Mig Welding that look like tig

The post was in response to someone on this thread asking a question about the process.

You are correct, this technology is not for the home builder but it can be, and has been, applied to both the OEM world and the aftermarket world. Mazda and Tesla both use this process as does Apple, GM, Ford, Bombardier, Fontaine Trailers and so on. I would not consider the process as "ultimately useless." You probably have a vehicle or some other item in your home that used this process.

However, there is nothing like a nice arc weld made by someone who knows and understands welding.

Lastly, it never hurts to increase your knowledge of welding.

 

Well said

 

Very well said, I agree....however this process doesn't apply to US, therefore it is useless...To us...not the 21st century world in general or high tech modern manufacturing in particular.

We're on the HAMB, a web site about traditional homebuilt Hot Rods and Customs for the most part, not Precisionweld.com.

The weld process in your and gimpyshotrods little contest should at least relate to some part of the HAMB mantra.

I don't log on here everyday to find out how MAZDA or TESLA does something!
I want to see how Doane and the guys were striving to do it in 1953.

Pick a process that relates to THIS site.

I wouldn't know a good "stir" weld from a swizzle stick!

 

This thread sure has veered of course. It's supposed to be about MIG welds!

 

this was (is) an excellent read. i weld shit almost every day.used,rusty,poorly stored,hacked off something else.i never seem to be able to consistently make a pretty bead.flat ,vertical or whatever.its all pigshit.gimme new steel,a decent welder and i am happy with the results.nice bead and everything.
i end up welding with a generator,1-1/2 hours from civilization in garbage bins and whatever breaks in the parks where i work.there is no provisions for good fit,clean and new materials.or time for that matter,the list is always longer than the day.

i have one job i did that i was quite proud of,a root ripper for a small backhoe.
i tried every way under the sun to break it off with the backhoe,and couldnt.since then i have tried to be more particular with my techniques and am the better for it.

i have used variations of the nickel stack as described.its relatively easy and can be achieved with practice.
welding on frames is not a big deal,i do it-but only on my personal stuff.i will not do any structural frame welds on anybodys stuff.its a lawsuit waithing to happen.

i find the mig very versatile,stick is for the heavy stuff.

i have a friend that always says"If You Cant Weld Good-Weld Lots!"
i have ground the welds out and redone them when it goes really bad,thankfully those days are pretty much gone.

again,thanks for the great read.
Frank

 

Or get moved over to the Garage Journal.....

 

while the thread swayed a bit, Im all the better for reading and learning, thanks !

 

I did some high pressure pipe today. I made damn sure I didn't stack any nickles!

 

Yes, friction stir welding, is "non" traditional. So is tig, some may say stick, gas welding then is all us "trad" guys should use ( maybe hammer welding for you "real " horse power guys). I ,personally, love to hear about these new techniques, techkneeks, tecknics.........oh, whatever...you all know what I mean.

 

shure looks like he downhilled it!! yes puddle ,step to the right, puddle step to the right ect,ect. nice welds!! clearly mig welder...see the spatter!! lots of practice,makes it perfect... heat settings important with the mig.weld machine manufacturer recommendations to start... or go to your friendly night school for couple weeks.. good luck guys..k

 

It was welded with the frame upside down.

 

Im going to bookmark this page, some awesome info on here.

 

Here are a few o' mine utilizing the same technique.

 

When you have seen 6 inch fillet welds you know you have seen some big steel weldments. Not done with one pass

 

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?

Huge Kudos to who welded that motor mount/suspension mount!
To get my stitch welds to come out even and sexy, I pull the trigger & weld & count to 3-release and instantly move the cherry of the mig wire to the leading edge of the cooling mig puddle. Let it go dark in the lens (count to 5) and then repeat.

 

Here's a shot of a continous Mid weld but on 18ga sheet metal without warpage by HAMB'r Twenty Gallons.

 

How about reading the whole thread?!

 

Was thinking the same thing. Read first / Post second.

 

You are letting that puddle cool WAY too long if you are welding structural steel. Sheet metal, maybe... On structural metal, if you HAVE to stitch, try a "one and (on) two and (off) one and...etc." count.

 

things have been carried a bit too far reguarding how to perform a certain welding procedure.

each welding has a certain way to perform the procedure inreguards to the strength as well as the structural integretity. there are too many out there that think they are welders and either try something they don't have a clue as far as the right way or the wrong way. i have said this before and i am saying it again;

if the weldis too cold it did not penitrate and it will break, where as it it is too hot the excessive heat from the arc will burn certain eleiments out of the material and cause it to be crystilized and brittle and very pouris.

in other words the likely hood of failure is very evident.

when something is modified, in this case a car and you are driving yours with your family with you and a modified car is coming towards you in the opposing lane and suddenly there is a failure to something in the suspension or the steering and this car hits you head on and a member of your family is killed and after the investigation it is discovered that something was improperly welded. the person that did the welding can be held responsible because they modified something and they were not qualified to perform what was done.

