Let's see your welds...

[Shield Arc]

Here are some pictures of open root pipe Tig welding I did this morning. These are far from the perfect "Wedding Band" that everybody shoots for. Most likely these would not pass a visual inspection, unless the inspector was going to cut a lot of slack to an old blind structural hand. They are just to inconsistent!

2 1/2 inch sch 80 pipe, 37 1/2 degree bevel, knife edge, 3/32 inch gap, 1/8 inch filler. Welded in the 5-G position. For anybody that doesn't understand what they're looking at, this is the inside of the pipe, that was welded from the outside. I've never got a straight answer on how much reenforcement is allowed, maybe Gary can give his opinion?

The last picture is a 6-G Tig weld I did a long time ago, it is more consistent. 6-G Tig welding can be a real PITA, because you have to weld with both hands!

 

[HiTechTed]

Ok I'll show mine. First though, I don't claim to be a pro and I know my skills are not to the level you guys with certifications have, by any means. I got my welder practically new from my BIL who wasn't using it, for $100.

I'm making a toothbar (by the way thanks sheild arc for the reply to my other thread).

I've seen worse than mine, not that I'm bragging but I've seen my own that look worse than these! All you pros might scoff at me but here's what I use to weld with (because it's all I have)...

I am well aware that the machine is not very powerful, but I crank it up and I make the puddles really burn in as deep as I can, which throws the breaker a lot. I just watch the puddle and do the best I can. I try not to heap the welds up and I do my best to make sure the edges of the puddle "etch in" to the metal, rather than "pile up" at the edge. Like I said I'm not a pro but I'm pretty sure these aren't going to come off!

 

[k0ua]

Lets see what some of the pro's say, but I think they look good, seem to be tied in to the parent metal pretty well. I am not a welder just a hobbyist so take this for what it is worth

James K0UA

 

[Shield Arc]

HiTechTed I'm not a pro either, but I've run a few rolls of wire. I think your welds look great!
But if I just had to throw a stone at them, try to never leave a crater at the end of the material. In this case you could have made a short weld on the back side of that tooth, and wrapped around covering the crater. Or stated at one end weld to the center, stop, and start at the other end, and weld to the center making sure to fill the crater. A crater is a very weak spot in a weld. When using an under powered machine, you can pre heat the material to help.

What brand and type of wire did you use?

 

[HiTechTed]

HiTechTed I'm not a pro either, but I've run a few rolls of wire. I think your welds look great!
But if I just had to throw a stone at them, try to never leave a crater at the end of the material. In this case you could have made a short weld on the back side of that tooth, and wrapped around covering the crater. Or stated at one end weld to the center, stop, and start at the other end, and weld to the center making sure to fill the crater. A crater is a very weak spot in a weld. When using an under powered machine, you can pre heat the material to help.

What brand and type of wire did you use?

I have seen a lot of your work on here, and if you aren't a pro I'm not sure what a pro is! And thanks for the compliment!

I haven't finished welding yet so the back side you see in the pic will get welded too (got called in for dinner and gave up for the night)! I try not to leave craters because I think it looks bad, but I didn't know it was a weak point...makes sense though and thanks for the tip.

When you say pre heat, you probably mean with a "real" torch and not my little Bernz-o-matic map gas torch, right?! I wish I had a good torch setup for cutting if nothing else.

The wire I'm using is Lincoln .035 Innershield NR-211-MP. I don't know what everything after "innershield" means but that's what it says on the roll!

 

[Shield Arc]

if you aren't a pro I'm not sure what a pro is!

My understanding of the word professional, is someone who receives pay for a task. If that is true, then I'm not a pro.

A weed burner hooked to a propane tank works great for preheat.

I have run tons of NR-211. Just about the time NR-212 came out, (Mid 1990's) I went into management, I have run some of it here at home, I think I like it a little better than 211. I probably by far run more of Hobart's FabShield 21-B. Can't remember ever having to test with 211, but have taken hundreds of AWS D1.1, 1 inch thick tests with 21-B, never failed a test. Which is remarkable in a few cases, because I just butchered a few of them, but still passed! :confused3:

The first picture is 21-B, the second picture is NR-212.

 

[HiTechTed]

My understanding of the word professional, is someone who receives pay for a task. If that is true, then I'm not a pro.

A weed burner hooked to a propane tank works great for preheat.

I have run tons of NR-211. Just about the time NR-212 came out, (Mid 1990's) I went into management, I have run some of it here at home, I think I like it a little better than 211. I probably by far run more of Hobart's FabShield 21-B. Can't remember ever having to test with 211, but have taken hundreds of AWS D1.1, 1 inch thick tests with 21-B, never failed a test. Which is remarkable in a few cases, because I just butchered a few of them, but still passed! :confused3:

The first picture is 21-B, the second picture is NR-212.

I have a weed burner and propane...too bad I didn't come in here and ask questions before I started my project!

I see the NR-212 wire is intended for use with thicker metal than the NR-211. Do you have any other reason that you prefer using it?

 

[Shield Arc]

In the work I followed 3/8 inch thick material was considered thin. Before the Northridge earthquake in California it seemed as if Lincoln was hiding the limitation thickness of NR-211. I can't remember hearing of anyone taking a bend test with 211. Soon as the dust started to settle over the earthquake Lincoln came out with NR-211-MP, and NR-212, but made a huge effort to publishes the thickness limitations. And also noted that neither wire was suitable for applications requiring Charpy V-Notch properties! And a CV welding machine was recommended.
In a seismic zone the most popular flux core self shielded wires are NR-232, NR-233, and ESAB's Correshield 8. But for us weekend warriors, NR-211, and 212 will work just fine for general fab work. I really don't have reason for preferring 212 over 211, maybe it's as simple as it runs a little smother. But I'd much ratter run 21-B

Flux Cored Wire, Northridge Earthquake Facts

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

I always liked this picture

another one from that project -splicing some 3" channel together

I was pleased with myself for getting these ports water tight on the first try

other stuff

 

[Grayson Klassen]

I would show you my latest welds except I now have to grind them off. was working with my son putting on a set of brackets on a buck I built and told him to hold the 1" mark on the center mark then I failed to add an inch. I tacked checked ten times for square in all directions and proceeded to burn wire in stitches. Then and only then did I realize I was off by an inch.

My son who is 21 giggled and called me a dumba$$ and said it wasn't his fault. he is right it was mine

Measure twice weld once grind never is the new rule :ashamed: