# Forum Home Renovation Metalwork & Welding  General welding tips and tricks

## PlatypusGardens

Got any tips on how to make things easier? 
I'll start with this.
Give the MIG shroud a squirt of cooking spray to make it easy to clean. 
Pop it off every now and again and pull a rag through it and it's spotless.   :Smilie:

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## ringtail

Tip 1.
When welding with fluxcore, even outdoors, I have a high power industrial fan blowing in my general direction. The smoke is vast and toxic. Even more important when welding anything gal. Have to be a touch careful not to aim the fan at the actual welding area as the weld will cool too quickly. Just get the weld plume away from the area asap. Of course, with solid wire/gas the fan is a bad idea and an extractor should be used. Of course, decent dollar outlay for one of those though. So, my tip, get ya head out of the weld plume and position yourself properly regardless of the type of welder used. The number of guys I see with their face 2 inches away from the weld is alarming. :Doh:  
Tip 2.
Don't be ashamed to use whatever is handy to prop yourself. Not all of us have super steady hands and propping is the best way to get control and watch the puddle while taking strain off the hands/wrists. Blocks of 100x100 hardwood make great props.

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## Marc

When welding the last thing most people do is check the earth. It is essential to have a good earth or your current will drop. Steel brush the place for the clamp and keep the clamp's copper contact clean seems obvious but easy forgotten.
If you are welding vertical, always go up never down. Yes I know it can be done with a stick but why bother? Up and triangular motion will do it every time.

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## Marc

So you recon 0.8 is easier to use than 0.9 (or royal 0.9) ? Never used it, may be better for smaller stuff?

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## PlatypusGardens

Dunno.... 0.8 is all I've ever used in my 12 months of MIG welding.
Not even sure why I settled on 0.8 to be honest....think my mate said it was the go for stuff up to 10-12mm which is mostly what I do, so.... 
Yeh    :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

A couple of things I've made.  
Rotating table, as I have limited space in the shed.
Works well. 
The stand has a plate bolted to it with bearings on bolts welded on underneath.         
Center plug   
Bearing and locking nut   
If I do it up tight enough it doesn't rotate which is also handy.
(I find myself walking around it a lot even though it rotates haha) 
Have a couple of different size tops for it.     
Gotta have a couple of vises (or vices...)
Have one mounted on the bench and this portable one        
Modded G-clamp for clamping tube to table      
And apparently these earth clamps are the business.
picked it up at the scrapyard and have yet to try it.

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## PlatypusGardens

I also drilled a couple of holes in my workbench and punched some aluminium tube in there to rest the mig gun.        :Biggrin:

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## PlatypusGardens

Changed the thread title to welding/workshop tips.
To make it a bit broader.    :Smilie:  
(Well I thought I did....apparently it only changed the title of my first post...)

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## Marc

You mentioned cooking oil on your mig shroud, but the best use of canola oil spray is as antispatter on your work. Particularly if you weld SHS or RHS that is Duragal, it tends to spatter a bit. A spray of oil a foot each way will prevent most of the weld drops from sticking to the work area.  
If you don't want to annoy your neighbours with the ring of the anvil, there are a few things you can do. Mount the anvil on a hollow stand filled with sand, and place a plate floating on top of the sand to take the anvil. A bit of spot weld will stop the anvil from sliding on the plate.
You can also wrap a chain around the base, or wrap a strip of tyre tube around the base real tight and several turns.  
Or do like my wife tells me to do, use a rubber mallet , haha

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## PlatypusGardens

What's a foot?   :Confused:      
Here's another one of my little things.
Drillpress chuck key attached to retractable swipe card thingo   
And of course when I went to drill the hole in the chuck key I set it in the vice before I had put a drill it in the chuck....    :No:

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## ringtail

> So you recon 0.8 is easier to use than 0.9 (or royal 0.9) ? Never used it, may be better for smaller stuff?

