[montea]

i got a mig welder and been praticing to weld sheet metal. i have had no luck, ethier splatering all over, away from where i want to weld, or burn a hole right through.

after watching a episode of american hotrod, it looks like they were holding the gun tip sheild thing right on the metal and on a angle. i have been holding the gun in mid air about .5-1inch from the area i would like to spot weld, but by the time the welding helmet comes down and smacks me in the neck im off target.

can somone tell me the correct way im supposed to do it? i dont think its not even worth to pratice if im doin it all wrong

[stuartc]

get a one piece of metal a thin bit and just practice on it start at the lowest power setting and turn the wire speed down and then slowly turn the wire speed up and the power until you are making a nice pool of weld on the metal once you can do this you can then try and join 2 bit,s together and you should push the gun along the weld so the gas is directed into the weld area itis all practice

hold the gun half an inch away form your target

if you are splattering the wire speed is to fast or the metal is not clean
make sure the earth area is clean
you will get the hang off it good luck
stuart

[oldred]

montea-I assume you are using gas shielded wire. One often over looked area is the tip end distance from the mouth of the nozzle, it should flush or only slightly recessed. If the tip is set too far back inside the nozzle it will cause the wire to "kick and sputter" but by far the most common problems are wire speed and heat setting. While welding on a piece of scrap, try adjusting the wire speed up and down as you weld until you get a smooth "buzzing" sound from the weld and make SURE you have a good ground and the weld area is CLEAN. If you are trying to weld through dirt,paint or rust it will cause problems(weld thru coatings and some primers are ok). Also have you checked out the auto darkening welding hoods? They are absolutely fantastic for mig welding and they can be found at a reasonable price these days.

[julmer]

I second oldred. Get yourself an autodark hood. You'll thank yourself for the rest of your welding life.

[MARTINSR]

Read this post click here . You will find a lot of answers.

[Nightfire]

I had the same problem as you. What I found out is that the self shielded wire doesnt give you as clean of a weld as the gas ones do. I got an automatic darkening helmet. Those things help SO much, very easy to start a weld. The other thing is welder heat and speed. Set the speed back a bit and the heat down a bit. Play around with those settings untill you find a good one. Another thing, how thin is the sheet metal you're trying to weld? NEVER WELD GALVANIZED......





Mike

[montea]

thanks for the replys

im not sure what kind of sheet metal it is, i just picked up a big sheet of it at canadian tire. its ethier 18-20gauge metal.

[oldred]

The most imporant thing is to not give up! Welding can be intimidating especially if you are trying to teach yourself but if you keep at it it will soon "click" and you will then wonder why it seemed so hard. If you are using self shielding wire(gassless)then you really need to get some gas and true mig wire. The JW HARRIS 20 gauge brand wire with C/25 gas is by far the easiest to use of ANY wire I have ever tried and I have been a welder for over 35 yrs. www.jwharris.com/images/twentygauge.pdf

[justbcuz]

Originally posted by MARTINSR
Read this post click here . You will find a lot of answers.

Great info, thanks!