and safe weld with a MIG with good craftsmanship and tools in hand would be better than to try to imitate a TIG with the incorrect tools with having left a weld that has not enough weld penetration properties.
Weld penetration is what makes a weld work. Welding thin stuff like body panels can deal with equipment inexperience moreso than chassis work.

 

I've never heard of "triggered" welds, but weaving the gun like that is how I learned to weld. I'm not a pro by any stretch...but I trust my work to keep me and my loved ones safe. It's a continuous weld, like MR Ford said...in and out of the puddle. But it's hard to perfect...if you whip too fast (aka push the puddle towards the sides) doing a high heat weld, you end up undercutting the material along the outside edge of your bead. You have to keep a close eye on the wire, making sure the wire doesn't jump out in front of the puddle as you whip to the outside edges of the bead.

In my experience, pushing the bead creates a nicer looking weld than dragging it...but dragging it gives you a better shot at maximum penetration. On the push, its easier to end up creating a cold weld that's sitting on top of the material on both sides of the joint....not penetrating the material itself. If you're welding structurally critical areas with that technique....you gotta know what you're doing and what you're seeing. That style of welding can be very deceiving, and the fancy look of the weave can easily distract a hobby welder from what really matters....strength.

Again....I'm no expert...but I can also add that I've seen pro welders run a straight up pass first...they chamfer the materials to a V...then run a basic straight up bead...continuously...leaving a slightly raised bead at the bottom of the V. They explained to me that the point is not to fill the chamfered V all the way to the top or the sides...just to make sure full penetration is acheived along the welded seam. Then they clean up the bead a little bit with the grinder before finishing the weld out to the top and sides of the V with that weave pattern that's pictured.

Any pro welders out there...it'd be good to chime in here

 

yeah you said it for sure!

 

X2... wait till you see what you arms look like when your 50...

 

I used to instruct and supervise this technique at a major Big Rig Trailer mfg. company.
My department manufactured aluminum bottom dump trailers (doubles, a semi and a pull trailer) These were built on steel chassis, with dual wheel 'trucks', 12 wheels in all.

Unladen weight of the pair of trailers was 10,400 lbs. Strength was paramount; cosmetic was practised vehemently.
There was NO 'triggering', 'stitching', or 'skipping'. It was a 'curlish' technique, and finished like the illustrations.
Anybody 'stitching' would be reprimanded, and taught again. New weldors accomplished the style. Older guys had a harder time (old habits)

 

pull it down 3/8'', back up a 1/4'', repeat over and over! i do a little loop before i come back down. i'm a migger. no dis-respect to....

 

LOL...you don't have to wait till your 50....just look at them the next day! My girlfriend loves to pick stuff....so on our first date she spent an hour picking off the remnants of a two day old welding burn....she's a keeper.

Now I wear long sleeves.

 

I have heard and read for a long time that flux core wire welders were POS..... well I found one that seems to do a very good job.....
This is the welder and the wire that I used ,the weld is on a rusty drop ramp trailer.

 

Just so everybody's clear...there's more to any technique than just doing it in a straight line. Different materials, working into sharp corners, starts, stops, different planes (vertical, horizontal, overhead) throat size, layering, tonnes and tonnes of shit to learn. That's why guys go to school for years to get certified.... it's a professional trade.

 

Nice call to the fellas who recognized Skoty's work. I found it on his fb site.

That's what I thought until I saw the video and it was one continuous pass on the video 52pickup posted. For those who missed it, here it is again.

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Thanks for all the info and technique advice. I googled some of the terms you guys used and found some pretty cool pics.



I have a better understanding now and instead of making loops like I normally do (like the first video I posted), I will try to go in and out of the welds creating puddles that overlap each other. Might take me awhile to get it down but they look a lot better than my old welds.

 

Don't be embarrassed of the look of a good MIG weld, stick weld, or fusion weld if used in the right application. We have all bought tools to do our needed job in hand and then our hobby took the next job.
Use good tools for the job. IMO, buy a TIG when you NEED to weld aluminum or chromoly steel. Tools for correct application when tools are needed.
Yes, I do appreciate a weld that looks like a row of nickels in aluminum, stainless steel, and carbon steel.
Penetration is where the job is. Use the right tool for the job.
To correct any myths, you can use an acetylene torch with the correct tip and oxygen/acetylene pressures to make some damn pretty welds with your steel coat hanger as filler. Pick your metal thickness and the color of blue around it.

 

Lets start out with the disclaimer, I dont know everything. I am a certified welder, do it for a living, dont know everything. While the weld pictured above by "Skotty" might look bad ass it isnt a weld I would want anywhere near anything I would be driving. If you x-ray a weld like that it will actually show a micro crack in each one of the stacks. They are too far apart and it gives you the same basic thing as a cold start stop. I will take the weld pictured at the top of the thread above that. For strength you sure dont want your stacks that far apart. Think small not big. Small whips are far stronger because you arent moving out of your puddle and letting the puddle cool. You need to maintain a hot puddle at all times to have a quality weld. A solid non whipped weld is much stronger and will x-ray better. I Will admit, I do whip a mig weld when using a solid wire (like pictured) but my whips are very small and fast. NEVER let the puddle cool to the point it changes colors. I would rather grind something ugly and know it's solid than worry about a pretty weld breaking.

 

Geez, another welder who makes me feel like just giving up...