  Definitely. .9 is better when pushing over 160 amps but most smaller machines wont get near that. Even my transmig 250 is only 190 amp unless I change the plug and run if off the oven circuit  :Biggrin:

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## ringtail

> If you are welding vertical, always go up never down. Yes I know it can be done with a stick but why bother? Up and triangular motion will do it every time.

  the only time you can run vertical down with a stick is to do tiny root run with a 2 mm rod and one basically just rotates the wrist side to side to do it. Referred to as " laying the rod" and not done too often at all. Trying to do vert down with a stick or fluxcore will end in disaster due to the slag overtaking the puddle.  
Good tip on the earth. I try to put my earth as close to the weld site as possible without it betting in the way. A lot of guys just earth the welding bench which is a rubbish way to do it.

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## PlatypusGardens

I earth my welding table when doing small stuff.
Never had any problems.   :Smilie:

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## Marc

> Definitely. .9 is better when pushing over 160 amps but most smaller machines wont get near that. Even my transmig 250 is only 190 amp unless I change the plug and run if off the oven circuit

  What size lead do you have on your 250? I got myself 5 meters of flexible rubber extension 6mm2, 3 core wire and a 3 round pin plug and the machine is a different one. Yes, you'll need to run 6mm from your switchboard to the workshop but I tell you it is worth every dollar. I got the plug and the powerpoint for it from a chap at the markets who works on factory shut downs and collects everything he can. They are both clipsal and worth 2-300 dollars new, paid $50 for both.  I get away with doing a lot of electrical work myself because I used to work as an electrician a lifetime ago and because one of the relo is a sparky and I do electrical work only when he is home and Ok's it. i am not sure what a sparky would charge for that job but it shouldn't be that much. If you ever buy a decent size plasma cutter you need a 32 amp power point anyway if not 3 phase.

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## Marc

...   

> What's a foot?   Tootsie or Trotter ..    
> Here's another one of my little things.
> Drillpress chuck key attached to retractable swipe card thingo ... Whaaat?   
> And of course when I went to drill the hole in the chuck key I set it in the vice before I had put a drill it in the chuck....but then how did you drill without a bit in the chuck if the key was in the vice and the drill in the draw?

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## ringtail

Just the factory lead on mine, whatever that is. I could change it and run a new circuit but.....could I be arsed ? Nah. If I had the coin spare and nothing else to do and some 12 mm plate work on the cards then maybe. It's pretty rare for me to weld much over 10 mm plate these days. However, the 250 (190) running fluxcore would smash 12 mm all day

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## ringtail

> I earth my welding table when doing small stuff.
> Never had any problems.

  baaaah  :Tongue:

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## PlatypusGardens

> whaaaat?

  
Swipecard....keychain....

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## PlatypusGardens

> baaaah

  
Moooo

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## ringtail

Bwahaa  :Biggrin:

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## Marc

> I earth my welding table when doing small stuff.
> Never had any problems.

  Yes, you can get away with doing that if there is good clean contact. Don't forget the mig pulls about 22V or less so the resistance of unclean surface is very high. A transformer stick pulls 50V so jumps over rubbish contact a bit easier. 
So if you are mig welding on an earthed table, and you have a bit of rust, oil or uneven surface, you weld in one position and send say 18V yet you get 16V in your weld. Then you move the piece in a different position and hit a bit of rust and your voltage drops to 14 ... yes you can still weld. Then you move it again and you get the full 18V. Yes you are welding but it is not the best, and you have variations that you don't know where they are coming from.

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## Marc

​go the bluuuuuuuues 
PS
Bummer

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## Marc

> Swipecard....keychain....

  Aaaaaaaaaa

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## Marc

> Just the factory lead on mine, whatever that is. ...

   2.5mm / 15amps

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## PlatypusGardens

> Aaaaaaaaaa

  
You can sort of see it in the pic left of the power point

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## Marc

Yes, I see it now, before I missed the string so it looked to me like one of those pin that have a ring that flicks sideways .... mm probably has a name too. 
Good idea to have the key always in one place and away from the drill table. 
I like your turning welding table too. My welding table is not a table but a frame with legs. I tend to do large work all the time so I need to have access from the top and the bottom. A frame made with 2x2m length of SHS 60x60 and two cross members at 1.5m apart, and 4 legs works out well for larger stuff. I have two 600 long 300x100 PFC pieces drilled and ready to be bolted together for a smaller 600x600 welding and general bashing table I collected from when I worked in BHP 25 years ago and have yet to put together, ha ha ... actually I can't believe I still have it kicking around they weigh a ton each, imagine together and on 4 SHS 100x100x5.... permanently anchored by gravity ...  :Smilie:

