A few welds with my IMIG 200...

[CGCINC]

2" square tubing, 11ga. Mig set at full speed and 21.2 volts
I was running it hot and it seemed to lay in better. I was trying different patterns, weave, circles, straight pull/push... I'm starting to like my IMig!!

[SeanMurphy265]

Looking good! Are you running 220 or 110v?

[bobwills]

They are lookin good. But why are you running it full speed on 11 ga?

[CGCINC]

They are lookin good. But why are you running it full speed on 11 ga?

I'm running 220volts.

I'm at full speed because that's where it felt comfortable. I am making my Steel Rack so since it isn't a beauty contest, I figured I could mess with the welder and get a better feel for it. It really seemed to get good penetration and flow well at these setting......as long as you Keep moving!!

[bobwills]

what size of wire are you using.

[Rodsmachineshop]

being a 160 amp welder .030 wire works about best ,

[CGCINC]

being a 160 amp welder .030 wire works about best ,

.030 is what I am using.

[CGCINC]

Question:
When welding this, it was hot and I had to keep moving so I didn't blow holes.
Why is there no undercut showing?
I know if I'm hot with the TIG I get some undercut.

Is it just the speed I'm moving compared to TIG?

[Rodsmachineshop]

to many amps - volts

[CGCINC]

to many amps - volts

Sure made for a fast weld job!!

[performance]

being a 160 amp welder .030 wire works about best

The 200 is 160 @ 35% duty cycle. It's rated at 200.

[performance]

The best way to tell is to LOOK at the results. On my older 160, I dial it in about 18.5 and about 220 wire speed for a weld like that...But in a trailer plant, they'd consider that kind of cold. Hot and fast for that type tubing is all they know. However, there's not too much build up except on the side. The fillet part looks pretty good.

[CGCINC]

The best way to tell is to LOOK at the results. On my older 160, I dial it in about 18.5 and about 220 wire speed for a weld like that...But in a trailer plant, they'd consider that kind of cold. Hot and fast for that type tubing is all they know. However, there's not too much build up except on the side. The fillet part looks pretty good.

On the side I had the gap to fill which is where it was touchy with that much heat.

Just scewin around with it and trying to "get a feel" for different strokes and settings. Some day I want to be a welder!!

[undercut]

Nice welds! How many times did you need to start and stop going around the tube? Have any issues tying in when you did?

[fdcmiami]

that weld would pass anywhere. running along the side might take a little more practice but there's nothing wrong with what you've got. problems arise sometimes when you increase the size of the tubing and the radius on the corners increases also. you'll find a single pass may be ok where the pieces meet at a ninety but you may have to lay in several depending on size of radius. the more steel you work with the less you'll pick up that tig torch.

[CGCINC]

Nice welds! How many times did you need to start and stop going around the tube? Have any issues tying in when you did?

I did two sides then readjust and do the other two.

[Rambozo]

Question:
When welding this, it was hot and I had to keep moving so I didn't blow holes.
Why is there no undercut showing?
I know if I'm hot with the TIG I get some undercut.

Is it just the speed I'm moving compared to TIG?

It has more to do with the amount of filler. TIG undercutting is usually caused by lack of filler. With the MIG you got the wire flyin', since in short circuit MIG, the Amps and wire speed are tied together, you almost always have enough filler for the heat you are using. That is the one drawback with MIG, that you can't put in heat without putting in filler. What you have there looks great for the fillet portions and real close on the sides. As was mentioned the tubing radius gives you a nice built in groove for the weld. With practice you should be able to get that weld to just over flush. Keep the wire at the front of the puddle, and move from side to side, pausing a little at each side to melt the base metal, but moving pretty fast over the center where the groove is. Then you won't add so much filler and you will concentrate the heat where you need it most.

[Brian Ski]

Well maybe this is a good place to ask... Great to hijack a thread. I am a backyard self taught welder. I was told when making a MIG weld you want to swirl the torch. On Jody's videos he called it making e's hard to describe it. He even showed it when using a TIG. When you weld you run the torch like a lower case written e and keep hooking them together... It comes out like swirls or similar to stacking dimes. Then I see a lot of people weld straight across... The welds look more like a caterpillar.

Just another way of welding or is one better than the other???

[Rambozo]

Well maybe this is a good place to ask... Great to hijack a thread. I am a backyard self taught welder. I was told when making a MIG weld you want to swirl the torch. On Jody's videos he called it making e's hard to describe it. He even showed it when using a TIG. When you weld you run the torch like a lower case written e and keep hooking them together... It comes out like swirls or similar to stacking dimes. Then I see a lot of people weld straight across... The welds look more like a caterpillar.

Just another way of welding or is one better than the other???

It all depends on the kind of joint, and the conditions. Uphill, downhill, flat or overhead and the amount of groove to fill or fillet to add. Also the size has some effect, as it's hard to do the same kind of wire manipulations on really small welds, so you simplify your motions. On a deep groove you almost want to follow the contour of the groove, and be slightly ahead in the center, almost like making a series of inverted vees. There are many techniques that help to achieve the same thing and that is a good tie to the base metal and weld metal. If you are welding from right to left or left to right, the little cursive e's or u's do that same motion where you dwell slightly on each side of the weld and move pretty quickly over the center. The description of motion varies depending on how you are viewing the weld. All of these are pretty small motions on something like 11ga. It's easier to see the effects on much thicker metal, then you just scale down your motions. But by the time you get to sheet metal you are basically doing a straight push or drag. Maybe a robot welder could get a slightly better weld by doing ultra small motions, but my eyes are no longer up to the task of moving something accurately just a few thousandths of an inch. The speeded up videos really help to show the motions. Someday I will have to try recording some welds and speed them up to see what they look like.

[SeanMurphy265]

I whip it like you run flux core (with shielding gas), but that's mostly from habit. I like running .035 wire in my Imig200.