New to welding, first stich welds

[morganste]

Hi guys, i'm new to the forum and also new to welding.

I've bought myself a little project car, a mk4 fiesta with a 1.7 puma engine conversion, the sills aren't in the best condition so i'm looking to DIY replace them.

I'm looking for pointers from you guys as to what you think my initial practice welds are like and where i can improve. I've been doing straight stitch welds on 20 gauge steel and think i've eventually got the hang of it.

The welder im using is a oerlikon m210c with 0.8mm wire, which i suspect is a little too powerful for the job, but i'll let you put me straight on that!

Front of weld

Penetration

At the moment i have struggled to do any kind of butt weld as it's tending to blow holes, and when i have managed it the weld looks far from decent.

Any tips and hints are much appreciated.

Many thanks

Steve

 

[cumbriasteve]

Welcome to the forum:

There is many a person would be more than happy with those as a first attempt.

0.6 wire will help a fair bit and of course if you have access a heat sink behind the steel of some flattened copper pipe or similar can make a big difference.

See the tutorial for butt welds, lots of quick spot/short welds joined together is usually the process

 

[shed or dead]

Welcome, and I must say that is an excellent first attempt!

As Cumbriasteve says, 0.6mm wire will reduce the current and therefore the heat going into the metal.

You will find all the guidance you need here, it's a very friendly place.

 

[DrNik]

if only my first welds were as good as that, id take down the set up as it is, and then adjust the controls, just so yoy can get "the feel" of what your doing. but id be happy with both the bead and penetration, although penetration does look the amps are up a little high, but perfect for a lap joint, wind the amps down a bit

 

[Bobo]

Look pretty good to me aswell. I can weld but I'm no welder. I'd be more than happy with those an certainly as a first attempt! But as said the penetration does look a little bit much. I think a good machine makes all the difference, which you obviously have, but it's something Ive never had unfortunately.

 

[Llama]

Looking good. Make sure you clean the metal thoroughly first and maybe turn your gas up a little, there shouldn't be any of that brown soot you are seeing there.

 

[grandadknows]

Only thing I would add, to the good advice already offered, is try two pieces of steel together. This will give you a more realistic feel for the job you encounter with body work. Maybe, tack short length weld (quarter shown in your pics?), this will protect against warping/distortion. Then fill in the spaces, in stages. All about keeping distortion out of panels. Really nice start though. Enjoy.