Guys, I can't get rid of this porosity! I am welding 1/4" thick steel plate with a 220V Millermatic 175. I run it at about "8 - 10" on the voltage and about 55 - 75 on the wire speed. I am running CO2/Argon mix at about 35 cfh. I am thinking my torch angle is too much??? I have a stick out of about 1/4". Any ideas? Thanks.
thats definantly a gas problem. its also looks like your moving really slow too. check to see of your getting gas to the stinger.
And grind all that **** off before you try to make another p***. If your welding in a windy area, you may be blowing your gas away. Might try holding your whip a little closer. 1/4" is near the max distance. Is your tip area clean, splatter build up will block the gas flow. Gene
Check your gas hose from the bottle to the machine. Look for leaks,also inside the machine and the whip. I have had leaks that draw in oxygen in the whip and will do just that. Turn your gas down to about 20 and 1/4" inch stick out is fine. Turn your wire speed up or your voltage down. Also push dont pull. FED
I agree with Slag. Although you have lots of spatter(which can indicate too much heat), the way the outside edge of the bead is sitting on top shows that its not hot enough. I think the spatter in your case is caused by too much stick-out, so moving the torch closer should help that, as well as give the weld better penetration. Also, your regulator setting of 35 chf is quite high for indoor/calm conditions welding. Typically 25 cfm is about right. Too much can blow the shielding gas away from the weld area, and create the problems you are having. And though they are only guides, I have found the recommended heat/wire feed settings to be pretty good on the Millers doorchart as a start point. As others said, clean the steel, keep out of the wind, and try the above things and see what you have. I think it should clear up the problem-Let us know-Good luck!
Thanks Fellas, I'll bring down the gas flow to about 25 cfh from 35 cfh. I am welding outside, that is why I brought it up. I'll also check for gas leaks. I think I might also bring the wire feed down a bit or move faster? The beads look too high for me. I'll also grind the surface. When I lay the root p*** down, about 95% of the time, it lays out nice, no voids. But as soon as I lay the 2nd and/or 3rd p*** down on the fillet joint, this issue emerges. I'll make sure I turn up the heat as well. Thanks a bunch...
if this is just happening on a second p*** double check your wire to make sure you did not get flux core some how.
since you brought up the root p***... why are you making 3 p***es? I would imagine a 175 miller would weld 1/4 in a single p*** with some beveling of the tabs... wire wheel the root and then run the second p***... wire wheel that then run the 3rd... are you pulling a straight line when you weld? Or circles? Half moons? turn the gas down, clean between p***es and get out of the wind. Oh yeah... don't weld on those bricks. They explode.
Hey Guys, it was the lack of flow of shielding gas. One of the orfices was plugged with crud and I got a stiff wire and cleaned it out. Welds came out ****er smooth with lovely penetration. I also decreased the wire speed. Thanks A LOT!!!!
not to be picky, but this here looks like about 3 times as much welding as it needs....on a bracket like that, I'd run a single bead, but move the thing around in a circle, half moon, or zig-zag, whatevers comfy for the position, spending more time on the base piece than on the bracket. although if you're not confident of your welds, maybe too much metal is better than not enough.
Thanks Squirrel, I wanted to do my root p*** and two above that (taking a community college welding cl*** ) Like this: Thanks for the reply
looks better beyond the looks of the welds and weather they are over kill or not the poor rear end is going to have some real bearing issues with the amount of heat that has been put into one side of the tube.
For some things you'd need to make a couple fill p***es, but not for brackets like this....and as noted the tube will warp from too much heat, so it's best to keep the welding to a minimum. Learning to weld takes time, and even though I've been at it off and on for almost 30 years I still have a long ways to go!
did you just start the cl***?? what part are you up to? multiple p***es are commonly used in the pipe welding industry with super thick pipes... I've used multi p*** weld when using a 110v welder... pushing it to the max. Cause the little ****er wouldn't fill the bevel! Your 175 welder is big enough... you don't need the multi p***... you're doing more damage to the rearend than good. You need to think about prep. Bevel the tabs to get good penetration. On everything. I have a 250 Miller and still bevel the tabs to make sure I get good penetration. You need to re-think your front mounts... Might work... probably won't for very long... practice, practice, practice....
Jason, I am ending the course in about a week. Nice image, is that TIG'ed? I figured because this is the rear end and I want to prevent catastrophic failure, I did the multiple p*** as I was taught. About the heat, I dont lay it all at once. I lay my root and walk away...I lay the second, and walk away, measure, and I lay my third and walk away, and then measure. About the front mounts, what's the issue? I am going to box them still.
Listen to Killer on this one. And thats a MIG weld he showed you. Also, your geometry is still iffy.Why is the rear of the top link "tipped" at an angle? THose tabs are generic, you need to fit them to each app. We are all just trying to help here, not trying to bust yer balls.
Hey Tman, I appreciate the help from all you guys...why did you mention about busting my balls? I dont think I came across pissed off from all the comments.