taking welding class again

[emzdogz]

hey folks, I've been mostly letting project bike chopper sit all summer, since it's too hot and steamy out there in the carport to mess with it.

but I went ahead and signed up for welding again - the same one I took like 10 years ago, but dropped out of. So this one started the same, just running bead after bead after bead of stick. 6010 or 6011 electrodes. Very easy to start up, and it'll weld through most grunge. So I did that for a couple weeks.

But last night he put me on a big MIG welder that runs flux core wire PLUS gas. And that thing is sweet. Just makes nice, non-porous, nice shaped, clean welds.
When I tear my bike down, since I'm nearly done with the mock-up, wow I'd sure love to have that welder to work with.

But anyway, next class I will bring some metal from home, of the types I will be joining, like bungs to tubing, or tabs to tubing. Hopefully the instructor will be OK with that.

Once I DO have to go back to using my little Lincoln Weld Pak, is I'm gonna go ahead and try flux core wire (you have to change the polarity for that) and see if it's any more of a sure thing than with the gas. I've just never been able to get the gas metered out just right. Plus I want to find out if I can try using flux core wire PLUS gas, like the big welder at school. Or if there's a reason NOT to try that with my little welder.

Anyway, I just can't express the difference between the welds from the big MIG welder and a. the stick welder and c. my little wire feed welder at home.

 

[emzdogz]

this is the welder I used last night:

 

[xsPete]

this is the welder I used last night:

Good luck with it Em, I'm hopeless and always put welding off.
In the end I took the advice of a mate who is a boilermaker and spent money (lots) and bought a Lincoln 180 mig, I only use it with flux core and it has made a complete difference to my welds compared to the cheap setup previously.

Pete

 

[emzdogz]

Good luck with it Em, I'm hopeless and always put welding off.
In the end I took the advice of a mate who is a boilermaker and spent money (lots) and bought a Lincoln 180 mig, I only use it with flux core and it has made a complete difference to my welds compared to the cheap setup previously.

Pete

that's good to hear that you now have a setup that you like.

 

[landerson]

Emzdogz - Great to hear your excitement with the welding portion. The arc and flux core is just the beginning of the welding world. There's tons more out there to learn so stay with it if you can. I started out with an old welder, 6011 rods building pipe corrals for buffalo ranches out west, loved it and went through both welding and machining tech schools. Try solid core wire (70-80 series) with shielding gas (CO2-Argon). You can use with thinner material with less heat input than hollow/flux core. Perfect for tube fab projects. Next comes TIG and the possibilitis are endless. Good luck.

 

[52Chevy]

I think I'm going to take a welding class this summer possibly. It's something I've always wanted to learn how to do. Good luck!

 

[scabber]

I would ask the instructor if you could bring the frame in and weld it with a good machine. If you have a 115v one you will not get the same results.

 

[emzdogz]

I had my hard tail, and neck rake done professionally. For the smaller stuff I've had to add, I've gotten some decent welds from my little Lincoln MIG. Just needs to do, for example, better fender braces, and maybe go over some of the welds I already did.

PLus I'd still love to successfully weld up some pipes, and I think for that the little 115v one would be best.

There are a couple of places I wish I could go over with the big welder at work.

Once I have it apart and stripped, taking it in to go over some welds might be an option - I'm sure he'd let me. Only thing is, I could be wrong, but it makes me kind of nervous to heat the metal of my already existing frame to the degree that the huge MIG at school does.

I will be practicing with tubing next. I guess if I want to take the frame in to use that welder at school, I will have to take the course again, as this course already ends in October.

Or maybe I could get un-lazy and disassemble it right away. lol. Just got to mock up a different fender strut situation, then it can be disassembled. It's almost time!

 

[emzdogz]

I had my hard tail, and neck rake done professionally. For the smaller stuff I've had to add, I've gotten some decent welds from my little Lincoln MIG. Just need to do, for example, better fender braces, and maybe go over some of the welds I already did.

PLus I'd still love to successfully weld up some pipes, and I think for that the little 115v one would be best.

There are a couple of places I do wish I could go over with the big welder at work. Sheesh, just one healthy pass with that thing would attach tabs and such. It makes me nervous to think of my tubing to be altered at the molecular level by being heated that much.

Once I have it apart and stripped, taking it in to go over some welds might be an option - I'm sure he'd let me. Only thing is, I could be wrong, but it makes me kind of nervous to heat the metal of my already existing frame to the degree that the huge MIG at school does.

I will be practicing with tubing next. I guess if I want to take the frame in to use that welder at school, I will have to take the course again, as this course already ends in October.

