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the best way to improve MIG?

Hi All, I'm working in a medium sized engineering firm (around 40 full time staff) and produce mainly agricultural products; grain silos, feeding systems, rock rakes and so on. I spend about half my time in the workshop and about the other half on site. In the shop we use mostly bigger 3 phase MIG units with .9mm solid core and argon welding mild steel in all sizes, on site we use smaller portable Lincolns with either .9mm flux core for welding galvanised steel or .8mm solid core and stainshield gas for welding stainless sheet in 2mm thickness. Most welding on site is done in a vertical position.

So here's the question; how do I take my welding from passable to exceptional? I've been doing stick for a few years, but only started on MIG early this year. My welding is ok, but I'd like to improve it. While practice does make perfect, I think you also need to throw in the element of experimentation or learning from others. Since we are driven by deadlines with most work and wastage of materials is expensive, we have a tendency to just do it as its always been done.

While its hard to really quantify what I'd like to gain, if I had to bring it down to one thing then it would be more consistency. About

80% of our welding is on sheet in the range of 1.6~2mm both mild steel and stainless. The stainless is a real pain for me. It's all lap joints, and the welds need to be cosmetically much better. As it is now, the bead shape changes too much (bad torch technique?), the HAZ varies all over the place (inconsistent speed?) and I have just a little too much spatter. The vertical welding is where I really have my trouble. I think the settings I'm going with are ok, but feel that my torch technique could do with some improvement.

Are there good books or videos that I can buy to help me out here? I dont really have the time to take classes, and there arent that many available near me. I'm working in New Zealand.

The rec.crafts.metalworking faq recommends the tape "Learning MIG Welding" by SIP. Has anyone got this tape? Is it worth getting? Would it be too basic for what I am trying to learn?

Any thoughts greatly appreciated~

Shaun Van Poecke New Zealand

Reply to
Shaun
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Hi Shaun,

I'm afraid I can't help too much directly since I'm a bit of a newbie myself....However, you should crosspost this to --- sci.engr.joining.welding ---the guys that hang there are a huge help !!

Not that the guys here are not :) just that the other group is more specific to your need.

Good luck to ya !!!

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Sellers

It sounds like you don't have time to practice, experiment, take a course, of just find someone who knows how to weld. I've MIG welded aluminium and steel. I'd have to say after brazing, oxy-acetylene fusion, stick, MIG and TIG welding, MIG is by far the easiest process to learn and perfect.

I'm not saying this to put you down, but an afternoon with a professional welder would do wonders. Setting up the machine correctly is fairly important. Additionally, the speed at which you move along the weld is where a great deal of the skill (in MIG welding) seems to be.

You may want to try and get your company to pay for your welding training. If you're going to be doing it, you might as well be good at it. On the flip side, how much money would it cost if you did it incorrectly. Could the failure of one of your welds cause an injury or death?

HTH. My advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

Regards,

Robin

Reply to
Robin S.

Just where in New Zealand are you? There are a couple of other New Zealanders in this news group that might be able to help. My only advice is to look at the puddle not the arc. It might help if you are not using a helmet that automatically darkens is to get a gold plated filter. They seem to help you see the puddle. Don't know if it is a difference in the spectrum that the filter passes or if it that light is reflected back to the weld area.

Dan

Reply to
Dan Caster

Call your welding Supplier and have him set your machines up with the correct stuff. Welding stainless is about as easy as falling out of bed if you have the correct gas, wire and machine. It is actually easier to weld than mild steel. Always weld down hill with the torch pointed up hill.

Charlie

Reply to
Charlie

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