I am fairly new to MIG welding. I use the table on my Miller MIG machine to determine voltage and wire speed. These settings are based on the thickness of the steel. What should you do if you are welding two different thicknesses. For example 10 gauge sheet to 1/4 angle. etc.
set it for the thinner base metal.
...but then the thicker metal will suck all the available heat. No? I would think a halfway point would be better and just "wash" the puddle a bit onto the thinner area.
I welded a small pantry rack today for my RV. The wire was about 1/8" in diameter. I just turned my machine down a little from the setting I use for .065 tubing, and it did fine. I want to fabricate some decorative items from wire, and was wondering something ...............
I like to stitch weld things. It gives an appearance that approaches TIG. I am going to try some pieces, but wanted to ask first to maybe save burning up some pieces. .............
I want good solid welds that hold. I want a minimum amount of filler because of the looks. I usually run my Lincoln 175+ at comparable settings for the current and wirefeed. That is, I put the dials at the same clock positions, and it is a pretty good match. Can I turn up the current a bit to burn a little hotter, or will that cause burnback? Or do I just turn them both up and go with short spot welds?
Anyone have any experience with this? Particularly with small diameter. Can I run it hot if I just keep the spot time short?
Steve
I'd pick something in between, somewhat of a comprimise. If in dobt, lean towards the hotter setting (since cold welds are easy to do with mig). With the proper motion and puddle control you should be able to keep most of the heat on the thick piece and move the puddle down onto the thin piece.
i run my mig cranked and adjust the speed to fit the puddle. i dont expect a newbie to be able to know how to read his puddle though. its tough to give an absolute recommendation based upon the limited criteria he gave, but running with a setting for the thinner base metal is still my recommendation for anyone who would ask the question to begin with. correcting a cold pass for him will be much easier than correcting a blow through.
from what i've learned, best to cut off a few coupons and burn through those until the machine is set 'right'.. then start in on the important piece.
-tony
This would all depend on the welding skill you have, as every welder is different. I would personally have my settings just over the half way mark for the thicker stuff and wash the pool onto the lighter gauge material. However this will require good control of the welding pool.
recommendation
certainly. since he would ask the question the logical assumption is that hes not a professional welder. this is why i recommend setting the machine for the thinner material, _especially_ since he didnt specify position. i pity any newbie attempting to run a hot vertical up pass, its gonna be a nightmare. :-)
Everyone is good at something. And no one is good at everything. I know people who can weld fantastically one way, but not another. Let's say they can do a 1" plate open root 6010, then fill it up with 7018 vertical up, and pass x-ray. But they but can't figure out the on/off switch on a MIG. Sorry, GMAW. Asking about a particular phase of welding indicates a person looking for more information. When you get all the information, you do NOT become a professional. You become a professional the first time you get paid for welding. Once you know it all, all you get is a label ............. "IDIOT."
The first step on the journey to knowledge is the admission of ignorance.
Steve
you can split hairs on terminology if you wish, but my implication was clear. by asking the original question its obvious that he is relatively inexperienced with the process in question. based upon that fact alone, he would be better off running on the cold side especially since he left out the specifics.
Ass-U-Me away.
Were it me, I would do as someone suggested. Get a couple of trial pieces to get the heat right, and then weld away on the final pieces.
Steve
certainly. that much should be a given anyway.
On 20 Nov 2003 17:24:06 -0800, snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net (John Janes) wrote something ......and in reply I say!:
RAG (Rough as Guts) engineering shop 101. Farm/hobbyist stuff.
Ok. I agree with going for something a bit high and working the puddle. But WTF does this _mean_?
Welding is basically a power and time. Too much power and/or too much time and you get burn through, or gouging in thick metal. Too little time * power and you get a cold weld.
Practice.
When you weld, you weave slightly. This is an acquired art and cannot be described to get a neat, true weld. I still fail from time to time.................well from job to job :-
There are several places on the net that contain good information regarding this subject:
Jesse L Zufall Silt Colo snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com To contact me replace one with the number 1 in the email address.
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