hey guys, i signed up in a night class for arc welding.. one night a week, this was the second class and we just layed down some welds today. these are the first welds i've ever done. i just thought i'd share.. please make fun of them lol




reasons why im learning to weld: need to make my own charge pipes, downpipe and tap my oil pan for my turbo setup.

god damn i've got a long way to go before i actually make some nice welds lol.

to make this a 'tech' post i was wondering what kind of welder some of you would recommend. those are pretty much the only things ill use it for, for now.. eventually i'd like to make a new ramhorn mani to replace the one i have.

thanks
-Luke

 

whoa thats a ton of spatter, what type of rod are you using...I am no expert but they could be worse right?

 

it was e6013 if i remember correctly. i guess the spatter just builds up. that was from doing all 6 lines or however many i did.

what causes a weld to spatter more? arc too long or something?

 

Nice intials.

 

hehh thanks. it should be LTK but the rod was getting reallllly short and i just realized my glove was getting really hot.. stopped... found out i had started melting my glove lol.. brand new set of gloves to. i get the gloves and the glasses to keep from the class tho.. so thats cool

 

****, some of your beads look decent. really the only horrible part is all that splatter. Do you guys use splatter spray at all?

 

nah, im not even sure what splatter spray is

thanks man for the compliment

 

Alot of the slatter does come for you arc being to tall. Hold the rod a little closer and that should help out alot.

 

thanks for the tip man

 

there are a few spots that look pretty good, now all you have to do is be more consistent.

pretty good for your very first time.

if you want to practice at home, take a felt tip pen hold it all the way at the top and drawing some beads.

 

thanks man i'll try that.

 

also, it looks like you have the rod angled too much in some places. Should be about a 5 degree angle if I remember correctly. When I started out, I was using 6010 rod in 1/8. Just keep the rod closer to reduce spatter and just have fun. Also, what technique are you using or have they tought you?

 

ya as soon as that mask goes down i lose so much depth perception and everything. those lines were supposed to be straight lines from end to end on the peice and on every single line the further to the right the closer i brought the line to me. i need to work on making straight lines holding a pen at the top like that guy mentioned above.

as for technique, he told us to keep it at a 90 degree angle from our bodies, and 10-15 degrees off a 90 in the direction of travel. and then i forgot how close to the metal it should be, between 1/16 and 1/8 maybe? i forgot that part

thanks for the tips guys. like i said i can't wait to just keep practicing

 

If you ever decide to make your own manifold and charge pipes please be aware that arc welding will not be sufficient. You will either need to MIG or TIG weld to get the best results. Arc welding is a good place to start to understand how welding works and how to lay a bead down.

 

I always thought that Arc was for welding thicker pieces of metal where lots of 'filler' material needs to be added. TIG is without a doubt the best way to go for clean looking welds and good strong penetration even though it does require more skill to do. Of course I'm just an amature as well so I could be all wrong...

 

yah im just learning arc to learn how to weld. i figured if i can weld with arc i sure as hell can weld with mig.

i too thought arc was for deeper penetration. but idk maybe thats incorrect

 

Arc is very good to learn first b/c it gives you good puddle and arc control. Wait untill you try 7018. It is very easy to use and makes very nice beads without a ton of splatter. Just remember it is all in a steady hand and a consistant speed. Kepp praticing and it will get better with time. Arc is mainly used for structual and heavy equipment repair, it gets deep penetration (depending on what rod you use) and is used primarily for heavy gauge metal.

 

thanks i can't wait to get back to class and keep practicing

 

yea dude 7018 is alot easier and better looking, it looks like you were a little cold and fast. try and slow down and turn up the amps. here's what i use at school, to help you try and dial in, eventhough everyones diff...

610 3/32th rod = 87-95amps
7018 3/32 rod =105-110amps
7018 1/8th rod = 115apms <---my fav

anyways all it takes it practice man you'll get there

 

how do you change "cold"? turn up the amps a lilttle? i think i was right around 90 amps or so.

i was deffinitly going too fast. before we went and tried it on our own the instructor sat down with a peice and made one weld all the way across and it probably took him 2, maybe 2.5 minutes for just the one line. mine were probably 1-1.5minutes. his weld was rediculous. perfect beads, perfectly straight, almost ZERO splatter.. and this was with 6013 arc welding too lol. it was crazy.

but one thingi noticed is my welds are about the same surface size as his and thats why i was having trouble going slower, i did not want the welds to get to big. ..but maybe that means im not getting good penetration.

o well. so much to learn. not that bad i guess for my very first weld and on arc 6013.

thanks for everyone's help i will keep all your tips and tricks and info in mind the next time i flip down that helmet

-Luke

 

I too am a newbie welder and am just getting the hang of arc welding. Some people in my class picked it up instantly, I on the other hand am not that great just yet. Im having trouble laying down a consistent bead. When I say consistent I mean in width.

I've been using a U pattern and it seems to be a lot easier then a circle patter that I was using previously. I hear TIG welding is like a walk in the park compared to arc welding so Im anxious to give it a go. Good luck with your future endeavors, I too got in the welding game to start fabricating some upper and lower IC pipes as well as exhaust ect.

 

some of those welds are really nice - good luck with your welding

i started by learning oxy acet. which in my opinion is the hardest to master.

 

I started with oxy too, then to arc and now i'm working on my MIGing work... TIG is next

lkailburn and others:

Is that welding class really worth it or would I be straight just working on it myself with my own welders? Either way it seems like the only real way to get good is by practice...

 

You can draw a straight line across the plate with soapstone to help keep your welds straight on the plate. After you get one to go straight across the rest are easy to keep spaced and straight.

First assignment at my school is actually a padding sample where you build bead after bead touching each other. Then come back and run beads perpendicular to those on top of the other. On a plate the size you're using you should be able to get at least 30-40 beads on there Just keep burning rod and you'll get there

 

im sure i'd be able to get decent welds without taking this class. but having someone with 30 years of experience shoot you pointers and answer any questions you have is priceless.