Welding General Thread - A general guide on turning hot steel into trucks, trains, and airplanes as well as posting your own welds.

[CEO of Gay]

I have some questions about practicing to keep welding skills usable.

A couple years back, I took some classes on welding. MIG pretty easy to do, and I've since made useful parts with it. Even though I am not welding often and still suck at it, I can pick up the MIG gun, zap some shit together, and it will be serviceable. The beads will be ugly and look like they were done by a retard because they were, but the part will work.

TIG was initially tricky, but about halfway through that 1-hour training session, something clicked, and it felt almost like the soldering I've done in my work with hobby electronics. At the end of the 1 hour session, I was laying down some very nice-looking (to me, anyway) beads.

But, it's clearly a skill that perishes without practice, because not a month later, I went to go TIG some basic mild steel parts, and I had completely lost the touch. No matter where I set the amps, no matter what I did with the pedal, the only result was shallow pools or burn through, electrodes dipped in the pool or touched by the filler rod, and generally wrecked material. So clearly, I need to practice a lot fucking more.

Is there a particular material I should be practicing with to hone those TIG skills, like a particular kind of steel or other metal that lends itself to teaching good TIG technique? Or will any scrap mild steel I can get my hands on suffice for the purpose of practice?

With the torch itself, or the control pedal, is there some particular fundamental technique I need to be focusing on so I'm not constantly having tiny pools or burn through, or dipping the electrode or touching the filler rod?

 

[Barry McKockner]

I have some questions about practicing to keep welding skills usable.

A couple years back, I took some classes on welding. MIG pretty easy to do, and I've since made useful parts with it. Even though I am not welding often and still suck at it, I can pick up the MIG gun, zap some shit together, and it will be serviceable. The beads will be ugly and look like they were done by a retard because they were, but the part will work.

TIG was initially tricky, but about halfway through that 1-hour training session, something clicked, and it felt almost like the soldering I've done in my work with hobby electronics. At the end of the 1 hour session, I was laying down some very nice-looking (to me, anyway) beads.

But, it's clearly a skill that perishes without practice, because not a month later, I went to go TIG some basic mild steel parts, and I had completely lost the touch. No matter where I set the amps, no matter what I did with the pedal, the only result was shallow pools or burn through, electrodes dipped in the pool or touched by the filler rod, and generally wrecked material. So clearly, I need to practice a lot fucking more.

Is there a particular material I should be practicing with to hone those TIG skills, like a particular kind of steel or other metal that lends itself to teaching good TIG technique? Or will any scrap mild steel I can get my hands on suffice for the purpose of practice?

With the torch itself, or the control pedal, is there some particular fundamental technique I need to be focusing on so I'm not constantly having tiny pools or burn through, or dipping the electrode or touching the filler rod?

Any scrap metal that you can clean. Start with the thicker stuff and focus on torch and filler control. Move on to foot pedal and amperage control after you have torch and filler control down.

 

[CEO of Gay]

Any scrap metal that you can clean. Start with the thicker stuff and focus on torch and filler control. Move on to foot pedal and amperage control after you have torch and filler control down.

While working on the former, I assume I should just hold the pedal or trigger all the way and treat it as an on-off switch at whatever my target amps is?

Speaking of, a rule of thumb that I was initially taught and keep finding on various webpages is for mild steels ~ 1A per .001" of thickness. While focusing on torch and filler technique, should I stick to this rule of thumb, or perhaps dial it back to 80-95% to reduce how much I burn through?

 

[Barry McKockner]

While working on the former, I assume I should just hold the pedal or trigger all the way and treat it as an on-off switch at whatever my target amps is?

Speaking of, a rule of thumb that I was initially taught and keep finding on various webpages is for mild steels ~ 1A per .001" of thickness. While focusing on torch and filler technique, should I stick to this rule of thumb, or perhaps dial it back to 80-95% to reduce how much I burn through?

TIG is kind of like playing golf, learn how to hit the ball straight before you try to add spin, fades, or draws.

You can dial it back. That's for full pen. If you can't really weld a bunch without contaminating the electrode, you don't need to be focused on penetration right now. Focus on your torch/filler work and travel speeds first. Set around 80%, max pedal. Once you can weld and have nice beads without contaminating your electrode or having the tip of your filler leave the shielding gas, then start focusing on things like penetration and varying amperage.

