My Welding Projects

   / My Welding Projects #1  

duanew1

Silver Member
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Apr 9, 2015
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128
Location
Huntsville, AL
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Yanmar YM2001
First. I am new to welding. I have wanted to learn welding for a while now. I looked into some other cheaper options specially harbor freight and 120v migs. But my wife suggested I get a better one. I believe that she was right. I began looking at the Everlast iMig 140 E. I read many of the 120 volt threads and decided that I was going to need something a little more powerful. I decided on the Everlast Power iMig 200. It was on sale at Amazon and I have some gift cards to use. I really liked it had a readout for volts and wire speed. Also like the versatility of being dual voltage and stick weld capability. The only thing I don't like about it is that there is not a chart on the inside two tell you the starting point for settings. That is my only problem right now. Otherwise I believe this welder will last me a while.

A started off by ordering the wire to make a pig tale to connect my welder. I thought about adding a 240 volt outlet below the breaker box in the garage. I was going to need an extension cord anyway. This is the way I went. I ordered 40 feet of 10/3 SOOW wire. I went to Home Depot and picked up the appropriate connections for than cable to connect to the dryer connection in the garage. I will be able to change the connection end later when I move to house, so this will have future use. The cable is shown in the picture below.

I have the welder set up for flux core wire because most of my welding will be done outside. I've done a few test welds. These are shown in the picture below. I started at the top of the pic and wend down. I use the initial savings from the Miller web site and 3/16 steel with flux core. It states 205-215 ipm, 190-220 amps and 15-16 volts. 15.5 volts was far too cold. The wire was just bouncing off the metal and sticking. I went up to 17.5 and it was much better. This may still be too cold. Had I had a chance to look at the actual amps on the readout yet so I don't know what that is.

I have been watching many youtube videos and trying to gain as much knowledge as I can before I start. It is hard to think of everything you were supposed to do in the moment. I get forgetting things to know I need to do. My first few lines I was not dragging the puddle so I got porosity. I sometimes use the wrong angle. This all comes with practice I know.

One more problem I think I'm having is that I was using to short of a stickout. This is because my slag was not uniformly covering the weld when I was done. I saw this on another video.

I plan on putting some of my projects here. That will come with time.
 

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   / My Welding Projects #2  
What self shielded wire are you using?
Every one of those welds, you were either traveling to slow. Or you are still to cold.
You want it to more like this.
 

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   / My Welding Projects
  • Thread Starter
#3  
It is .035 NR-211-mp. I am pretty sure it is too cold and I probably going too slow.
 
   / My Welding Projects #4  
For years all we got on the job site was NR-211, or Hobart's 21B.
If you're not traveling to slow, then start turning up the wire speed, then the voltage. When you turn the wire speed up, and the wire wants to bounce into the puddle, turn the voltage up some.

I found some NR-211 in my Dad's barn. I took this wire off a job site in the 1980. The wire even had some rust on it. But it ran fine.
 

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   / My Welding Projects #5  
Had I had a chance to look at the actual amps on the readout yet so I don't know what that is.

Got a cell phone? Use it to record a video of the display while you weld.
You can try longer/shorter stickout and see what changes.
 
   / My Welding Projects #7  
With NR-211, or any of the T-11 wires I run about 3/8" stick out.
 
   / My Welding Projects
  • Thread Starter
#8  
I had my wife look at the readout as I welded. She said that it bounced around 140-160. This is supposed to be too low. This is with volts at 19.5. I upped it to 20.5 and it looks better.

I have the ipm at 264. I have measured it with a tape measure and it seems to measure about 25% slow (indicator higher than actual). I am using a flux core roller and the spool has minimal friction.:confused3:

The last two welds at the bottom are with the latest settings and straight drags. Please disregard the top four. My form was not great.
 

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  • Thread Starter
#9  
With NR-211, or any of the T-11 wires I run about 3/8" stick out.

I was running about that and was getting spotty slag on the welds. One of the Lincoln videos says to increase the stickout to bout 1/2 to 5/8 to get flux preheating.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD7Y57gK3yU here at 5:15.

Going to about 1/2 seems to give me good slag coverage.
 
   / My Welding Projects #10  
Give it a try, that small of wire may have a tendency to dance on you tho.
Generally with any T-11 wire if you get spotty slag coverage, means you have to much voltage.
Here is what the slag looked like on that NR-211 wire I found in my Dad's barn
 

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