Posted by trucker40 on January 29, 2010 at 08:05:54 from (69.149.165.244):
In Reply to: Welding question posted by NCWayne on January 28, 2010 at 23:41:57:
There is nothing at all wrong with using a MIG welder on farm machinery.I worked at Allis Chalmers in the 1970s building Gleaner combines and the whole thing is welded with MIG welders.
Also I have welded for months at a time 9 hours a day on structural steel with a MIG.A weeks pile of iron that you weld with a MIG is a lot bigger than a weeks pile of iron with a stick.
Lots of people dont like MIG because they dont know how to weld with it,or they have a hard time keeping the machine running or setting the machine.They maybe cant get the workpiece to the MIG.Its hard to drag a MIG around in a gravel driveway.Wind messes up the weld.
Its a lot easier to drag a cable out somewhere to weld than get everything up to the shop or in the shop with a MIG.
If you have a shop and can get your equipment inside,A MIG is great.Also the weld is stronger because you arent getting the piece being welded as hot.There is a bad misconception about heat and welding.You need to use the right amount of heat stick welding or Mig.Stick welding by turning it up and burning it in is not making a stronger weld,its asking for a weld that is more likely to crack.Either the weld will crack or right beside it.All you do by turning it up is burn up the metal and radiate heat out further in the piece which can make the piece easier to break especially by vibration.This is from experience and not some book.Any repair welding that you do is best not to use any more heat than it takes to run the rod good or melt the wire and fill the groove with no undercut.A flat weld can get a little hotter than an uphill weld and thats why an uphill weld is stronger because the heat doesnt radiate out into the piece as far weakening the surrounding metal.Uphill MIG is better on something you want to be as strong as you can get it.
Mig,especially on newer equipment with the newer metal used at least since the 1970s,is the best way to weld it.7018 stick would be next and for older stuff,then 6011 for stuff that is mild steel.The reason people dont like 6011 a lot is that they will burn the metal up with it and get a bunch of slag in the weld and it will crack.Welding downhill,or welding wrong,with any rod,can make a weld that is full of holes or slag that is not worth anything.MIG done right does not have this problem.Mig seems to be a lot easier to weld in all positions than stick unless you have lots of practice with a stick.If you have a MIG you can weld stuff easier and better than with a stick as long as you know how to set it,stay out of the wind,and can weld reasonably well.For me it was easier to learn how to weld with a MIG than a stick.
Also,you are supposed to chip MIG welds before a multiple pass.There may not be a lot of stuff on there,but it should be chipped because it can cause porosity.
Now it seems like every year or even more often something like this comes up.Then you get all of these people expressing opinions and putting out false information.There is no argument to this.MIG is better to weld newer farm equipment with as long as you are welding steel.Wire is just as strong as 7018 if using the same wire and welding it right.Any weld is better done at the right heat and with as little heating of the surrounding area as necessary.In some cases like welding something that has to be real strong 7018 done right which is uphill can be better,but its because of the different characteristics of wire and rod welds.MIG welds are a little more brittle but they gain some of that back because they dont heat the surrounding area as bad.
If there is some reason why MIG is not supposed to be used in structural steel like somebody said,there is a whole bunch of stuff welded with MIG welders used in buildings.So that is misinformation crap.All welding processes have their place,however its more to do with how steel is made and what strength is needed,penetration and other factors.You dont necessarily need to know all of that to weld farm machinery.It doesnt hurt to know all you can either for that matter.However unless you are making XRay welds on a pressure fitting a lot of times just some basic welding info is all thats necessary.If you suddenly want to build a skyscraper out on the farm you may want to go to the library and study up.The real,real strong welds that I know about are flux core wire with shielding gas that penetrate an inch deep.Lots of stuff that has to be strong as possible is welded with a process like that and others.However there are reasons for all different types of welding.In some cases torch welding may be the best choice.Welding is something that there is a lot to learn about,plus a lot of prejudices which cause misinformation,which cause stuff to end up in the junkyard before its time.Done right welding can be stronger than the piece was originally.Welds done right seldom fail.The metal right next to a weld usually fails because of the heat weakening it.
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