Technical welding, whats needed, and how is it done best with a budget?

Cursive "e" is my go-to. Your "circular" with a slight slant to it. I also had a guy show me what he called the "Lincoln wiggle" sort of a 2 step forwards, one step back, two steps forward...pushing the puddle. Makes for a nice "stack" but I am not sure about penetration.

 

My welding teacher taught us that wiggle but just called it "the flick". I had trouble doing it consistently. It made pretty beads but didn't penetrate that well for me, but some guys had good luck with it.

 

LOL! Same thing. Looks pretty but I know it is not penetrating after viewing the back side. That sounded weird didn't it? I didn't mean for it to sound weird, but it did, didn't it? I know it did.

 

Lot of talk about beads. On material that thick I’ve never run a bead…

Hold in place, zap until the puddle is like 3/16 - 1/4 around, and then move on and let it cool. leave 2-4 inches between each tack then come back and fill in.

I learnt on the same machine - it’s great for welding thin stuff. Although I’m wondering if your polarity is correct. Polarity needs to be switched for flux core vs gas. I think someone else mentioned that too.

On thin material I have better luck running a touch hotter, with faster wire speed and only holding for a second.

keep us posted on your progress!

 

Yep, it sounded real weird........

 

I am self taught and can offer the following advice. I saw the second video but haven't read every comment.

1. Don't weld at arms length on the floor.
2. Get up real close so you can see the wire tip.
3. Use a mask that is good enough so you can stare eyes wide open into the arc. The self darkening ones are very good.
4. Use you one hand to steady the other so you have good control.
5. Get a really good light close up to illuminate the work area.
6. Beads? You need to generate a spot in one place first, stop trying to move the gun.

All the other comments re metal prep still stand.

Once you have got a successful series of tack welds in place, go to each one and weld right next to it to start generating mini beads. Keep repeating until you reach the next tack.

I use an old welder probably similar to yours and I use 1 low. My wire speed is mid range though so you might want to try a bit faster. Play with it until you get it working better.

Keep trying. practise makes perfect. Well, if not perfect at least mediocre.

 

Those things will help the guy learn how to control the torch (can't control it if you can't hold it steady) and be able to see what he's trying to weld.

I've welded using the handheld shields, flip-down helmets, stationary helmets with little flip-down windows, and self-darkening helmets. The self-darkening are a game changer; they make life so much easier.

Gloves don't have to be the big, thick, cuff-up-to-the-elbows style. The smaller TIG-style would be enough to provide some insulation from heat and spatter while also still allowing some tactile ability.

 

this is the battery tray i mentioned earlier, im still fixing it "bolt together" instead of welding and this is the ancient tombstone i mentioned earlier in the thread

 

You don't need gloves for welding if you take your shirt off too. Gotta keep the tan even.


Some of the worst "sunburns" I've ever had have come from a MIG not ol' sol.

 

And sandals. Actually I am being honest. At least with sandals the hot dingleberries roll off your foot instead of tennies where they just melt in and cool off slowly as they embed themselves in your skin

 

That is one of the best "Buzz Boxes" you can get. Why do you think there are so many out there? Stick is totally different than mig but both are totally achievable for the novice with some practice and learned advice. You are getting advice from professional welders and self taught here so do not give up and start bolting things together. Do not be afraid to expand your knowledge and skill set. You may never be perfect. Very few of us are but we can put out some satisfactory results because we are not afraid to learn.

 

i do plan on properly replacing the battery tray in the future, but for now itll get it on the road.
i expected to be able to do it pretty quickly, i was heavily mistaken. so itll need to wait a couple weeks or months while i learn how to properly weld.

i have FAR from given up, im just working with what i have for now, and coming back once i have the skills to do it proper

 

That'll work for now, but something a bit more substantial than an aluminium number plate might be a better idea. No steel roadsigns around?
You get your ribs tickled around here suggesting you might be able to properly weld in a couple of weeks or months, but don't be put off. Practice, practice and practice. Then repeat.

Chris

 

This guy at Carter Auto Restyling has some great content on fixing metal.

 

Ahem! Leather boots, long pants with NO nylon in them. Nylon will burn and melt to your skin. If you feel inclined to wear bib overalls, wear your shirt outside the overalls. Keeps those dingleberries from rolling down your chest while you're welding overhead and putting blisters or worse on your bag. Nothing worse than going to the ER and having the doctor remove the burned in slag from your privates while the nurse is laughing at you. Ask Wayne about that.

 

no inspections here, plus with a battery on it its like its not even there. its a lot safer than the previous setup.
a real battery hold down is on its way, i also need to fix my heater core, considering making a heater valve thats separate from the rest of the heater core.

i'll get more issues from my rusted out hood.

 

That battery isn't sitting on those bolt heads, is it?

 

Another idea if you want it sturdy as you're still learning. Keep your angle iron frame, find some 18g sheet, cut out a chunk, bend it 90 deg so it will fit inside your new tray and up the rusted side (covering the open areas). Get some weld through primer (like SEM 39783), hit everything with a flap disc to get to clean metal, drill holes in your new panel (couple on the bottom, sides and top), spray everything with primer and plug weld the panel in (fill the holes with weld). Grind your welds flat where the battery will sit (you might even use a piece of rubber under it like an old tire tube), paint the whole area and you're done. You can use some seam sealer if you want around the seams (also in the wheel well area) to make it less likely to rust again.

 

I recognize the OT project. I never got the chance to swap a V8 in the couple that I had. From looking at the hood you will get to use your new welding skills.

