Tricks to make you welds stronger

[rswyan]

... Before the first arc is struck plan your moves, hook everything up and pantomine your moves. Make sure everything you have to reach is handy and the leads don't get in the way ...

As a follow-on to the above, one of the first things I was taught was to get as comfortable as possible in terms of body position ...

Hard(er) to concentrate on what you're doing if you aren't comfortable ...

 

[muddstopper]

We can add oxy/aect to this discussion. I suck at it, but I never had a welding tip and always tried to use the cutting nozzle. In many ways, I think gas welding is pretty much the same as tig welding. You have a torch in one hand and wire in the other hand, you heat and feed wire. More to it than that I know. but you still build a puddle and add filler, so almost the same.

 

[SPYDERLK]

And practice, practice, practice ...

There it is. -- I made my logsplitter when I was 35. At that point I had been welding for years doing little jobs. I was not a very good welder. When I finished the splitter I had become a pretty good welder. I look back at those welds and others done in that timeframe and marvel. I cant do as well now. ... Like swimming - you never forget. -- I may still know the moves but Im rusty due more rarely welding, The overriding factor tho is that I cant see like I could. Its a long way to get by that handicap.

,,,. One quality aid I havnt seen mentioned is to use a needle scaler to peen the weld and near area when youre done. This reduces the possibility of cracks forming.
larry

 

[chad22]

Clean off any rust, oil, mill scale off the pieces to be welded and...grind a spot for your ground clamp!

:thumbsup: Clean metal makes a world of difference when welding. I used to not clean the metal before welding and my welds never held up for long.

I then took the advice of cleaning the metal and it makes a lot of difference in weld quality. Get that metal as clean as possible.

 

[k0ua]

remember it's still hot after it stops glowing.

I learned that the hard way a couple of times:laughing:

 

[MinnesotaDaveChalmers]

I learned that the hard way a couple of times:laughing:

Only a couple times? You're a lot quicker learner than me :laughing:

 

[k0ua]

Only a couple times? You're a lot quicker learner than me :laughing:

Yeah, I "inspected" those welds pretty darn quick.

 

[MinnesotaDaveChalmers]

Yeah, I "inspected" those welds pretty darn quick.

...followed by the clank of metal hitting the table as the glove gets slung off and hits the wall?
At least that's how it goes with me

 

[k0ua]

Sooner or later, I think everyone picks up the work piece without letting it cool long enough.. It is amazing how long a thick piece of steel can stay hot!

 

[MinnesotaDaveChalmers]

Yep, and apparently it's longer than my estimate (or memory) on occasion

 

[Arc weld]

Peening is used when welding cast iron and too much has the opposite effect. On mild steel practice till you can get a decent bead. Who wants their welds to look like they've been beat to chit? A standard chipping hammer and a hand wire brush is all you need. Even then, I've seen a lot welds look like someone wanted them to look like the surface of the moon all full of craters. Rods like 7014 the slag should almost self peel and require very little clean up.

 

[muddstopper]

I always use a needle scaler when I am stick welding, if I am making multiple passes. On cast, I like to use my large propane weed burner to preheat, weld an inch, use needle scaler, check temp and weld another inch. I usually use mig, 75/25argon for cast. I have tried stainless rods and nickel 99 with pretty good luck

 

[SPYDERLK]

Peening is used when welding cast iron and too much has the opposite effect. On mild steel practice till you can get a decent bead. Who wants their welds to look like they've been beat to chit? A standard chipping hammer and a hand wire brush is all you need. Even then, I've seen a lot welds look like someone wanted them to look like the surface of the moon all full of craters. Rods like 7014 the slag should almost self peel and require very little clean up.

Its strain relief youre getting with peening. Regardless of material this makes it less likely to crack. Force on a needle scaler is adjustable - not to mention much more suitable than a hammer because it conforms and takes little effort to get the whole surface.

 

[Sodo]

It was explained to me that peening puts the surface of the material in compression, holding tiny surface cracks closed, thus less likely to grow a crack. Like tempered glass is in surface compression. If thats the effect you want then it a scaler makes sense, thus treating every sq. mm of the focus area. Agreed it would be more suitable than a hammer. A high-speed wire brush can peen too, but certainly shallower than a scaler.

 

[SPYDERLK]

It was explained to me that peening puts the surface of the material in compression, holding tiny surface cracks closed, thus less likely to grow a crack. Like tempered glass is in surface compression. If thats the effect you want then it a scaler makes sense, thus treating every sq. mm of the focus area. Agreed it would be more suitable than a hammer. A high-speed wire brush can peen too, but certainly shallower than a scaler.

Yes. I have stated that in previous threads. Thank you for doing it here. I get tired of the need to repeat, but would have probably had to if you hadnt explained it.
larry

 

[dragoneggs]

In the aircraft world, it is known as cold working. Usually done on holes by an expanding mandrel to put the material in compression locally to improve fatigue life. A crack starts with cyclic loading (vibration) and every time it goes in tension, the crack propagates. If the area is in already in compression with zero load on it, then the tension stress for each cycle will be lower, causing the crack to grow slower.

 

[SPYDERLK]

In the aircraft world, it is known as cold working. Usually done on holes by an expanding mandrel to put the material in compression locally to improve fatigue life. A crack starts with cyclic loading (vibration) and every time it goes in tension, the crack propagates. If the area is in already in compression with zero load on it, then the tension stress for each cycle will be lower, causing the crack to grow slower.

Sounds like roller burnishing.

 

[Arc weld]

Spend some time on joint preparation and good fit up is the first thing you should do.

 

[FTG-05]

One of the first things I do to my welders is replace the ground cable with something heavier and slightly longer and then replace the (usually crappy) OEM ground clamp with a new 500 amp clamp.

 

[BHD]

Practice and learn how to weld,