MIG welder

[canuckxxxx]

Bought a new tool today to help with Old Wing projects. Have no experience welding but hopefully with practice....

It came with an older auto-darking helmet. How reliable are those things? What are the chances of it not going dark when it is supposed to? Seems like a big leap of faith to strike an arc and rely on that thing going dark. :beg: :crying: Should I be buying a new one?

Any comments or advise is welcome. :read:

clark welder

• canuckxxxx
• Dec 28, 2014

 

[slabghost]

I've never heard of the auto darkening feature to fail. But I've never actually researched the question either. I've burned a couple of the small mig welders so be sure the cooling fan is working.

 

[Ansimp]

Looks similar to my old welder in design. I assume it is gas and gassless by the + and - terminals on the front. I am using gassless wire atm and really prefer to be welding with gas but unfortunately our gas bottles and rental are expensive unless you are using it all the time. I have never had a problem with my cheap auto helmet except when the batteries are flat. I also haven't had a welding flash in years even though I work around welding all the time. My mate the welder believes it is because I wear glasses ( they are photo chromatic ) and that helps with direct welding flash. I have often done little welding jobs without a helmet and just close my eyes while welding. The more wire you burn the better you will be. I suggest you get some scrap and practise your welding, there should be heaps of info on the Internet etc to help you master the hot metal glue stick :yes:

 

[canuckxxxx]

Yes, Ansimp, it is gas/no gas. It has a new roll of flux core wire in it right now.

 

[zman]

Sounds like it is ready to go, I learned on an arc welder, big ol lincoln or some such machine, once your comfortable with the flash sparks and melting of the metals you are way ahead and just have to work on a clean bead, Be sure and do it in a non flammable environment, outdoors is best.
Has to be a ton of tutorials on you tube.

 

[wilcoy02]

Best to weld outside where there are no flammables around. Sparks will roll to them.
If on concrete put a piece of metal down. Best to weld over stone driveway.

 

[Ansimp]

Definitely want well ventilated for gassless welding, I don't know what it is but it knocks me around more than welding galvanising.

 

[canuckxxxx]

Really appreciate the heads up guys. :thanks: I definately don't want to make myself sick welding. :heat:

 

[ekvh]

The flashes with an auto-darkening helmet can still get you. The key, imho, is to get the rod/wire/tungsten just about where it's supposed to be and then look to the side as you start the arc. As soon as you hear it, look back and it will be dark. I have found that if I am focusing right on the spot, I will be flashed for a few seconds and have difficulty seeing the puddle. I haven't gotten welder's flash yet with this auto-darkening helmet. I had it once years ago when I was just laying stuff ahead for a welder. Never want that again!!!

 

[AApple]

Flux core wire don't make as purdy a weld as the solid wire w/gas, imho. It will take some practice, either way. I also learned as a small lad to weld with an old Lincoln 225 arc welder....my brother still has that welder, and with the right rod, it could weld the crack in yer a$$.... :smilie_happy: :mrgreen:
When I bought my MIG 20 years or so ago, I ran thru almost the whole small roll of wire that came with it just fartin around with it. Bought my own gas bottles, one for steel wire, and one for aluminuminum wire. I take them to the local welding supply place and get them refilled as needed.
I have only used the manual type "auto" darkening helmets....you know....the ones you flip yer head down, and the helmet falls over yer face? Those work pretty gud. Never could afford one of them fancy ones, and never really saw the need, for myself.

 

[C5Performance]

My family all worked at Miller Electric Welders for decades, so I want to steal your thread LOL.

A few free tips for the new guy:

Auto darkening helmets work awesome so never weld without one

Never wear a flannel shirt (you start yourself on fire)

Practice, then practice more, and finally .... practice even more

When you can afford it, buy gas. Flux core wire will never make a sexy weld

The art of welding is to listen. It should sound like the sizzle of bacon on hot cast iron.

