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[hunter1151]

How the heck do you keep the spatter out of the equation with machine settings??

[ZTFab]

Originally Posted by hunter1151

How the heck do you keep the spatter out of the equation with machine settings??

Proper voltage to wire speed settings/ratios.... along with stick-out length, shielding gas coverage, and hand speed.

It also helps to weld on clean materials and use a high silicon content wire (I use ER70S-6...the -6 indicating a higher silicon content than -2 or -3).

I've said it before and I'll say it again....90% of a good weld is all in the prep. You wouldn't paint a dirty car so why try to weld a dirty piece of metal?

[ZTFab]

...and I despise anti-spatter sprays or using things wd-40 on my welds. I know a lot of people do it but I don't see the need to use that goop on a weldment when learning how to tune the machine can eliminate the problem.

[monkers]

hmmm, is there any "set" approach for machine settings that you could give us as a guide, somewhere to start. Now that you mention it, i do remember getting less spatter at times, now i understand why......again, thanks for sharing your knowledge

[hunter1151]

What is the best prep for welding? Sanding or scotch brite pads on a die grinder, like a Dotco??

[glsmaverick]

Originally Posted by ZTFab

I TIG welded the pad to the 3/16" and MIG welded the rest.

So I just reread this and you TIG welded the base plate to the bend and then MIG welded the bend all together? I consider myself a decent MIG welder and I have never laid down a bead that looks TIG'd with a MIG welder. Row of nickels with a MIG? I need to look at your welder parameters.

Nice!

[NASTYZEN]

Originally Posted by ZTFab

Dam it ZT! You must be lacking somewhere else in life, because God gave you way to much welding skills all in one place.
I'm a .035'' guy, but looking at what you can do with your mig inspired me.
I converted one of my migs over to .023'' wire this week. New rollers,guide tube , contact tip and gas nozzle. $$$ all your fault..
I plan on practicing with it a bit over the holidays. If I can get to at least half of what you can do ,I'll be satisfied.

[ZTFab]

Originally Posted by monkers

hmmm, is there any "set" approach for machine settings that you could give us as a guide, somewhere to start. Now that you mention it, i do remember getting less spatter at times, now i understand why......again, thanks for sharing your knowledge

This just takes practice.

Start with clean material, good wire, and good (or new) contact tips.

Typically too much voltage and not enough wire speed will cause spatter but a lot also has to do with your hand speed. For example, if you have the machine "set" for a given voltage and inches-per-minute of wire but your hand speed is too fast or slow for the given settings, you'll have problems.

Welding is a lot like learning how to swing a baseball bat or a golf club. It takes muscle memory, concentration, and knowing where to look to get consistent results.

I believe that every person has a "signature" to their welding...just as athletes have a certain swing or musicians have a certain tone. Some people may like to weld fast, some slow. You'll have to practice with your machine to learn the setting that you are naturally comfortable with and adjust them to suit you.

Learning to watch the puddle and listening to the arc while welding is the best thing you can do to help. Once you see what the puddle is doing, listen to the arc for consistency. Adjust your machine to get the best results and over time you'll start to automatically make fine adjustments to your hand speed and position to keep the puddle where you want it and the arc consistent.

[ZTFab]

Originally Posted by hunter1151

What is the best prep for welding? Sanding or scotch brite pads on a die grinder, like a Dotco??

I clean all of my material with acetone at the least...and I typically only work with cold rolled steels or P&O steels (Pickled and Oiled to remove the mill scale)

When making tabs or brackets I will usually face them on my disc sander and run the edges on my Burr King to clean them up.

Scotchbrite would work and I even have some belts for my sanders that I've used but most of the time I save those for graining stainless parts or deburring machined parts.

Get the oils, dirt, and grime off of the steel and if it has a mill scale layer...get rid of it completely anywhere you will be welding.

[ZTFab]

Originally Posted by glsmaverick

So I just reread this and you TIG welded the base plate to the bend and then MIG welded the bend all together? I consider myself a decent MIG welder and I have never laid down a bead that looks TIG'd with a MIG welder. Row of nickels with a MIG? I need to look at your welder parameters.

Nice!

Thanks!

The MIG portion was 3/16" material, open corner joint, no root gap, .030" ER70S-6, 20cfh of C25, Voltage tap "B" and 180 ipm wfs on my Lincoln Power MIG 200.

[ZTFab]

Originally Posted by NASTYZEN

Dam it ZT! You must be lacking somewhere else in life, because God gave you way to much welding skills all in one place.
I'm a .035'' guy, but looking at what you can do with your mig inspired me.
I converted one of my migs over to .023'' wire this week. New rollers,guide tube , contact tip and gas nozzle. $$$ all your fault..
I plan on practicing with it a bit over the holidays. If I can get to at least half of what you can do ,I'll be satisfied.

Well...the wife has never complained.

Let me know if you have any questions.

...I see in the "tubular thread that you're hiring!

[IMCA38]

Here are some of my creations.
A 3 point hitch trailer mover.
A 3 point dethatcher, this was the first test run, it is now painted red like the trailer mover.
And a parking stand for an IHC rear blade for a co-worker of mine.

[hunter1151]

Thanks you ZT you are very helpful.................

[ZTFab]

Originally Posted by hunter1151

Thanks you ZT you are very helpful.................

Anytime!

[monkers]

Thanks for the pointers and info ZT, gives me something to shoot for lol...

[CecilTheTurtle]

Here's some of my latest projects. Finally broke out the Lincoln WeldPak 140HD I bought a while ago. Made a couple of log racks out of old bed frames for my Dad for Christmas. After this pic I rounded all the sharp edges with the grinder and hit it with some Rustoleum Hammertone black. He loved 'em.



Then I picked up a bunch of 1" square tubing to make some more sturdy racks for my own firewood. I got started today and hopefully should finish up the first one after Christmas. Here's a pic of the two end pieces. I'll weld two six foot lengths of tube in between and then paint it all with POR-15 to keep it rust free.



And here's a few pics of my ugly welds so you guys can bust on me. Certainly not a ZTFab weld I'm just using flux core wire (no gas) so tons of spatter, but it seems to be getting plenty of penetration. This is my first foray back into welding in about ten years, so I need some more practice.

[KMinAF]

I made the cart from some old bunk bed rails and the tool chest from left over bits of lumber.

[NUTTSGT]

ZT, as always, awesome work. Best of all, you're more than willing to help others and give advice. I'd say you are truly are an asset to this site.

[davidB382]

I'll play. There is some crazy talent on here! Here are a few projects I've made and snapped pictures of. I don't have any close ups of the welds, probably a good thing!

First one is a deer hoist that slides in a receiver hitch. 2" tubing frame, 1" tubing for the kickers. MIG with .030 wire on an ESAB, can't think of the model. The top piece is removable. It slides in the bottom and pivots to let you lift your deer and then swing it into your truck bed. I made two of these. The hitch on the truck is not level, I swear the hoist is all square!





And then this was a little giraffe I made for my wife from scrap 1/2" tube and 2" pipe. It was something just for fun and she loved it so that's a plus. I used 1/4" bolts for the horns and nuts for the eyes. It ended up about 11" tall.

[blare]

A lot of inspiring work in here. Researching a beginner TIG right now and thinking the Miller Diversion 180 will fit the bill because it gives me the flexibility of using a standard outlet when I move every three years (military). Hope I have some work to post in a month or so.