These are the worst welds you have ever seen

gordon21 · Feb 4, 2007

I has solved my jealousy problem. For years I have been jealous of people that can weld. This weekend I finally did something about it. For $850 I got a new Hobart 187 MIG welder w/cart, bought a 20# filled 75/25 gas tank, helmet and some extra wire.

Here are the results from my first 20 minutes learning how to weld. No class and no one there to help. From the pix, you can see I have a lot of practice ahead of me. Even though these welds look like crap, the two bolts are solidly welded together. Oddly enough, my smoothest weld was the one where I welded the wire to the tip!!! I guess I will be buying the 5-pack of tips soon. Three came with the welder; now there are two.

I will ask only one question today. How do you guys actually see what you are doing? With the tinted glass and my head 2-3 feet away, I felt like I was welding blind. I would put the tip near the bolts, pull the trigger and move the tip around, stop, flip up the shade and see what happened moments ago.

All I am seeing is one spot with brilliant light. The actual bolts were nowhere to be found in my field of vision.

MadReferee · Feb 4, 2007

Not bad, but not good either.

The problem with bolts and nuts is that they are usually difficult to weld with MIG due to their composition. TIG usually works better.

Try your hand at some mild steel angle or tubing and make sure the C25 flow is set correctly. The moon cratering on the botls is a sign that your setup is not quite correct.

keving · Feb 4, 2007

The only helmet to have is the one with the quick darkening feature. I forgot what the industry term is but is darkens in a millisecond. You can get a good one for about 150 bucks. Well worth the investment.

I would also work on cleaning the weld area much better. Also, be careful of welding zinc or galvenized metal. It give off much more toxic fumes than just steel. Congrats on the welder! Practice, Practice, Practice.

BTDT · Feb 4, 2007

I would just start by welding a bead on a piece of plate steel. Start on one side, weld a strip, check work. Does bead burn down into metal, build up on top, etc. Adjust amps, gas, speed, etc, try again. Once you get comfortable welding and getting a bead you like, then try sticking something together. Weld a bolt upright to your plate, weld a piece of angle to your plate, practice......As for seeing your work, move to a part of shop that is in sunlight. This will help until you get the hang of what your looking for. Good luck, and keep pics and questions coming,,,,, ok,,,,, thingy,,,,,your turn,,,

Farwell · Feb 4, 2007

gordon21 said:
I has solved my jealousy problem. For years I have been jealous of people that can weld. This weekend I finally did something about it. For $850 I got a new Hobart 187 MIG welder w/cart, bought a 20# filled 75/25 gas tank, helmet and some extra wire.

Here are the results from my first 20 minutes learning how to weld. No class and no one there to help. From the pix, you can see I have a lot of practice ahead of me. Even though these welds look like crap, the two bolts are solidly welded together. Oddly enough, my smoothest weld was the one where I welded the wire to the tip!!! I guess I will be buying the 5-pack of tips soon. Three came with the welder; now there are two.

I will ask only one question today. How do you guys actually see what you are doing? With the tinted glass and my head 2-3 feet away, I felt like I was welding blind. I would put the tip near the bolts, pull the trigger and move the tip around, stop, flip up the shade and see what happened moments ago.

All I am seeing is one spot with brilliant light. The actual bolts were nowhere to be found in my field of vision.

Lewis,
As all of the experienced welders say..."PRACTICE...PRACTICE...PRACTICE". I have a Hobart 120 volt MIG rig that I have had for around 7 years. When I first started trying to use it I would have been very embarrassed for any one to see my horrible welds. I eventually almost mastered it enough to weld some sheet metal so I started running beads on coffee cans until the weld looked pretty good. I haven't used it for a while so I will probably have to start all over again.
I have one of the auto-darkening helmets that I bought at Tractor Supply last year. It makes a lot of difference in how well you can see your welds as they are being laid down. I have problems when sun light hits the sensor.
About three weeks ago I tried using my stick welder to build holders for snow plow skid shoes for my back blade. Talk about ugly, weak welds. The welds held for about 10 minutes. The ground is frozen now so I don't really need the shoes. The project is on hold until warmer weather.
Good luck. MIG can do some beautiful things.
David B

river rat · Feb 4, 2007

A few questions; did you have the gas turned on? Some of those early welds looked like it may not have been. Are those bolts galvanized, by any chance? Mig welders don't like plated metal very well, and welding creates by-products which will quickly foul tips (consumables), and result in a contaminated weld. Painted material can do the same thing - mig welders like new, clean steel. If you need to weld on used, painted, rusty or painted metal, grind the areas to be welded first. As far as seeing what you're welding; you should be using a #10 lens - your comments about seeing a bright light and no welding subject bothers me; sounds like you may be setting yourself up for badly sunburned eyes! I wear bifocals, must use a large 4" sq. lens to have any chance at all, and still have trouble following the joint I'm trying to weld. But you shouldn't be complaining about a bright light! JMO .... keep trying, you'll soon get it sorted out. Migs are easy to learn; it's all about getting the amps right, then getting the wire speed to match. Experience, experience, experience! Thanks for the excellent photos, and I hope some of this helps!

gordon21 · Feb 4, 2007

I did these with the flux core wire and the outside temp was about 30 degrees. I will figure out the gas bottle hookup during session two and I will have some flat bar stock also. The bolts were the only handy steel items at the construction site I didn't want to ruin.

The wire feed mechanism is really neat how it feeds through the guns cable. It was very easy to set up.

gordon21 · Feb 4, 2007

The helmet is not self darkening. It has the flip down #10 lens about 2"x4". I was wearing plastic lens no line bifocals under the helmet. I can't see without them. The bolts were plated. I didn't use gas. Should my head be 2'-3' away or closer?

Farwell · Feb 4, 2007

gordon21 said:
The helmet is not self darkening. It has the flip down #10 lens about 2"x4". I was wearing plastic lens no line bifocals under the helmet. I can't see without them. The bolts were plated. I didn't use gas. Should my head be 2'-3' away or closer?

Gordon,
Flux core welding is harder than gas shield welding. When you start using the gas shield try to stay out of the wind if you are welding outdoors. I try to get about 18 inches or closer to my weld. Make sure you have head and body protection on, those sparks can sting.
David B

toolaholic · Feb 4, 2007

I was a certified welder in the pile drivers union years ago ,and still weld.

This will help a lot. Find an old friend, or make a new friend , that is an experianced welder. Have them come to your place and show you how to adjust the machine, proper stick out and movement . One of My machines is a miller matic 210. I had my 2 grandsons 11 and 13 running decent beads in 20 minutes. WELCOME to the world of welding ! I still love it at 64 Tool