Projects BACK AT IT FINALLY!! RE-BUILD OF AN EARLY CHEVY COUPE WITH A 392 HEMI

Picked up some helpful ideas Mike - thanks!

It may come down to this simpsonrl - appreciate this!

 

FYI- just in case it wasn't clear. The strength reduction isn't permanent. (at cherry red steel has about 35% yield strength). With mild steel of those days, as soon as it cools everything is as it was.

With today's frames, there are sometimes sections that are HSLA (high strength low alloy) you "might" effect the steels properties. But even then, it would be minor at worst. The HSLA steels are still weldable and thus not significantly effected by heating.


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COOL CAR

 

Thanks Enloe, it will, providing I can get by my frame issue and can continue to hang my new suspension...

 

You will get it sorted out

 

Okay, just came back from my garage and laid down some practice welds on a piece of 87 year old 1/8 inch scrap metal that I cut off off a while ago. Didn't quite clean up the metal thoroughly, but managed anyway for some needed practice.

I also FINALLY found out some needed info on MIG welding on 1/8th inch steel using .030 steel wire and 75/25% Argon mix of gas - my welder does not show this on the diagram inside the wire spool area. I had the volts turned up all the way at setting J and wire speed at 6.5 on my Eastwood MIG135, suggested by Eastwood on a reply from one of their videos.

I started from the bottom left to right, laying it flat on my table. Then I took the metal and set it up to be standing up from my table, to practice welding UP vertical from starting at the bottom. The top right was my first attempt (ugly right?) and the top left shows that I was getting the hang of it. My best weld is the one from the top, third one from the left, smooth as a baby's****. I used the "U" style method, going from left to right, moving the puddle upwards.

Question: These welds seem a bit tall, is there a method to get the puddle closer to the metal? I'm holding the gun just about 1/4 inch away from the surface.

Oh, the welds I did on the new frame horns were not sufficient, as they broke off easily. Part of the problem was that my small 9 lb magnets to hold the frame horns were not strong enough to hold them "hands free" as needed. I just received some BIG 5" 75 lb welding magnets that should do the trick when I re-weld the frame horns once again.

 

Those welds look cold to me Mike. Have you thought about using flux core wire for the frame welds? It's a little messy but bites a little harder/hotter which is nice with a small machine like that.

 

To test the welding i would first clean properly.
Then you need some gapes about the thickness of the plate to get the weld to penetrate.
Then mess with the wirespeed until it works good.

 

After finishing each practice weld, my welds seem to be cherry hot. Can I use the same gun with the flux core wire or do I need to change over to a spool gun Mike? I need to look into flux core wire anyway - thanks!

Eastwood had told me to bevel the edges when welding two pieces together, to help with better penetration which I've done so far to this point to prepare me for welding the frame horns again. I think I will have better results next time around. Appreciate your advice AndersF!

 

Cold welds will be "cherry hot" because you've melted the filler material, it just isn't hot enough to penetrate the material you are welding which is necessary to fuse the materials together! With proper heat and penetration the weld will lay down and not just lay a bead on the surface like you have done in your practice welds.

 

What he said Mike^^^^.

You should be able to run flux core without a spool gun. You will have to reverse the polarity on your machine. Check your manual for tips.

 

Makes perfect sense; the puddle seems to just lay on top of the metal instead of penetrating deeper and begin the "fusing" process.

I did remember seeing the diagram on my welder to reverse the polarity, attaching one of the cables from positive to negative. Will be going to Harbor Freight to pick up a roll of flux core wire soon enough. Should I go with .030 or .035 flux core wire?

 

I would go with whatever size you have now so you don’t have to change tips. It might be too late but HF wire is not the greatest. Do you have a welding supply house near?

Keep in mind the flux core will make some spattery welds so you may get some anti-Spatter spray as well.

 

The illustration guide on my welder only shows .035 flux core settings for heat range and wire speed, so I will go a bit thicker gauge on this wire. Not only is flux core wire from HF not the greatest, it's over priced as well! Already looking at flux core wire from eBay and will check out a welding supply shop right around the corner from work. And yes, I already have anti-spatter spray. I'm really psyched about taking these necessary steps Mike!

 

I wish I was closer I'd come over and help!

 

Me Too!

 

I have been doing .030 flux on my frame repairs. My frame is slightly less than 1/8" thick, on my 110v welder I have 4 heat and 10 (continuous) wire speed settings. I use highest #4 heat only, though the guide states #3 can be used for 1/8" and #4 is for 3/16" and my wire speed is very slow at 1.5, this gives me the sizzling bacon sound, great penetration and much lower bead height. I make small arcs back and forth while dragging away, as the old saying goes if it leaves slag, you drag. Not the prettiest welds thought and you can see the splatter but this is what to expect with a good flux weld:

 

Put a smile on my face Mike... Thanks brother! I can feel these next steps in my welding will be more successful with the HAMB guidance I've had every step of the way.

Thank you too Mike!

My Eastwood MIG135 110v says that flux core settings should be G3 (volts in mid heat range and 3 for wire speed) for .035 flux core wire. I'll start out practicing some beads with these settings and adjust if needed.

