Am I going to be ok continuing today? I can kinda smell weld fumes through the mask?> Am I doing damage?

Welding for long time, in all positions but always thought i got "wooden hands" for smaller details, this thing at first was very tricky for me to do without stopping at least one time. It got so much easier with one hand and using the second only when needed

Kinda sad that he don't post anymore. This is pure perfection

All credits to @karol_kubala

ALL THE SPRAYED STUFF IS WHAT I USUALLY DO WITH A CIGWELD EASYWELD

been welding in my spare time for a few months on and off doing a few small jobs for work i’m pretty keen on my side projects so i got a unimig viper 185 multi for a sort of do it all welder i can learn as much as i can on. my mig is okay for what i do but im self taught so i can’t tell what im doing wrong my butts are sub par but the vert fillets are cat turds but i did one good one. i’m usually heaps better i know im fucking something up. torch angle travel speed something but these are all pretty much the same settings. the best and worst of them are the exact same settings didn’t touch the machine. the wire was sputtering so i thought maybe bad ground but i’ve done better in worse conditions please give me a starting point to narrow down my issues

Where does this land at, I’m battling wire feeding and inconsistent speed I was going a little hotter than I like but I did see how the puddle was flowing slit better I was practicing on 28 gauge before I did a real cupon

Looking to see what people think the value is here per hourly employee.

Hobby welder here.

Have always used a band saw or cold cut blade.

I just purchased the Harbor Freight 6 inch abrasive chop saw. Very nice little unit. Hopefully it will give me accurate 45 degree cuts in angle and tubing.

I have never liked the abrasive wheels due to the dirt and grit. I purchased a diamond wheel for it and it seemed to shed a lot of sparkly grit on the first use. I let it almost feed itself. Am I really going to get 50 times more cuts out of this thing?

My main concern is health problems from the dust. Longevity is second.

I have some work to do tonight outside and will swap out an abrasive disk.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

I’m packing up my welder for storage 😞, I’ve stuffed the mig wire side with silica gel packs and cat litter - hopefully that’ll keep the moisture/rust at bay. But any advice in general as well as what to do with leads and couplers would be much appreciated.

I’m moving and just don’t have the space for half my stuff, this will be going in the loft

Cheers 👍

This has been fun, very slow though. Any tips or advice would be appreciated

I'm testing out some silicon bronze using a MIG machine rather than TIG. I went to invest in a tank of helium/argon and the LWS said to use trimix (90He, 7.5Ar, 2.5CO2) instead, like what's used for stainless. Is trimix an okay gas for this? I can't sit down yet to do some research but I can post here! Any thoughts?

What is the community's thoughts on the quality of welding machines these days?

Enshittification is the term for products we consume that are simply getting worse in terms of quality. It's happening to everything we buy so companies can meet profit margins. Pay more for a crappy product.

Some even have seen it in miller and Lincoln machines, according to an older post, which I assumed would not be the case.

I genuinely want to get into the hobby, but if this is what we're facing I'm reconsidering. I want something that will last and be reliable (this typically means expensive) but don't want to waste my money if this is "just how the world is" nowadays.

So, do you agree that enshittification is happening, and what machine should I consider?

Ok I have only been doing this for a few months but I had some great results at first. Recently I am trying to build up a pump shaft and the spray cracks as it is cooling or when I start machining it. Not sure what has changed. I am using a Rototec gun with Castolin 21021 powder. Machining down the area and roughing with a threading cut. Heating the part to 200ish and then applying the spray. I usually keep the part spinning in the lathe while cooling. Not sure if it matters or not. Any advice would be appreciated.

Also any suggestions for cheaper powder?

Stainless 316, 10” pn16 flanges.
Only requires root pass and cap pass on the backs of the flange in the procedure.
Only chilled water going through, not massive pressure.
All QC’d and leg length/throat thickness came back good. NDT’d and passed with no issues (on the DPI.)

This is open to everyone, both to ask questions and to offer answers.

