Miles easier - after 1 hr I did this....
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Got a MIG the other day after not getting on with the ARC. WHAT A DIFFERECE!!
Miles easier - after 1 hr I did this....
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Close up....
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looks like a good weld to me. MIG always looks a bit messy (splatter and the likes) but its easy to get a working result.
This is scrap but I had to do some chassis so I put one more piece on
Any advice to get it better much appreciated. I ran out of gas quickly as I only had disposable bottle - got very spitty when the gas went!!
are you using co2 or an argon mix? 
Mig is much easier than MMA yes...
Welds arent bad just need to go a bit slower i think...or turn the power up a bit, to get a bit more pentration...(ooo er) just looks like the
welds are standing a bit too proud from the surface (though it could be the pics)
Then just practice doing the longer runs in one go but i was told not to try more than 100mm in one go...
David
They are about .5 - 1 mm proud of the surface.
Gas is SIP Mildsteel disposable - I assume just CO2
quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
looks like a good weld to me. MIG always looks a bit messy (splatter and the likes) but its easy to get a working result.
Take it a little slower, the power is probably about right, I would spend more time experimenting with wire speed first.
Welds look good mate. Turn the power up and go a bit slower to get a flatter weld. What welder have u got?? I run the disposable c02 bottles they
last me ages. Ive got an SIP migmate turbo 130 running .6 wire.. I run it on max most of the time.
I agree with mark if your lens is to dark youl have trouble seeing.
[Edited on 1/3/05 by Danozeman]
Make sure the lens is clean (dust etc. settles on the outside and experaince says that if you breath wrong you can fog up inside quite easily.
think the lens is a 10. The welder is a Cosmo 130 GasGasless (made by SIP).
I will try slower - didn't want to blow a hole so was a bit fast I suppose - will add a bit of wire speed too. I did about 3 hrs overall with the
one tiny bottle. I thnk I'll get a BOC Argoshield....
On a peice of scrap similar to what your welding, see how far you can push it. Its the only sure way I know to find out just how much current you can use.
Blow as many holes as you want (on scrap), then you will be able to see the tell tale signs just before the meltdown, just trigger off before the hole and restart an fraction of a second later. Get yourself a EW9 lens - once you have it , you will see what I mean
Cheers lads - will have a play when I get some more gas.
mark, would an ew9 lens be better than an auto darkening mask? its just, i didnt think i had a problem with visability, but if this ew9 is better
i'll give it a go.
You will notice the difference between the glasses.. I use different grades at work and home and i can see the difference, The auto shade ones are very good.
Auto darkening units quite often have a variable range of 'on' shades, usually vary between 9 and 13 or there abouts.
I've come across one that did shade 5 to 13. It had such a light shade so that it could be used for gas welding.
I generally use grade 7 for TIG, 9 for Mig, both 160 AMP max units. Auto darkening are good for mig, need a GOOD (read not cheap) one for pulsed TIG
but a cheaper one is fine for MIG. I have auto sheild but then again I do lots of inverted, hard to reach TIG work on classic cars, need auto for that
really as you don't have a free hand to tip the shield down!
I'd say up current, slow movement and maybe a fraction on wire speed too.
For MIG welding thin material (ie 5mm and less) I can't recomend Air Products Feromax 7 enough. Ring up Air Products direct and don't get an
account set up by an agent, a huge difference in refill cost for not gain!!!!!!!
Looking good --- there is a very good MIG tutorial in PDF format kicking around Locost internet land somewhere I see if I can find the URL.
With most Sip welders the feed mech is under powered -- make sure the drum feeds easily but not so loose that it spins.
The wire feed roller should be set so if you hold your hand in front of it it jabs in but stops.
Use loads of off-cuts from your 1.6mm tube, and bits of 1.6mm sheet for practice welding - after all, it's what you're going to be using on
the car!
I use Argoshield, and found it very forgiving. Talk to your local BOC shop man to get the right grade. They often have offers on welding kit as well
- worth a look.
David
[Edited on 2/3/05 by David Jenkins]
One little additional comment I would make is that I use 0.8mm wire for everything, I used to use 0.6 a bit but I have to say I found you can get
better results with less hassle using the 0.8mm. Only time I ever think about 0.6mm is on steel less than 0.8mm thick, which is tricky with mig
anyway.
Mark Allanson's "very posh" mig weld in his photo will have been done (I hope, now I'm saying this!) with argoshield or similar,
you can tell by the cleanness and lack of splatter!
I find it helps the neatness if you make a point of positioning yourself comfortably, supporting your arm if possible, and practice moving the torch
the full length of the weld you want to make, before striking the arc.
Cheers
Fred WB
When welding smaller stuff on a bench, a trick IU've come across is to weld a leght of smooth bar/box to rest your hands on if possible.
Works realy well when doing single T filits, but on some thing complex like a chassis its a bit impractical.
its the combination of:
moving speed
wire speed
amps...
use as much aps as the material permits..
(this you can adjust simply by not moving..
and triggering the pistol)
also the sound what the weld makes is important..it should sound as fast as you can get the "tick"
if u use more amps you should use more wirespeed because of the fact that its melds faster...
then last but not least..your moving speed..
mhh ohja, if you weld vertical begin unther and go then above..
well dunno more..
ohja use a good gas flow quantity but offcourse not to much..
5/7 is enough... (kgs/hr i thought it was..not sure..)
TKS
another problem with mig welding is that it can look very beauty from outer but being as much crap as it is.
before you start practise with tubes..
and just try to peel of the weld...
a good weld never brakes and when peering of the material brakes......(around the weld..)
the high amps is for a good union with the mother material..(the base..)
[Edited on 2/3/05 by tks]
quote:
Originally posted by tks
use as much aps as the material permits..
(this you can adjust simply by not moving..
and triggering the pistol)
Finding the experianced welder to guide you is the tricky bit, college cources are v.good for that.
If these are unavailable to you, practice LOTS, and experiment with various setting, even ones which you know will give odd results
Shame you bought a MIG, real men use stick.
I may have lost b*lls in a freak accident at some stage and not noticed, but having done a lot with stick, i'm glad of the change to MIG.
Sticks good at rough and ready gluing of 2 lumps of steel together, but for delicate stuff like 16swg MIG is far nicer. I've tried using stick
on 16swg and didn't bothe continuig any further.
[Edited on 2/3/05 by clbarclay]
Fairly irrelevant anyway as we can't really use mig where we work.
quote:
Originally posted by clbarclay
I may have lost b*lls in a freak accident at some stage and not noticed, but having done a lot with stick, i'm glad of the change to MIG.
Sticks good at rough and ready gluing of 2 lumps of steel together, but for delicate stuff like 16swg MIG is far nicer. I've tried using stick on 16swg and didn't bothe continuig any further.
[Edited on 2/3/05 by clbarclay]
I'm sure I would be less of a Phylis Stein, if I had done more stick welding with an oxford before it died and some dry rods.
Most of my memories of stick involve getting v.annoyed trying to start a weld when all it did was fix the rod to the work peice, so its probably not
surprising I prefer MIG.
How do the satinex rods compare to BOC everday rods?
I expect being a cheap scate hasn't helped matters.
Apart from being green, they give a very smooth arc, easy striking and a very clean weld. You can use them with 48OCV, but better with 70+