I need to achieve more penetration!
Discussion
Tonight I have mostly been welding, or should I say ....learning to weld 
I enrolled on a one year course to learn how to restore bodywork.
I got the hang of MIG/MAG welding but my oxyacetylene needs more practice but at least I did not end up with a piece of metal full of holes
I just need to achieve more penetration
I had great fun though and I'm looking forward to the 4 hours at college next week.
I enrolled on a one year course to learn how to restore bodywork.
I got the hang of MIG/MAG welding but my oxyacetylene needs more practice but at least I did not end up with a piece of metal full of holes
I just need to achieve more penetration
I had great fun though and I'm looking forward to the 4 hours at college next week.
Hip2Bsquare said:
Tonight I have mostly been welding, or should I say ....learning to weld
I enrolled on a one year course to learn how to restore bodywork.
I got the hang of MIG/MAG welding but my oxyacetylene needs more practice but at least I did not end up with a piece of metal full of holes
I just need to achieve more penetration
I had great fun though and I'm looking forward to the 4 hours at college next week.
www.mig-welding.co.ukI enrolled on a one year course to learn how to restore bodywork.
I got the hang of MIG/MAG welding but my oxyacetylene needs more practice but at least I did not end up with a piece of metal full of holes
I just need to achieve more penetration
I had great fun though and I'm looking forward to the 4 hours at college next week.
Good info and tutorials to assist you up the learning curve
If you buy a welder last on your choice list should be SIP
B'stard Child said:
Hip2Bsquare said:
Tonight I have mostly been welding, or should I say ....learning to weld
I enrolled on a one year course to learn how to restore bodywork.
I got the hang of MIG/MAG welding but my oxyacetylene needs more practice but at least I did not end up with a piece of metal full of holes
I just need to achieve more penetration
I had great fun though and I'm looking forward to the 4 hours at college next week.
www.mig-welding.co.ukI enrolled on a one year course to learn how to restore bodywork.
I got the hang of MIG/MAG welding but my oxyacetylene needs more practice but at least I did not end up with a piece of metal full of holes
I just need to achieve more penetration
I had great fun though and I'm looking forward to the 4 hours at college next week.
Good info and tutorials to assist you up the learning curve
If you buy a welder last on your choice list should be SIP
I'll have a good browse around that site as soon as I get the chance.
I tried gas welding years ago & I remembered it was not that easy .....and I wasn't wrong!
Getting the balance of the gases was fine, just the metal penetration was tricky to judge. There's a fine line between melting the metal and making a hole in it!
Next week I should have progressed from bead plate to lapping and seams so that should be more indicative of natural ability, errr or not
Have been doing a bit of welding myself at college MIG/MAG & MMA (though not specifically part of my course)
Picked it up quite quickly but MIG was much easier to get right!
My liking of older cars means it would be a pretty useful skill to have. Only question is which welder would it be best to buy? I would prefer the ease of MIG but if it means not having enough grunt to weld thicker stuff then I might be better off with a stick?? Conversely I don't know if id have the skill to be welding body panels with a stick welder
Also which would work out cheaper to run? Even halfords sell sticks and wire but how easy/expensive is gas to get hold of? And what would it be worth spending for a decent welder of either type?
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Picked it up quite quickly but MIG was much easier to get right!
My liking of older cars means it would be a pretty useful skill to have. Only question is which welder would it be best to buy? I would prefer the ease of MIG but if it means not having enough grunt to weld thicker stuff then I might be better off with a stick?? Conversely I don't know if id have the skill to be welding body panels with a stick welder
Also which would work out cheaper to run? Even halfords sell sticks and wire but how easy/expensive is gas to get hold of? And what would it be worth spending for a decent welder of either type?
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Petrolhead_Rich said:
More Amps, Bigger Stick.
Oh, sorry Mig Welding, More Amps, Thicker Wire?
Also running a little slower, thus heating the metal a bit more!
Not for gas welding Oh, sorry Mig Welding, More Amps, Thicker Wire?
Also running a little slower, thus heating the metal a bit more!