 

[Brenda Holiday]

If yall weld at home, where do you do it? I've got a really really nice basement workshop but I feel a little dumb thinking of welding in there... but fuck, it'd be so cool... anyways I want to try making these skeleton hands for my truck. It seems straightforward. I can do it at work but....the basement calls for me...common sense be damned...

 

[Rakovnik]

If yall weld at home, where do you do it?

Push some things out of the way and there's always room.

Spoiler

not my pic, it was posted by some type of south asian person in a facebook welding group

You'll need a fume extractor if you're welding in your basement but it also seems like a bad idea. My welding projects are pretty much all farm related so I either weld outside or in a large barn with the equipment doors open.

Something I wanna poll the room on is do you guys prefer 4 ten hour long work weeks or 5 eight hour long ones?

My job isn't welding so I don't want to skew your poll but I'd choose 4 tens. For farm work I've done a couple overnights including working through the next day, sometimes you've got to beat the weather and have no other choice. I did 8 ten to twelve hour days a few weeks ago on a custom baling job, they would've been 14+ hour days but the dew point was too high to bale in early morning or night.

 

[Brenda Holiday]

My welding projects are pretty much all farm related

That sounds neat, more details?
The pic reminds me of the insane 3rd world welding videos, I wonder if they weld especially shitty because that gets more engagements. When someone does an ugly weld at my job I call it a five minute craft weld.

 

[Rakovnik]

That sounds neat, more details?
The pic reminds me of the insane 3rd world welding videos, I wonder if they weld especially shitty because that gets more engagements. When someone does an ugly weld at my job I call it a five minute craft weld.

You can find a couple of my projects in this thread but it's stuff like wagon frames, mower decks and frames, gearbox mounts and chain tensioner mounts on my old hay mower, trailer ramps. This past winter I welded a little on my baler, you can find those if you look back around January.

 

[KittyGremlin]

I butt welded some 0,7mm (22 ga) sheet metal last weekend. Welded from the top only:



Here's one patch from the other side:



And after grinding:



It warped a little, but this will go under a carpet in the spare wheel well, what matters is that there are no pinholes and the penetration is pretty good.

 

[Barry McKockner]

Obligatory "wrap your corners"

 

[KittyGremlin]

Obligatory "wrap your corners"

Okay, my foreigners are crapped, what now?

 

[Brenda Holiday]

Are welders egotistical at every job? I don't know if its just mine... I don't understand. I've had people get butthurt at the suggestion that welding isn't difficult. They try and act like you have to be some kind of genius to point and shoot a fucking mig gun. Its definitely a skill that you can feel proud of but you don't have to be gods gift to man, especially when its getting grinded down smooth anyways. "Welding isn't difficult" wasn't said in derision, but encouragement to someone who was interested in trying.

 

[KittyGremlin]

Are welders egotistical at every job? I don't know if its just mine... I don't understand. I've had people get butthurt at the suggestion that welding isn't difficult. They try and act like you have to be some kind of genius to point and shoot a fucking mig gun. Its definitely a skill that you can feel proud of but you don't have to be gods gift to man, especially when its getting grinded down smooth anyways. "Welding isn't difficult" wasn't said in derision, but encouragement to someone who was interested in trying.

It super depends on a task. Welding together a frame for a basic shelf is much easier than welding several centimeter thick steel plates for an armored vehicle in multiple passes. Then there's obviously also how quickly you work which especially matters to a potential employer. TIG welding is a little step above in terms of skill too. And of course, underwater welding is a thing too. One of the jobs I worked at had a robot that did welding and it needs to be programmed by a guy who has both skillsets.

That all being said, learning the basics is pretty easy.

 

[0FEE FIVE FOUR FOME0]

Are welders egotistical at every job? I don't know if its just mine... I don't understand. I've had people get butthurt at the suggestion that welding isn't difficult. They try and act like you have to be some kind of genius to point and shoot a fucking mig gun. Its definitely a skill that you can feel proud of but you don't have to be gods gift to man, especially when its getting grinded down smooth anyways. "Welding isn't difficult" wasn't said in derision, but encouragement to someone who was interested in trying.