 

From what I saw on the videos, you were way too far from the parts and moving way too fast.

First I would get the parts up higher on a bench or something where you are more comfortable and not trying to balance yourself or feel in a bind to move your hands in the direction you want to go. This is important!

Put the torch lightly against the parts and raise it just slightly (1/8) above them. Don't lay the torch down too much, keep it maybe 70 degrees . If you lay it down too far, the gas escapes without covering well.

Pull the trigger and hold it there till you see it melt and begin to make a bead, then release the trigger. You have made a spot weld. You have to give it a moment to form a bead.

Practice making spot welds. Thats how you will need to weld your sheetmetal together. Make a series of spot welds about an inch apart. Let the metal cool after you have made a half dozen or so. Then go back and make spot welds between the first spot welds.

Now get some thicker metal, maybe 3/32 (.090) to 1/8 (.125) thick. and do the same thing. You will immediately notice that your spot welds aren't working on the thicker metal. Begin increasing your amp setting and increase your wire speed some. Then try to weld again. still no good. Then increase your amps again. Then again till you seem to have a good spark but the wire disappears before the weld is good. Now increase the wire speed again and again and maybe again till you start to get a decent spotweld to form. Now make a series of spotwelds on the thicker metal. Remember to keep the torch about 70 degrees.

You will find it easier to practice on the thicker metal.

Once you begin to make decent spot welds, try making a spot weld, and moving about 3/8" and making another one that slightly overlaps the first. Then a thgird one overlapping the second one.......and on and on.

Get that far and we can talk some more, but thats a good way to develop some feel and get started.

 

That is a good attitude just remember "PRACTICE" not once or twice but when you think you have it post back here. Let the results speak for themselves and you will learn and become able to do adequate work. Get some thicker metal it is so much easier to learn on and less frustrating.

 

what car is this in?

 

my 1957 ford fairlane, i just noticed the screws and screw brackets for my headlight bezels are missing

 

Take your wedding ring off, too. You’re inevitably going to pick up the nozzle without putting the give back on for one tiny little tack. When you do, and the dongle try hits that gold ring, you’ll get a quick lesson on the definition of heat transfer coefficient.

Same with boots. Lace them all the way up or make sure your pants cover the top. Open boots funnel dinglberries to the sole of your foot, and leave a lasting impression on your skin.

Lots of good advice here, but the big take always ate clean the metal, don’t try to weld on the floor at Arms length, support your torch hand with your free hand, slow down, understand how wire speed and voltage settings interact, use quick spot welds instead of beads while learning, and move the spots around to avoid overheating the metal.

I would invest in a modern battery operated helmet with built in lights.

 

thats my dads, he 8.1 vortec swapped it. its a killer car.

 

its sitting beside it, its locking it in.

 

Sorry guy's, you can spew all the macho BS about not wearing gloves or welding in a T shirt but wearing leathers and gloves and a respirator was required on my job. Get burned enough and inhale enough crap and it will eventually catch up to you.

 

It's not really about being macho for me. I wear appropriate boots, pants, often a leather apron and always recommend everyone does the same... but for bodywork and building brackets and so on where it's going to be a lot of very short, precise welds my skills just fall apart when wearing gloves. They don't make welding gloves for little girls and I have little girl hands. It is what it is.

What I mentioned about moving the tip of the gun in a pattern is probably the #1 most important welding tip you can give a guy (that he wouldn't necessarily figure out on his own through trial & error), so make sure you practice that, Cat.

 

I find that leather rigger's gloves are good for MIG work. Protects the hands and you're still able to handle tools and hold patches in place.

 

Old man warning coming!

The welding helmets, the gloves, the safety glasses, the leather sleeves, the respirator, and the words about not having openings weld b-bees can roll into, are all safety lessons learned over time. The content is to help the beginners learn a new skill while protecting themselves so when they grow old, maybe they won't have to go through the things we have discovered the hard way. It is much easier to learn how to do something while the protection is in place then it is to try to add the protection after the skill has been learned.

After 30 years of running my own welding shop, 10 years of other welding experience before that, and 5 years of welding on race cars before that, I have learned a few life lessons.
Its hard to hold hot things in the proper place, and the welding sparks hurt. Gloves solved most of that problem.
I learned pretty early about how many places those welding b-bees can roll into, and how easy it was to stop most of that.
I have a 1/4" hole about a 1/4" deep on the top of my one foot because a welding b-bee stuck in the shoe strings of my steel toe work boot and burned through the cloth shoe tongue. Even putting my whole boot into a 5 gallon bucket of water still burned it pretty good.
After 45 years of welding, that area on your arm that is just above the glove, the always burns holes in the sleeves on your sweatshirt can cause skin cancer. That may not be deadly, but it is not fun.
Those quick tack welds without the helmet on (or down) because its a pain in the butt, can really mess up your vision over time. Bright sun really hurts, and my eyes are always watering.
All that grinding dust, the burning paint, and the fumes from welding lead to shortness of breath.
I retired from my welding shop at age 62 because I took the shortness of breath and the round of skin cancer as warning signs. At 67 now, the skin cancer is doing OK, but that shortness of breath is still here, but I think its getting better (except I'm more out of shape now). At least I'm not hacking stuff up now.

You all might be tougher then I am and may not have the health issues I have, but understand the statics. Nearly 80% of those in the welding industry die from lung related illnesses or cancers. I'm not dead yet, but it sure has effected how I am enjoying some things in my retirement.