Getting into mig welding and saying hello

[chunkywelder]

Hi my name is Sean and I was new to welding and looking for some advice around 6 months ago

Most of the google searches sent me to this place where I found that all my questions were answered using the search function

So a big thanks to everyone for a great forum with some great advice and after much reading and thought I got me a Clarke 151TE and some other bits from weld-equip

After wanting to learn to weld for years and now owning a trailer which needs a lot of welding I though it was time to learn

Here is a picture of my practice piece where I practice joining


I won’t show you my first welds as we all know what bird poo looks like

As you can see it is starting to look like a mace head and I am thinking of fitting a handle

 

[cumbriasteve]

Welcome to the forum:

I would advise you to obtain some 2mm sheet to practice on, ensuring its clean.

You seem to be attempting some sort of weave in places and whilst this is a technique occasionaly used for certain welding is not normal for basic mig practice.

You need to be using a metal thickness that is compatible with your machine and will allow you to obtain penetration with a reduced risk of constantly blowing through while you are learning.

The angle should be welded with a single straight run along the v of the joint.

The round bar is not really welded at all, those bridged tacks won't have any penetration.

You are limiting your success with the materials you are using to practice with.

 

[chunkywelder]

Thanks you for the advice

The weave was not done intentionally and I did improve as I went round the corner

I had no choice with the thickness as these were the types of metals I was using on the trailer

I was never any good at welding the round bar, luckily I was not using it on the trailer but using it to make some sort of attachment to go in a vice to bend things around.

I will take your advice and find some 2mm sheet to practice on next thank you