Welders are not egotistical at every job. You're surrounded by people who thinks too highly of themselves in a trade that doesn't take too long to learn.

 

[Bilbo Boglims]

After reading through the thread last night I decided to pull the trigger on a barebones harbor freight setup this morning. Got the 150 amp MIG, an apron/gloves and some wire, already have a hood and a bunch of tools/supplies that were inherited from a family member. Currently in the middle of revamping the work space so it will be a week or two before I can start, but I have a 79cc predator engine and enough tube to make a go kart frame so that is the plan after i get my beads right. Beyond excited to get started.

 

[Darkholme's Dungeon]

@WelperHelper99 thanks for the earlier tips.

I've got a slight question. I need to wield patch a automotive body part (It's rusted through battery offgassing and flaked into pieces) that won't ever see the light of day in the engine bay so I'm not too worried about looking like shit. Should the "wield bead" (I can't think of the term) be facing upwards toward the hood (off gass and maybe some water dripping down) or downwards toward the road surface (water/salt/mud/snow). It's getting taken off and sanded, repaint, etc anyways.

 

[WelperHelper99]

@WelperHelper99 thanks for the earlier tips.

I've got a slight question. I need to wield patch a automotive body part (It's rusted through battery offgassing and flaked into pieces) that won't ever see the light of day in the engine bay so I'm not too worried about looking like shit. Should the "wield bead" (I can't think of the term) be facing upwards toward the hood (off gass and maybe some water dripping down) or downwards toward the road surface (water/salt/mud/snow). It's getting taken off and sanded, repaint, etc anyways.

The weld won't rust any faster than the metal I'd that's what your asking. Either way for a patch would work, at least how I visualize it without pictures.

 

[Barry McKockner]

Are welders egotistical at every job? I don't know if its just mine... I don't understand. I've had people get butthurt at the suggestion that welding isn't difficult. They try and act like you have to be some kind of genius to point and shoot a fucking mig gun. Its definitely a skill that you can feel proud of but you don't have to be gods gift to man, especially when its getting grinded down smooth anyways. "Welding isn't difficult" wasn't said in derision, but encouragement to someone who was interested in trying.

As the other user said, it's situationally dependent. TIG guys and guys welding alloys have earned the ego because it's much more difficult to pass qc in those. Wire monkeys should be slapped back down to earth where they belong.

After reading through the thread last night I decided to pull the trigger on a barebones harbor freight setup this morning. Got the 150 amp MIG, an apron/gloves and some wire, already have a hood and a bunch of tools/supplies that were inherited from a family member. Currently in the middle of revamping the work space so it will be a week or two before I can start, but I have a 79cc predator engine and enough tube to make a go kart frame so that is the plan after i get my beads right. Beyond excited to get started.

Don't use the HF wire. Go to home depot or lowes and get some lincoln wire.

 

[Darkholme's Dungeon]

The weld won't rust any faster than the metal I'd that's what your asking. Either way for a patch would work, at least how I visualize it without pictures.

Simpler question.
1) In a "Butt joint" weld is corrosion from water and/or chlorine gas more likely to intrude from the weld face or the base "root" (Is that the right term), or doesn't fucking matter like Juju?
2) Lap or butt joint for something bodywork (or better suggestion) that would work for the car fender attached to the wheel well? Yes, my wheel well is all steel unfortunately, I already plan on a T joint weld for the perpendicular part.

 

[WelperHelper99]

Simpler question.
1) In a "Butt joint" weld is corrosion from water and/or chlorine gas more likely to intrude from the weld face or the base "root" (Is that the right term), or doesn't fucking matter like Juju?

It's all metal. If it's corroding the internals to the point it's falling apart that's on you. Pipe welds the root faces in. But it literally has to. I would say as long as you aren't ass as a welder, do what you want. If you are worried, you could face the root towards the shitty stuff since there is less surface area for water to attack. I really don't think it's a issue though.

2) Lap or butt joint for something bodywork (or better suggestion) that would work for the car fender attached to the wheel well? Yes, my wheel well is all steel unfortunately, I already plan on a T joint weld for the perpendicular part.

I mean the question is do you want the part flush or not? A lap would add complexity but might be easier. A butt joint would be flush with the body.