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## OBBob

I posted this another thread about the new style inverter stick welders. I don't do much welding but for small repairs this has been great!  
http://www.renovateforum.com/f216/ozito-arc-welder-114997/  
The other day I ordered a cheap pull out bin off e-bay. When it arrived one of the welds on the metal frame had snapped so it couldn't hold the plastic tub. The seller refunded the price and I zapped it up. Win!    *Yes bring on some workshop tips* ... Not sure if you meant just in relation to welding but these are relevant either way.  
 - old angle-poised lamps are great to attach to a wall or ceiling joist over a bench ... being able to see it a great advantage. 
 - I love to use magnets, french cleats, pulleys, etc. to get things off the floor ... not tripping over whilst disorientated by bright lights and fumes improves the overall experience IMHO.

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## PlatypusGardens

I have a lump of old railway track. Maybe 300mm long, which I use as a counterweight all the time.
Very handy.
 (Next to cordless in pic below)  
And clamps clamps clamps and more clamps.
G-clamps, small welding clamps, plastic spring clamps... 
My workbench has a formply top and I often screw things down when working.  
Another thing is to make a couple of little "tables" from ply and 90x45 like the one in the vice in this pic, great for soldering etc     
The round rotating table is handy when making round things    
Note modified G-clamp end stop for drop saw in background.  
Like I've said before....I spend a lot of time making things to make it easier to make other things...    :Smilie:

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## Marc

> I posted this another thread about the new style inverter stick welders. I don't do much welding but for small repairs this has been great!  
> http://www.renovateforum.com/f216/ozito-arc-welder-114997/  
> The other day I ordered a cheap pull out bin off e-bay. When it arrived one of the welds on the metal frame had snapped so it couldn't hold the plastic tub. The seller refunded the price and I zapped it up. Win!    *Yes bring on some workshop tips* ... Not sure if you meant just in relation to welding but these are relevant either way.  
>  - old angle-poised lamps are great to attach to a wall or ceiling joist over a bench ... being able to see it a great advantage. 
>  - I love to use magnets, french cleats, pulleys, etc. to get things off the floor ... not tripping over whilst disorientated by bright lights and fumes improves the overall experience IMHO.

  A small welder is always welcome, just to know that you can go zap if necessary ... remember to keep the welding rods dry. A plastic tube with some silica in it usually helps. If they get old you can resurrect them with a little time in a warm oven. Heating the part to be welded also helps. 
Lights ... the more the merrier especially when you use glasses.

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## Eastwing

Buy one of these

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## PlatypusGardens

> Buy one of these

  Is that the machine that goes "ping"?

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## ringtail

Howdy all. I'm back. Be sure to check out chuckE2009 on youtube. A great presenter with some interesting projects and heaps of tips etc.....

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## Gaza

> Howdy all. I'm back. Be sure to check out chuckE2009 on youtube. A great presenter with some interesting projects and heaps of tips etc.....

  X5 on chucke2009, seems like great guy   
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## Uncle Bob

> Is that the machine that goes "ping"?

  Oh, I see you've got the machine that goes ping. That's my favourite  :Wink:  (Well IIRC that's how it goes  :Smilie:  )

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## ringtail

> X5 on chucke2009, seems like great guy   
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  Could watch him all day if my download quota was bigger

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## Marc

Yes young chucke is good.

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## notvery

Platypus. in one of the pictures above is that the old chainsaw taken apart that your building the automatic feeding chopping sawing jig for? where are the updates on that project??? did you ever get the chainsaw going? you said you had good compression at some point and ive sen nothing else since. have i missed the thread???

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## PlatypusGardens

Been shelved for a while as I have been too busy with my metal creations.
I'll need to get back in to it soon though and order th bits I need for it. 
Has to wait until I have a couple of days I can spend on it and lay it all out on the bench and not have to put it away until it's assembled.    :Smilie:

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## Marc

You could build a concrete saw with it ...

