[seadevil9_CFCC]

Welding Student here. I've got

*2 T joint beads
*3/16" Aluminum
*Millermatic 350P, 100% Argon at 40Cfh
*.35" Wire
*21.5V & 453wire speed

I had to upload 4 pics but the first 2 are bead 1 and second 2 are bead 2.

Any critiques on welds would be greatly appreciated.

[Oscar]

Picture Tip: turn off flash, and adjust exposure compensation and/or ISO and/or aperture (f-number) to capture natural light. Your camera might not call it that, but it will surely have that setting.

[Spartan]

Picture Tip: turn off flash, and adjust exposure compensation and/or ISO and/or aperture (f-number) to capture natural light. Your camera might not call it that, but it will surely have that setting.

Camera nerd

NOBODY is going to do that, Oscar...

[Oscar]

Picture Tip: turn off flash, and adjust exposure compensation and/or ISO and/or aperture (f-number) to capture natural light. Your camera might not call it that, but it will surely have that setting.

Camera nerd

NOBODY is going to do that, Oscar...

lol. well he could at least turn off the flash.

[seadevil9_CFCC]

Ok no flash settings adjusted

[seadevil9_CFCC]

3pass

[Oscar]

You have some spatter and the toes do not look fully wetted-in. I'm not there to see/hear it, but I'd venture to say you're not in spray transfer.

Questions:

Are you using some special setting/mode on that machine youre not disclosing?
how did you decide on those WFS/V?
Do you hear crackling/buzzing?

[seadevil9_CFCC]

No special setting as far as I know, only spool gun setting. Teacher did help set up. I got the WS/V from the card attached to the machine. I hear buzzing sometimes and crackling others honestly I wasn't paying too much attention the noise.

[Oscar]

No special setting as far as I know, only spool gun setting. Teacher did help set up. I got the WS/V from the card attached to the machine. I hear buzzing sometimes and crackling others honestly I wasn't paying too much attention the noise.

The noise says a lot because it clue's you in as to what transfer mode you are in. If you hear buzzing/crackling pretty constantly, you are not in full on spray transfer and are either in short-circuit or globular, or globular-just-bordering-on-spray transfer mode.

If increasing the Volts does not get it into spray transfer, then you need to increase both WFS and Volts. When you are in full on spray transfer, the only time you hear a buzz is when the wire initially touches the base metal; then after that it should be a "silent" hiss (absent of buzzing/crackling except for maybe 0.5% of the time), and definitely there should be little to no spatter. Look at the tip of the wire. You should be able to see the tip of the wire turn into a needle-tip once you achieve spray-transfer. Have your teacher help you with this if they can.

[seadevil9_CFCC]

I will pay more attention to the sound. That makes sense.

Thanks for the help.

[seadevil9_CFCC]

Updated with some progress.

1/4" Aluminum -Millermatic 350P (spoolgun)
23v /530wire speed /40cfh
.035 wire

[Oscar]

Looks a lot cleaner. Are you full in spray transfer? Personally I'm not a fan of that ripple spacing, but that's totally up to you, your preference, and your welding requirements.

[seadevil9_CFCC]

Yes I believe based on the sounds and tip that I was in full spray.

At my job, they want they ripple spacing, so that's what I'm practicing at night.

[tweake]

Updated with some progress.

1/4" Aluminum -Millermatic 350P (spoolgun)
23v /530wire speed /40cfh
.035 wire

to me that looks cold. the ripples way to pronounced and toes don't look like it wetted in.
however i would cut and etch to get a better idea.

personally i dislike people/companies chasing that ripple effect. i've seen products that i would not buy because of it. to much risk of a bad weld for some half arsed aesthetics.
mig like tig has high risk of getting cold welds.

i would get it setup for a good straight drag that penetrates well, then look at tweaking that a tad to get the look.

if they really want the look tell them to buy a double pulse mig.

[TraditionalToolworks]

At my job, they want they ripple spacing, so that's what I'm practicing at night.

Good choice, follow the dead presidents...

[TraditionalToolworks]

if they really want the look tell them to buy a double pulse mig.

Not for nothing, but if the boss has his mind set on what he wants, it's not often advisable to start telling him how to do it...

Maybe suggesting would be a better approach.

[tweake]

if they really want the look tell them to buy a double pulse mig.

Not for nothing, but if the boss has his mind set on what he wants, it's not often advisable to start telling him how to do it...

Maybe suggesting would be a better approach.

not my style

[Oscar]

Yes I believe based on the sounds and tip that I was in full spray.

At my job, they want they ripple spacing, so that's what I'm practicing at night.

I can understand that.

personally i dislike people/companies chasing that ripple effect. i've seen products that i would not buy because of it. to much risk of a bad weld for some half arsed aesthetics.
mig like tig has high risk of getting cold welds.

i would get it setup for a good straight drag that penetrates well, then look at tweaking that a tad to get the look.

