These are the worst welds you have ever seen

[3RRL]

Here are the results from my first 20 minutes learning how to weld. No class and no one there to help. From the pix, you can see I have a lot of practice ahead of me. Even though these welds look like crap, the two bolts are solidly welded together. Oddly enough, my smoothest weld was the one where I welded the wire to the tip!!! I guess I will be buying the 5-pack of tips soon. Three came with the welder; now there are two.

Lewis,
Don't be so hard on yourself.
Obviously you never saw my first welds. They looked like bird poop that were refugees from a concentration camp! Now after 35 years of TIG welding on plastic injection molds, I have finally gotten to be pretty good at it. But when I started stick welding again, (after about 30 years) those looked like crap too. But I've improved with the stick a little, now that I get to do it more often than that. Just stick with it and practice a lot like the other fellas told you. You will improve for sure. Your new MIG is the perfect tool for you.

Others may disagree, but my advice would be to start with a little hotter setting until you get the hang of it. Then reduce the amps until you can run a bead that still produces an easy start and most of all, good penetration. If you lay a bead and it sits on top of the parent material, you need more amps. If it starts splattering like crazy and your bead is real wide, wet and sloppy you've got too many amps. You'll try to find the right setting when your bead is clean and neat with excellent penetration. You can determine the results in your practice welding until you get comfortable with it.
Good luck and have fun.

 

[czechsonofagun]

Here are the results from my first 20 minutes learning how to weld. No class and no one there to help. From the pix, you can see I have a lot of practice ahead of me. Even though these welds look like crap, the two bolts are solidly welded together. Oddly enough, my smoothest weld was the one where I welded the wire to the tip!!! I guess I will be buying the 5-pack of tips soon. Three came with the welder; now there are two.

Lewis,
Don't be so hard on yourself.
Obviously you never saw my first welds. They looked like bird poop that were refugees from a concentration camp! Now after 35 years of TIG welding on plastic injection molds, I have finally gotten to be pretty good at it. But when I started stick welding again, (after about 30 years) those looked like crap too. But I've improved with the stick a little, now that I get to do it more often than that. Just stick with it and practice a lot like the other fellas told you. You will improve for sure. Your new MIG is the perfect tool for you.

Others may disagree, but my advice would be to start with a little hotter setting until you get the hang of it. Then reduce the amps until you can run a bead that still produces an easy start and most of all, good penetration. If you lay a bead and it sits on top of the parent material, you need more amps. If it starts splattering like crazy and your bead is real wide, wet and sloppy you've got too many amps. You'll try to find the right setting when your bead is clean and neat with excellent penetration. You can determine the results in your practice welding until you get comfortable with it.
Good luck and have fun.

One thing I remember: look at the puddle of melted metal and try to make it as nice as possible, the rest kinda takes care of itself.

 

[cp1969]

Just from my humble experience, I think I would stick to the regular helmet you have or go with a bigger lens someday. The auto dark ones are really best for stick welders that are harder to start than flux core or MIG. Just get the wire close and pull the trigger to start.

Always wear a respirator for the fumes and have a fan lightly blowing the fumes away from you.

Dumb question: Wouldn't a fan blow away any shield gas you might be using?

 

[thingy]

Maybe,,maybe not,,,you can turn gas up,,bottom line,you'll know,,holes,,spitter spatter,,,thingy

 

[sugarmaple]

My m.o. when not feeling secure about what I am doing, is to find a "How To..." to read. I bought the Lincoln book on welding which has nice pictures and a ton of info, but gets pretty technical and advanced for a duffer. Then I found a JD publication in their FOS or Fundamentals of Service series entitled Welding. Lots of good practical and not too technical information on gas and arc welding, cutting etc. Nothing on mig per se, but a lot of what applies to stick welding also applies to Mig.

Once one acquires a torch, one of the wonderful magical properties the heat has is the ability to straighten bent structure! There is stuff on the web on how to do it. I tried flattening some light plate with mixed results, but with angle, channel, etc, it works great.

 

[sandman2234]

I acquired my first auto darkening shield when AO had them on sale for $330.
I didn't say I paid that for it, thanks to having a sister in the business and dealer samples(ain't they great!!)
My last job at a wiremill had a "know it all, been there done everything" type guy that worked in the lab with me. He was explaining to us how his welder would weld almost anything, just bring it on. So the next night I took a couple of samples of 5/8" aluminum plate into work, along with a finished piece made out of it, that had been tig welded by me on my Miller.
First thing he said, was nobody could weld that in one pass, especially in a homeshop eviroment. So I dragged out the other piece in front of everybody and told him I welded this at home this afternoon. Finished him off by adding, "what's wrong with your welder?"
By the way, he had one of those 150 amp mig welders that had an optional bottle hookup.
Tig welding aluminum DOES TAKE A LOT OF AMPS!!!
David from jax

 

[pegleg03]

I was never a real good welder but I used to do a little bit now and then about 30-40 years ago. I stopped about ten years ago because my eyes had got so bad and I didn't like using the magnifying lenses and couldnt wear my trifocals in a shield. Then one day my neighbor told me to buy one of the instant darkining shields. I did not want to spend too much money on one because I didnt realy expect good results. I paid $90 for the best one Harbor freight had at the time. I loved it and I am welding again. I can wear my trifocals in it and I am not trying to see through dark glass except when the arc is burning. I am welding more now and its better than I ever did before. I am glad that I had not sold my machines as I had considered doing.

 

[thingy]

Yeah,know what your talking about,,,I do not like those auto darkening hoods,,,but,,I've only tried one,,back when my eyes were better,,yeah they woulda been it,,,I use,[and it kinda works out],a 2.5 cheater lens and a shade 9 lens,,this is stick,,mig probably a 10,,,,,,trifocals,bifocals,,,na,,,,,you need just one set of magnification to weld,,,you need either reading glasses to the strength you need to read with 12-18 inches,or use a cheater lens like me,,think they go to 3.00.,,,,not sure,,but you don't want those multifocos glasses when welding,,,no problems as long as you can get to reading distance from your weld,,,and if you think about it,,even when you didn't have to,,you was 12 to 18 inches away,,,or closer,,thingy

 

[Ken S.in Ky.]

You can get a set of reading glasses at Wal-Mart for next to nothing. I wear bifocals as well and it can be a royal PITA when welding.

 

[BTDT]

Been awhile since you updated us on your welding, how's it going? Maybe your so busy building stuff you don't have time to post, that's a good thing.