Firstgens.com

......a Lincoln Power MIG 180C . I have never used a MIG welder until today so I went and purchased a piece of flat stock from my local Lowes store and cut it into 6 equal length sections. I bought my helmet from Harbor Freight and it's pretty good for the price that I paid. I will eventually buy a better quality helmet later. I used the darkest setting on it and only after my lame attempt(s) at laying a bead everywhere else but in a straight line, I realized that I should have used a lighter setting so I could see where to position the tip. Here are a couple of pics of my very first attempts. I welcome any and all comments so please don't be afraid to say what I did wrong as I am always willing to learn and put into practice what others will suggest



David F.

Cool....
just rem turn the heat up till dont quite blow holes, and the feed right down.....and play.
And it looks like your play is going well u are already figering out the helmet part...If u cant see what u are doing there is no point to having a play lol.

Rem do your buttons up to your neck and sleeves down...sun burn, and shirt untucked..the hot bits dont roll down into your pants, and if donr have boots have shoes u can slip off quick...those bloody hot bits again lol...or just tuffen up lol

Dave it looks like you are using the flux cored wire and not the wire for the shielding gas. The polarity is different for each. If you are using the gas you probably are not getting enough or there is wind/air movement. Gas welding needs it to be almost dead still.

If using gasless....forget it....just use gas...even to learn on, get the hang of.
And some where here is a articule thread on how to weld, one of the best if not the best, because its basically written from scratch and piont of veiw of the novice.

Steps, I bought a long sleeve Denim shirt just for the purpose of welding(or attempting it )



Don, you are correct, I am using the flux core wire and I have the work lead(clamp) set for the correct polarity which if I have read the manual correctly it is + for the flux core wire. I have a welding supply store nearby so I will talk to them about their bottle rental/gas refill pricing.

David F.

You might find this video helpful David in your quest for better welding techinques.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4RrDeUK ... re=related

This site has been a big help to me
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/

Thanks Tom & Don . I watched them and tried to use some of the techinques shown,especially the cursive "e" or "looping technique" as I like to call it. After some practice I managed to get one fairly decent bead.........



David F.

Much improved David! Heat looks pretty good(not cold or too hot) and penetration looks good too. Looks like you are using solid wire with gas now, is that right?

Thanks Tom !! I've not yet switched to the solid wire & shielding gas but I will switch soon.

David F.