i just read an article in the latest issue of ROD&CUSTOM magazine and one of the staff writers wrote an article that is no more than an infomertial for a new MILLER WELDER. i sent an e-mail to the editor and the response i recieved was i have no ground to complain that a non professional wrote something to convince someone that has no training to go out and buy a certain welding machine and use it to build something that will be used on the public road ways and without proper training will be putting others in danger of something happening.

as far as all the conversations here about how to perform a welding procedure and make it look like something else that it is not is in other words living dangerously.

follow the procedures and perform in the manor that has been in practice since it was created. each form of welding and each material has certain criteria that must be performed and deviations from any of that will cause problems if not sooner then later.

the more the procedures are followed the safer things will be.......
do your homework and be proficient and produce the best product possible........

enough said

 

Flux core is a mandated weld on all outside structural welding , Gas would blow away in the wind . Now if you are are seeing welding on the outside there is no gas being used and wouldn't want it there .

Point you cannot use fans blowing on the materials you are welding !

 

Bernie, thank you. Making one welding process "look" like another does not make it so. All welding procedures have thier use. If you can not use the correct one, why would you fake it? Make a GOOD weld with the process you have.

 

For the record, all of the employees in the shop where I work, save for those who only do sheet metal, are certified structural welders.

 

Good shit here guys. I've been mig welding for a long time and my motto has always been" I'd rather have strong than pretty!" Now that Im more experienced I want both and wont settle for less. It is possible, even easy to get good looking and strong welds with a mig. As stated before, all it takes is practice. Strength is the most important though.

 

That first post came from Miller . I am signed up to their forum and every week get the post of the week about welding of some sort . Their Tips and Tricks of welding is really nice to get . Sometimes you learn something and sometimes you don't . Still a good place to get some good information from Miller .
As for welding , I have been doing it for about a year or so now but do mostly sheet metal like many of us do in this great hobby we have . If you are in business then you need to learn to weld heavier metal for frame work . I use a Lincoln 115v welder with gas for all my sheet metal work and do just fine . I have welded some metal at 1/8" or 3/16" with the welder and worked just fine . I am far from making the "Pretty" welds with a row of dimes , nickels or what ever you want to call it . I do remember when I tried welding with a torch and coat hanger back in the 70's and did OK . Looked like shit but held up for what we needed it for .
The biggest question I have about welding is , why do people say your welds are no good and won't hold up if they don't look like a row of dimes ? I honestly don't get that one at all . Why does a weld have to look that way since they didn't look like that back then ? If you have the heat up high enough on the welder with a good amount of filler that penetrates the 2 pieces of metal being fused together , then why does it have to be all pretty and look like a row of dimes ? Why has the public come to think that it has to be that way for a weld to hold up ? It really doesn't have to look like that at all . As long as you have good heat and penetration of the filler being used , shouldn't that be good enough for the purpose that a weld is intended for in the first place ? I will probably never be able to lay a weld of dimes in a pretty row because I don't have to and honestly don't care if it looks like that or not . All I ever want is a strong weld . So why not go back to the basics of welding instead of trying to make a perfect row of dimes ? Looks doesn't and never will make a strong weld ! When I will need my roll cage in my drag car welded , I will pay someone else to do that . I really don't want to find out how strong my welds are the hard way !
Just my opinion from a non professional welder !

Retro Jim

 

Tig welding has been around for a very long time.

http://www.netwelding.com/History_TIG_Welding.htm

I know a guy who has an old Linde, ( I'm guessing '50s or early '60s )
Its almost as big as a car, but it welded really nice.

That would be a great machine to have.


If you have the space for it...

 

Mig welding has been around for a very long time too...

http://www.netwelding.com/History_MIG 1.htm

I'm pretty sure I've read an article about Mig machines being used to weld up crank shafts so they could be re-ground into strokers.

( IIRC, I read that some time in the late '70s, and it was an old article then...)

But neither Tig or Mig were used to build Hot Rods untill much later.

 

We survived nicely with an Oxy/Acetylene torch set for many years until we could afford our first arc welder. Have a MIG now, but still have the old faithfuls and they still work well. Gas welded many aircraft structures out of 4130 and even had a guy "crash test" some, The tubing tore, but the welds survived without any sign of fracture. N(o)H(ot)R(ods)A(llowed) wont allow gas welding, but it's standard practice for aircraft and works quite well.

 

there are some statements made in this post that tells me this person needs to take a difference out look on the quality of what is being done by him reguarding the quality control with what he is putting together.

just good enough is a very unsatisifactory.
just good enough dose not get it when something is put together and it comes with a fail factor built in.
just good enough is a statement that should be banned from life.
just good enough is not good.

when just good enough is used and performed that tells me the producer of something that is just good enough is not a critical person and dose not have the desire to add the zero tolerence, and the perfection to what they are doing. if perfection is not the main focus on a project then why bother to even start something.

professional welders know if there is a flaw on the surface then there is a flaw inside. that flaw is removed and made right. perfection is paramont on more or less, do it right the first time.

 

Very nicely said because It,s just good enough to get you in trouble.

As a V N V thanks