First Weld Ever

Got my welder yesterday and gave it a go today. Figured I'd post this so you experienced welders could have a good laugh.

Instead of practicing on some scrap stuff I did this. It will be used regularly (unless it breaks).

If you can tell from this picture what I need to do different let me know. I think I had the wire speed to fast and too hot.

Was that...was that done with a MIG??

It looks like a small robot came all over it.

Looks solid, paint it and ship it..

Ship it, its done.

Rhino line it, rough texture please.

wow...........

what kind of welder was that?........

Deacon wrote:

Was that...was that done with a MIG??

It looks like a small robot came all over it.

LOL

redneckhouston wrote:

wow...........

what kind of welder was
that?........

It's a little Lincoln MIG welder.

I just plugged it in and started welding. Never done it before (obviously).

ahhhhh....therin lies the problem

what wire are you using? flux core or mig? shielding gas?

looks like your running flux core with the wrong polarity

if you feel like messing with it a little go find some scraps of steel and give me a call

flux core wire. doesn't have a gas hookup. Might have time Thursday or next weekend. I'll give you a call next time I mess with it.

No gas? At all? That's not how that works...

I'm no welding master. What I can do is just from a little bit of light instruction and meager experience. One of these days I'd really like to get down to SAC or something and take a welding class. Fill in a lot of knowledge gaps.

Deacon wrote:

Was that...was that done with a MIG??

It looks like a small robot came all over it.

HA HA HA HA HA HA

I bet that looks familiar to some of you.....

Get the nozzle closer, change your wire speed, and for God sake, wear a hood next time! LOL.

Theres one way to get proficient... practice.

Bobby used a mig for two years with no gas, he built the trailer and BBQ pits without gas, it can be done but I hear its stronger with gas. Bobby is using gas now but got that becasue of MArshall's build and the need for stronger welds.

I don't use gas , and my welds are always solid. Practice practice practice! Play with your feed speeds etc. And most of all, watch your weld puddle.

Thanks for all the tips. I guess I will practice.

And Adam I have no idea how the weld puddle is supposed to look, but I will watch it. I am assuming it is the puddle formed when the wire melts??

Yeah, draw it across in a kind of sidways J shape, a little half curl up, then elongate it out the side, then a little half curl up, etc...

You people who aren't using gas, are you at least using gas-less wire? Or are you just running plain old MIG wire?

Renee10 wrote:

Bobby used a mig for two years with no gas, he built the trailer and BBQ pits without gas, it can be done but I hear its stronger with gas. Bobby is using gas now but got that becasue of MArshall's build and the need for stronger welds.

actually the oppisite is true.....flux core is way stronger, and rated for quite a bit thicker material for any given machine, but is much uglier and harder to get "good" looking welds with

So if uglier is stronger mine must be pretty darn strong.

jdldx3 wrote:

So if uglier is stronger mine must be pretty darn strong.

I like that logic

Dude , Renee says I am full of GAS !! Crux told me when I first got my mig he used figure 8's and it worked but then I started making a u shape back and forth when I got a good puddle. I didnt see the settings Sat when you were here but play with a med or high setting then practice to see what gives you a good bead. Before I got argon my welds still splattered with fluxcore and then I would grind them down to look better. AND THEN I filled in the holes with a little putty to paint. Shit whatever works. If you come over Saturday bring it over and we will play with it I have alot of scraps you can practice with . The more you use it the more you'll figure it out and get better at it. Keep at it. BOBBY E.

Hahaha! I've got a Craftsman welder 110v flux core. That's about how mine look too. Don't feel bad bro.. you're not the only one with horrid welding skills!!

This thread got me curious so I decided to make a weld while over at Geo's last week....

Not horrible for my first one, Geo said that I went too slow, causing the metal to get a little too hot. Now I want a welder...... dammit.

I used to do some mig welding at my old job, I was trained to make circles or just weave back and forth depending on size of weld needed. I'm about to get back into it to build front bumper and modify my junky Rancho rear tire carrier.. It just takes practice, I remember when i first started welding I would squeeze the gun like I was trying to choke it or something, like I was trying to force the wire into the metal, I had to learn to relax my grip and just let it flow.

toddandshari'sjk wrote:

I would squeeze the gun like I was trying to choke it ... I had to learn to relax my grip and just let it flow.

Indeed.