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Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work. |
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Tried welding some fillets today
Hi all,
I tried out some of your recommendations today and welded a couple of fillets. I took two pieces of 50 mm x 50 mm x 3 mm mild steel angle and clamped them back to back with about a 25 mm overlap, so that I could weld a fillet down each side. I know the steel looks rather rusty in the pictures but I cleaned off as much as I could using a wire cup brush. The rust really is very superficial. First I tried the angles RoyJ suggested, together with Brian's idea of hanging the cable over my shoulder, and made sure I watched the pool like Grant said. For all the welds I used 3.25 mm 6013 rods, 145 amp current setting and no weave. My welder is on the end of a long electricity supply line so I reckon I get more like 120-125 amps. Anyway, 145 amps is the next setting up from what I would normally use for a butt weld in 3 mm plate. The first weld had a minor slag inclusion at the beginning but it's way better than the fillets I was doing before. Here's a pictu http://www.mythic-beasts.com/~cdt22/fillet1.jpg Next I tried using a 6013 rod as a drag rod. I've never tried this before and only heard of the technique recently. No one ever told me about it when I started welding, but then I didn't go to any classes - I just chatted to a few people. Apart from a somewhat messy start I thought it looked pretty good: http://www.mythic-beasts.com/~cdt22/fillet2.jpg Then I turned the angle sections over and reverted to the first technique. I tried to join three sections of weld together neatly. Again there's a little slag inclusion at the start, and the restarts could be a bit neater, but I was pretty pleased with it: http://www.mythic-beasts.com/~cdt22/fillet3.jpg http://www.mythic-beasts.com/~cdt22/fillet4.jpg The second of those pictures shows distortion in the metal, which is probably the worst problem. Here's another view from the end: http://www.mythic-beasts.com/~cdt22/fillet5.jpg The next thing I'm planning to build is a frame to hold the motor and transformer of a phase convertor. Probably the sections I will use to build this will have 5 mm walls, so distortion should be less of a problem. The weld produced by dragging the rod appears to distort the metal less, but it's smaller and more sharply curved, which might make it weaker. Which technique would people recommend for building a phase convertor frame? Any general suggestions for reducing distortion? My technique looks much improved. I think I was using the wrong angles and not watching the arc closely enough. Now I reckon I just need to practice a bit to get rid of those little slag inclusions at the start of a weld, neaten up my restarts and banish the small patches of undercut and spatter. Any suggestions? Thanks very much for the help! Chris |
#2
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Nothing wrong with those welds that practice won't cure. 145 amps on
1/8" (3.25mm) rod sounds high, I'd be talking about 110-120 amps. Did the rod get red hot at the end? If so, too hot. The standard practice block is nothing more than a 6mm thick chunk of strap about 50mm x 100mm (or whatever is handy) Run a clean bead down one edge, chip the slag, inspect, run a second bead next to the first, chip, inspect, repeat until the whole surface is covered. Do a second, third, forth, etc layer. When you are done, use a per hacksaw to cut it across the beads, should have NO slag inclusions. You will not do well on the first one, it gets better with practice. When you get that figured out, set the block on it's side, lay beads horizontally on the vertical surface, etc etc. Full length welds like you did will warp BADLY. Only cure is to weld short sections on opposite sides (top/bottom, left/right). You can keep it from getting as bad by just doing skip welds eg 1" (25mm) welds every 4" (100mm) Christopher Tidy wrote: Hi all, I tried out some of your recommendations today and welded a couple of fillets. I took two pieces of 50 mm x 50 mm x 3 mm mild steel angle and clamped them back to back with about a 25 mm overlap, so that I could weld a fillet down each side. I know the steel looks rather rusty in the pictures but I cleaned off as much as I could using a wire cup brush. The rust really is very superficial. First I tried the angles RoyJ suggested, together with Brian's idea of hanging the cable over my shoulder, and made sure I watched the pool like Grant said. For all the welds I used 3.25 mm 6013 rods, 145 amp current setting and no weave. My welder is on the end of a long electricity supply line so I reckon I get more like 120-125 amps. Anyway, 145 amps is the next setting up from what I would normally use for a butt weld in 3 mm plate. The first weld had a minor slag inclusion at the beginning but it's way better than the fillets I was doing before. Here's a pictu http://www.mythic-beasts.com/~cdt22/fillet1.jpg Next I tried using a 6013 rod as a drag rod. I've never tried this before and only heard of the technique recently. No one ever told me about it when I started welding, but then I didn't go to any classes - I just chatted to a few people. Apart from a somewhat messy start I thought it looked pretty good: http://www.mythic-beasts.com/~cdt22/fillet2.jpg Then I turned the angle sections over and reverted to the first technique. I tried to join three sections of weld together neatly. Again there's a little slag inclusion at the start, and the restarts could be a bit neater, but I was pretty pleased with it: http://www.mythic-beasts.com/~cdt22/fillet3.jpg http://www.mythic-beasts.com/~cdt22/fillet4.jpg The second of those pictures shows distortion in the metal, which is probably the worst problem. Here's another view from the end: http://www.mythic-beasts.com/~cdt22/fillet5.jpg The next thing I'm planning to build is a frame to hold the motor and transformer of a phase convertor. Probably the sections I will use to build this will have 5 mm walls, so distortion should be less of a problem. The weld produced by dragging the rod appears to distort the metal less, but it's smaller and more sharply curved, which might make it weaker. Which technique would people recommend for building a phase convertor frame? Any general suggestions for reducing distortion? My technique looks much improved. I think I was using the wrong angles and not watching the arc closely enough. Now I reckon I just need to practice a bit to get rid of those little slag inclusions at the start of a weld, neaten up my restarts and banish the small patches of undercut and spatter. Any suggestions? Thanks very much for the help! Chris |
#3
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On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 00:28:25 +0000 (UTC), Christopher Tidy
