Let's see your welds...

[Shield Arc]

Perhaps I could get a critique?

Well I'm no pro, but I'd say you need to turn the amps and volts up. And slow your travel speed down to get more fill. Good rule of thumb, anything that produces slag, you should drag, which forces the slag to trail behind the puddle. To help with filling the craters, tighten up the stickout, and move backwards for say 3/8 to 1/2 inch, and pause for a second or two.

 

[LD1]

Well I went out and bought a Lincoln pro 140 MIG welder last week. Today I tried it out by welding a couple of links on the top of my bucket. This was the first time I ever used a MIG welder and I think it worked ok. I watched several videos on utube, read the book a couple times and followed the settings in the chart on the machine. Its been 40 years since I last welded anything and that was with a Montgomery Ward 220 volt stick machine and I never quite got the hang of it. I used the .030 flux core wire that came with it and set it at range D, speed 4.5. I have no idea what that equates to in amps or speed but it seemed to work. Here are pictures of how it came out. Perhaps I could get a critique? I'm sure I need more practice - its hard to move slow and even.

P.S. My wife came out to look at what I was doing and asked if those were handles for riding in the bucket?

John C.

Those welds look pretty good and I think they will hold up to whatever your loader can dish out.

BUT...I dont think the links are up to it. You should have welded on some actual "weldable chain hooks" on there instead. I think you will have them bent and twisted in no time to the point they wont open and close. And with that style, if they dont close, they arent that strong and will bend even worse. But this is just my :2cents: and its worth what you paid for it

 

[caps]

LD1
Well you are probably right about the weldable chain links but I had these laying around in the garage already. Actually I don't care if they ever open, they are big enough (1/2 inch diameter) that the hooks on my chains clip right on and if I needed to I could even run the smaller chain through them. I thought about welding them shut but didn't. Now that I have a welder, I am looking around for things to weld. They are strong, they are stamped with a working load limit of 3300 pounds each and I will never lift anything near that heavy.

Got another question though - the welder also came with a roll of steel wire that doesn't have flux in it. I assume that I need to use gas with this and that it will not work otherwise. I have about 1/3 tank of helium left over from filling balloons a year ago. Will this work or do I need to get CO2 or some other mix of gas?? Is there any real advantage of using the gas vs the flux core wire?

John C.

 

[caps]

ShieldArc.

Thanks, I have only one higher heat setting on this thing, I will try it out when I get something to weld. I am going to have to take the trash to the dump this weekend and will have to scrounge around for some scrap metal to practice on. I am sure I need lots of practice but I am already better with this thing than I ever was with my old stick welder. I suspect that this was at the top end of what could be welded with this light welder and that it is more appropriate for lighter weight stuff. The chart with it tops out at 1/4 inch thickness.

John C.

 

[Shield Arc]

This is far from a perfect weld, but good enough for the average home owner. .045 Lincoln NR-212 on 1/4 inch flatbar. Notice how the crater is fuller than the ones in your pictures? Soon as I want to start thinking about stopping, I turn the gun to more of a straight in angle, tighten up the stickout, (this will cool things down), and go backwards 3/8 to 1/2 inch, and pause for a second or two.

 

[caps]

Shield Arc,

Wow that is a lot better weld. Just one question, what do you mean by tighten up on the stick out? I understood the rest of it but am having a
little bit of problem with the terminology.

Thanks,

John C.

 

[Shield Arc]

The length of wire from the contact tip to the metal is called stickout. With Mig and most fluxcore self shielded wires I'll run 3/8 to 1/2 inch stickout. NR-232, and NR-233, and Coreshield 8, along with fluxcore gas shielded wires I'll run 3/4 inch stickout. If you lengthen the stickout you increase the voltage, (to a point) if you shorten the stickout you drop the voltage, (which cools the puddle).

 

[LD1]

Got another question though - the welder also came with a roll of steel wire that doesn't have flux in it. I assume that I need to use gas with this and that it will not work otherwise. I have about 1/3 tank of helium left over from filling balloons a year ago. Will this work or do I need to get CO2 or some other mix of gas?? Is there any real advantage of using the gas vs the flux core wire?

John C.

You have to use Argon/CO2 mix. Most common is 75% Argon/25% CO2.

The advantages is that it is a cleaner/ less messy/ less spattery weld. (I've been told). But I have honestly never ran flux-core. We have always used gas.

 

[Shield Arc]

If you want to get a little more pop out of an under powered machine I'd recommend 100 % Co2, if not an argon oxygen mix.

http://www.advancedweldingsupply.com/gas guide.html#AO

 

[caps]

Thanks for the explanation.
Next week when I get some time I am going
to try these things and pay attention to
exactly what I am doing. I believe I was using
about 1/2 inch of stick out give or take a little but only
because it seemed to feel right - not for any logical
reason.
I really appreciate the advice. IT has been helpful

John C.