Fillet Weld Bead Profile

[BobR]

Hi,
I got a 140 amp Mig welder with .030 wire in it, 75/25 Argon and CO2. I set the voltage at setting 5 (max. is 6). When I do fillet welds on 1/8th inch mild steel, I get a bead profile that has a ridge or hump in it (instead of a nice rounded back). I varied the wire speed from the lower to higher range for that setting and got a nice stable arc, still I'm getting a "pointed" profile. I kept the arc on the leading edge of the puddle and did a tiny tiny weave, just to make sure I was hitting both pieces. When I do a destructive test, the steel breaks, while the weld remains intact.

Any suggestions on how to get rounded fillet beads?
ALSO....would these be considered good welds? (pointed profiles)

Thanks

Bob

P.S. Wire stickout was about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch.

[Scott S]

I would try either turning up the wire speed or turn your tap up to 6 and lower the wire speed and see if that helps.

[Aaron]

A few things to consider:
1) How large of a piece are you welding, and how warm/cold is it?

2) What brand and type of wire are you using? The different "grades" of wire will effect this as well.

I would think that a 140A machine is at it's limits for a 1/8" material. You may not get much better than what you're seeing.

[BobR]

Hey guys, thanks for the replies.
I changed the circ. breaker to a 30 amper (in my garage sub-panel) now I can use the no. 6 setting on my welder w/o tripping the breaker. I set the wire speed a bit slower and on tap 6 it seemed to flatten out the bead a bit. Gonna practice more this weekend and hopefully all the beads will come out flatter.
Aaron,
I'm welding 3 inch long by 1.5" wide pieces together- t-weld - in 20 degree weather using HTP wire (ER70S-6).
Thanks again guys,
BobR

[Scott V]

BobR,
Here is one from a esab 210 set at #5 tap of 10 taps.It is 1/8 steel,.030 hobart wire,75/25 gas..Its was the first time I used it in quite a while.

[Pin Head]

Originally posted by BobR
Hey guys, thanks for the replies.
I changed the circ. breaker to a 30 amper (in my garage sub-panel) now I can use the no. 6 setting on my welder w/o tripping the breaker.

Be sure that the wire in the circuit is rated to handle 30A. Around here, the code calls for 10 gauge wire. Be safe.

[BobR]

Scott V, thanks for the pic. That's the profile I'm trying to get on my fillets.


Pin, I do have 10 guage wire in that circuit.

I was also wondering if pointy welds are weaker than rounded ones? Or is it just cosmetic?



Thanks,
Bob R

[Aaron]

Originally posted by BobR
......I was also wondering if pointy welds are weaker than rounded ones? Or is it just cosmetic?

Bob,

Let's just say it isn't desirable. What are you building? A chassis for your new dunebuggy, or a coat-rack? This will certainly influence the acceptability of your high-profile beads.

For a hobbiest, as long as the weld has penetration to both pieces you're probably okay. One thing though, are you running a straight bead, or using some sort of weave? This joint with your machine will require a weave to get the best results. Running a straight bead and expecting the "extra" wire to just flow to the sides will most certainly result in a high bead profile.

Practice, practice, practice. Good luck.

[Scott S]

Bobr, Glad you got in working for you.

[BobR]

Well guys i'm not building anything yet still in the practice stage...but I had my brother watch my procedure and he noticed that my gun angle was too steep. I tried to use the 10 to 15 degree angle and the welds looked way better. Gonna practice that and practice that and... try to keep the angle correct.
Hopefully soon i'll be welding right and get a camera to show a picture of my correct weld. After I get a computer that can show pictures haha
This is one of the best sites on the web.
thanks again guys.
BobR