How to Stack Dimes MIG Welding...And When You Shouldn't 

Thanks!

Tim's been watching Sarah-N-Tuned :)

Love that channel!

I appreciate that!

QRS wave pattern is within normal parameters.

I like it too! Wider markers would be nice, but the skinny ones do well enough.

Thanks a ton! I appreciate it!

Wow, thank you! I've honestly never used those, but they look really cool. I'd be interested to know what he uses them for, perhaps joining dissimilar metals or cladding/repairing bronze alloys. I imagine they may also work for cast iron repair. The best way to reach me is by email at timweldsonline@gmail(dot)com and we can chat about it. I have a few contacts who might know a bit more than I do and may be able to help with a video.

100% agree. I actually like the look of straight, smooth beads better, but in some circles there's an expectation for this style. These welds held up better than I thought they would, but it certainly isn't ideal for structural work.

@@TimWelds 哈哈哈~万恶的鱼鳞焊！

Thanks Peter!

I very rarely weld like this, and don't recommend it most of the time. In some industries, a certain aesthetic is expected, so I've learned how to do it and it comes in handy from time to time.

I have always given an unwavering higher valuation to function over fashion. But I have come to grips with the fact that sometimes fashion is a big part of the function. TLDR .. there's a time and a place. I think that's why Tim put off this video for so long like he described at the beginning of the vid.

@@tedbastwock3810 sure thing. I guess if you were making an engine intake pipe or something for a show car, where the welds don't get subjected to any real stress, this type of weld would make it look good without the lack of strength being an issue.

@@Sparky_D Indeed, great example. Or, maybe a small piece of furniture where the force on the weld will never come close to exceeding the weld strength, but the weld will be seen.

Cool! I'll keep it around.

谢谢

That's definitely true. A good test is worth a 1000 opinions. Spray transfer solves a lot of problems when the setup allows for it, and pulse is a good middle ground.

These are just DeWalt 24TPI portaband blades, and they work pretty good. My pick is Starrett if I'm going for top quality.

With short circuit MIG like this, either works well and I'd just do what's convenient. Pulling tends to give slightly more penetration generally, but it's not significant. If you ever start using spray transfer or pulsed spray (which includes any aluminum welding), a push angle is the best way to go.

It depends on what you're trying to accomplish. I recommend running stringer beads with stick welding, at least with rods like 6013, 7014 & 7018. In there vertical up position, a weave works well on cover passes when it's allowed. If you're looking for this type of aesthetic with stick welds, you can get pretty close by using 6010 or 6011 with a whip and pause motion. This is a simple back and forth pattern moving up barely ahead of the puddle, allowing it to freeze, then returning to a location slightly ahead of where you were to build up to the same width, then repeating. You could also incorporate a slight tee shaped motion into the pause to spread it out with these electrodes. This really only works well with these rods since they are fast freeze electrodes.

@@TimWelds Thanks a lot for such a detailed response.

There's honestly not that much difference between CO2 and an argon blend from an appearance perspective. You'll get a little more spatter and deeper penetration with CO2, which makes it a better fit for thicker stuff. Honestly, I'd just stick with the Argon blend unless you have a compelling reason to use CO2, such as cost when you're running hundreds of feet of weld per day in a factory. For small custom or hobby work, the cost difference is negligible.

@@TimWelds thank u

Aluminum is a little different and is actually much easier to get some ripples without having the same penetration problems. It is welded with spray transfer, which is a hotter process and it also conducts heat really well to cool the puddle quickly, so a slight back and forth stitching motion is all it takes. If you watch any of my aluminum MIG tutorials, I show how to do that.

It's a little table from SWAG off-road which holds a portable bandsaw. Mine has a Milwaukee saw in it. Harbor Freight has a new portable bandsaw stand that has a vertical and horizontal function; I haven't tried it, but if I didn't already have this one I'd look into it as an option.

This is a Fireball vise...not their big one though.

I'm also in the smooth camp, but some people really like this look so I've found it worthwhile to learn for those occasions. I do need a better way to do some mechanical testing. During my career, I've had fully staffed metallurgical labs at my disposal. It's definitely a different story in the home shop. I'm pretty sure I can pop one of those 1/4" joints by hand with a lever, but my table kept sliding on me.

Totally! One day I'd love to have one. That blue vise is actually from Fireball tool, it's their small one and it's a great vise for the money.

Any time, Craig! It won't go as far as it used to, though.

This one is the Revolution 2500, it has similar capability to the PP220 on wire feed processes, but also has full featured AC/DC TIG capability. It's an awesome machine.

Awesome! I'll keep using it.

?????????????

Did you watch the video...that's kind of the point.