Anything welding

Hey guys! Didn't even know this thread existed! Some awesome looking welds in here. Will have to stick around.

I don't have many pics of my welds exept for my last cwb weld test.

This was all position stick done with 1/8 7018 ran at between 110-135

From left to right : overhead, vertical, horizontal, flat



Bend tests all carbon arc air gouged, flame cut and belt sanded then bent





So far the only Tacoma welding rig Iv seen. Get lots of jobs in remote places the big trucks cant get to. Firestone airbags are at 25 psi at all times with 500 pound welder and 150 pounds of tools.

 

My welds are halfway decent until I get into an awkward/hard to reach spot, then they look like SHIT. Any advice on improving the consistency in those circumstances?

 

Yeah, seems like a big part of the problem is that the helmets are so damned HUGE.

 

While searching the interwebs for something a little more low profile, ran across this pic-



Err... not sure what to think of it haha

 

That will come over time get your travel speed and motion down to a T and you should be able to close your eyes and get a good weld. I had a lot of welds i couldn't even see when i was doing my swap they were a pain in the ass but turned out pretty good for how awkward they were.

 

for me i just cant see where im welding sometimes....like if ive gone far enough or to far

 

Same here. Practice only those hard to reach spots for awhile, build your own technique. Everyone can tell you how THEY do those, but only you can figure out your own style for those, and everyone does them differently. The tips and tricks are good to hear, but it doesn't give you the experience first hand.

I set up some practice rigs where I was standing basically on my head(leaned over a stool), pushed up against a wall with little or no room to work and just kept doing those until I had it for the most part,,then I would switch it around to something different and kept practicing those until I got ok with it. It's a confidence builder and it teaches you how to adapt.

Welding out of visual sight of the puddle and equipment is just plain old experience and knowing your equipment. The feel of the change of angles and knowing what is going on takes years. Those welds will not be perfect for anyone besides a guy who is about to retire from welding after a lifetime of doing it. And even then that guy would probably say they look like shit and classify them as untrustworthy welds even tho' we would see them as perfect.

 

Holy shit those are hardly bent! we bent ours to a full U!

 

Thanks. I'll get started because I better improve by yesterday since I'm in the middle of this SAS project haha.

My halfway (at best ) decent welds



My SHIT welds

 

Really? That sucks! I haven't seen an inspector do that before.

I'm gonna grab some more pictures at work today.

 

Wasn't bad, not too hard to pass but yea, ill see if I can find a pic of mine. but we also only did 2 position testing instead of all 4 at once.. I only tested in 3G/4G for stick and mig flux. Passed my flux test the first attempt after only running it one day and only running one plate 3G/4G. but mig is super simple so nothing to it and flux just lays right in there its just hot as can be. Sitck is my 2nd favorite though!

 

would any of these be a good set-up for my intro into welding??

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/tls/4059593879.html

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/tls/3978305126.html

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/tls/3969473832.html

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/tls/3944078531.html

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/tls/4046621309.html

 

I would only consider the Lincoln stick welder. but only if it is dcep polarity if it is not adjustable. if it is an a/c only machine stay away.

depends on what you want to do with it. a stick welder would be hard to do like little automotive/ household stuff with, but not impossible. stick welding is mostly for laying pipe and making money.

a 110v wire feeder would be ok for small hobby stuff. if your are wanting to make anything your life or others lives would depend on, a bigger feeder with a gas valve would be better. but even then, you have the ability to lay shit down that looks good, but may not be. a 110 volt flux-cored feeder would be fine for bumpers and such once you become experienced in flux cored wire and proper fitup to get the most out of the little machine. flux cored wire can be beneficial as you can truly run it in all positions. hard wire with gas is not easy to run overhead or vertical up, and is not very strong when run vertical down. it looks nice going down-hill though so you have to be careful.

what is your goal with welding? I can help you decide

 

you looking to rig out? 6g pipe test next? or are you going to stay structural?

if you rig your taco, I would love to see it. I have considered using mine but am a bit scared. I wouldn't want to throw more than a trailblazer in it, and that isn't even enough machine to really make money with.

 

Looks like its cold and travel speed is too fast

 

Not bad, not to bad at all. Your speeding up and slowing down and it is a bit cold. The stops and restarts are hard to match, keep at it. Consistent speed is the key once you have your settings right for the material and machine you are using. Watch your duty cycle on your machine,,you can't just buzz a 6 foot long weld on the average unless you spend big bucks on a production type machine.

Alot of guy's and gal's don't even care to look at those recommendations and then try to figure out why there welds look like crap when in fact they are overheating the machine and burning it out faster.


(Case in point,,The 110v hobby box wire feeds have a short duty cycle (very short welds recommended)

 

thanks for your response! my goals are mostly hobby type stuff, household projects (custom railings, decorative stuff) and some mods for my truck (bumpers/skids), def not looking for a money maker, just personal projects

 

Thanks. Welds are starting to improve. Should I be preheating all the metal? Or just preheat parts if they're thicker than what they are being welded to?

 

I will soon be taking the portable setup more seriously and will sadly have to get into something bigger when I get my B pressure.

Right now I'm working for E&M oil field services in Alberta doing as much repair work on the leases as they give me and the 305g has handled anything I throw at it. Seems to be the most popular machine around. Not many millers, I would say for every 10 Lincolns 1 Miller. I have 4100 hours on my 305 so its paid for itself time and time again.

Overall the Tacoma handles the weight no problem. With the bags you barely feel it back there... ride is nice, still lots of power, lots of room for tools. I'v got it on a skid made to self center around the wheel wells so its only a 5 min job to load it up with a bobcat.

 

Lowes has the 12.5lb Lincoln Superarc spools on clearance. I bought one for $21

this is the wire

http://www.lowes.com/pd_178802-1703...L=?Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=