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## PlatypusGardens

Lathe sharpened chalk     :2thumbsup:

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## Grahame Collins

With reference to  mig tips and tricks.  
Many of us forget to pay attention to the wire feeder liner. When the wire feeder machine is in the the environment of angle grinders, the fine metal dust settles inside your machine, deposits dust on the wire spool and this dust gets dragged through the liners. Unless kinked or otherwise mechanically damaged, your liners can be refreshed periodically. 
Remove the liner. Unless it is a nylon liner for soft metals it is usually made from tightly coiled wire and looks like cafe curtain wire or a bicycle cable outer cable. Bogged up nylon liners are a throwaway!
Run the liner through your fingers visually and physically looking for any kinks or deformation that may impede free movement of the filler wire through it. Also check the cut end for an internal burr that can catch on the moving filler wire.  *You will need the following* : 
*  A 20 litre drum with the top cut out is necessary.
*  Enough kerosine to allow  2 fingers deep - not critical
*  Ditto enough Methylated Spirits 
*  Air compressor/ airline fitted with a duster tool.  *Procedure*
* Soak the liner in the kero for a few minutes, then swish it around and remove kero
* Rinse the residual kero from the liner- same deal -few minutes soak - swish it around and then remove
* In the direction of the wire travel blow out the liner with the air duster
* While you have the wire duster out, blow out the wire spool enclosure
* Replace the liner and check machine operation 
In addition you might consider checking the earth clamp, the cable and connection to the welding machine for tightness and lack of corrosion.If corroded or loose clean with wire brush and tighten connections
If the machine is a bit old check the integrity of the shielding gas supply lines. With time and oxidisation attack they crack and lose flexibility.Replacement cable available at dedicated welding stores. 
 Your spool of wire can also rust. What helps considerably is to remove your wire spool if not used regularly. When not in use ,wrap the spool in a garbage bag with some silica gel tabs.That keeps rust at bay.This rust will also fall off and clog your liner. 
Your wire feeder will thank you for it. 
PS Mig is GAS Covered. Unshielded wire is Gasless or flux core though there are some gas assisted flux core wires but this is not MIG. Mig stands for* M*etal *I*nert* G*as.
As an ex Tafe Metalfab instructor reference to gasless/fluxcore is something that is  just plain wrong to me! 
Re chuck 2009 on UTUBE :its a is a bit like the old saying  "six months ago I couldn't spell engineer,now I are one" Chuck indeed may have been to welding college (sic) but it goes not make him someone capable of effectively passing on knowledge. To be effective you must know why you are using a technique.How why and when to perform a technique and then explain why you are doing it, not show a videod image of it and not adequately explain what you are about to do.  
Grahame

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## ringtail

Agree GC. I have never checked the liner in either of my machines. I should definitely do the transmig 250 as it can be erratic at times. Basically, laziness has got me  :Tongue: . I have redone the earth clamp though. 
I mist admit that I have used the term " fluxcore mig" on more than one occasion but mainly when talking to non welding folk. I normally just say fluxcore and either get a blank look or an understanding nod. All the good things about stick with the control of a wire feed machine ( see how I didn't say mig ?  :Biggrin:  ) 
ChuckE2009 - I like him more as a presenter rather than his welding ability. He welds fine, makes mistakes as we all do and he has an unnatural love of stick welding with 7018's but his end products certainly appear fit for purpose. Joe sixpack doesn't know the difference anyway and has no concept of what is really involved with welding. Jodie from Welding tips and tricks is a far better welder and also a good presenter bit lets face it, he aint no ChuckE2009. Bothnare playing the youtube game though and get all sorts of freebies thrown at them. " From our good friends at........."

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## PlatypusGardens

Here's a little thing I made.
A "third finder" 
As I do a lot of tripods using different size tube all the time, I had to work out a quick way of dividing it in to thirds. 
So I cut some grooves with different size holesaws and marked out the thirds.
I sit it on top of the end of the tube, line the grooves up and mark the tube. 
Then I put a piece of aluminium angle against the tube and mark it down the side.   :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

:2thumbsup:

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## PlatypusGardens

I've found that a masonry grinding disc does a better job at cleaning up heavily rusted steel   :Smilie:

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## notvery

A better job than what? An elephant? A carrot?

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## PlatypusGardens

> A better job than what? An elephant? A carrot?

  
Probably. 
as well as metal grinding disc

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## notvery

The former makes sense the latter less so. .

