18 replies to this topic

[primrose8]

hi everyone having converted myself from a gas welder to a mig due to common opinion mig is best i am struggling to get decent welds, have read and set my clark 130 turbo mig to the welding tutorial, my main problem is that i am having to hold the shroud of the welder so close to the work to get the right sound without splatter that i can hardly see where i am welding for the shroud! also am having trouble seeing the 2 pieces of metal i am welding i have bought a new auto darkening mask this week but still cannot see once struck up! as if i need more light? i have good eyesight so cant blame that? any ideas anybody?

[danie garry]

is it a gas mig or gas less?? there should be a little dial on the mask to change the darkness of the mask aswell

[JustSteve]

quick question, is it gas or gasless?

about seeing where you're going, you want to be pointing about 40 degrees towards the direction on travel, get down close to the weld. You will get to feel the weld, the sounds etc too.

Just keep practising, then pop up back here again and post some pictures

[primrose8]

hi thanks for reply its a gas mig, and i have adjusted the new mask darkness to as light as possible, will having more light on the job help ie inspection lamp ? as my garage is a bit like a cave?

[JustSteve]

I always struggle to see well, but for most jobs on a mini you just want to be doing plug welds or a series of tacks, so it doesn't really matter IMO

but as I say, practise and pictures

[Brams96]

You might need to use a lead light if your garage/workshop light isn't bright enough. According to the web the Clarke 130 Turbo Mig can be gas or gasless, which are you using? If your using gas are you using the small disposable bottles or a larger external bottle with a regulator?

[midridge2]

using a extra light can help but dont use a lead lamp to close as the splatter will pop the bulb.

[skoughi]

I know what you mean as i sometimes struggle to see as well. As someone said you mostly will only be doing tacks or plug welds so with practise you don't really need to see whats going on, it's all about how long you pull the trigger and move the handle. The mask will be of more benifit shielding your face from weld burn. Get some scrap metal and do some practise weld beads and get in a position to see the wire as it comes out the tip, and i would say that the tip should be facing in the opposite direction than what you're welding in, this is to build up the heat to get the two bits of metal to melt without using too much current.

[primrose8]

hi
i have just tried again using the old mask i had and i can see perfectly! i think the new mask is either too dark (cant see anything) or too light (welder arc too bright to see) and i cant find an in between!! with adjusting cheap mask, i have faired better with small pulse welds rather than longer bursts, the only other thing is my welds are tall and thin even when trying to move side to side a little? my welder is a clark 130te turbo and it has a pub size co2 bottle which says for food use on it? this is how i bought it, would a argon mix work better ? and i suppose practice is the answer

[JustSteve]

Direction of travel :thubsup:

[PaulColeman]

Argon/CO2 mix gas is supposed to give less splatter and my personal experience has been that this is the case. I usually have a light over what I'm trying to weld - I say trying because I'm still learning. If I were going to invest in a welder I'd buy a TIG but I'm currently borrowing my brother-in-law's MIG welder.

Paul.

[primrose8]

thanks guys for all your help and advice, will just keep at it! can always tidy bits up with the trusty gas torch!!

[panelbeaterpeter]

if you're welds are tall and thin, you're wire speed is too high or your power too low, possibly both. Auto darkening helmets make life easier, but you need the area top be lit by something or it makes little difference when the arc isn't firing away.

[skoughi]

Try turning down your wire speed, if its sitting tall then there's too much wire being fed into the weld pool. So either turn up the power or less wire.

[R1mini]

I tried the auto darkening helmets, but I had great differculty seeing properly through them, to be fair it was a budget one and hopefully the more expensive ones are a lot better. I tried lighting the area with additional lighting but it kept triggering the mask before I was welding.
I went back to a conventional mask, which works just fine

Cheers
David