1st welds with my 1st welder

ARC-170

ARC-170

Jeff L.
H-M Lifetime Diamond Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2018
Messages
922
I got a Primeweld MIG180. This is my firs time welding since college many many many years ago. Waddya think?

SETTINGS
-1/8" thick steel tubing (1" sq.)
-0.030" (0.8mm) solid wire
-feed rate and voltage settings per the welder instructions (20.3V, 354 in/min)
-100% CO2, 27 liters/min
-240V power

COMMENTS/QUESTIONS
1. I found it hard to make a straight weld when I was making #9-11. These were the very first welds I've made. The rest (the upright ones, not the sideways ones-these are practice from another day under supervision with a different welder) are numbered in the order I made them. How do I make a straight line?

2. I rested the small pieces on the bigger piece and zapped it briefly to tack it on. I did not use any clamps or magnets.

3. What should I practice on? I have some sheet metal, and some more scrap steel tubing, but not much.

4. Are there better clamps that are quicker to clamp/unclamp? I'm using C clamps, but would like something faster. I have plastic spring clamps, but I'm thinking they will melt.

5. Are there better wire cutters that can be used with gloves on? I found my 6" ones tough to open and close with leather gloves on.

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For running straight CO2, the welder's output looks clean from here.

Overall, your two biggest corrections should be increasing the heat and maintaining an even travel speed. Welds 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 are all too cold. All of your welds show signs of going too slow then too fast.

Making straight lines is something that comes with practice, and lots of it. Anything in the scrap bin (as long as it is steel) is fair game. When welding, you need to grind or otherwise clean everything if you're not using flux, which allows you to be a little bit dirtier with your prep. Cleanliness and godliness, just like soldering or painting.

It's not very expensive to go to a metal supplier and have a piece of 1" by whatever thickness you want to practice on flat bar and have them shear it into 3" long coupons. Each coupon has 4 edges to practice welding on, and you can stick them together out of position as you see fit. In the end, you might or might not have a chunk of yard art, but you'll definitely have hours practice on new material for not a lot of cost to do it.

For clamps, I use vise grips. I've used them all my life. My dad used them. I used them in school. They are a welder's tool above all, original gangsta. Other people will have other answers.

I prefer lineman's pliers to dykes for a mig accessory, they are more useful for cleaning your nozzle than just having handy wire cutters This sounds horrific to hobbyists, but I don't cut the wire much with cutters, instead I arc it out on the edge of a scrap, the work, or even my ground clamp. If I'm doing big work, I just bend it over and go for it, leaving the wire sticking out of the weld. When I am done with the weld, I grab the wire sticking out and pull while wiggling it back and forth, it comes free. That's production stuff for you, but you will develop your own techniques and preferences as you practice. And practice. And practice!
 
When welding 2 pieces of metal together there will be a line to follow. May be straight, curved or whatever. Practice will bring it all together.
 
Trying to run a straight bead is hard unless you can steady your hand. I keep a bunch of different sizes of wood blocks hand to rest my hand on when welding.
 
ARC-170 said:
I got a Primeweld MIG180. This is my firs time welding since college many many many years ago. Waddya think?

SETTINGS
-1/8" thick steel tubing (1" sq.)
-0.030" (0.8mm) solid wire
-feed rate and voltage settings per the welder instructions (20.3V, 354 in/min)
-100% CO2, 27 liters/min
-240V power

COMMENTS/QUESTIONS
1. I found it hard to make a straight weld when I was making #9-11. These were the very first welds I've made. The rest (the upright ones, not the sideways ones-these are practice from another day under supervision with a different welder) are numbered in the order I made them. How do I make a straight line?
Click to expand...
Being able to weld a straight line across the middle of an open pasture isn't a particularly useful skill. Typically there will be a line to follow where the edges of two pieces of metal meet. If you can't see that line then hood is too dark and you should adjust it down a bit.
ARC-170 said:
3. What should I practice on? I have some sheet metal, and some more scrap steel tubing, but not much.
Click to expand...
Anything steel except galvanized. Don't weld galvanized you can get poisoned.
ARC-170 said:
4. Are there better clamps that are quicker to clamp/unclamp? I'm using C clamps, but would like something faster. I have plastic spring clamps, but I'm thinking they will melt.
Click to expand...
I like these kind. I don't have those exact ones, I have a mix of harbor freight, cresent brand, and a few genuine vise-grips. IMO the name brand ones are not vastly better than the cheap ones and when you accidentally weld the cheap ones to a big hunk of scrap metal it isn't the end of the world.
ARC-170 said:
5. Are there better wire cutters that can be used with gloves on? I found my 6" ones tough to open and close with leather gloves on.
Click to expand...
Call me lazy but I prefer to use the auto-trimming feature built into the MIG gun. You just stick the wire up against the ground clamp and give trigger a fast pull-&-release; ZAP and your wire is magically trimmed. It only welds itself to the inside of the nozzle maybe 1 in 20 times. Once the ground clamp grows a respectable beard I cut it off and save it for the "homeless man" modern art sculpture that I'll never build.
 
Focus on the puddle; don't go too fast- practice makes perfect
1,6 and 8 show good penetration- strive for that

Wire feed could be a bit slower I think-

Your bandsaw will get a workout :)
 
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maspann said:
I highly recommend Welding Tips and Tricks on youtube. There is a reason he has over a million subscribers, he knows his business and has clear and concise descriptions of the processes he demonstrates.

Click to expand...
I had no idea Jody's channel was over one million subscribers!!
Wow, that's great. I bet he is picking up a bit of pocket change from that side hustle.
I agree, his videos are great.
 
Lots of great advise here. One thing I'd add is that getting a piece of scrap, and just stacking parallel beads on it, is good practice in puddle control, and straight lines. You're not welding two pieces together, just running weld beads on something flat. Also gives you an easy comparison for different wire speed, movement speed and pattern, current settings, etc. Just be aware that after a couple of beads you need to let things cool or you get different effects from having the metal preheated.
 
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Doing a straight line is HARD. I can somewhat follow an existing line.

Practice is the only way to get better.

As mentioned, any scrap steel will do for practice. An angle grinder with a flap disc will become your best friend as it makes short work of getting CLEAN metal to weld on, and cleaning up after the weld.

I use the pliers made for MIG welding from Harbor Freight. It will tighten and loosen copper tips, the tapered needle nose is just the right taper for cleaning out nozzles and it has a wire cutter for trimming the stick out and can even be used as a light hammer.
www.harborfreight.com

8 in. MIG Welding Pliers

Amazing deals on this 8In Mig Welding Pliers at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com
 
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