Looking beter Ed. Still could use some more heat, on clean metal as your using you should see some colour change (blueing) beside the weld. starting to see it on the part marked 2, the right part looks GOOD. When you see an abrupt edge to the weld your not hot enough, but you don't want to burn into the edges. Make your weave a little wider, should be burning out into the edges on the edge joints
Hi,
A tip on the gas blockage first. Sometimes new blokes can put the insulator on backwards if its a Tweco style torch.
Its the fibre cylinder threaded for only half the length. The threaded section should face the contact tip side. if it is the other way the holes in the brass gas diffuser are blocked.
The welds you show are getting there but still show some sort a gas problem.Is your gas setting too high.It should be set around 14 litres per minute or so.
Some of the pics indicate too much voltage and not enough wire feed. Note the crater holes in the bead ends.Try to keep the gun in position for an extra moment or two ( still welding) as it will allow the gas to protect the hot weld end from the atmosphere resulting in an improvement of the weld crater. Also when releasing the trigger keep gun there in position for the same reason.
In that way you fill the crater end and protect the molten metal as it cools.
A bead should show the ripples on the short arc 17 to 19 volts and smooth appearance on the spray 28 -40 bolts.
Also push the gun for gas covered solid wire and pull it for flux core wire.
hope this helps
Grahame
Thanks for the tips Grahame. Unfortunately it'll be a few months before I can even think of welding again. We still have low temperature forecasts that are well below 0F. -22F forecasted for next Wednesday morning.
Ed
Welding is a good way to warm your hands on those cold frosty mornings Ed
(01-31-2014, 07:40 AM)Mayhem Wrote: [ -> ]Welding is a good way to warm your hands on those cold frosty mornings Ed
That's probably true Darren but -22F is way beyond just frosty. I guess I'm just getting old and wimpier.
Ed