Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello everyone. Somewhat new to welding and new to this site. Been watching the videos to learn more then finally came over here and had to join to build my knowledge.

The start of my welding was when I bought a lincoln pro mig 135 from my job at lowes when I was 18yo, started with just flux core and did ok and everything held together but I had 0 direction and 0 influencs at the time so it collected dust for a couple years til I moved up to oregon and got a classic truck to build on. Barely getting started on the project had a friend of a roomate steal my welder and bottle while I was gone.

That forrced me to trafe the 454 I built for my 66 Chevrolet for a millermatic 175 and bottle to keep the project going but the motor was the heart so it died shortly sfter that. Movet to a house where I had to sell my truck so again the welder sat and no learning or projects to do.

Recently I got a yota 4x4 to have fun with and im ready to het back to practicing and learing so my truck doesnt fall apart on the trail haha.

Heres some of the few practice wlelds ive done since pickin up the gun.







Would be awesome for a pro to let me know if im on the right track or if im way off.

Thanks guys and really appreciate all the info you put on this site.

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

Let me say that those welds look very good. A lot of people struggle with lack of fusion with MIG (where the weld just sits on the plate like a bead of chaulk) But yours look nice.

Take them and belt the hell out of them with a hammer, is that 1/8 "? if it is you should see some bending of the steel before the weld breaks on a single sided fillet weld, on a double sided one it shouldn't break.

Keep up the good work

Mick

Wow thank you. Yes 1/8,I was worried I wasnt penetrating enough and just layin too much on top. So I should shoot for welds like for the suspension on my truck?

JP4.

Unless it is the perspective of the photography, the legs of the fillets seemed unequal, on the third and fourth photos.
The flat leg of fillet seemed excessively long and the vertical leg of the fillet seemed excessively short.

Welcome.
Alexa

Hey,

They are a very good start, as Alexa said, typically , the legs (the hight off the bottom plate and width out from the vertical plate) should be equal. Meaning if you have a 3/16 fillet, it will be 3/16 wide and high. Best strength that way. The main thing to worry about with mig is to have the arc hitting the steel at the front of the puddle, whether you use a forward and back motion or just straight travel, the arc must hit fresh metal, or you risk lack of fusion.

The welds are deffinately on the way. Keep up the practice, and when you feel you are ready to move to your production job, make up a joint close to that of your part, then take it and smash it to pieces with a sledge hammer. It is a sure fire way to work out if your welds are strong. If your simulated joint can put up with being squashed flat, you can be happy that they are reasonable , strong welds.

This is an on going topic so we can split it and move it to the mig thread if you want to keep adding to it.

Mick

Thanks guys I appreciate the tips and info .

And thats fine you can move it and keep it going and show my progress as it moves along.

I have a bit of welding ahead of me just waiting for the parts to get here.

I'll smash as soon as I can.

Welcome to the forum.

Hey JP4,

Sorry to learn that a friend or room mate of yours stole your welder and the bottle of gas, not really a nice guy to be hanging with or having around.
Anyway, welcome and hop aboard the WT&T forum, nice to have you with us, have fun and enjoy the site !!