"shpuker" (shpuker)
05/14/2014 at 16:28 • Filed to: None
5
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"shpuker" (shpuker)
05/14/2014 at 16:28 • Filed to: None | 5
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What better way to start off than MIG welding aluminum right? Went from one of the biggest mistakes possible to respectable in an hour or so.
No pictures because I forgot my last sample at work. Also got to see what it looks like when you get it way way too hot (not my mistake even), aka what molten aluminum does when it drops 4 feet onto the ground, thankfully a safe distance from landing on any shoes. Makes for a nice thin splash sheet.
BaconSandwich is tasty.
> shpuker
05/14/2014 at 16:44 |
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Awesome. I've only done a tiny bit of stick and MIG, but it's definitely something I want to become proficient at. I've also tried TIG welding aluminum once. It was cool.
I'd be quite curious to see some welds, when you get a chance.
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shpuker
> BaconSandwich is tasty.
05/14/2014 at 17:15 |
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I'll see if I can track it down tomorrow.
TJDMAX
> shpuker
05/14/2014 at 17:39 |
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Welding is a great skill to have. Been welding for 6 years now, by no means a professional but it is certainly handy to know how to stick metal together!
Mig is great to start on. Practice different materials, thicknesses, bead patterns, etc. Welding is a lot about welder setup too so take notes on the machine you are using i.e input voltage from the wall, wire thickness, gas type, wire speed, voltage, etc. Start a notebook with these notes so when you go to a different machine or scenario you will have a good starting place.
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shpuker
> TJDMAX
05/14/2014 at 18:25 |
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Solid advice. I had the strange situation of learning on a seriously high end rig (factory production rig with a good spool gun on it).
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BaconSandwich is tasty.
> TJDMAX
05/14/2014 at 19:26 |
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Here's a bit of a noob-ish question for you: Is gas pressure generally constant between different mixes, or does it vary as well? I imagine when welding in a windy environment you might need more pressure, but other than that...?
AMGtech - now with more recalls!
> shpuker
05/14/2014 at 23:05 |
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I challenge you to overhead TIG aluminum while laying on your back! (Not saying I can do it, but it would be very impressive!). MIG is great to learn on, but TIG is so much more useful, rewarding, and fun.
BJohnson11
> TJDMAX
05/15/2014 at 01:07 |
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Too bad you suck at welding! Muahahahahaha
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BJohnson11
> BaconSandwich is tasty.
05/15/2014 at 01:10 |
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Most of the time, welding with gas is pretty much just going to happen indoors or in a relatively calm outdoor environment. Most field welders will generally run either really high gas pressure (read: lost of flow), but more often, they'll run either flux-core mig wire or stick welders so that the protection of the weld bead comes from the filler metal.
That said, http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/calc… isa great reference for TIG welding and will probably get you in the ballpark for gas flow settings for MIG. off the top of my head, MIG usually runs around 10-15 psi.
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BJohnson11
> shpuker
05/15/2014 at 01:11 |
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http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/calc…
Great reference. Been welding a couple years now (everything from thin aluminum fuel tank stuff to steel tube frame chassis to thick MIG stuff), and I'll still refer back to it a good amount of the time.
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TJDMAX
> BaconSandwich is tasty.
05/15/2014 at 09:40 |
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Generally for welding indoors on steel I run between 10-12 psi of gas. Its a 75% argon 25% CO2 mix. If welding aluminum (mig or tig) I bump up the pressure to maybe 12-15%. Aluminum welds like to stay cleaner and are more susceptible to imperfections than steel welds. Aluminum should always be welded with 100% Argon gas. If you do weld outside (like my brother said) It is best to bump up the gas. It would depend on your situation (i.e wind, location, length of weld torch cable etc) on how much gas to use. I would never go above say about 20psi. Any more than this and you should probably consider a different welding type. You can tell if your weld isn't getting enough gas because it will look really porous and shitty.
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TJDMAX
> shpuker
05/15/2014 at 09:43 |
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I was the same way. Learned at Cal Poly where we had a few nice Miller migs and tigs to play with. Dynasty 200dx tig welders, and Millermatic 350P mig welder with the AlumaPro gun. Its nice to use these nice machines too. The funny thing about welders is that the technology grows very slowly compared to things like computers or cars. This is why the big old welders of the 80's or earlier still put down very clean nice welds compared to the new modern welders of today. Welders today just are packing the same or slightly more power into smaller packages. When i buy my own welders they will be the only welders I ever buy because it just really isn't required to upgrade very often.
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TJDMAX
> BJohnson11
05/15/2014 at 09:44 |
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I resent getting you a job at the shops........
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BaconSandwich is tasty.
> BJohnson11
05/15/2014 at 10:18 |
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Thanks for the link.
For some reason I was under the general impression that flux core left a fairly messy and more porous bead compared to MIG. Is this the case?