Or maybe I could get un-lazy and disassemble it right away. lol. Just got to mock up a different fender strut situation, then it can be disassembled. It's almost time!


ps: one young man in the class hauled in his 115 Craftsman MIG and worked with that all night. I didn't get to see them do the break test, but it involved a huge hammer and evidently he was told that the welds had held up really well. I'd like to compare. Say do a fillet weld with several passes with the 115 machine and then do a similar fillet weld - maybe just one pass, with the big guy and see how they compare.

The other thing is maybe I'll haul my little 115 rig into class.
lots to think about, that's for sure.

I do love the big machine though. It just squirts out lovely molten-ness, easy just like ringin' a bell.

 

[emzdogz]

oops, meant to delete that 1st one - now I can't find how to delete it. bah.....

 

[FrkyMnky]

As long as you can turn the larger MIG down enough, I would be using that one every time over the little MIG unless portability is a factor. You should get a much better arc from the larger machine and a better duty cycle since you will be working on the lower end of what it can do.

 

[scabber]

The big machines you can turn down to weld lighter materials. The small machines you have a limited amount of power. Taking your welder to class sounds like a good idea. Your instructor can check it out and tell if it will do what you are welding with it. I have not used the 115V mutch. The one I tried would hardly melt the wire let alone weld with out pre heating. That was years ago they may have improved since then. I have a millermatic 250 that works well for me.

 

[hotrdd]

Right now I us sold core and gas, what is the advantage of the flux core?

 

[NC Welds]

There are two types of flux-cored wire electrodes: gas-shielded and self-shielded. As its name implies, the gas-shielded type of flux-cored wire requires an external shielding gas. The self-shielded variety does not.

The flux coating on gas shielded flux-cored wires solidifies faster than the molten weld material. Consequently, a sort of shelf is created which holds the molten pool when welding overhead or vertically up. Gas-shielded flux wires work well when welding thicker metals. They also work well for welding out-of-position applications. Slag removal is easy with this type of wire.

Self-shielding flux-cored wires do not require an external shielding gas. With this type of electrode, the weld pool is protected as gas is generated when the flux from the wire is burned. Because the self-shielding wire produces its own protective shield and doesn’t require an external gas tank, it is more easily carried about.
Advantages of Flux-Cored Wire Electrodes

There are several advantages of using flux-cored wire electrodes. These advantages include but are not limited to:

They allow for a high deposition rate.
They work well outdoors and in windy conditions.
With the right filler materials, these electrodes can make FCAW an “all-position” process.
Typically, flux-cored wires create clean, strong welds.

Disadvantages of Flux-Cored Wire Electrodes

There are concerns with any type of welding method. Regardless of the process and type of electrode used, there is the possibility of creating an incomplete fusion between the base metals. Slag inclusion or cracks in the welds may also result.

Additional problems that may arise when using flux-cored electrode wires include:

A melted contact tip may occur if the electrode contacts the base metal and fuses the two together.
If gases do not escape the welded area before the metal hardens, the weld may develop holes and become porous.

Solid Wire Electrodes

Solid wire electrodes are used in Metal Inert Gas Welding. Such electrodes require a shielding gas, which is delivered from a pressurized gas bottle. The shielding gas protects the molten weld pool from atmospheric contaminants.

Solid wire electrodes are often made of mild steel which is plated with copper to prevent oxidation and to aid in electrical conductivity. The copper plating also helps to increase the life of the welding contact tip.

Solid wires are the best choice when working on thin materials, such as sheet metal. They should produce nice, clean welds.

Solid wire electrodes do not work well in wind. Exposing the shielding gas to the wind can compromise the integrity of the weld.
Which Wire is the Best Choice?

When comparing the flux-cored wires to the solid wires, it would be wise to note that the best choice is dependent upon the welding job and location. Both types of wires can produce sound welds with good weld bead appearances, when done correctly.

For thicker metals and outdoor jobs, the flux-cored wire electrodes work best. For thinner metals and jobs performed out of the wind, solid wire electrodes can work quite well.

Solid wire electrodes used in MIG welding are not as portable as flux-cored wires. This is due to the necessity of a shielding gas in MIG.


Sorry for the long post but hopefully this helps

 

[hotrdd]

That's an awesome write up thanks.

 

[NC Welds]

just general knowledge taken from my books from college and over the years no problem

 

[emzdogz]

Thanks for all that info.
We had to change out the big roll of wire on the machine I work on last night, so that was kind of interesting, seeing how that goes.
Also found out that hunks of rusty handlebars which have had the rust and chrome ground off, DON'T do well on this big of a machine, even with the power turned down.

The school I go to doesn't seem to have any tubing or pipe to work on, so I cut up a set of old bars at home and brought them in to practice working with tubing. I guess I'll have to go to my local steel supplier to buy some beefier tube stock. The big MIG just blew right through the metal. (I think they were probably really crappy quality bars to begin with, and rusted inside, although ground shiny on the outside.)

anyway, 'onward through the fog'....