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First welding projects: welding cart and rock sliders

10K views 13 replies 12 participants last post by  karlo 
#1 ·
So I finally picked up my Lincoln ProMig180, and I have already burnt three of the smaller spools of fluxcore wire through it, and I really feel like I'm starting to improve. I started out just burning some beads on some 3/16 plate, then I just went ahead and started making a welding cart. I made a work surface on top so I could set stuff on it and weld on it if needed. I also put a vice up there to hold stuff so I could cut/weld on it. I painted it a nice red to match the welder when I was done. Here's some pics.



Then I made some rock rails for my XJ. The rails are 1/8". I wanted to go with 3/16", but the steel supplier didn't have it, so I settled with 1/8 and added an extra support leg. Its a pretty straightforward design. I just sort of looked at what everyone else did, and copied what I thought would suit my needs. At some point I will add the tube on the outside to function as a step and to better protect my doors and mirrors. Here's some pics of those.





Let me know what you think. Constructive criticism on the welds would be appreciated too. Those were some of my better looking welds, I had a couple that were downright ugly. They had pores in them, uneven pattern, ridges, valleys, yuck. I'd say 85% of my welds look like the ones in the pictures though, so I'm pretty happy. I plan on stepping up to gas pretty soon, so hopefully that will help my welds look a little better.
 
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#3 ·
Looks GOOD!

As far as the welding..all looks good to me..no undercut and not "boogered" up.
Just start learning how to tie in the end of your welds..looks like your stopping short,keeping running the weld just a tad into the next weld to tie it in better,otherwise looks great for a beginner..good job
 
#7 ·
on future projects ... fill in the craters at the end of the weld. that causes a stress riser and is prone to "crater cracks" that could eventually turn into longitudinal or transverse cracking ... both of which will lead to a failure of the part.

but for a beginner, those are looking VERY good.

nice work.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the compliments and tips guys. So, when I come to the end of the weld, do I just sort of pause there for a second and let it fill in the crater? Will it blow through if I have all my heat settings right, or will it fill it in like you guys are talking about?

Also, lets say I'm welding a gusset between two pieces of tubing coming together at an acute angle. I seem to have a problem that when I get to the end of the gusset, it seems to burn out a little oval of the gusset instead of leaving a nice bead. I feel like thats going to be a source for a crack. What do I need to do to fix that? Do I keep my heat on the tubing towards the end of the gusset, and just barely bring it up into the gusset?

Thanks again for all your help and compliments guys, keep em coming.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for the compliments and tips guys. So, when I come to the end of the weld, do I just sort of pause there for a second and let it fill in the crater? Will it blow through if I have all my heat settings right, or will it fill it in like you guys are talking about?

Also, lets say I'm welding a gusset between two pieces of tubing coming together at an acute angle. I seem to have a problem that when I get to the end of the gusset, it seems to burn out a little oval of the gusset instead of leaving a nice bead. I feel like thats going to be a source for a crack. What do I need to do to fix that? Do I keep my heat on the tubing towards the end of the gusset, and just barely bring it up into the gusset?

Thanks again for all your help and compliments guys, keep em coming.
if your heat and wire feed speed are set correctly, and you have good puddle control, you should not burn through when you fill in the crater. FCAW does tend to burn a little hotter than solid wire, but you should still be able to just pause for a short while and let it fill in.

as for the gusset problem ... you are putting too much heat into the thin gusset. on thin walled tubing and thin sheet metal, you generally dont want to make the entire weldment in one solid weld. weld half of one side of the gusset... then flip it over and weld the opposite half of the oppsite side of the gusset.

let that cool for a few minutes and then hit the two sides you havent welded yet.

and remember, wire fed welds have a tendency to start off a little cold ... so starting your weld at the point that usually burns out might be a viable option. maybe run one bead from the convergence of the tubes (i assume this is where you are burning through) to the outside of the gusset .. and then the next bead from the outside of the gusset to the convergence.
 
#13 ·
Have you used the rails yet? I plan on building a set for my XJ but am debating 1/8th or 3/16ths. It's a daily driver and I don't see rocks a whole lot so the weight of the 1/8th would be nice, but at the same time I don't want to screw myself with armor that doesn't protect as well as it should. Thoughts?
 
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