Just because a person knows how a song goes doesn't mean they can play it on the piano. There probably isn't a welder who hasn't made some pretty nasty welds early in the learning curve. For self-trained hobbyist that is even more so. People proudly show off crappy welds all the time. They are proud to have joined two pieces while the rest of us are thinking they have a lot to learn.
I like the fact that someone in the first page immediately jumped to "Chinese" as the reason for those ugly MIG welds. Well fellas, here's an example of some "Lousy" Chinese welds I have been involved with
I took this picture of a frame we cut out, I am not a good welder but before I beat myself up too bad I look at this work. This poor guy didn't even learn to use a grinder! Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
I worked as a Certified Porsche Tech for years...when the cars went from formula 356 to the new 901 (911 in U.S.A.) the welding on the sub chassis was all MiG. 911, 912...they were MiG welded, and not neat. A customer (hot rodder) friend of mine was in the shop when I was doing some timing chains one day, walked under and looked at the weld at the rear torsion tube... He said he didn't feel so bad about some frame work he had just finished... "These Porsches all this bad? Man, that looks like crap!" I had to agree... A surprise, but most were like that.
No way am I proficient but I am decent most times.Mig and stick. I use a Miller Elite auto dark. Can you tell why you have those reasons and why in trouble? Always looking to learn and still have my old helmet I used when I just had the stick.Would going to gold in that help?Of course I gotta try it for the only way to tell and every one is different.
Nothing at all wrong with an auto dark.Most folks that claim them to be bad are simply ignorant of what they are and how they protect your eyes. The misunderstanding is that they tend to think that the switching time can add up and leave your eyes unprotected from UVs for a fraction of a second, and add up to a period of time long enough to burn your eyes. Actually, the passive shade (usually shade 5) protects your eyes 100% from harmful rays. So the switching time is really only to keep your pupils from dilating. I had a very difficult time switching to an AD some years ago, and actually gave it up, as I was always nodding my head with the hood already down, or not nodding it when it was up. I then had a job come through my shop that required huge amount of small welds in tight spots. I ended up getting used to it on that job. I also use a Miller elite. It is a good quality hood, and you shouldn't need another. I do keep several other hoods, as well as a fixed shade in the truck, as i have been caught out in the field with an AD hood that stopped working As far as the plastic gold lens goes I can take 'em or leave 'em. They are a little different color, but they are no great panacea for welding vision. The big to do about them is that there are a lot of pipe line guys who like a particular brand of gold tinted glass (American Optical) welding lens. They are supposed to be the cats ass, but they are no longer made.They do come up on ebay from time to time and sell for about $125. I've never looked through them though.
My prejudice against AD helmets has nothing to do with not understanding them. The 2 worst times I've been flash burned were because of malfunctioning AD helmets. 2 different helmets, both very good quality. Both when TIG welding aluminum. Gave up on them. My comments about needing an AD helmet when learning to stick or MIG were in regard to being able to properly "set" yourself before striking an arc. Many of my students who use AD helmets don't see the need to get in the proper position before pulling the trigger. Using an AD helmet should in NO way substitute for proper mechanics, but it often does.
He'll if your gonna make a video with this poor of welding skills....at least put on a black pair of sunglasses on to hide your face somewhat so nobody can indentify you!..
You have a valid point on the ad's,ewr.Sometimes I think just before I hit the juice,"hope this lens does its job" but no failures yet. Understand the whole deal on position,always trying to get myself in the right spot and somewhat comfy.Getting harder for this fat old bastard.
i'm about 20 miles from where those headers are being built the op was talking about and i just might drop in and see how they are built. My money i on the persons welding those headers speaks limited english and is working for peanuts and none of them are CHINESE!
I'm just getting back into the game ( got an ol Lincoln "buzz box" for my 13th birthday, & started melting things together ) by the time I got into welding class in high school, I was doing projects for the instructor ( one of my only & easiest "A's" in school ) we learned gas welding as well, as this was before wire feed, & TIG... many, many years later now, I mostly do farm welding, & can still hold my own... though I prefer to weld on top rather than vertical or upside down... which I can do, but I don't like how they "look" I have a buddy that runs a fabricator shop, & that guy can do text book perfect welds on any type of metal... my wife bought me a used wire feed from him, & he has been helping me a little ( old dogs & new tricks ) I got it mostly for sheet metal welding, I can still make a stick welder do most of what I need, even though it's been a long time since I had any instruction... I'd really like to learn tig welding, since it's very similar to the gas welding I learned a long time ago... the welds have the potential to be so much nicer looking... still... for welding on old rusty & dirty farm "stuff" it's hard to beat a stick welder... notice I didn't put any pics up... I can get the "stacked dime" look if I'm flat welding, but some of my out of position welding looks like alot of these bad welds... but at least with the stick, I can be sure of how I'm directing the heat, & that I'm getting proper penitration... I still haven't gotton that confidence from the wire feed yet... but then I've only had it a couple months, & the welding I'm doing now, is on my RPU frame, so I'll stick with what I'm confident with... ( it is nice to be able to roll the stripped frame around so I get to do as much flat welding as possible )
The guy I bought my coupe from was actually driving it with these "motor mounts". The car is my current project and being done right from the ground up. You can see the portion of the mount was TIGed, probably an aftermarket mount that was hacked apart and the other scrap meatl 'welded' on.......
Seen plenty of bad welds myself, whish i'd taken more pics through the projects, this one was on my recent build, front shock tower.
My son has a friend who is a retired railroad machinist. For realy critical stuff I have him weld or give pointers. Great guy. His expression is you will get good at welding or good at grinding. He will also tell me when I need to take it out and start over .
The Jalopy Journal
