The Fabrication/Welding Thread

[MrA]

Pretty clean bead for flux core. Not too much splatter either or did you already chip those off?

Just brushed it of with a steel brush. Splatter is pretty good also. And the flux wire is cheapo. 10$ for 2kg.

[mrg7243]

I'm using an el'chepo flux wire welder to do all my fab-work etc. It's a real simple welder, but if you take some time, and clean it often, the low cost really pays you back.

It got ten settings for the feed of the wire, and two for the strenght. Max and Min.

Welded on some steel for the steering blockers on the s14( nothing that supports anything ), and even without cleaning anything before or after, the job it does is decent.




I use, almost every day, a stick welder/or and MIG with work, but that's just for prepping excavator buckets, so that is pretty straight forward welding.

I really like the flux welder, because of the simple design, and you don't have to carry around on any gas bottles etc.

I'm looking to get into some more acetylen/oxygen welding again. Need tips for that. Love how it welds, but it's been a long time.

Pretty clean bead for flux core. Not too much splatter either or did you already chip those off?

[mrg7243]

There's a small welding supplies shop local to me. They sell wire and pretty much everything else including filling tanks. Maybe try Google searching for shops near you. I suspect you'd get better results from a phone book though as most of these guys are old school.

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So I tried the red tungsten like SheaMoose suggested and it worked perfectly on the mild steel! Thanks, man!

However, I'm still having a lot of trouble actually tacking two pieces of aluminum together. They both just burn away from each other. What are some recommended settings (amps, balance, frequency, arc force) for say, 1/16" aluminum?

Another issue I have is this: if I try using thicker aluminum and turn the amps up to compensate, the tungsten melts up into the cap pretty quickly... like in 2 seconds. About 1/8" tungsten. Help.

Google didn't yield any results. But the phone book may work. Damn technologies.

[MrA]

I'm using an el'chepo flux wire welder to do all my fab-work etc. It's a real simple welder, but if you take some time, and clean it often, the low cost really pays you back.

It got ten settings for the feed of the wire, and two for the strenght. Max and Min.

Welded on some steel for the steering blockers on the s14( nothing that supports anything ), and even without cleaning anything before or after, the job it does is decent.




I use, almost every day, a stick welder/or and MIG with work, but that's just for prepping excavator buckets, so that is pretty straight forward welding.

I really like the flux welder, because of the simple design, and you don't have to carry around on any gas bottles etc.

I'm looking to get into some more acetylen/oxygen welding again. Need tips for that. Love how it welds, but it's been a long time.

[pejsa]

oh hey what do you think of my exhaust weld? it was my first time. i know it sucks balls but what did i do wrong? also, there's 2 beads cuz there were 2 different spaces i had to weld

1655972_10201346133922391_1768910490_n by nfglaudemans, on Flickr

are you using a gas mig or flux core?

if its flux, don't even bother, convert to welding mix and save yourself the trouble.

if its gas. slow down, steady deliberate movements are key, like the others said good prep work is a must. slow your wire speed down a little bit. and keep practicing, you'll get it.

[CBURKE]

Check the side of the machine to see what your settings need to be for the thickness of the metal you are using. On the pic about, looks like you are going to fast or your speed it to high. You want to move your weld from side to side and watch the melting puddle. Like a half moon. )/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/)/) Like that, kinda. Are you welding with Flux? No gas? If you are, get some gas... Makes a world of difference!

Here's what I mean... This is also a bad cleaning job, but you get the idea.

[K-Line]

oh hey what do you think of my exhaust weld? it was my first time. i know it sucks balls but what did i do wrong? also, there's 2 beads cuz there were 2 different spaces i had to weld

1655972_10201346133922391_1768910490_n by nfglaudemans, on Flickr

Prep work is key! On those chunks that you where welding you can see the heavy amounts of rust and grime. any type of foreign matter are going to cause splattering and a loss of a good arc. Just grind it down to clean metal before you weld and ill guarantee that those welds will look a lot cleaner!

[Nick475]

oh hey what do you think of my exhaust weld? it was my first time. i know it sucks balls but what did i do wrong? also, there's 2 beads cuz there were 2 different spaces i had to weld

1655972_10201346133922391_1768910490_n by nfglaudemans, on Flickr

[Nick475]

cool idea for a thread buddy

[TheNeek]

That would be wonderful. Done.

keep that first post updated

[M.Doban]

I know just enough to be dangerous. Good thread though. If you add some of the common information for welding to the first post, I'll sticky this thread.

That would be wonderful. Done.

[TheNeek]

I know just enough to be dangerous. Good thread though. If you add some of the common information for welding to the first post, I'll sticky this thread.

[sleeps]

Should be getting a welder here soon, have not done any since high school, ill be a bit rusty, but it will be fun to do again. More pics should be on these pages!

[Heist]

Love this thread concept. Anyone that's getting into tig here is some basic tips:

-LEARN THE PEDAL. Seriously do not even play with the button until you fully understand the pedal.
-Start will steel, 2% thoriated(red stuff is seriously all you need... it's radioactive, so wear a mask when grinding it) (small tungsten 1/16" I think?) , grind it to a sharp point that can draw blood if you poke your skin, small filler rod, and learn the puddle with the small stuff. Keep the tungsten as close to the metal as you can.

Tig is all about angles and keeping the arc tight. When in doubt turn the amps up.... unless it's aluminum. Master steel and stainless will be easy after that. Aluminum is the most difficult.

[M.Doban]

Wow. Thank you so much. That was all exactly what I needed to hear. I did not know that changing the amperage was not really needed (must be the MIG welder in me) or that the type of joint made a difference. Thank you again. I'm going to go give all your advice a try! Also thank you for permitting us to PM you with questions. This has been so helpful.