How to Weld - MIG Welding : 11 Steps
Putting to practice any of those tips is probably going to enhance the standard and sturdiness of your weld.
- CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN
The number one failure of a MIG welder is porosity. the foremost common explanation for porosity is welding a unclean , oily, painted surface. of these contaminants get trapped within the weld, leading to holes that resemble a sponge. “Farmers too often fail to adequately prepare the metal before welding,” says Welding Page’s John Leisner. “This includes grinding or removing paint, rust, dirt, and other surface contaminants and also fully grinding out cracks, oftentimes beyond what's immediately visible.”
- GET an excellent GROUND
Collier considers this the foremost common failure with MIG welding. “Your welder doesn’t care if you've got a nasty ground. It just keeps pumping out welding wire anyway regardless of if your gun is sputtering and stuttering,” he explains.
Lincoln Electric’s Karl Hoes says a welding arc requires a smooth flow of electricity through an entire circuit . Welding current will seek the trail of least effort . So if care isn't taken to put the welding ground on the brink of the arc, the present may find another pathway. Firmly attach the clamp to reveal metal as close as possible to the arc.
- KEEP YOUR STICKOUT SHORT
As a general rule, keep the space the wire stands proud from the top of the gun’s contact tip to between 1/4 and 3∕8 inch. “This simple tip can have the most important effect on your MIG welding,” says Jody Collier.
- USE BOTH HANDS
“Use both hands whenever possible,” Collier urges. “Rest the crook of the gun neck in one hand and hold the spare the trigger within the other hand. Don’t hesitate when it involves having your prop hand on the brink of the weld. Get a heat-resistant, heavy welding glove if you would like it.”
- hear YOUR WELDER
Music to your ears should be a gentle buzz while welding. a gentle hiss can indicate your voltage setting is just too high, notes Leisner. “A loud, raspy sound could indicate the voltage is just too low. A crackling sound sort of a machine gun going off indicates too high an amperage setting,” he adds.
- KEEP THE ARC UP FRONT
“For better penetration, keep the arc at the vanguard of the weld puddle,” says Collier.The exception to the present rule would be when welding thin sheet . during this case, keep the arc back farther within the puddle to stop burn-through.
- MATCH DRIVE ROLLS | GUN CABLE LINER | CONTACT TIP TO THE WIRE SIZE
Surprisingly, this basic matching up is usually ignored. If you're trying to run .030- diameter wire through .035 rolls, you'll end up constantly changing feed speed and never getting that setting right, because the grooves on the rolls are overlarge . an equivalent advice applies to the gun cable liner and get in touch with tip size.
- PUSH OR PULL
The most common method is to push the gun toward the direction of the welding page. Forehand welding produces shallow penetration with a flat, wide, smooth surface with you mig welding.
The second approach comes once you drag the gun (the backhand method). This produces a deep penetration weld that's narrow and high within the center.
So what method do you have to use? That depends on the thickness of the metal you're welding and the way deeply you would like to penetrate the weld.
- WATCH WHEN WELDING OUT OF POSITION
If you're welding vertically, horizontally, or overhead, “keep the weld pool small for best weld bead control, and use the littlest wire diameter size you'll ,” says Leisner.
- REPLACE CONTACT TIPS LIBERALLY
“Contact tips are cheap,” says Collier. “Keep a pack in your toolbox and replace them often.” Worn contact tips are typically oval and cause an erratic ARC. Also, if a tip enters the molten weld pool, it should be immediately replaced. for many casual welders, an honest rule of thumb to assure high-quality welding is to vary the tip after consuming 100 pounds of wire.
- READ YOUR BEAD
You can learn tons by watching your finished welding bead, says Eisner.
A convex-shape or ropy bead often indicates that your setting is just too cold for the thickness of the repair and there isn’t enough heat being produced to penetrate the bottom metal. A concave-shape bead indicates a drag with heat input.
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