Welding tips and tricks

[LOLYF]

Pulse mig?

Nope....pulse Jono

[fullthrottle]

So I now have a CO2 based MIG setup. Had a good play with it yesterday, but having a little trouble geting the settings just right.

I have a few controls to play with:
- Amps (50 to 200A)
- Voltage (15 to 24)
- Induction regulator (Now this one has me stumped a bit)

Any advise on the combinations to use?

[phraza]

i'm gonna get me a welder soon, always wanted to teach myself how to do it.

watch out! haha

[Dirtydog]

So I now have a CO2 based MIG setup. Had a good play with it yesterday, but having a little trouble geting the settings just right.

I have a few controls to play with:
- Amps (50 to 200A)
- Voltage (15 to 24)
- Induction regulator (Now this one has me stumped a bit)

Any advise on the combinations to use?

i dont understand the amps and voltage thing, mines only got voltage, which determines how hot the weld is, but i only get to select between 4 voltages up to 20. youll have to wait for one of the gurus to tell ya more (like jono or tom....)

i can do 4mm steel pretty good, i have to attack it from both sides though, at full noise.

maybe if you set it up at half and find your way from there?

[doo0Tdoo0T]

Nice welds look like this

Ha ha scrolling down I instantly thought that looks like Jono's work.

Sure enough

The guys really good. He did the cage in my racecar when he worked at performance metalworks in Silverdale, it's a work of art. I've never seen anyone make mig look like tig like he does.


Another thing to add to this thread is Bronze/Brass rod braizing. It's good for people who lack skill in welding and dont require the full strength of a "deep penetration butt weld".

Requires far less sustained heat and easily strong enough for fabricating frames up, roof racks, ladders, small jobs etc etc
Its also handy for replacing bent components, you only need to heat the brass to remove and replace the damaged section.

A properly sweated braize will tear the steel out around the weld before it pulls the bronze off.

The downside is you need a gas welding set-up which can be expensive and the rods themselves aren't cheap either.

[phraza]

My sisters BF has an ARC welder which I might borrow to have a fiddle with and see what i can do before getting a better one

[chrome]

inductance control is usefull when using thinner wires. when its set the wrong way the wire will snap back to the contact tip and sometimes fuse to it.
winding it back will usually stop this and you will start to hear the weld sound change from a snappy sound to a more smoother zipper sound. its way nicer to use then, have a play around holding the trigger on and adjusting it as ya go

[micahb]

So I now have a CO2 based MIG setup. Had a good play with it yesterday, but having a little trouble geting the settings just right.

I have a few controls to play with:
- Amps (50 to 200A)
- Voltage (15 to 24)
- Induction regulator (Now this one has me stumped a bit)

Any advise on the combinations to use?

Inductance know how as taken from the manual of my BOC smootharc advance 275R mig. they worded it pretty simply i thought.

Inductance is defined as the rise in current temperature to above normal,
in any electrical circuit that results in the melting of the wire at some
point. Consider dip transfer (short ¬circuiting arc) in action. Before the
wire strikes the work-piece, there is no flow of current and the OCV has
maximum value. When the wire strikes the work-piece it creates what
is known as a “dead short”. This short-circuit causes the current to rise
rapidly and burn off the wire violently. This rapid melt flings about metal
globules as it takes place. These globules settle on the work-piece and
welding torch in the form of “spatter”.
To control the rise rate of short-circuiting current, a choke (or inductor) is
fitted in series with the welding power cable. This inductor “chokes” the
rate of rise of current and ensures a smooth arc condition.
Inductance controls the rate of rise of short-circuiting current. It becomes
evident that inductance must be a function of time and current, since it
controls the time taken for the current to rise to the pre-set value. Hence
an increase in inductance results in less frequent short-circuiting. Fewer
short-circuits imply that the arc is present for a longer duration of time.
Increased “arc-on” time means increased heat.
Therefore, on a heavier plate where more heat is required to ensure
good fusion, more inductance would contribute immensely. Conversely
on thinner sections less inductance would lead to a decrease in “arc-on”
time, and consequently a “cooler” arc which enables thin materials to be
welded with ease.
Summarising, inductance has the following effects:
• reduced spatter
• heat control
• has no effect when spray-arc welding, because there is no more
change in current, the inductance coil plays no further part. A certain
amount of inductance with spray-transfer will provide softer starts (the
initial short-circuit)

[dean zuk]

I'm now looking at getting a better welder as my 100amp gasless migs not great

This one from BOC has caught my eye,
http://www.boc.co.nz/webapp/wcs/stores/ ... 0p---15amp

Anyone have any thoughts/experience with them?
The only thing that worrys me is the 15amp plug but i could get an adaptor to a 10amp for home or I do have access to 15amp power for heavier stuff.

Cheers
Dean

[Clint]

I'm now looking at getting a better welder as my 100amp gasless migs not great

This one from BOC has caught my eye,
http://www.boc.co.nz/webapp/wcs/stores/ ... 0p---15amp

Anyone have any thoughts/experience with them?
The only thing that worrys me is the 15amp plug but i could get an adaptor to a 10amp for home or I do have access to 15amp power for heavier stuff.

Cheers
Dean

Every workshop should have a 15 or 20A outlet Any sparky should be able to wire one in for you in place of a normal outlet for not too much $. In fact if you are not totally clueless about electricity you can wire it in yourself & the sparky just needs to check your work.

Cheers
Clint

[trucked]

I'm now looking at getting a better welder as my 100amp gasless migs not great

This one from BOC has caught my eye,
http://www.boc.co.nz/webapp/wcs/stores/ ... 0p---15amp

Anyone have any thoughts/experience with them?
The only thing that worrys me is the 15amp plug but i could get an adaptor to a 10amp for home or I do have access to 15amp power for heavier stuff.

Cheers
Dean

It's also hard to tell by looking at this one, make sure it can take a 15kg roll of wire, as 15kg roll of wire it's about 50 dollars, the 5kg ones go for double the price aimed at the handy man sort of market.