S/H R-Tech 180... working towards Car Body work.

[MikeBs]

I’m no expert, but from what I saw on the video.
I’d try and find a position where you can sit and rest your right elbow on something steady. It will give you a much more consistent speed of movement. It would also get your head closer to the weld so you can see the weld pool better.
With flux core you need to have a smooth pulling motion with the torch angled slightly.
I tend to steady the swan neck with my left hand and keep it at a consistent angle while I move my right wrist and slide my right elbow to move the torch.
Not always achievable in a confined space but in an open area like in the video may help in controlling the speed and position of the arc.
If you don’t have consistent movement then changing power or wires speed will not improve a weld.

 

[eddie49]

The earth is in the + on the inside (can't see the lable here) and - on the outside .

Inside the welder, in the wirefeed compartment, the cable connection is for the polarity of the MIG torch. With gasless flux-core wire, the torch should be negative, which means bolting the cable tag to the left-hand terminal.
Outside, on the front panel, there are two Dinse sockets for the plug on the end of the work return cable and clamp ( or for Arc welding cables ). For flux-core, the plug should be inserted into the right-hand ( "+" ) socket.

With solid wire and gas, these connections are reversed, so the MIG torch will be positive and the work clamp negative.

The term "Earth" does not apply to any of these connections.

 

[JOEPRO]

PS Flux core is never going to be great for thin steel or car bodywork. The sweet spot for flux core is 3 or 4mm steel.

You want to get yourself a rent free bottle for car bodywork or other thin steel.

 

[Retro Rust]

Welding Day 2:

After yesterday I thought I should probably watch a few more videos and also try thicker Steel. Rather than building a welding trolly I thought I'd make a Guitar Pedal Board. Much smaller and doesnt rely on holding anything too heavy.

I bought two strips of 1/2" box section. Cut and bent it into a U shape and then later a length to turn it into a square. The cuts arnt that pretty, not that used to using an angle grinder at the moment.

I cut some bits to practice on first. Still blew the odd hole in it so messed with the settings and ended up somewhere similar to yesterday. Both Wire + Voltage around 3/4 on the dial. At first I could knock the welded test pieces apart with a lump hammer but second attempt was solid. At this point I went for it with the actual job.



Cleaned up with the neighbour's flap wheel... must get one of these! Still a hole that I need to try and fill.

It did have feet for a minute but they were just tacked on and didn't last haha. Probably a good job as I need to make one leg slightly longer It seems. (Pre Clean up here)

And this is the style I'm trying to make. You Velcro your Guitar Pedals to it. I want to cut the 1mm sheet up and try plug welding it to the edges of the box section. I struggled cutting the long strips with the angle grinder... need to re thing this as it was wobbling about a lot.

I think What I learned today is my technic is part of the problem along with settings maybe. Some welds went well when I went slower with the torch. Also I tried the swirling technique ( but occasionally that blew a hole) rather than just pulling straight along.
Towards the end I was trying to tack a couple of things and the welding wire came out the gun and pushed the job out the way then sparked. Was a bit annoying that.

I definitely need to practice more... I spent too little time welding and too much time cutting and grinding today.

 

[Mark 2]

The settings seem about right, for what I assume is 2mm wall. Can you see the weld pool?

 

[Retro Rust]

The settings seem about right, for what I assume is 2mm wall. Can you see the weld pool?

I can now see the weld pool some of the time. Sometimes it just seems like a spatter dancing along. Other times it seem like a weld pool. I don't think these welds lasted long enough form me to analyse it. I might have another go this morning before the rain comes even if its just running welds with these settings.

 

[dobbslc]

Have you tried putting the earth clamp directly into the workpiece?

 

[JOEPRO]

I can now see the weld pool some of the time. Sometimes it just seems like a spatter dancing along. Other times it seem like a weld pool. I don't think these welds lasted long enough form me to analyse it. I might have another go this morning before the rain comes even if its just running welds with these settings.

Try slowing down your speed and get a nice hot puddle going without blowing through.

 

[chrismac]

Try slowing down your speed and get a nice hot puddle going without blowing through.

This is the balancing act, hot enough to weld, but not too hot to blow through.

Having been around welding for a long time, (no reference to the OP here) I have never welded with gasless flux wire, I see nothing that makes me want to in all the posts I have seen about it, I am far happier either using MIG and if conditions dont allow stick (MMA) I have no inclination to use this stuff, some day I might be proven wrong in my thoughts and use it but...... I am not holding my breath.

For the frame being made that could have been welded up with out the heartache I am seeing in this thread using stick, obviously the OP does not have an inverter for stick, and is giving it a good go, he will improve, there is just so many variables at this stage to contend with, everyone has difference advice which can be confusing at times, Good luck though, practise and time with the mask down will help massively.

 

[addjunkie]

I tried gassless once, hateful experience. Having said that Id suggest you are doing the two things most new welders do.

Not seeing the pool properly, and waggling the torch about like a Parkinson's sufferer on acid.