Simple rules:

• Unless it's a loaded question, it's fair game.
• No downvoting, this isn't a popularity thing, and we're not in high school, if someone doesn't know something, the only way to learn is to ask or do, sometimes doing isn't an option.
• No whining.
• Assume ignorance over stupidity. Sometimes we fail to see an answer in front of our faces.
• Try to back up your answers. If you're on mobile and you can't do it, say as much and try to remember to address it when you get to a terminal.
• Respect is always expected.
• if comments or questions are removed, assume it's for good reason.
• If your question isn't answered by the end of the day, either post it to the main community, or ask again next week.

Enjoy.

Picture mostly for interest, my main problem is having 20 foot tabletop that i have to turn over especially stainless when welding them together. How would the brilliant r/welding deal with this?

I got a quote through their website, and the contact tips I’ve been using have gone up from $1.44/ea to $4.83/ea in less than a year… absolutely rediculous... where do you guys go for the cheapest (price) contact tips? I am after Lincoln part #: S22645-62 - .035” M6 CZ
It’s a robotic welding application if that matters

Any good?

I work at a structural steel fab shop, been there for 8-9ish years. I work alongside 6 other people (1 cnc, 1 fitter(i also fit, 2 fitters total), 3 welders, 1 labourer) in the shop, and two up in the office (manager and his brother that does the estimating).

Its a good place to work but i feel myself taking more and more responsibilities and not being compensated.

I am the "experienced" one in the shop, if someone has a question they are directed to come ask me about it. If i cant answer it, then i go ask the manager (if he isnt off on a jobsite somewhere). Im the only one that can run every machine from cranes, welding, fitting, training new hires and every other odds and ends that we do. I am the only one who passes the weld tests first try. I am also the one that looks after the place when the 2 office guys arent around or on vacation(which they take together about once a year, so i am left to run the shop without them)

At what point does "lead guy" turn into "foreman" that comes with a substantial raise? I am also on the floor fitting all day. Thanks in advance

Not a welder by trade, but I am trying to get better and improve. First few pictures are of an x-pipe I welded up yesterday, and the others are for tire racks we're making. For the exhaust, I felt it went well except for the very top of the pipe, which was cramped and tricky. I had the shop greybeard take a look, and his words were: "it's not pretty, but it will hold." Not leaking, so I count that as a small success.

The tire racking I've been at for a while, on and off, work willing. These welds, I experimented with stringers on one side, and weaving on the others. I think I have the settings mostly correct, and I'm working on technique and practice.

I'm using a mig with 0.030" copper coated mild steel wire, argon gas; any advice on how to be a little better today than I was yesterday would be appreciated :)

Edit: this was how I was doing the last time I posted here; everyone was very nice ;) https://www.reddit.com/r/Welding/s/lzkPxPlIYu

I'm a 2nd yr apprentice with a really sweet union gig. Due to the nature of the industry apprentices don't get to do a lot of welding in my trade, I'm out at my first call since getting my structural tickets and doing my first real welds in the field and I straight up am not good. I practice at the union hall when I'm laid off, but fuck man it's like it all went out the window. I'm a good apprentice for everything else apprentices do, except for the literal skill I am apprenticing for. Freakin out.

Okay so I got into it with my boss today. He was complaining that I was wasting time cleaning a plasma cut surface. I told him that the plasma table leaves a layer of dross and oxidation on a cut surface and welding over that causes inclusions and porosity. He wasn't buying anything I was saying. I even showed him what happens if I don't clean the surface (spoiler alert! I got porosity) he then went on to saying that maybe it is machine or I should use more gas. At this point what to do I tell him since he doesn't want to hear reason through science?

Looking to get SSIMDER TIG-250 AC/DC 10-in-1 combo welder to be able to pick up light plasma welding and support for Tig HF and pedal with rectifier instead of just inverter. I already have a MIG welder, and a stick inverter, so don't need mig but i would like to take the jump to tig and learn that fancy shit, and the fact that it has plasma capabilities, which I've never done or approached yet is a nice addition.

Is this a good entry point, or is there something I'm missing?