Welding Advice

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

I poped over the local steel merchants and bought a nice big sheet of steel to do my bodywork repairs with and i thought id best have a bit practice first as iv never welded anything quite as thin,

 

I m using my old clarke 90 gas/no gas welder with the wire speed set at 2-3 and the ampage set to minimum / 1 (which is 25 amps i think)

 

The technique i normaly use is is kind of a spiral effect and pushing the torch away from myself (as apposed to pulling...)

 

 

So far iv tryed upping the wire speed and moving the torch quicker, iv tryed doing it in short bursts letting the metal cool slightly before continuing, slowing the wire speed and moving the torch slower, but i find with the wire speed below 1.5(ish) the wire tends to `bounce`

 

 

Any pointers or advice would be greatly appriciated

 

Paul.

[Rob Turbo 3]

I always have trouble with french metal, my technique that seems to work fine is to do tiny welds, don't try to do a run at all, sort of like spot welding all the way around, maybe upto half an inch at a time, I don't really let it cool in between either, just sort of pluse the trigger.

 

Are you using it with gas or without? I really can't get on with gasless wire!!

[hengti 2]

someone who really knows what they're doing will probably advise, but, in my experience, it's largely a case of practise (can be really difficult on thin panels) - need to experiment with settings, torch distance/angle/technique, etc.

 

may be the spiralling isn't helping, as you're going back on the weld pool? could try just moving the torch steadily in the one direction. also, are you patching, or just running the torch along a clean sheet?

[Tom Fenton 1,525]

If you are blowing holes in it then its simply a case of too much heat, what wire are you using? 0.6 or 0.8?

[weejimmy 1]

this mite help

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/thin-metal.htm

 

says it all realy,

 

i doubt your welder can go as low as 25amps thoe

[Rom 0]

Welding car panels can be a pita !

 

For repairs etc, i tend to do what Rob said. Pulse the weld, like a spot / tack. Overlapping, so it will still look like a seam. Even the second or so that your not welding, can help with heat. Depending how it reacts, i might do as little as say 5mm per pulse.

 

Ive always found, the hardest part of welding, is getting the welder setup right. Once its setup, the actual welding is easy, its the adjustment of wire speed, gas flow, amps etc that take the practice.

 

In an ideal situation, i tend to weld with my face VERY close so i can see everything. Holding the torch with 2 hands right infront of my face, welding from the left to the right. I slightly move the torch off the line, to thicken the weld , kind of like zig zagging. Its only a very small amount .

 

Of course, i normally end up wedling left handed, upside down, unable to see etc lol !

 

Best way to learn is just sit with a sheet and practice. Once you can do a small seam (or like i said above) without burning through, try weldign soem bits together, flat, on top, right angles etc. Get a feel for how long you can have the torch in one spot, how the heat penetration changes for different types of weld etc.

Remember, you dont have to keep the trigger pressed, in one continuos weld, this is what blows through, excessive heat.

 

Ive never got on with gasless welding myself either.

[notamondayfan 44]

i have got a Haynes "Welding Manual" pdf which someone sent me. I could send across a copy if you like?

[philfingers 5]

yep as the others have said burst/pulse welding is the way forward. otherwise you're putting too much heat in. I bought a light reastive face shield and TBH it's soooo much better than trying to hold the sh***y little hand held one I had before. Never tried gasless. But with gas a big bottle helps. 90% is preparation. get rid of all the old rust, a flap wheel is better than a grinding disc. Get the galvo off too. Nice clean new metal. It makes it much easier. Even welding good metal on pugs (i have a Cebora/Snap On 130 turbo Mig) requires pulse welding with my set up.

 

Phil

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

well iv been practicing for the past hour or so with two different methords both with pretuy good results! First off iv been welding 10mm at a time, weld 10mm, mis 10 mm so it kind of looks like a dashed line, then going back and filling the gaps, Seccond off iv been trying themethord in the above link, Both work just as well but the latter has more coverage and takes longer to do the same amount.

 

I was using 6mm with gas but the gas ran out so i changed to some 8mm with flux, the welder is running at 25 amps

 

 

Im starting to remember why i hate doing body work! it such a pain lol, wleding thick stuf is so much easier!!!

 

Thanks for the advice, any more is still very welcome

 

Paul.

[evojay71 0]

For someone whos not doing this on a regular basis they're going to struggle. I'm a welder fabricator by trade and do this sort of thing on a regular basis prepping rally cars etc. Golden rule is make sure the steel is claen for a start,and loads and loads of practice and experience. I was doing some welding on my cousins GP4 mk2 escort yesterday and I burnt through in some places myself and thats after doing it for over 20 years. If the steel your using is slightly thicker then concetrate the weld pool on that as it will spread into the thinner stuff and theres slightly less chance of burning through also push the torch away from you,this maybe easier for me to say than for you to do but you can usually see when your getting to much penetration when this happens move the torch away from the weld pool mabe around 10mm for a brief second or so then go back into the weld pool when its solidified but still glowing. One last thing when your welding it should make a sound like frying an egg,remember that and your settings wont be far away,that advice came off a college tutor many years ago. I hope this has helped in some way.

[johno_78 2]

My best advice is to get a friend who welds for a living to do it while keeping him well supplied in tea and burgers or egg sandwiches. When he's done all the tricky stuff, get him to teach you how to do it and what to look out for.

 

This isn't how i've done it you understand

[Cameron 16]

Firstly don't move the torch around, what happens when you do that is you actually burn back the edges of the metal and increase your chances of blowing through. Keep the torch still, aimed at the thickest material, and if possible always weld downhill.