Learning To Weld

[Damo_c]

Hi all, im gunna start practicing to weld today, ive got a new mask but old school type. Ive got a purple lense and a clear lense. I need to put them into the slot in the mask but dunno which one goes on the outside on which on the inside. Can someone please answer this really stupid question please...

[mr-r33]

dont know how it gose but i have always put the clear lense on the out side

[DSTROY]

If its got the flip up lense then the dark one goes on the outside(flip up part) and the clear one on the inside but you should have a clear one on the front of the dark glass to protect it as well.

[mad082]

yeah as people said, purple to the outside if it is a flip up one. this is so when you aren't welding you can flip the front lense up and see what you are doing.

if it isn't a flip up one and is just one that you hold in front of your face then the clear would go on the outside to stop the purple lense getting damaged

[ANK]

are tyou guys sure the clear doesnt go infront of the purple on the flip part to protech it from the sprays cause i no first hand using a auto helmet if you dont have the cover on top of the purple it wrecks the purple

[mad082]

there is a very small chance of that. would really depend on the brand of helmet. does the helmet have a slot to put a lense in behind the flip part? most i have seen do. and auto helmets are somewhat different. the permanent tint helmets are like putting on a pair of really dark lenses. they don't vary the amount of light that comes through to cater for different light conditions. it is always dark looking through them.

maybe post up some pics of the helmet and the lenses. or try fitting them and see how they sit. if the purple lense goes on and it doesn't look like the clear lense will fit on in front of it then that will be a pretty simple solution.

[Damo_c]

Thanks for the replys, after some research i found out the clear goes on the outside to protect the tint lense from being damaged by scratches and splatter. Sort of makes sence when i thought about it.

So i started mig welding yesterday, alot bloody harder then what i thought!!! Gota get some more scrap steel to practise on.

[mr-r33]

Thanks for the replys, after some research i found out the clear goes on the outside to protect the tint lense from being damaged by scratches and splatter. Sort of makes sence when i thought about it.

So i started mig welding yesterday, alot bloody harder then what i thought!!! Gota get some more scrap steel to practise on.

don't know how your welding but i give you a tip...with a mig u never pull back you go forwards makeing a C as you push the mig wire into the job

Edited August 3, 2009 by mr-r33

[mad082]

if you think welding with a mig is hard, try arc welding, LOL. i can weld with a mig ok, but arc/stick welding i suck at big time. but i think it may have had a little bit to do with the actual welder and power supply, but mostly that i suck at it, LOL.

[SkyHi_33]

^ haha im the opposite! was taught to weld on arc, mig is a pain in the ass... need to get one and start practicing a bit more tho as arc is getting a bit old school now.

[WillGrice]

I think tafe do some good night/short courses. A mate of mine did one, said it was pretty good.

[910trx]

i miss metal fab - damn career change

really satisfying spending 2 days cutting out pieces of metal and weding them into something really massive.

the big tip of using is a mig is that the gas coming out helps form the weld, use it to push welds along and and into the join

setting the machine is the hard part, once that is right its just like highlighting - some people do the "c" some do constant loops, some do smooth non stop consecutive runs - penetration is the key

good luck with the welding, if you are like me you will love it.

[meadan]

Mig welding is easy once you know what your looking at.

I found it easier to learn on thicker pieces of steel as it wouldnt blow through if it got too hot. As said, penetration is the key, especially if your going to grind it off.

My tafe teacher always said to us as a 1st year apprentice.."if you think it looks good, then its probably not hot enough or your going to quick" On thin sheet metal a mig weld rarely looks nice.

[Chriszor]

http://www.welding.com.au/l74/accessories/...elding-helmets/ auto face shields are the best .. cost 300+ bucks but worth it ..

[VB-]

^ i wouldnt say they are best. they're good, but are most natably better when doing lots of little tacks. for normal welding, and even doing a few tacks, normal $12 screens are fine. i use a normal $12 BOC special all day, every day. i've used those full auto masks, and even the grand daddy $2,000 one with all the air venting/circulation. my preference for use is the same order i mentioned them in. i rkn those cheap shitheaps of the best thing out, very simple, light, cheap to replace when you smash them as i do (i'm both accident prone and an angry c*nt). the auto masks are good, but i find them a bit uncomfortable at times, and occasionally you have issues with the battery dying mid-weld. which leads to angry throwing of screen, and replacement (why cheap ones rule). the big daddy 2k one is a dead set c*nt. very heavy, and the hose down the back tugs on it if you try to lean the wrong way, left me with a really sore neck after an hour or so welding. not to mention the waste band only just fit me (i'm a big fat angry c*nt) and a couple of times i farted, and because that fan thing is around your waist, with the intake on your lower back, it sucked the smell straight in and blew it all over my face. ahhhh dick!

clear lense on the outside of the dark lense, to pretect it. if you flip it up to grind things, put a clear lense on both sides of the dark lense.

MIG welding, preperation is the key! machine settings are priority, cleanliness of the steel less, but still worth doing. depending on what material you have, fresh steel will usually have a layer of mill scale on it, alot of people dont bother with it, but it does make a fair difference to grind this back before you weld. as you weld over mill scale, it will sort of pop and crackle, and make the weld a bit shitty. for some reason most people ignore cleanliness of the steel unless they are TIGing Alu.

as for settings, you really need someone to be there and tell you what to do. as a starting point, run a weld using a slowish speed and try and keep your angles and speed consistent. if its really convex, your volts are too low or your amps (wire speed) is too high. if its really concave, volts too high, amps too low. you want it fairly flat, slightly convex, with good washing on either side (NOT undercut) google both and look at the difference.

listen! when its going right, you will hear a sort of crackling sound. imagine throwing a steak on a hot bbq, its a bit like that sizzling sound

other things to look for, depends on which brand/type of wire you use. i generally look for a nice bright silver colour of the weld itself, and a very fine layer a spatter that doesnt really stick to the parent metal, its like a fine layer of very heavy dust almost. dont worry about these too much though, get the shape of the weld right first.

Arc welding is actually a lot easier when you get some practice, because you can see the arc and steel melt. with the MIG, you can have your settings 'right' and have a beautiful smooth weld, thats even, but hasnt actually bitten in to the parent metal, its more or less sitting on top

Edited September 14, 2009 by VB-

[brendanw]

i agree i only use $12 shield at work but

cigweld have a solar powered $120 auto helmet that i use for tig welding at home which is really good

[NZM.031]

the only problem i have with mig welding is the feed speed.. i like stick/tig because the pace is set by hand.. not by the wire feeder.. and my welds always look birdshitty because i start with the speed to high or not hot enough.. smart thing to do would be to find the same type of steel and practice first, but its always different.

hate the old school helmets, i like the ones you just hold in your hand and cover your face when needed... for me its easier as i have a small head (i have to wear boys hats) and the helmets are always too big.. and with the hand held, i rarely, if ever forget to hold it up... like the flip down lenses, its easy to forget they are up and start welding.

[boz_soljah]

thers learning how to weld on youtube, you should chek it out, it would realli help