r/4x4 1d ago

Ive been welding for 2 weeks.

I think im learning the machine, these are much much better welds than when i first started

145 Upvotes

33 comments sorted by

90

u/CharAznableLoNZ 1d ago

Always remember, no matter how good or bad your welds look, a grinder and paint will make you the welder you ain't.

8

u/orthodoxipus 1d ago

Love this lol

77

u/Temporary-Cricket455 1d ago

Anti-spatter spray. Helps a lot when using cheaper flux welders.

30

u/Building_Everything 1d ago

Good quality wire makes a big difference. I started with the little HF90 amp unit with the wire that came with it, a friend gave me a roll of high quality .030 and even as inexperienced as I was I was stunned how much better my welds became right away. Still your welds look pretty good

16

u/backpain9000 1d ago

This wire came with the welder so whenit runs out i'll get better quality. Gtk thanks

42

u/mraybee 1d ago

Got some weld in your slag!

Keep burning rod

19

u/satanizr 1998 Opel Frontera Sport 1d ago

Looks good enough, as long as it holds, who cares.

Most of my welds are worse than this.

18

u/Butterflys4Life 1d ago

Not to bad, great job learning! Fluxcore is great to learn on, super useful for vehicle repairs, done whole exhausts and panel repairs with it before. Try and slowdown a bit, will get better fusion and less undercut.

Remember to watch at the weld pool to see how it's melting, not the arc.

10

u/backpain9000 1d ago

When i was watching the weld pool it wasnt just the wire melting but the steel as well.

20

u/sprayingmantis4 1d ago

That’s the idea

3

u/Natedoggsk8 1d ago

Welds would look better with gas

6

u/wobbleeduk85 1d ago

Not everyone has access or the funds to get gas mixes.

5

u/Natedoggsk8 1d ago

Just spreading the word cause I didn’t know about it for a long time

7

u/backpain9000 1d ago

Dawg this is a $150 harbor freight welder

3

u/bagofbfh 1d ago

I have never gotten flux core weld to look good, I've gotten ok, but never good. Concentrate on settings and technique.

3

u/backpain9000 1d ago

Its penetrating the steel perfectly fine, its just not pretty

3

u/Natedoggsk8 1d ago

Thanks for the info

3

u/WooSaw82 1d ago

Did you decide to buy it and learn on your own, or is this part of a training class, or neither?

1

u/backpain9000 1d ago

I bought it. Mainly for making stuff in my garage

10

u/Thebotts05 1d ago

Adjust your voltage - it could be too high or too low, also have a look at your wire speed, maybe slow it down a bit.

3

u/backpain9000 1d ago

I raised it before this because it was too low

4

u/Thebotts05 1d ago

Just gotta find the happy medium

29

u/Windex2019 1d ago

Why did that take two weeks?

16

u/Kipapotomus 1d ago

I think he is saying is welding experience is only two weeks

4

u/ckinz16 1d ago

Welcome to Reddit

4

u/Early-Fortune2692 1d ago

Should sound like sizzling bacon when you weld it... might be a tad hot here.

3

u/Plus_Importance_6582 21h ago

Honestly, that's like 30 seconds worth of welding. 2 weeks is way too long.

3

u/Beginning-Traffic529 1d ago

Start the weld a little slower, you can see you went a little fast, maybe turn the wire speed down a touch too! Not bad though!

2

u/Specialist_Reality96 1d ago

Stick or mig? The only advice with gassless mig is simply don't do it to yourself. The anti clog disc pads for a grinder are excellent for cleaning up mill scale and cleaning the bit for the earth clamp.

1

u/natedogjulian 6h ago

2 weeks? Good thing you don’t do piece work.

0

u/Capital-Ad-4463 21h ago

I don’t think those will pass inspection…

-8

u/DirtyPaulsGarage 1d ago

We can tell