welding thin steel

R

richrd

I've been playing with the new welder, 110 volt, 140 amp with c25 gas. Practicing on an old motorcycle tank and trying difference settings.

Any tips on how to NOT to blow thru? I've got the power down and seem to get the best result by also turning the feed way down, which seems wrong because of the popping instead of steady sizzle.

Thanks
 
Popping... Good ground? Good clean weld area??? I rolloc where I attach ground and where I am welding and wipe with acetone to clean any oils off the spot. When welding the real thin stuff I typically turn it up til I blow thru then back the voltage off.

Also on thin materials you should be spot welding then moving a few inches and spotting and moving etc. Trying to lay a continuous bead never works out and your steel will get all wonky.
 
be very careful using any solvent to clean before welding. many change quickly and become very toxic. best to clean with soap and water before you start the use a roloc to clean before welding .
 
Good thinking shine. I had never thought of causing a reaction with the steel. I had always figured since acetone cuts any light oils and flashes so quick it wouldn't be so bad but maybe I should rethink?
 
Play with your angles, the further away your work is from the tip the colder the weld. I cut the little ball off on the tip of the feed wire when starting a pass on thin sheet it takes more amps to get the ball hot and melt, because if it thicker than the feed wire, then causing your work to be blown thru
 
Chlorinated solvents in particular are proven to produce phosgene gas in the presence of strong UV light. Solvents should be avoided altogether, since the non-flammable ones generally can create toxins, and the flammable ones obviously can burn your shop down in the presence of such a fine ignition source.

More electrode "stickout" is called for when welding thin stock, this results in less heat being delivered to the work. This is particularly helpful with machines that do not have fine-grained voltage adjustments, the torch distance from the work at that point becomes the fine adjustment.
 
Chlorinated solvents in particular are proven to produce phosgene gas in the presence of strong UV light. Solvents should be avoided altogether, since the non-flammable ones generally can create toxins, and the flammable ones obviously can burn your shop down in the presence of such a fine ignition source.

More electrode "stickout" is called for when welding thin stock, this results in less heat being delivered to the work. This is particularly helpful with machines that do not have fine-grained voltage adjustments, the torch distance from the work at that point becomes the fine adjustment.
 
Thanks for the detailed info crash. I'll have to start keeping a bucket of soapy water in the garage
 
A trick I learned from a Pipefitter/welder that he used on thin stainless is to cut the wire at the severest angle you can with your Welpers.

I tried it on sheet metal and it does let my machine start an arc easier when turned way down. Doesn't seem to make a bit of difference when turned up a bit for the thicker stuff.

That welder and one other at the shop I worked at could run welds with a wire gun that were incredible.
They ran wire on ss piping on USAF refueling station contracts. 100% xray, bust 3 and you are set home.
The shop was told when we first set up at the job site that "there is no way in hell" that you will pass with those squirt guns.
You might as well just take them home and bring back your stick and tig.
Boss said, it wont be a problem.
That was a 12+ years ago@ Fairchild AFB, since then we have done USAF @ Minot, Fairbanks, Baton Rouge, to mention a few and never had to send either of those guys home.
Now days if you want to bid one of those type jobs, you better be able to run wire on the project or your labor will be so high you will not win the bid.

If I could weld 1/2 as good as one of those boys . . . .
 
It's true, a clean arc start is very helpful, I notice this most on plug welds. When I am being lazy on stitch welds I use a kind of back-stitch, where you get your poor start just ahead of where you want to be, then as the arc stabilizes, move briefly back to where you wanted to actually start, then back over the start area. This technique would likely not pass x-ray tests, haha, but none of my junk has fallen apart! :)
 
Get some cheap scrap metal at local hardware store and cut into chunks and practice practice practice. Try with and without a gap.
I use a very small gap between the pieces. Id say about the thickness of the welding wire. With thin sheet metal you can get away with no gap just make sure your stitch welds are getting enough heat for proper penetration. Once you get a few tack welds holding your panel in place, start your weld on that tack. Also dont aim your gun directly at the weld it can push thru easier. I use a slight angle starting on the tack weld. Heres a picture:
This was stitched together- Good luck!

weld.jpg
 
cstrom72;33379 said:
Get some cheap scrap metal at local hardware store and cut into chunks and practice practice practice. Try with and without a gap.
I use a very small gap between the pieces. Id say about the thickness of the welding wire. With thin sheet metal you can get away with no gap just make sure your stitch welds are getting enough heat for proper penetration. Once you get a few tack welds holding your panel in place, start your weld on that tack. Also dont aim your gun directly at the weld it can push thru easier. I use a slight angle starting on the tack weld. Heres a picture:
This was stitched together- Good luck!

View attachment 3017
Click to expand...
Nice
 
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