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## Marc

Interesting conversation ... I believe elephants eat carrots, but there aren't any around here to test such theory.  :Haha:  
Grinding rust with masonry disks ... mm ... never tried.  have a bunch of masonry disk I never used since the invention of diamond disk and because they last as a fart in a basket for cutting bricks. Will give it a go, rather than throwing them out.

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## manofaus

I like your unintentional tip platy... the one where you use a piece of angle to scribe a line down a round tube parallel to its axis.
Some of mine:
Grind out tack welds if they are more then half your weld thickness. keeps the weld flat
When welding your job at the finish of a run hold spot for 2 or 3 secs. Will minimise undercut.
Tap your gun on the bench (mig) to drop the hot ball off the end and leave sharp wire.
Preheat your jobs. we all know that welding is done with heat from an arc, but the fusion between the parent metal and weld is aided with pre heat.

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## PlatypusGardens

> The former makes sense the latter less so. .

     :Unsure:      

> Grinding rust with masonry disks ... mm ... never tried.  have a bunch of masonry disk I never used since the invention of diamond disk and because they last as a fart in a basket for cutting bricks. Will give it a go, rather than throwing them out.

  Yes
I'm talking about the discs for grinding, not cutting.
The thick carborundum (sp?) ones. 
Heavily rusted, pitted steel is hard to get down to a shiny bare metal surface.
Flap discs are usueless, regardless of grit, as they just "glaze over".
Metal grinding discs tend to clog as well.
Even trying to pre-clean it with cup wire brush on grinder seems to "polish" the rust, which makes it harder to remove  :Unsure:  
I had a masonry grinding disc mounted on one of my grinders from when I was removing the enamel of that BBQ I mucked around with, had to clean some old steel plate...thought...I'll give it a go....and it worked really well.     :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

> I like your unintentional tip platy... the one where you use a piece of angle to scribe a line down a round tube parallel to its axis.
> .

  
"Unintentional"?   :Dunno:

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## Marc

> Yes
> I'm talking about the discs for grinding, not cutting.
> The thick carborundum (sp?) ones. 
> Heavily rusted, pitted steel is hard to get down to a shiny bare metal surface.
> Flap discs are usueless, regardless of grit, as they just "glaze over".
> Metal grinding discs tend to clog as well.
> Even trying to pre-clean it with cup wire brush on grinder seems to "polish" the rust, which makes it harder to remove  
> I had a masonry grinding disc mounted on one of my grinders from when I was removing the enamel of that BBQ I mucked around with, had to clean some old steel plate...thought...I'll give it a go....and it worked really well.

  Yes, grinding masonry those ones ... (who ever grinds a brick?)
Makes sense since the masonry tend to crumble a bit more and so don't clog up with the rust.
Maybe they should re-label them to sell them ( at a higher price of course) for rust removal ... he he, talk to the manufacturer about a joint venture ...  :Smilie:

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## Marc

Yes, the idea of sharing welding tips can be a bit out there sometimes. I like to hear more tips so I can improve, but that of course implies I need improving my (mediocre) welding skills, something that some may find difficult. 
We could start another thread titled, car driving tips, now that would be one to watch! ...  :Smilie:

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## notvery

> Tap your gun on the bench (mig) to drop the hot ball off the end and leave sharp wire.

  I always thought the old man did that cos he had done another rubbish weld and was taking it out on the gun. I guess his claims to be a reasonable welder are more valid now.

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## ringtail

Yep, don't do this. A pair of side cutters should be used to cut the wire at an angle before every weld ( unless tacking up). Banging the gun on whatever is handy damages the shroud, damages the contact tip, damages the wire and the feed rollers. It's an old timers lazy solution to a problem that just isn't a problem at all.