I think this would be a good route. If his boss wants ripples, let him have it I say. So long as he is not producing the ripples using burst-tack's, because that would really compromise the weld integrity, IMO. So long as he is in full spray, and using a slight whip-n-pause to build up the bead while simultaneously/sequentially getting the arc to fuse the joint, it should be good. Personally, I think the ripples should be condensed about 150%, I think it would be more aesthetically appealing.

[Poland308]

Those welds do look like a series of tacks. I’ve never seen a weld procedure that calls for a series of tacks, and qualifies as a weld. The reasons already mentioned are serious. Depending on the application it may be ok, but I doubt it. The stacking tacks may give the look you want but undoubtedly will leave you with a joint that’s much weaker than a weld of the same width. Be careful as an employee, you will be held liable legally if something fails, and a boss that’s supposed to know about welding shouldn’t be asking his welders to leave a possibly compromised weld just for the sake of looks. If a boss were to ask you to do something like that then he will probably also hang the blame of any failure on the guy that welded it.
One example of an exception might be if the weld were on something visible but totally not structural. I have seen decorative plates welded in as more or less just a cap to hide all the structural components in order to give the finished look that’s wanted, but even that needs to be part of an initial design plan not an after though.

[Oscar]

Those welds do look like a series of tacks. I’ve never seen a weld procedure that calls for a series of tacks, and qualifies as a weld. The reasons already mentioned are serious. Depending on the application it may be ok, but I doubt it. The stacking tacks may give the look you want but undoubtedly will leave you with a joint that’s much weaker than a weld of the same width. Be careful as an employee, you will be held liable legally if something fails, and a boss that’s supposed to know about welding shouldn’t be asking his welders to leave a possibly compromised weld just for the sake of looks. If a boss were to ask you to do something like that then he will probably also hang the blame of any failure on the guy that welded it.
One example of an exception might be if the weld were on something visible but totally not structural. I have seen decorative plates welded in as more or less just a cap to hide all the structural components in order to give the finished look that’s wanted, but even that needs to be part of an initial design plan not an after though.

Very good points there. Sea Devil, watch out for yourself, just in case your boss isn't.

[seadevil9_CFCC]

if they really want the look tell them to buy a double pulse mig.

Not for nothing, but if the boss has his mind set on what he wants, it's not often advisable to start telling him how to do it... [emoji38]

Maybe suggesting would be a better approach.

You mean as a new employee on my 2nd week with no experience and only 1 year of welding school.. I shouldn't tell my new boss who has been running a multi million dollar company over a decade how he should weld?

[TraditionalToolworks]

if they really want the look tell them to buy a double pulse mig.

Not for nothing, but if the boss has his mind set on what he wants, it's not often advisable to start telling him how to do it... [emoji38]

Maybe suggesting would be a better approach.

You mean as a new employee on my 2nd week with no experience and only 1 year of welding school.. I shouldn't tell my new boss who has been running a multi million dollar company over a decade how he should weld?

Yes, like that!

35 years ago I had a boss who taught me a lot, and he had 2 quotes on his whiteboard. At my office I have one of those quotes on my whiteboard, to this day...this is the quote:

Code: Select all

"Laugh when the boss laughs...
                     2000 B.C."

IOW, this is something that was learned loooooonnnnnnnnnggggg ago... The boss is always right, and if the boss thinks he's funny, he is.

In regard to your weld, try to turn it up just a tad to wet it in, and try to bring the dimes in slightly closer, seems he's after that stacked dimes look that is so often done with tig. There are folks that have done that on mig with good success.

Also, watch this video:

3lsgCrEKfFk

[Oscar]

That video is such non-sense, it's not even funny. One of the worst to come from that channel.

[tweake]

The boss is always right, and if the boss thinks he's funny, he is.

on the other hand i completely detest workers who try to suck up to me.

sometimes you just have to remind the boss that the cost of repairs or recalls can put him out of business very very quickly.

[TraditionalToolworks]

That video is such non-sense, it's not even funny. One of the worst to come from that channel.

But it does what he wants to do, and you have absolutely nothing to offer other the be an armchair critic of Weld.com.

on the other hand i completely detest workers who try to suck up to me.

If you think I suck up to my bosses, I guess you have no clue what you're talking about. I've walked out the door because I didn't like the way the boss did something. I wouldn't call that sucking up to the boss.

sometimes you just have to remind the boss that the cost of repairs or recalls can put him out of business very very quickly.

That's where a suggestion comes in, not trying to instruct the boss what to do. If you read the thread, seadevil said he's 2 weeks into a new job with no experience and 1 year out of welding school. I suspect he's trying to keep his job, not loose it.

He boss is smart enough to be running a multi-million dollar company. What type of company are you running?