weld pics advice please.

[underdog]

hi im new to mig welding. i borrowed a welder last year and had a few hours practice so recently bought my own. you may have seen my other posts with the problems iv had with second hand welder but now iv got a clarke 135te which to me is a very good starting welder. not that iv tried any better.

so these are 2 pics of weld i did on 1.5mm and its a right angle joint. im left handed so pulled right to left and did a sort of circular weave iv seen on youtube. iv heard the term undercut and wondered if that is what is at the top of one of the welds where it appears to cut into the metal.. is that what it means. thanks for advice critisism and help.

 

[Kent]

The top toe of the 1st picture shows a little undercut. If it matters depends on the thickness of the material your welding- sort of obvious really so I am sure that needs no more explaination

 

[Richard.]

Top picture high toe as Kent says I see a small amount of undercut. Welding visually looks clean for a few hours practice. Try pushing without the weave/circular movement see how that pans out.

 

[underdog]

thank you. iv had some more practice today.

3mm straight and corner joint




3mm uphill. i tried a pulse method on this. looks cold to me though. i should have gone up a setting






i tested the strenght of the straight joint




3mm to 0.8mm uphill. pulsed this one but on higher setting to earlier. chuffed i didnt burn through thinner metal






rear penetration







thanks for advice and tips

 

[Richard.]

There is a lot to be thinking about there. So many joints, positions and techniques on afew hours practice. I'd say you need to slow down because none of those welds look at all as good as your first pic. The reason is your taking on professional difficult joints before perfecting the simpler ones.
Start with the butt and lap joint. Get to a standard where you can reproduce the same quality over and over then write down your perfect settings and move on to the fillet. Same again. I would not worry about vertical or overhead welding until you've masted joints in the PA (flat) position.

 

[underdog]

yeh i see what your saying. i will practice more of the basics. i wanted to see how id cope uphill as i know from watching youtube its not easy. im a jump in the deap end kinda person though and its fun so i cant help but go for it lol

 

[Kent]

You know filling up a few "bead pads" and playing with your settings will go a long way. I will agree with Richard you need to stick to more straight forward joints personally and no positional yet 1. perfect the fillet into the corner 2. Lap joint (one over the other welded along the cut edge) 3. Butt joint (what your calling the flat) do this closed (no gap) first then open (with a gap).
Be advised a lot of stuff on u-tube is done by persons without the required knowledge themselves, yes there is some geniune good stuff but if you can sort them you don't need to be watching

There are far more joints to learn but stick to the above before moving on and don't hop from one to another constantly and seek perfection

 

[Richard.]

A bead pad will teach you the fundamentals of straight, steady, and consistency. It's where I always refer to when trying new conditions, consumables etc. I've been welding 15 years or more and I still do it.

 

[underdog]

Ok thanks I appreciate the advice. What is a bead pad though please?

 

[Kent]

A big plate you fill with welds. Work from the edges keep welds interlocking at the toes till you fill the lot then weld between the welds etc.

If you have a big lump of heat sink metal under it then its easier as regards heat and a big bucket to dunk it in water (never do this with real welds on work though). They get HOT!

Work right to left then left to right towards you and away etc. Weave then no weave.

Yep, I still do it when familiarising myself with new kit etc.

 

[underdog]

Ok thanks. There 2 guys Iv been following on YouTube. Chucke2009 and joey from welding tricks and tips. I like both of these. Iv seen a lot of other ones than even I can tell they are no good. I will do exactly as you say with a pad so thanks.

 

[Kent]

Ok thanks. There 2 guys Iv been following on YouTube. Chucke2009 and joey from welding tricks and tips. I like both of these. Iv seen a lot of other ones than even I can tell they are no good. I will do exactly as you say with a pad so thanks.

Jodey is good , the other guy not so great imo of course a big difference in age / experience there

 

[underdog]

I find chucke honest and a good personality, he's says he's not the best unlike other vids who claim to be good but are not . Without their vids I would not have known how to switch the welder on. Lol

 

[BrokenBiker]

I prefer jody to chuckeeeeeeeeeeee, but a lot of that comes down tot he fact I want to slap chuckeeeeeeeeee until his voice gets a bit deeper. he is an ok welder, but I find jody is much more experienced and having been an instructor and had a few high end welding jobs he seems to have learnt from all of it and has developed his own style and techniques that work

also I like padding beads, especially with stick if I have been away form it for a while or as said trying out new kit. as said, work back and forth, change direction, even change which hand you hold the torch with. never know when you will have to weld left handed (or right handed if you usually use your left). I can stick weld with both hands, but not tig with both as my left hand isn't as steady as the right due to nerve damage, but doesn't matter as much with stick as I can rest the electrode on my other hand if needs be

 

[Welding Bear]

i like chucke. true, his voice is annoying but he's got the enthusiasm i like. ive never seen the other person you mentioned.

for basic what to do / what not to do welding his is the best vid as he explains it really simply which is key for people like me who arent the sharpest tools in the box if ya get me lol

 

[BrokenBiker]

jody is on the weldingtipsandtricks youtube channel, or go to www.weldingtipsandtricks.com, its his site with a forum and all his videos, blogs and write ups of the videos he does so you can store the settings he used etc.

 

[Welding Bear]

Aha! Then, yes i have seen him! lol

 

[underdog]

 

[underdog]

Not brill but I filled a section of 3mm. I started from top down. Was a shaky start. Iv been welding so far with either no gloves or thin ones. So this was my first attemp with welding gloves. Felt very clumsy with them but it will save the burns I keep getting. I tried pushing and pulling. Weave and no weave. I actually prefer to weld a corner joint than just a straight bead so guess I need lots more practise. I also found it much harder the closer I got to bottom of plate as I had no where to rest my hand so last few rows done free hand

 

[BrokenBiker]

always wear gloves, the spatter might burn for a short while but skin cancer is something you remember...

the pad looks good, keep at it, just focus on arc length, torch angle and travel speed, consistency will come with practice