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## paddyjoy

Got my first welder this week, was really struggling with it, couldn't see anything, not even the puddle, only a dim arc. After a few hours of frustration I realised there was a piece of protective plastic film on the inside of the mask blurring everything  :Doh:

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## Marc

Ha ha, that's a good one. I would be candidate to do that. 
I got myself lenses that slide in the helmet and enlarge the picture nicely. 
I don't understand the banging of the torch. I suppose it could dislodge a bit of the rubbish that accumulates in the shroud  but the little ball at the end of the wire is part of the wire and no amount of tapping or even smashing violently would ever dislodge it, only cutting the wire off. (?) 
I am forever pulling the shroud off and cleaning it with the welding pliers and cutting the wire that is too long. never encountered a ball that could be tapped off. 
I'll keep on looking for it  :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

> Got my first welder this week, was really struggling with it, couldn't see anything, not even the puddle, only a dim arc. After a few hours of frustration I realised there was a piece of protective plastic film on the inside of the mask blurring everything

   :Rofl5:   :Rofl5:   :Rofl5:   
We've all been there (or somewhere similar)  
Reminds me of a story I heard about someone who had inherited a wall mirror with a "very ugly aqua coloured frame".
When they were having a garage sale they put it out for $10, as it had been sitting in a wardrobe for years. 
Someone bought it, then, right there and then, peeled off the protective film to reveal a beautiful gold frame....   :Shock:

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## paddyjoy

Now that I can see things I'm getting a bit better  :Smilie:  Does the left part of this weld look ok? I'm using flux core, 0.9mm wire and the steel is 6mm. I have tried to break the welded piece off with a lump hammer to see if the welds break but I can't do it, only bends the steel so I'm guessing it has some decent strength in it.

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## phild01

Looks fine by my standards, seems you can see well through all the smoke!

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## paddyjoy

> Looks fine by my standards, seems you can see well through all the smoke!

  Thanks phil, surprising not that much smoke, only set the fire alarm off once  :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

That's not a very clear photo, but it looks to me like it needs a bit more heat.   :Smilie:

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## ringtail

Could be a touch hotter. It's a bit hard to see the toes of the weld with fluxcore due to the slag. You can also move a bit quicker with fluxcore as the deposition rate is bit higher than solid wire.

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## Marc

:What he said:

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## PlatypusGardens

Oh  :Unsure:  that flux [s]capacitor[/s] core wire....
...dunno anything about that.  
I hear it's good stuff though   :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## paddyjoy

Thanks guys, if I need more heat and my machine is already on max, do I just go slower with less wire feed speed?

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## phild01

Maybe a bigger welder for that thickness of steel !?

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## PlatypusGardens

Hang on....what kind of welder have you got again? 
Is this arc or mig....? 
oh yes...you said wire...sorry got confused there for a second  :Fisch:   
um..try turning the volts to max and reducing the amps.
I usually have the volts as high as the steel will allow and adjust the amps/amount of wire. 
works for me   :Smilie:

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## paddyjoy

> Maybe a bigger welder for that thickness of steel !?

  It's 185 amps and claims to be able to join 12mm, maybe it's just overstated capabilities!

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## PlatypusGardens

> It's 185 amps and claims to be able to join 12mm, maybe it's just overstated capabilities!

  
It should do it.
I've done thicker stuff with my 175   :Unsure:   
Are there limitations to the flux core wire vs straight wire and gas?

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## paddyjoy

> It should do it.
> I've done thicker stuff with my 175    
> Are there limitations to the flux core wire vs straight wire and gas?

  I believe the flux core gives a deeper penetration? 
I only have a cheap machine, no voltage setting just min/max 1/2 and wire speed!

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## paddyjoy

Here's a clearer picture.

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## PlatypusGardens

Right ok...mmmm...sorry can't help then  :Unsure:   
As with any welding though I assume it all comes down to heat, angle and travel speed.   :Smilie:

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## phild01

> Here's a clearer picture.

  Tough way to write an "O"  :Biggrin:

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## paddyjoy

> Tough way to write an "O"

  Ha ha I write all my "O"s with a 6mm drill bit

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## Marc

if you are maxed out on voltage that is heat ... slow down the wire a bit and move the torch in sideways moving circular patterns. Watch the angle of the torch, keep it just a bit tilted off vertical not too much.

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## paddyjoy

> if you are maxed out on voltage that is heat ... slow down the wire a bit and move the torch in sideways moving circular patterns. Watch the angle of the torch, keep it just a bit tilted off vertical not too much.

  Thanks Marc ill give that a try.

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## ringtail

> It should do it.
> I've done thicker stuff with my 175    
> Are there limitations to the flux core wire vs straight wire and gas?

  
Only that solid is inferior  :Tongue:

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## ringtail

> It's 185 amps and claims to be able to join 12mm, maybe it's just overstated capabilities!

