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Post by Big Mike on Jun 21, 2009 20:35:12 GMT -5
Any of you guys use a Lincoln SP-125 welder?
I've been practicing on some scrap pieces to find the right settings to weld in some floor board pieces and I'm having a little trouble.
My vert had in it at one time a tremec 6 speed trans that I took out and replaced with the original Muncie. The guy who put in the 6 speed had to cut a piece out of the floor to accommodate for the longer trans and i want to weld the piece that was cut out back in so I can replace the carpet and reinstall the console properly. I've been trying to find the right settings on my welder and I've been having trouble finding the right combo of wire speed and arc setting. I was hoping that someone here may have done some patching before and could give me some settings to try.
I've used the suggested settings on the welder for the gauge steel, but they haven't worked to well. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
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Post by bubbasz1 on Jun 21, 2009 21:17:18 GMT -5
What I usually do is use a piece of the same thickness steel i'm welding. Put the heat setting on what you think is correct and start your weld. Don't pay attention to what your welding so much as the noise it creates. Then slowly adjust your wire speed one way or the other and you will hear when you hit your sweet spot. I use a HTP 2400 mig but they should all act the same. If it ends up not being hot enough juice up the welder and reset your wire feed the same way.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2009 21:38:07 GMT -5
Are you burning holes in it? I have a hobart handler 140 and my dad and I are also patching panels in the floorboard. For the 20 gauge steel I have been using .024 welding wire with the voltage setting at 2 and the wire speed at 30. When I was welding near some thin spots (because of rust) I would burn holes through the steel. Then when I would try to fix that hole and I would burn another hole. I bought some welder helpers from eastwood which are some copper plates with a handle on them. It pulls the heat from the weld and also helps support the material when welding. This helps with burning through the steel but I still burned through it. I also turned the voltage down to 1 hoping it would create less heat but it still burned through. Next we are going to cut a section out and try to remove all of the thinner material and replace it with some new steel. Hopefully this will eliminate burning through the material. I have also been spot welding instead of welding a continuous bead. This has been helping some with the amount of heat being transferred to the steel.
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Post by moldy on Jun 21, 2009 22:20:14 GMT -5
Don't be afraid to crank it up higher than you might think is correct. Same with the wire speed. With a hotter weld it takes more skill not to burn through but it is a better weld and a lot less to grind. Try doing small rapid little welds you weld for just a few secs than move onto the next weld. Use the machines suggested setting but don't take it as gospel adjust it to what works best from there. Don't get lazy and skip cleaning. I have learned the hard way that taking the time to clean actually saves time. Last tip I learned from TIG welding is that you got to pay attention to how hot the metal gets and as it heats up you may need to make shorter welds as you go along.
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Post by bubbasz1 on Jun 22, 2009 5:16:14 GMT -5
Stitch welding is very useful in thin sheet metal applications and yes I like using a lot of heat but you do have to be care full of burn though. Remember a good (penetration) ugly weld is better than a pretty cold weld.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2009 9:20:35 GMT -5
Hi Mike,
Like Jeff said, practice on some scrap metal. Two things to check; make sure the metal is clean in the weld area and verify you have a good ground connection to clean metal.
When the MIG is working properly, you will hear a good sizzle sound. Once you hear it you never forget that sound.
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Post by Big Mike on Jun 22, 2009 12:46:46 GMT -5
Hi Mike,
Like Jeff said, practice on some scrap metal. Two things to check; make sure the metal is clean in the weld area and verify you have a good ground connection to clean metal.
When the MIG is working properly, you will hear a good sizzle sound. Once you hear it you never forget that sound. Guys: Thanks for the tips, but let me clarify. I've welded many times before with a wide variety of machines, just not this particular machine. I am practicing on sheet metal about the same as the pieces of floor from my vert. The vert's floorboard metal measures out at something between 18 and 20 gauge. I'm practicing on 18 gauge steel. Everything is clean as a whistle, learned that a long time ago. And I know about getting a good sizzle sound like frying bacon. I am having trouble burning trough and I'm practicing on metal butted together like I will be with the pieces I will be welding back into the floor of the vert. I've got the settings just right when I overlap the pieces, just having problem with the butt welds. I'll keep trying and let you know. |
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Post by bubbasz1 on Jun 22, 2009 13:09:58 GMT -5
Ah butt welds, pain in the arse, little less power, little less wire feed(maybe). Probably will have to stitch weld a little section at a time. Could be the sp-125 does not have the power setting you need. Which would make life difficult, but some 110 volt machines are like that.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2009 13:53:49 GMT -5
Consider a small 1/4" -1/2" lap welded strap as backup. Then grid smooth/off when finished.
Or the copper backup strip.
I would like to have an overdrive manual for the convertible but do not want to lose the console.
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Post by bubbasz1 on Jun 22, 2009 16:05:35 GMT -5
Hey Mike is that tremac still laying around??
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Post by Big Mike on Jun 22, 2009 21:17:17 GMT -5
Thanks again for the tips, I may order up some of the copper strips that were recommended, that would probably help a lot.
Bubba, my SP-125 has the stitch option and I've practiced with it a few times, but to get it to not burn through I have to turn the timer down so low that's pretty hard to weld with, but I'm still working on it.
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Post by Big Mike on Jun 22, 2009 21:36:53 GMT -5
Hey Mike is that tremac still laying around?? No, sold it a long time ago, but it was toast anyway. I sold it to a guy to use as a core for a rebuilt unit he was swapping into his; are you ready - Mazda RX7 with a Chevy 350 he was dropping in along with the Tremec. When I first looked at my vert the Tremec trans was working, but I wasn't bitting on the price the guy was asking for it. I had mentioned that I was probably going to put the Muncie back in since the guy had all the original parts, including the pieces of the floor board the guy had to cut out. Some time after I test drove the car someone else did and somehow fried the trans. So the owner called me to see if I was still interested in the car since he knew I was going to put the Muncie in, and of course I said yes. I was able to pick it up at a subtanually reduced rate more in line with what I wanted to pay. I still have the modified crossmember laying around here somewhere, I think that's the only thing I have left. The guy took the modified bellhousing since it was a Chevy bellhousing and the clutch fork setup. I would like to have that extra gear with my 4:10 rear, I can see why the original guy put in a 6-speed. |
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