Welding practice

[GerhardUngerer]

And yes - I’m betting $6 the fan blew the shield gas off.
That looks like what we’d get on windy days outside. Why welders build hooches, it’s wind or rain we’re fighting - not because we melt in a little rain

Thanks. I am going to switch the fan off tomorrow and see.

Hooches?

 

[LINUS]

I dont understand. Are you saying that I need to overlap? Or that I need to bridge the gap?

leave a small uniform gap - you need the weld to ‘glue’ the patch to your work, top welds are erased the minute your happy with the flap wheel.

grab that last piece pic’d & try to snap it - I bet the “weld“ you ground flush snaps before major metal bending.
was a common thing we did in weld classes.

Thanks. I am going to switch the fan off tomorrow and see.

Hooches?

When you see a ratty / ghetto looking tent made from flame retardant orange woven sheet material. It’s flame blanket.

Or if you go duck / bird hunting - anything you use as a cover to keep yer clothes dry(er) in rain.

Pretty sure it’s roots are in military terminology, not sure.

 

[aztoyman]

I have bought ready made patch panels that had bends at the weld joint so you would have a lap joint. Definitely easier and stronger. I just didn't like the look on the back side of the panel.

 

[Broski]

Thanks. I am going to switch the fan off tomorrow a see

This will make a big difference, and making sure the metal is clean

 

[Broski]

I have bought ready made patch panels that had bends at the weld joint so you would have a lap joint. Definitely easier and stronger. I just didn't like the look on the back side of the panel.

I like that you add a link to your build !!

And your welds look way better then mine

 

[LINUS]

This will make a big difference, and making sure the metal is clean

Super important w/ AL

Also, I Sharpie marker on top of all discs at the metal collar - SS gets green, AL gets black, mild gets silver.

If you use a disc on mild then SS, you grind in mild & get little rust dots in no time.

AL just messes up anything else it touches, and we even wiped AL with acetone after fresh grind pre-weld.
AL is fussy as heck & TIG is already slightly tougher than MIG w/ a push-pull gun.

Devil in the details - wind, a disc used on other metals, etc.

 

[GerhardUngerer]

I checked the airflow with some tissue paper, and found that the AC was in fact blowing over the area where I was welding. So I turned the AC fan off to run some more experiments.

Below are my gas and welder settings on my Hobart 140. I am welding 18 gauge to 20 gauge and wanted it a bit hotter since I am doing spot welds. I also held the trigger for 1.25 to 1.5 seconds (2 seconds blew holes). With the longer trigger, the welds were flatter.

The welds still look a bit sooty though. Some were and some were not. Go figure. Then the wire started getting stuck in the tip. I changed the tip and cleaned the nozzle. Below are the results. Question? Why still sooty? The shiny welds were after the cleaning. But so were some of the sooty ones.

 

[leonard_nemoy]

I checked the airflow with some tissue paper, and found that the AC was in fact blowing over the area where I was welding. So I turned the AC fan off to run some more experiments.

Below are my gas and welder settings on my Hobart 140. I am welding 18 gauge to 20 gauge and wanted it a bit hotter since I am doing spot welds. I also held the trigger for 1.25 to 1.5 seconds (2 seconds blew holes). With the longer trigger, the welds were flatter.
View attachment 3381478View attachment 3381479

The welds still look a bit sooty though. Some were and some were not. Go figure. Then the wire started getting stuck in the tip. I changed the tip and cleaned the nozzle. Below are the results. Question? Why still sooty? The shiny welds were after the cleaning. But so were some of the sooty ones.

View attachment 3381480View attachment 3381481

Definitely keep the nozzle clean. If it get crud built up it will mess with your shielding gas.

Maybe you mentioned it but I am too lazy to go back and read the entire thread. Are you running Flux core wire and plain wire?

Your second photo has white stuff all over the welds that looks like your welding metal with zinc. Is the metal your welding galvanized, painted, or coated with anything? One side of the 2nd photo does not look like raw steel.

 

[GerhardUngerer]

Maybe you mentioned it but I am too lazy to go back and read the entire thread. Are you running Flux core wire and plain wire?

Your second photo has white stuff all over the welds that looks like your welding metal with zinc. Is the metal your welding galvanized, painted, or coated with anything? One side of the 2nd photo does not look like raw steel.

Plain wire with 75/25 mix.

I just welded the piece that I cut out to the unsuccessful patch. The piece that I cut out had paint on the back. I didn't even look. I should maybe have sanded the back down too.

 

[leonard_nemoy]

Plain wire with 75/25 mix.

I just welded the piece that I cut out to the unsuccessful patch. The piece that I cut out had paint on the back. I didn't even look. I should maybe have sanded the back down too.

Yep, that paint is going to cause the black soot and all kinds of problems.

The white residue is a dead giveaway, that is zinc. If your welding on metal with lots if zinc it will float in the air like cobwebs. If you breath it in get ready for a bad case of welders sickness. Protip, if you do get zinc poisoning than drink lots and lots of vitamin d milk. It will definitely help lessen the symptoms and the length of the symptoms.

Also double check your polarity. If your running plain wire and gas than you want the torch/wire positive and ground negative.

 

[Broski]

The metal need to be clean on both sides.
It looks like it not clean enough.
Use a new floppy desk.
It only need to be clean 1” from the weld but really clean.

 

[GerhardUngerer]

Yep, that paint is going to cause the black soot and all kinds of problems.

The white residue is a dead giveaway, that is zinc. If your welding on metal with lots if zinc it will float in the air like cobwebs. If you breath it in get ready for a bad case of welders sickness. Protip, if you do get zinc poisoning than drink lots and lots of vitamin d milk. It will definitely help lessen the symptoms and the length of the symptoms.

Also double check your polarity. If your running plain wire and gas than you want the torch/wire positive and ground negative.

Oh dang. I wonder if it is the door or the patch metal that has the zinc.

 

[aztoyman]

To add, I just had a random breeze blow my shielding gas away. And I was in the back of the garage away from the door.

I learned about welding zink the hard way. Be careful.

 

[GerhardUngerer]

I just looked it up. It seems that Dodge Ram doors (my test subject) are covered with a Zinc coating on the insides. Dang it.

 

[Broski]

Oh dang. I wonder if it is the door or the patch metal that has the zinc.

The door, I was told the the metal used in the 80 has a zinc coating on it.

 

[Broski]

When the metal is clean it will all look the same like the shiny parts of the metal you’re welding

 

[jkeithw]

Any suggestions on cut-off wheel technique? Others tried cut-and-butt? Or do you cut the hole, make a template, and create the plug?

There's a lot to discuss to answer those 3 questions; but my personal opinion (and technique) is to use an air saw to cut the panels. You can't cut curves or radiused corners with a cutoff wheel. Leave a sawblade's width gap between the patch and the body metal if you're MIG welding.

I often make the patch panel, tack it in place on top of the base panel, then 'cut it in' on top of the base panel tacking as I go - that gives you a perfect fit on the patch & gap (another reason to use an air saw)

I've worn out 6 air saws over the course of the last 24 years in my former career (can you tell that's my go-to tool?)

Amazon product ASIN B005MVB506

 

[aztoyman]

Here's a nozzle for spot welding I got with my welder. I never tried it.

 

[CharlieS]

Here's a nozzle for spot welding I got with my welder. I never tried it.

View attachment 3381680

View attachment 3381681

I don't get it... Why not just rosette weld?

 

[aztoyman]

IDK? I never used it. My guess is just to keep you consistent on your stickout. Also guessing it's for sheet metal. Maybe I'll try it out and let yous guys know.