wrote: (snip) The next thing I'm planning to build is a frame to hold the motor and transformer of a phase convertor. Probably the sections I will use to build this will have 5 mm walls, so distortion should be less of a problem. The weld produced by dragging the rod appears to distort the metal less, but it's smaller and more sharply curved, which might make it weaker. Which technique would people recommend for building a phase convertor frame? Any general suggestions for reducing distortion? My technique looks much improved. I think I was using the wrong angles and not watching the arc closely enough. Now I reckon I just need to practice a bit to get rid of those little slag inclusions at the start of a weld, neaten up my restarts and banish the small patches of undercut and spatter. Any suggestions? Distortion: tack in several places, then stitch together with alternating short beads. General: minor imperfections noted, but your welds look entirely servicable to me. I'd say start building stuff you want to build. A little slag inclusion here and there is not gonna make a rack fall apart. |
#4
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As Don said, your welds are certainly serviceable. If you are in doubt weld
the angles together for a length of one inch and see how much hammering and twisting you will have to do to get complete separation. People mentioned about tacking your assembly first before welding and avoiding long continuous welds. I suggest that you also avoid over welding. In many cases you do not need to weld everything up with continuous seams. A one or two inch weld on such thin material will take a considerable of load, Randy "Christopher Tidy" wrote in message ... Hi all, I tried out some of your recommendations today and welded a couple of fillets. I took two pieces of 50 mm x 50 mm x 3 mm mild steel angle and clamped them back to back with about a 25 mm overlap, so that I could weld a fillet down each side. I know the steel looks rather rusty in the pictures but I cleaned off as much as I could using a wire cup brush. The rust really is very superficial. snip My technique looks much improved. I think I was using the wrong angles and not watching the arc closely enough. Now I reckon I just need to practice a bit to get rid of those little slag inclusions at the start of a weld, neaten up my restarts and banish the small patches of undercut and spatter. Any suggestions? Thanks very much for the help! Chris |
#5
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On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 13:33:41 GMT, "R. Zimmerman"
wrote: As Don said, your welds are certainly serviceable. If you are in doubt weld the angles together for a length of one inch and see how much hammering and twisting you will have to do to get complete separation. People mentioned about tacking your assembly first before welding and avoiding long continuous welds. I suggest that you also avoid over welding. In many cases you do not need to weld everything up with continuous seams. A one or two inch weld on such thin material will take a considerable of load, Randy The biggest single mistake the beginning welder (and I Strongly include myself in that catagory) are what are known as Gorilla Welds. I can now look back at my early work and cringe in noting that Ive used what looks like a half box of rod to put something together that needed a couple 1" welds. Ive taken to actually looking at how our everyday world is welded together, exposed joints, pipe fittings etc etc to see how the pros acomplished things. Fascinating to see exactly how few weldments are used in building big Stuff Gunner "Christopher Tidy" wrote in message ... Hi all, I tried out some of your recommendations today and welded a couple of fillets. I took two pieces of 50 mm x 50 mm x 3 mm mild steel angle and clamped them back to back with about a 25 mm overlap, so that I could weld a fillet down each side. I know the steel looks rather rusty in the pictures but I cleaned off as much as I could using a wire cup brush. The rust really is very superficial. snip My technique looks much improved. I think I was using the wrong angles and not watching the arc closely enough. Now I reckon I just need to practice a bit to get rid of those little slag inclusions at the start of a weld, neaten up my restarts and banish the small patches of undercut and spatter. Any suggestions? Thanks very much for the help! Chris |
#6
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Gunner wrote:
On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 13:33:41 GMT, "R. Zimmerman" wrote: As Don said, your welds are certainly serviceable. If you are in doubt weld the angles together for a length of one inch and see how much hammering and twisting you will have to do to get complete separation. People mentioned about tacking your assembly first before welding and avoiding long continuous welds. I suggest that you also avoid over welding. In many cases you do not need to weld everything up with continuous seams. A one or two inch weld on such thin material will take a considerable of load, Randy The biggest single mistake the beginning welder (and I Strongly include myself in that catagory) are what are known as Gorilla Welds. I can now look back at my early work and cringe in noting that Ive used what looks like a half box of rod to put something together that needed a couple 1" welds. Ive taken to actually looking at how our everyday world is welded together, exposed joints, pipe fittings etc etc to see how the pros acomplished things. Fascinating to see exactly how few weldments are used in building big Stuff I learnt not to weld every possible seam a few years back when I was building an enclosure to house the control system for my power hacksaw. I tried welding a seam on the inside of the box and ended up with bad distortion. I probably do still have a tendency towards "gorilla welds", though, but I have a couple of objections to intermittent welds. First is that I've noticed they tend to harbour corrosion. You weld everything together before you paint your project, then the paint seals the unwelded sections of the seams. But it doesn't take much flexing or weathering to open up a gap which moisture can enter. Of course the joint is unpainted inside and it rusts. You paint over it again and - damn - the rust shows through again. I hate that! Second is that I don't like the appearance of intermittent welds if they're in a very noticeable place. I prefer the appearance of a continuous, neat bead. When I build an enclosure for my phase convertor I think I will weld continuous seams, partly to thoroughly seal the electrical enclosure, and partly to look neat. Point taken, though: you can overdo it! Chris |
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