I was fine on the MAG after a few practice welds, just need to refine the gas welding, although the instructor did look at my work and said it was very good for a 1st attempt. I'm not sure whether he was being diplomatic - hope not as that is not a good way to learn!
More penetration?
Hmmm, how are you preparing the pieces before welding? Make sure the joint is really tight with no gaps, that way you can give it more heat without blowing a hole in a "gappy" bit!
The next thing you need to do is concentrate on how often you add filler material, the more often you add it the more the weld sits on top of the material rather than going through it. Leave it a little bit longer for the weld pool to open up some more before adding in the rod. That way the weld should go "deeper" into the metal.
Finally, don't rush, you're getting a good feel for what the metal looks like when it is heated and how much heat it can take before failure.
Hmmm, how are you preparing the pieces before welding? Make sure the joint is really tight with no gaps, that way you can give it more heat without blowing a hole in a "gappy" bit!
The next thing you need to do is concentrate on how often you add filler material, the more often you add it the more the weld sits on top of the material rather than going through it. Leave it a little bit longer for the weld pool to open up some more before adding in the rod. That way the weld should go "deeper" into the metal.
Finally, don't rush, you're getting a good feel for what the metal looks like when it is heated and how much heat it can take before failure.
samdale said:
Have been doing a bit of welding myself at college MIG/MAG & MMA (though not specifically part of my course)
Picked it up quite quickly but MIG was much easier to get right!
My liking of older cars means it would be a pretty useful skill to have. Only question is which welder would it be best to buy? I would prefer the ease of MIG but if it means not having enough grunt to weld thicker stuff then I might be better off with a stick?? Conversely I don't know if id have the skill to be welding body panels with a stick welder
Also which would work out cheaper to run? Even halfords sell sticks and wire but how easy/expensive is gas to get hold of? And what would it be worth spending for a decent welder of either type?
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Better to sign up on mig-welding.co.uk for the majority of those questions however my take would be belowPicked it up quite quickly but MIG was much easier to get right!
My liking of older cars means it would be a pretty useful skill to have. Only question is which welder would it be best to buy? I would prefer the ease of MIG but if it means not having enough grunt to weld thicker stuff then I might be better off with a stick?? Conversely I don't know if id have the skill to be welding body panels with a stick welder
Also which would work out cheaper to run? Even halfords sell sticks and wire but how easy/expensive is gas to get hold of? And what would it be worth spending for a decent welder of either type?
[/thread-hijack]
Body work welder needs to have capability to do 30amp or less
SIP's are 25amp min but unfortunately they have other "issues"
Clarke are good for a budget hobby welding units and big range of models but I've not owned one so only going on hearsay (forum sourced)
I had a bad experience with SIP (multi page thread on the SIP section of the forum) so my replacement was a highly recommended Portamig 185 (15amps up to 185 amps) and it's done everything I've tackled with it
Stick welding bodywork - good luck - I know it can be done but you need to be really good and know your welder well
Budget for some decent gas from a non rental or rental souce (plenty of info on the forum comparing prices and suppliers) - argoshield light for bodywork as it's a world apart from pub gas (CO2) although CO2 can give good results on thicker stuff the arc stability at low amps is very iffy. I have a bottle of pug gas for thicker stuff and a BOC rental of argoshield for the thinner body work type work. Note - The disposable canisters last for as little as 10 mins welding time and at £10 a pop cost rocket compared to a mid or full size bottle
Wire is expensive on small spools so buy larger spools and keep inside in the warm and dry when not in use (SWMBO wasn't happy initially but now she's used to it taking a small space up in the airing cupboard between projects)
Lastly get a decent auto helmet - makes a huge difference
Hip2Bsquare said:
Petrolhead_Rich said:
More Amps, Bigger Stick.
Oh, sorry Mig Welding, More Amps, Thicker Wire?
Also running a little slower, thus heating the metal a bit more!
Not for gas welding Oh, sorry Mig Welding, More Amps, Thicker Wire?
Also running a little slower, thus heating the metal a bit more!
I was fine on the MAG after a few practice welds, just need to refine the gas welding, although the instructor did look at my work and said it was very good for a 1st attempt. I'm not sure whether he was being diplomatic - hope not as that is not a good way to learn!
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