Critique my welds please

[CincyFlyer]

There is a wire made to use in your wire mig welder. It has the shield coating on it so that it’s basically like a continuous stick for stick welding. This allows you to not use the gas that you are use to using in the mig wire welder. This self shielded wire handles dirty jobs a bit better. Good also for handling a bit of a breeze that seems to mess up normal gas protected mig welding

Certainly make sure your welder can take flux core: it generally requires the opposite polarity from straight MIG wire.

 

[fatjay]

No expert welder, but it looks like your movement was real erratic, and too fast as it looks like you didnt give time for puddle to fill in.

Hard to judge a weld like that only by looks. You can lay a real nice bead and have no penetration, or you can lay a real nice bead and have good penetration.

You said you dont have the power in the shop for a stick welder....so is this a 110v mig? and 0.30wire? on 5/8" steel? without any preheat....or root opening.....or a good bevel and multi-pass....I am afraid it probably aint stuck that well at all

110v 15a to the garage, fixing that would require a 60' trench and tearing up the driveway, something I'm not quite ready to do yet. Even so I tripped the breaker 2 times during the weld.

Preheating? Should I hit it with a torch first? I'm not sure what a root opening is. I was trying to go slow and moved the puddle back and forth. I'm out of wire, so I'll stop at the store on the way home and pick up more and grind it out and re-weld it tonight. It won't be under any real stress, it is just to keep the blade from sliding back and forth, it's not held on by the welds, but I figure it's good practice.

 

[MH8675309]

I sometimes dont realize how good I have it with 220 in the barn and a stick welder.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Edges of two pieces of metal where they meet are often ground back at a angle so as to allow you to penetrate deeper with your weld. Sometimes you just can leave the two pieces separated a bit and get almost as good as a result. Allows you to weld both sides and get in a bit deeper.
Sort of like the following. Best I can do with a keyboard.

______\ /_______ _________] [_________

Preheat the weld area with a torch could help also. Not have much experience with the preheat. You then fill in the V as you weld the two pieces together.

I forgot about what is mentioned above on paying attention to the correct polarity setting on the machine for the wire your using makes a big difference in depth your weld penetrates.

 

[LD1]

Just no good way to do 5/8" thick steel with 110v 15a.

Redlands is spot on what I was talking about with a root opening or vee.

If you didn't do that, and that pic is indeed 5/8"plate....I doubt it's penetrated at all

 

[dragoneggs]

Hard to judge a weld like that only by looks. You can lay a real nice bead and have no penetration, or you can lay a real nice bead and have good penetration.

Hey I can lay a crappy bead and have too much penetration! :laughing:

 

[Egon]

Picture showing general look. The angle details will vary according to type, thickness and use of the material.
If you cut through a section of your weld you should see what it looks like.

[video]https://www.google.ca/search?q=root+opening&client=safari&hl=en-ca&prmd=ivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi0oP--z4zYAhUr2oMKHf3rBTUQ_AUIESgB&biw=1024&bih=681#imgrc=0GW7hAWJL69AxM:[/video]

 

[Cord]

It's hard to see with the flux still on, but I suspect that bead is a do-over. You may very well be pushing the machine beyond it's capabilities and that will always fight you.

 

[handirifle]

Most 110v welders, mine included, require a 20 amp circuit. If yours does, and it's set on high, and you accidentally stick it, the current draw WILL pop a 15a breaker.

 

[fatjay]

Most 110v welders, mine included, require a 20 amp circuit. If yours does, and it's set on high, and you accidentally stick it, the current draw WILL pop a 15a breaker.

It's exactly that situation. It calls for 20a, and I only have 15a. Some day, I'll get better power in the garage.