4x4 Action Group

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WELDING
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Confucius, he say:
“ Journey of thousan’ mile,
... begin with one step ... “

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This thread is for hints, pointers, techniques
and general discussion on WELDING ...
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Have fun!

Each job is a challenge because you forgot what you did last time.

Unless you do it often. That helps

HenriSteyn wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 09, 2020 2:44 pm

Have fun!

Each job is a challenge because you forgot what you did last time.

Unless you do it often. That helps

Much the same with sex:

1) Stroke the rod gently to get an arc, don't force it.

2) Holding the rod at the right angle gets the best results.

3) The arc distance is very important otherwise you will get splatter all over the place.

4) Do a few practice welds before taking on the real deal.

5) Size of the rod does matter.

... will keep all this in mind !
... I’m going to start practicing on some scrap steel , 4mm angle iron etc and with 2.5mm rods.
Will also ensure sun-light on the steel so can see clearly before arcing.

... this is their setting table :

Sun light on the steel is not a good idea as it makes the weld area lighter as well as the sun could shine through the back of your helmet.

Do it in a shaded area.

So Chas you have become a Chicken farmer. You will be producing lots of chicken shite for a good while.
Have a look at weld.com on the Internet as well as YouTube. There is lots of good info there.
Get a pile of 2mm thick plates cut to about 50mm x 100mm for you to practice on. First just practice getting a decent run then welding two plates together along the long edge. You should have got decent welding gloves so you can learn to guide a long rod with your "free" hand.
Added to good welding gloves you need to wear non-flammable long pants, jacket and closed leather shoes. The spatter you will create will burn nice holes in everything including your skin and the arc will give you a lovely sun tan.
If you don't have a steel welding table you can lay a 2mm steel plate down on your normal workbench to weld on. This will allow you to connect the earth clamp to the plate instead of the workpiece.
Keep your welding rods in a sealed plastic bag or container so that the flux doesn't absorb moisture.
Until you have produced consistent good welds on your practice / test piece don't attempt to weld anything that can cause injury or damage when your substandard weld fails. Remember that your grinder isn't your friend. It just bullshits you that a weld isn't too bad.

My welding is starting to get a bit better...
Some TIG welding done this last week.

Some MIG welding done the last week.

Thanks Paul ... these also the sort of tips and pointers I need bear in mind.


... another thing is with respect to my extension cord :

... the feed cord on the welder is 10mm dia. LHS
vs my ‘heavy duty’ (?) extension of 7.5mm. middle
Vs a ‘normal’ house cord of about 5mm dia. RHS

... not sure what the amp ratings of these cords are ... ?

... peeking under the unit there isn’t a clear indication of amperage
draw from the mains , no doubt depending on the setting etc

Question is could the middle ( extension ) cord melt on draw for low to medium weld settings ?

Make up a dedicated welding extension cable with a good quality plug not one of those molded jobbies. Put a outside type plug box on the other end so it can handle the high amp draw for the welder. Use the heaviest gauge cable you can get for the same reason. When being used unroll the whole cable or its liable to melt....

Mad Manny wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 10, 2020 12:53 pm

100mm dia cord?
That's 10cm thick.

You sure?

Yikes ... !
You’re right ... Fixed.

Now, can I use my middle diam. extension cord for 3.5mm rod welding up to say 100amp applied ?

Chas, my parents’ neighbor welded while wearing a knitted jersey, it caught fire and he checked in his ID after 3 weeks in ICU...

Don’t wear a jersey and make your beard into a “bolla” to protect yourself.

LesseW wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 10, 2020 3:09 pm

Chas, my parents’ neighbor welded while wearing a knitted jersey, it caught fire and he checked in his ID after 3 weeks in ICU...

Don’t wear a jersey and make your beard into a “bolla” to protect yourself.

... will be careful !
... need beard to filter Covid19 from around my mask ...