Sound is the key and practice. Adjust the feed and voltage so you get a sound that is as close to sizzling bacon as you can get. The next thing comes with experience. It i called penetration. On thicker material, you want a hotter weld so that it melts into the metal. That is where the strength of the weld is. Otherwise, your weld will act more like glue. It is different for each job. MIG welders are not good at overhead welding. The molten steel just drops down your sleeve. You need to practice a reverse stitch. You start a little ahead and weld back to what is welded. Stop, then do it again. Same for going vertical up. You can weld vertical down but not with good penetration. Sometimes you can go horizontal, sometimes you need to do the reverse stitch. Sheet metal should be stitch welded to cut down on the heat and reduce distortion. Learn to tack everything together first before doing heavy welds. Tacks should be on both sides of the pieces being welded. When the weld cools, it pulls the parts out of where you had it when starting. The tacks take care of that. I bought an auto darkening helmut and that has been real handy. Helps you see what your doing.

 

For a 120 volt welder, you will have an easier time with .30 wire. The machine will have an easier time pushing the wire also. Get high quality welding wire also. Keep away from "dollar store" brands if you can catch my drift. When i comes to welding, you get what you pay for. The guys that talk about whipping.... hmmm no. You get a much better quality weld welding a stringer bead. You are much better off multipassing a weld opposed to weaving in a wide bead. Also remember that with the self shield wire you are using you should be pulling the puddle-not pushing it.

Weaving mostly pertains to stick welding to me. Anytime i welding with wire i adjust my travel speed to the size of weld that i want. Maybe just a slight side to side movement in the groove but that is something that should come to after practice when you get the feel for what the weld is doing and you are able to see that you are getting good penetration.

Have fun and best of luck with your newfound hobby. Hope that Clark works for you

 

I respectfully disagree with your statement about welding overhead. Overheading welding can be done with great success with anykind of wire. You are pushing too much wire if the weld is falling down your sleeve. Or i should say pushing too much wire for your voltage. Making a vertical down weld that must be strong should only be done with solid wire. If you use self shield or dual shield the slag (although you might not see it) is getting trapped in the weld if you weld down. When welding vertical up with FCAW i use a very slight side to side motion as i move up the plate. I move side to side no farther than the diameter of the wire. Travel speed is key. Sorry... This might be getting over the newer welders head.
You'll love your first auto darkening helmet also!

 

I can weld overhead, but only in medium range. If it is penetrating well, the puddle is too large to stay there. The same happens with vertical. If the weld is superficial, yes I can on both counts. I have much better lick with stick on vertical and overhead.

I do have an auto darkening helmet

 

Another thing is if your weld cooled is "poriuos/holey" your weld is dirty due to uncleaned metal welding in the wind(that's a no-no). clean your spot good of rust,paint,greese etc and dont go to fast but dont go to slow, make sure you penetrate both metals good. Beveling your metal works great

 

prep is just as important as technique.
NEVER USE BRAKE PARTS CLEANER ON THE MATERIAL YOU'RE WELDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

How should I properly clean the surface before welding?

 

Grinder, sanding pad, etc. Self shield wire actually will burn threw primer pretty decent with, light oil, light rust etc. w/o getting porosity. To get rid of grease and other combustables heat the steel up hot with a torch-don't breath the fumes. One great point that i forgot about is cleaning with brake clean. It does a great job cleaning but the fumes can POISON or KILL you!! Thank you for reminding everyone FrankZ!

 

also be aware of the metal your welding... the fumes from some metals being burnt are terrible for you. always wear a shade 10 or higher welding shield. listen to the weld while doing it. PRACTICE!!! if its thick then put a bevel on it and do multiple passes. keep it very clean. the prep is very important. when mig welding your wire size determines how far away to hold the tip.(.45= 1/2", .35=3/8" and so on) usually you want a 15* angle when welding. half moons, circles, v's its what your comfortable. if you want to make your welds REAL clean with not a lot of splatter (Flux Core) then consider converting to gas. and most of all.......HAVE FUN welding can get frustrating so just believe you can do it. It takes time to be good. ( I'm in college right now for welding!!

 

Best advise I can give you that these guys havent already is to choose a lens suitable for your vision. A purchased helmet comes with a Shade 10 Black lens in it, but there are others available. My hood has a Shade 9 Gold lens in it for MIG. Most other processes I use a Shade 10 Gold or Black depending on the process. IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER! If when you get done with a weld and you lift your hood and see spots...YOU NEED A DARKER LENS! Make sure you change it immediately as this could cause you to go blind. Main thing is have fun PUSHING PUDDLES!

 

2.5 years of welding for me!! Have fun and fight threw it and work to get any free certifications you can. Oops sorry i jacked the thread a little.

 

what about welding round tube and stuff. is there any special tips you got for that other than what has already been said?

 

And what about welding overhead, or on vertical surfaces?

Thanks for all the tips guys. Ill post up some weld pics whenever I get around to welding something lol

 

Excuse me Sir, do you know how to get to Carnegie Hall?

Practice young man, practice!
Sorry, old joke but it applies.

No speacial tips needed for different shaped metal, just practice your technique.

Welding vertical isn't too bad, just practice on some scrap and see which direction works the best for you. I prefer top to bottom. Overhead can be a really pain in the keester so once again....practice.

Try different speeds, power setings, and tip movements.

 

Personally, I'd weld and get good at the easy stuff before the harder stuff...