Rookie Welder

[kzoldman]

Rookie [ question. I am not bad with a stick welder but I am a learning wire welder. I have gotten pretty good welding sheet metal after chopping my cab but I really stink at anything thicker. I started making me a welding cart today out of one inch tubing so I could learn before I start on my truck floor. My beads look good but they only stick to one piece of metal. The other piece does not even look hot. The bead really penetrates the one piece. [S I finally gave up and stick welded the whole thing together. I am using a Hobart Handler 140. Wire - .030, Volt - 3.5, Wire Speed - 3 with Pro Tec C25 gas. Any thoughts?

 

[cantwell.colton]

the hobart 140 is a 115 volt welder -- i would say stick weld the truck floor and use the hobart for the body and thinner metals... but i guess it also sounds like youre probably welding from a face of a metal to an edge and those require different temperatures for penetration --

 

[ruggs]

Your not normal.....just kidding....most people have trouble with sheet metal and pick-up quickly on the more forgiving heavy stuff. Sounds like your welder set-up isn't right or your welder isn't big enough. what gauge were you welding?.............ruggs

 

[ratdog]

make sure your ground is good, that youre tacking it well,so the ground is good on both pieces. get a good copper ground clamp, grounding is biggest problem with poor mig performance. if it sputters on starts, usually poor ground, if weld is only on one side,could also be ground issue. make sure metal is cleaned up good. If your welder goes up to 19 volts, which my Handler 125 does, it should be ok for heavier stuff, 115 volt or not.

 

[fuzz]

Ratdog mentioned cleaning the surfaces. It's very important that there is no rust, paint or oily residue on either side of the metal to be welded. Mig don't like dirty metal![

 

[donsrods]

I know people post to the contrary, but IMO 120 volt welders are simply not powerful enough to penetrate stuff like 3/16 on up. You can only ask so much from a welder. Arc welding would be way stronger IMO and even though it is now considered old technology it is still a very good way to join two thick pieces of steel together.

Don

 

[ratdog]

If I was welding anything crucial, like a frame or suspension stuff, Don is right to go with a bigger welder, if its just stuff around the shop, the 115 should be good enough. I would do some test pieces with the metal thickness you are going to use and do a bend test, or have an experienced welder check it for you. Anything critical is always a good idea to let a professional do it, its money well spent.

 

[kzoldman]

If I was welding anything crucial, like a frame or suspension stuff, Don is right to go with a bigger welder, if its just stuff around the shop, the 115 should be good enough. I would do some test pieces with the metal thickness you are going to use and do a bend test, or have an experienced welder check it for you. Anything critical is always a good idea to let a professional do it, its money well spent.

Anything crucial I am having wire welded by someone that does it for a living that has a large Miller welder. I'm just going to tack it together. I could do it with the stick and do a great job but the welds are a lot of trouble to clean up and it creates a lot of smoke. (garage attacted to house) The one inch tubing I was welding is 14ga I think. The 115 should be able to handle it with no trouble. I am going to pratice this weekend with different grounding and differant speeds. The tubing was new and clean that I was having the problems on. Thanks

 

[Sam_Fear]

What kind of joint? A tee joint? Seems to me the ends of pipe heat up and take weld faster than the sides. Makes a difference when I'm trying to weld in my 20 degree shop. Takes a second or two to heat up the metal before the weld pool starts acting right. Just a passing thought...

 

[bowatjr6969]

Here is a tip for you!! I have learned through trial and error that when using a 115v welder you just can't get the heat range you would like. So here is what I did to help as much as it could, use the .030 tip and use .023 wire. The bigger tip will keep from wading up the wire feed and the .023 will burn in a little better. I know what people have said about 115v welders but with a good heavy duty extension cord that is as close to the fuse panel as possible and the .030 tip and .023 wire you might be amazed at how it will work.

I have used a 115v welder and built circle track cars and even performed some chassis repairs to the "WILDMANN" monster truck. Experience is an extreme benefit when your talking about welding. I have been doing it for 25+ years.

Only my .02 cents!!!! Hope it helps you out!!!!

 

[bikedude]

i found with my 110 volt welder is a very clean ground as said a couple times,a good short cord as said and slow wire speed.i use 0.30 flux wire i can get good penitration on 3/16 steel.but i heat the metal first and make sure its clean.[

 

[ratdog]

Here is a tip for you!! I have learned through trial and error that when using a 115v welder you just can't get the heat range you would like. So here is what I did to help as much as it could, use the .030 tip and use .023 wire. The bigger tip will keep from wading up the wire feed and the .023 will burn in a little better. I know what people have said about 115v welders but with a good heavy duty extension cord that is as close to the fuse panel as possible and the .030 tip and .023 wire you might be amazed at how it will work.

I have used a 115v welder and built circle track cars and even performed some chassis repairs to the "WILDMANN" monster truck. Experience is an extreme benefit when your talking about welding. I have been doing it for 25+ years.

Only my .02 cents!!!! Hope it helps you out!!!!

Have to try that. I asked my brother in law who has been welding at general dynamics on armored vehicles for 25 years ,about the 115 volt welder for heavier stuff ,he says its more important to have at least 19 volt output to get good penetration.My hobart has that.

 

[29desoto]

Slow down, let me take notes........

[PI was going to address the same problems and ran across this thread. So now I will just sit here and nod sagely