Get some clean metal, earth it well onto clean metal. Put your glasses on if you use them, if you dont, get a pair of pound shop readers on under the mask, get your head in so you can actually see the tip of the wire. Set your self up supporting the torch over your spare hand, gloved to try to eliminate the waggling. Do a few practice moves before pulling the trigger to make sure you are comfortable and free to move. Then pull the trigger and once you see molten pool move slowly, keeping the tip in the pool, and the shroud a constant distance from the metal, try a longish run to give you a chance to actually see whats happening.

Once youve done a few runs of a couple of inches each, show us.

 

[aesmith]

For the frame being made that could have been welded up with out the heartache I am seeing in this thread using stick, obviously the OP does not have an inverter for stick,

His R-Tech will do stick, or at least the current ones do.

 

[Mark 2]

His R-Tech will do stick, or at least the current ones do.

It does, Now I think about it, it might be worth a go with some rods if only to be able to see the pool much easier and hence know what you are supposed to be looking at.

 

[Turbo]

This is the balancing act, hot enough to weld, but not too hot to blow through.

Having been around welding for a long time, (no reference to the OP here) I have never welded with gasless flux wire, I see nothing that makes me want to in all the posts I have seen about it, I am far happier either using MIG and if conditions dont allow stick (MMA) I have no inclination to use this stuff, some day I might be proven wrong in my thoughts and use it but...... I am not holding my breath.

For the frame being made that could have been welded up with out the heartache I am seeing in this thread using stick, obviously the OP does not have an inverter for stick, and is giving it a good go, he will improve, there is just so many variables at this stage to contend with, everyone has difference advice which can be confusing at times, Good luck though, practise and time with the mask down will help massively.

The rtech 180 can do stick welding and very nicely too!

 

[Turbo]

I would advise getting a square of heavy plate and practice your welding on it.
Google bead pad welding.
It's what most of us did when being taught welding and is the best way to learn the basic techniques.

What you are currently doing is trying random things and if you are lucky you might hit upon the right technique.

You need somebody to look at your welder to set it up properly and then show you how to weld.

Welding cars is difficult even for an experienced welder and not something you can learn from randomly trying settings and methods.

 

[Retro Rust]

Thanks again for the replies.

I think you are right about the waggling the torch about a bit. I only got chance to do 4 welds today after a few practice welds. In practice I tried sticking box section to the flat 1mm Steel (which was okish) then ran some beads on the flat plate which went well. I got closer to the weld and tried to focus on the on the welds/weld pool.

I'd also flap wheeled up all the edges and clamped the earth clamp to the frame of the job rather than the table. With both voltage and Wire speed being about 2/3 like yesterday. This is what happened

this was the first two sides. You can see a couple of places that I wandered off and theres gaps.


The other two looked a lot better going down and seemed more on target.

I cleaned them up and was fairly happy with what came out. I think I could go over the first two again as I bet I could pull them apart if I tried hard.

As mentioned before I will switch go Gas soon. Just as Its got the flux core In it I thought I'd use it. Hoping I'm learning something here that will transfer to the Gas Mig.

 

[Retro Rust]

I would advise getting a square of heavy plate and practice your welding on it.
Google bead pad welding.
It's what most of us did when being taught welding and is the best way to learn the basic techniques.

What you are currently doing is trying random things and if you are lucky you might hit upon the right technique.

You need somebody to look at your welder to set it up properly and then show you how to weld.

Welding cars is difficult even for an experienced welder and not something you can learn from randomly trying settings and methods.

I understand that. Just having a go as its free and interesting. There is a course that BWS up here in Manchester do for the day and I'll enquire when I buy some mig wire from them. I would like to know I'm not fighting the machine being second hand so hoping I could take my set up along to do the course. I'm sure its just my technique .

I'll get some thicker plate and check out bead pad welding. At the moment as I decided to try and make something I'm spending more time cutting stuff up than welding.

 

[addjunkie]

Well youve actually welded something, but Id say your still waggling a bit. Id suggest, using a bit of that plate, you've welded and keep running beads until you get some consistency. A decent weld shouldn't need heavy grinder action, just a quick wiz over.

 

[chrismac]

On your bit of plate, grind a straight slot/groove in it, not very deep, just in form one side, follow that with your first run, the 2nd run hit the wire down the toe(edge of the first weld, 3 run hit the wire down the toe of the 2nd, you'll be getting the jist of where this is going, keep adding runs, now the first is nice and straight(ish) the rest should follow, dont worry if you wiggle make a stop start, ignore it, unless its bad tidy it up with the grinder, then sort it out on the next run, even then turn your plate 90 deg and start again building the whole thing up, you need to get a steady go at it, also once the heat gets into the plate, you will see how it improves, you might need to wind things down a bit if its getting red hot.

Keep at it

 

[Farside]

Get some decent flux-core wire, something from Lincoln or Gys.
Even the Lidl wire is usually good.
The cheapy no-name and Super-Six wires will have you cursing the day.