 

Be aware that using magnets near your welding could cause problems. Your welding (being electric) creates a magnetic field from the flow of electricity. The magnetic field from your permanent magnets can interact with the flow of molten metal during welding. It causes a phenomena known as "arc blow". Where the magnetic field actually blows the arc around. It can cause a weld to fuse on one side of a seam and just lay on top on the other side.

You can actually have this problem when no magnets are involved. Especially on a large weldment with many corners and angles and a lot previous welding resulting in magnetizing the part you are working on.

AC current welding since it reverses the current direction and thus the magnetic field is less effected than DC.


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When I bought both of my welder they were both set for flux core me being hard headed forgot all about changing the polarity. When I realized it it made a world of difference.
Another option would be to use co2 shield gas.(assuming your not already) I'm not a fan of the flux core wires there smokey make a mess.


The welding trainer in me would tell you to keep practicing get comfortable practice a little more play with the feed speed. Make a bunch of tacks while playing with feeder speed when you got a semi flatish tac it should be close to being set to make a weld. It works for me 9 out of 10 times

Anyways good luck don't give up you'll get the hang of it and you'll have a sweet rod when your done!

 

I'll use the magnets to do a few spot welds to hold the frame horns, then complete the process without the magnets. Good info for sure @simpsonrl.

I'm pretty sure the flux core welds will be hot enough to create better penetration in the fusion process and show lower in height. Waiting for the flux core wire and tips to come in from eBay and get right to it!! Thanks @bryanyeskie!

 

I started with a little 110 Miller 90. It used flux core and I could weld 1/4 inch with it. I built my first race car chassis with it. Certified through NHRA with no problems. I bought a 130 in a different brand later on and even with flux core it wouldn't weld 1/8 inch. After that I went with a 220 welder, can't remember the name of the 130, it was advertised in hot rod magazine at the time, wasn't worth 15 cents.

 

So what are you trying to say Mike?

 

If it's a good welder, flux core will enable you to weld thicker metal.

 

That's what I am figuring too - I know this Eastwood is a very good welder, especially for the beginner! I'll find out later this week when my supplies come in. Can't wait Mike!

 

Note that not all mig welders operate the same. There are 3 types of transfer of the weld filler wire to the weld. 1) short circuit, 2) spray transfer, 3) Globular transfer.
Each type has specific advantages and disadvantages. Large commercial welders have the ability to operate in any of the modes because of the control of both voltage and current independently

The smaller simple 110 volt units operate in short circuit since it is good for thin metal. You do not have control of voltage and current separately so can not impact as many variables. It is hard to get a weld to lay down with short circuit. Also with thick metal the weld will lay on top and not fuse to the base metal since you can not get enough heat.


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This all sounds true, so I'm counting on switching over to flux core to create more heat. I'm also beveling both edges on a***** weld to increase penetration. All of the necessary flux core supplies came in that I ordered online, deciding to go with a flux core wire from INETUB that I've been checking up on YouTube with great reviews:

INETUB BA71TGS .030-Inch on 2-Pound Spool Carbon Steel Gasless Flux Cored Welding Wire

• Gasless flux cored welding wire AWS E71T-GS, Smooth arc action, High feedability, Easy to weld
• Shielding gas is not required, All positions, Single and multi pass welding
• Low spatter, Full slag coverage, Easy slag removal, Porosity free, Good bead appearance
• Made in Italy from the finest quality materials using state of the art technology under highly respected labour conditions

 

i really do not like the flux core wire. i really have to need it to use it otherwise i avoid it.
that welder should weld that material with regular wire and shielding gas. clean and bevel the edges, clean a spot close to the weld for the ground, slow the speed down and move side to side. preheat with a torch for thicker material than the welder is rated for. i have been relying on a 110 mig for years.

 

You can always do a test. Take some metal the same thickness and weld it together. Hold in a vise and bend it back and forth with a hammer. You should easily be able to go 90 degrees both directions several times. It should break in the base metal beside the weld. Not the weld. If the break pulls the weld off the metal or breaks in just a couple of bends. It is not good enough.

Also, I am not sure that a flux core weld is stronger or can weld thicker metal than a cover gas weld. I am not saying it is not true. I just can't wrap my head around why it would be. Perhaps the flux helps fusion between the filler wire and the base metal in a chemical way.

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Just came back from my garage and feeling VERY SATISFIED with my new approach, using flux core gasless welds. Clearly noticed how these welds were much flatter, using the recommended settings of G-3 from my own MIG135 welder. Mike @cactus1 knew that my prior welds were too cold, sitting on top of the metal like skyscrapers... Photos 4 and 5 shows the height of the welds, 6 and 7 shows the penetration from the back of the metal.

So I just dove in at this point to re-weld my new front '32 Ford frame horns. Felt very happy with the penetration and fusion process, as you can see with my last photos of grinding the outside of the frame rails smooth. I even attempted to fill in a good size hole where the***** weld took place with my new magnetic plug weld tool and showed successful!

Another issue I'm having is that I barely can see the area where I'm welding. I bought one of those black contact tips that come to a point so I can see much better as I'm using the weld gun, but they do not fit. I was wondering if I can just leave off the copper tip (not the tip for the proper size wire)? I'll try purchasing one of those small LED lights that attach to the gun and hopefully brighten the weld area somewhat better.

.