  
Single pass ? Absolutely no chance in hell. Maybe 300 amp + machine will single pass a 12 mm fillet. However, a 3 run fillet is no problem at all and will be stronger anyway.

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## ringtail

> I believe the flux core gives a deeper penetration? 
> I only have a cheap machine, no voltage setting just min/max 1/2 and wire speed!

  I suspect a lot of your problems are the machine's non adjustability.

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## phild01

> Single pass ? Absolutely no chance in hell. Maybe 300 amp + machine will single pass a 12 mm fillet. However, a 3 run fillet is no problem at all and will be stronger anyway.

  Again trying to understand this, so 3 straight runs of weld rather than swirling the lay of weld in the same time 3 runs take.  I would have thought swirling it in would generate better heat and bed the weld far better into the material.  Hope I am making sense.  The weld on the right is a single run and that on the left is swirling it, yes?  
Maybe Paddy and I need to go off to welding school together :Biggrin:

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## paddyjoy

> Again trying to understand this, so 3 straight runs of weld rather than swirling the lay of weld in the same time 3 runs take.  I would have thought swirling it in would generate better heat and bed the weld far better into the material.  Hope I am making sense.  The weld on the right is a single run and that on the left is swirling it, yes?  
> Maybe Paddy and I need to go off to welding school together

  Ha ha I'm sure there is a TAFE course we could do? 
Phil I assume something like this is a three pass

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## paddyjoy

> I suspect a lot of your problems are the machine's non adjustability.

  Could be, I bought the cheapest mig welder out there NEW Rossi Welder 185 AMP Welding Machine MIG MAG GAS Gasless Portable 185A | eBay

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## ringtail

> Ha ha I'm sure there is a TAFE course we could do? 
> Phil I assume something like this is a three pass

  Yes, that is a three run fillet. As a general rule of thumb or where there is no weld proceedure specified, the fillet should be the same size as the plate. Eg, 6 mm plate, 6 mm fillet, 10 mm plate, 10 mm fillet. However, a lot of house columns where there is a plate welded to shs the spec seems to be 6 mm cfw minimum. ( cfw= continuous fillet weld). I highly recommend the tafe welding courses. They are run at night ( in Brisbane) and go right through to certification level if one desires to go that far. One has to do the oxy welding and thermal cutting module first before doing anything else. But there is MMAW ( stick) GMAW ( mig) FCAW ( fluxcore) and TGAW (tig) I've done mig, and stick up to cert level ( didn't do the cert though as it's $2k each) and basic tig. If you can mig and stick well you can use fluxcore no probs so no need to do fluxcore separately ( unless you need the paperwork) But to pass the advanced modules one has to do all the cert welds anyway so it's just another piece of 2k paper. To do the advanced modules there is a material science module. All about metals and distortion and all that juicy stuff. It's pretty addictive and very satisfying. You also know how to weld properly at the end of it and quickly realise that most welding you see around the place is total bollocks. Just do it. Well worth it.

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## PlatypusGardens

> Again trying to understand this, so 3 straight runs of weld rather than swirling the lay of weld in the same time 3 runs take.  I would have thought swirling it in would generate better heat and bed the weld far better into the material.  Hope I am making sense.

  
Has to do with the area you cover with the weld(s) 
a run of weld, straigt or swirling, can only do so much.
By doing 3 runs, like in the pic, you join the pieces where they meet, with the first run.
Then go over the first weld and span wider. with the next two.
Which join on to the two pieces and the first weld. 
Kinda like using a large washer on a bolt. 
kinda    :Smilie:

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## paddyjoy

> I highly recommend the tafe welding courses. ...... Just do it. Well worth it.

  Thanks I would be really interested in this, someday, when I have more time!

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## ringtail

> Thanks I would be really interested in this, someday, when I have more time!

  Just make the time. If you want it, do it. In Qld the courses are from 6-9pm on Tuesday nights. 3 hours per week when just about everyone is sitting on their rrse watching tv. With all the other useless bollocks in people lives you wouldn't even notice the time. Just call it " me time" and enrol tomorrow.

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## PlatypusGardens

> Just call it " me time"

  
That term is already taken........

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## ringtail

Ok, me me me time then.

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