If you weld on cold metal I highly recommend heating the joint with MAP/Propane torch or better yet oxy/acetylene torch or risk what is called a "cold fracture". Practice making a weld then clamp in a vice and bend. It should tear apart...not snap off.

Finally, NEVER place a work piece on concrete to weld. The heat of a torch or welder causes the moisture in the concrete to expand and it can explode (pops a big chunk of concrete right out of the floor). Yes I have done it even after my dad told me not to.

Enjoy your new toy and if you need help let me know!!

 

[mcgovern61]

WOW! I can weld just like that!! :yes:

(If I give my pieces over to a real welder and pay them to do the job!) :BigGrin: :smilie_happy:

 

[canuckxxxx]

Oh yeah...check this out. LOL. Seriously those are beautiful welds.

practice welding

• canuckxxxx
• Jan 1, 2015

My biggest problem welding is being able to see where the tip of the wire is relative to my work piece and also seeing the pool of melted steel. A few times I managed to get it going and see the weld pool and then made some decent looking welds.

Question: with the auto-darkening mask should I be able to see my work pretty clearly when not welding? With my mask it is a fairly dark green tint so I can barely see what I am doing. If the battery in the mask is dead would the mask stay dark?

Anyways before I can practice any more I have to get the welder working again. During practice I managed to burn the wire right back to the brass end thing and then the wire would not feed. But of course I kept trying it so ended up with a big jumble of wire back at the welder. So figured I needed to cut the wire, remove all the jumbled wire and then feed straight wire back in. But managed to let go of the wire and instantly uncoiled a bunch of wire off the spool. :head bang:

I have the wire feed issue cleared up now by pulling a bunch of the jumbled wire off the spool and cutting it off so the spool is straightened out (but I now have way less wire). And I have wire feed through the hose until it came up against something at the gun end. Had to take the gun apart to disconnect the wire tube and then feed the wire into the gun end. So I think my wire feed issues are solved.

But putting the gun back together is a problem. Shows signs of caveman tech by PO and I am not sure how it goes back together. It looks like the trigger pushes the flat metal tab against the knob of the brass block. But I'm not sure where that brown wire with a brass end goes. :headscratch:

trigger assembly

• canuckxxxx
• Jan 1, 2015

Any ideas?

Thanks
Brian

 

[slabghost]

usually mine ends up with a ball of melted wire at the tip. I break that loose and pull it free with pliers.

There is a nozzle dip to help prevent that happening but I'm out. :head bang:

 

[dan filipi]

Brian your whole story there sounds exactly what I would do and made me laugh!

 

[canuckxxxx]

Update: I tried touching brown wire and wire with flat metal tab together. It pulls in contactor and advances the weld wire. So my challenge is to arrange the trigger and wires in gun to touch when trigger is pulled. In a safe, predictable way so I don't get unexpected contact.

 

[canuckxxxx]

dan filipi » Thu Jan 01, 2015 11:48 am[/url]":qnv0dv06]
Brian your whole story there sounds exactly what I would do and made me laugh!

Thanks Dan. I guess you have to keep your sense of humour about these things.

BTW, if anyone needs there frame welded just give me a call. :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy:

 

[dan filipi]

About your too dark question to see where to start....welding outdoors in sunlight or focusing a bright shop light on the work helps.

 

[C5Performance]

If the wire burns back into the tip, all you do is unthread the tip, pull it out far enough to cut off the wire, then install a new tip (you buy in packs of 5 or 10 normally) and fix your wire rats nest down at the drive rollers.

If your wire continues to do this your wire speed is too low.

When working in a well lit area you can usually see the work piece but not so much in a dark garage. I often get in position, strike a short arc to establish visual reference, then begin welding once I have determined where the seam is located.

Cheap helmets sometimes have a lens that is "too dark" for my taste, and I've purchased a lighter tint for my old eyes.

 

[dan filipi]

Hey Brian, that long weld looks pretty dang good!
Knock the spatter and slag off and hit it with a wire brush.