9 replies to this topic

[lil3on]

hey just a quick one,

how can i make my welds look decent? well good enough to pass an mot anyway :) on half a floor pan :) any help would me awesome :)

cheers :)

[Tupers]

Practise and good preparation of both welded surfaces.

What do your welds look like at the moment?

[lil3on]

they look alright :L a bit scruffy as it my first time welding, what if i filled over them would that be okay or not advised?

[Alex_B]

well as long as you get good penetration, then the welds should be strong enough so then finish them off with a flappy disk and a grinder, but practise makes perfect :)

[lil3on]

i wouldnt say the penetration was good :/ but its alright i surpose :/ i hate welding ....

[Alex_B]

How long have you been welding for? Its not that easy if you only do it occasionally and without any real training but it does come with practice.

Ive been doing it now and again for the last couple of years on my college course but im looking to do lots more (one because i am finishing a mini shorty there) and 2 because i want to get better as im not brilliant, i much prefer mig brazing! seem to get neater welds as well.

[tiger99]

It will help enormously to use proper gas mix, Argoshield light or similar. CO2 is not nearly as good, because it needs a lot more skill to produce good welds, and gasless MIGs are basically just toys which are very poor for proper structural welding. Some people here use them, but I wonder how long their welds will last.

It is actually cheaper to do it right than mess about.

It is vital, when welding a car, to ensure that you have full weld penetration, always. Otherwise you will end up driving a deathtrap. If in doubt, you should consider paying someonme else to do the welding. Nut before giving up, practice, practice, practice, on some clean offcuts of sheet steel. You likely will get therte in the end.

[lil3on]

what sort of number should i have the gas on for good penitration? xD

[sonikk4]

Have a look at this link and go from there
http://www.theminifo...se-for-welding/

[Alex_B]

Well go for the lowest setting, set the wire speed so it sounds like a nice crackling sound, and see what the other side is like, keep going turning up the power by one and resetting wire speed until you get good penetration.

basically looking for weld on both sides of the metal in a uniform amount. :)