How to weld

[Rob Taylor]

Hi everyone,
I bought this book called How To Weld
http://www.amazon.com/How-To-Weld-Motorbooks-Workshop/dp/076033174X/

It has been many years since I have welded and then it was only partly using Oxy Acetylene and mostly stick welding.

Does this look like the best reference to get me up to speed with the Multiplaz or do you think there are better references?
Or perhaps there are other references I should have as well?

Thanks,
Robert Taylor

[kakadu]

Hi Rob, welding is a very hands on thing, same as driving a car....you can't drive by the book as you need both hands on the wheel.....LOL, so with the Multiplaz the more you use it the better it gets.

I've had 3 years of using it on and off, but if you have oxy/acc and some Tig experience then you're streets ahead of anyone who just stick welds now and then.

One thing I did find out right at the beginning, you can't weld with Mode 1 as the heat is too diffuse and you end up melting everything in sight instead of just the area you want to form a weld pool.....Mode 2 is the cats whiskers and as soon as the "spike" like arc forms, the weld pool starts and very quickly too. 

There are a couple of videos on UTUBE but as I said, you need to just do it until you do it automatically.

As soon as I can locate some pics of jobs I've done I'll post them, but again it will not make you a better welder, that comes with using the device.

Ian.

[kakadu]

Hi, just found a few pics of my very first weld attempts with the 'Plaz.

The first one is a right angle weld on some 25mm X 1mm wall square steel tubing.....it should be noted that there was no prior surface cleaning of the job.....it was as cut off and had paint all over it, but the heat of the torch flame soon flaked the paint off........the same applies to rust as it just flakes off too.

The setting was Mode 1 and range no. 3 in mode 1 and 2.

I used a piece of 3.2mm stick welding rod with the flux coating removed as the filler.

Ian.

[kakadu]

BTW, my welding bench at the moment is a piece of 19mm thick chip board on a pair of trestle stands with a couple of fire bricks to keep the board from burning.

I've got a steel bench with a thin top in the garage, but as it's loaded with junk I welded outside the garage door on the board when I want to do a bit of welding etc.

This next pic is a piece of 10mm thick plate with a 6mm thick plate at right angles welded to it.....again no attempt was made to clean the rust off or do a vee preperation as for stick welding, and it was just some scrap metal for a test purpose to see how the 'Plaz handled thicker material.

You do NOT want to have a vee weld preparation with any form of oxy/acc or Tig type welding as the weld pool is also the job as it melts and forms a pool, so that also applies to the Multiplaz.......filler is added to make the surface level and prevent a sunken in weld zone.

The beauty of the Multiplaz is that you can proceed as slow as you want and are not governed by the deposition rate of a welding rod like with stick or Mig welding......the pool forms and you control how much you want by the melting of the joint and filler as you proceed, and you can go over the weld a number of times without having a build up as with stick or Mig.

It pays to have the joint close together or the weld will penetrate through and you get a blow through........thick metal does not have that problem but the thinner stuff like sheet or tubing does.

The setting for the thick stuff was Mode 1 and 2 with a range at #3......you can go higher if you want, but the job dictates how much heat you need.

If you move too quick you'll get a surface weld only, and dwelling on the beginning to get the weld pool will determine how deep you penetrate and the rate of forward movement will determine the same.....experience teaches you in this case.

With thicker material I always start about 4mm in from the edge to prevent the weld pool running off the job and just move the arc spike (mode 2) back and forth and round and round in small circles to form the weld pool and go on from there.

You can also just lay a piece of filler rod on the weld seam and  melt the whole lot together as you go, being careful to make sure you also penetrate into the base material.

IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO USE A WELDING GLOVE ON YOUR LEFT HAND AND HOLD THE FILLER ROD IN THE  HOLDER TO PREVENT GETTING ELECTROCUTED......this is not an idle suggestion as you are dealing with very high voltages in mode 2.......I use a bare right hand to hold the torch as it gives me a better feel.

Ian.

[kakadu]

OOps, forgot the photo in last post.
Ian.

[Rob Taylor]

Thank you for all the great advice and photos Ian!

Since I am setting up my shop from scratch (newly built) I will have to start out without a welding table, and build one when I manage to acquire the materials and time.

I have lots of dreams for what I can use my new Multiplaz 3500 for!

Take Care,
Robert Taylor

[Iwerk]

Rob, find some scrap metal of different thickness, 

burn a hole in these different pieces and practice filling in the holes.  

You can do this with all sorts of different types of metal.

Control your temperature by moving the flame closer or farther away from the weld puddle. 

[Rob Taylor]

Thank you for that advice Iwerk :)

I managed to get a few different pieces of scrap, one is tapered from about 1/2 inch down to a blade. I think it must have been
cut off of a front end loader shovel or something. I will be experimenting and practicing quite a lot for the next while.

Take Care,
Robert Taylor

[Angel villanueva]

Hey kakadu, Your picking up quickly! A little advice on those welds to get them cleaner and tighter.The proper settings for WELDING ferrous material is the following: Mode1 lvl 2 ,  Mode2 lvl 2-3 Mode1= Torch pressure. Mode2= Arc intensity. So Mode1 is put to lvl 2 for low pressure so the bead or weld pool doesn't move around or disfigure due to torch pressure and to prevent from blowing holes in your material. This will help achieve a better smoother bead. Mode2 controls arc intensity so it is set to 2-3 depending on thickness 2 for thinner 3 for thicker. If its still not enough proceed to lvl 4. the way this works is when a arc flows threw air it creates friction causing the metal to reach a certain temp. by moving up or down on the lvls you are increasing or decreasing amperage effecting the intensity of the arc. This will be the major adjustment, so if your way to hot or cold you will first adjust the mode lvls. The display will show volts being used adjusting this (by rotating start button on torch clock wise or counter) will be your fine tuning the more volts the hotter the material gets. Volt rage should be between 160v-200v according to material thickness. Goal is to give yourself a longer time window to create a nice bead at cooler temp and not have to rush your beads due to overheating. Try working on your stacking dimes or whip technique. This technique works well with thin material or when achieving full penetration but at the same time letting the material cool to prevent heat stressing.

Second Technique is a Stringer bead or a drag, This is more for filling welds quickly but has less penetration and causes heat stress due to the torch not letting the weld cool down.

Yes these are my welds with Multiplaz I will post some more welds with different materials periodically.

Any questions, misunderstandings and or comments feel free to reply.  

[Angel villanueva]

          Iwerk is very smart! That is perfect way to get to know this tool, This is how I practice with my multiplaz!

[Angel villanueva]

[Angel villanueva]

[Angel villanueva]

[Angel villanueva]

[Angel villanueva]

[Angel villanueva]

[Angel villanueva]

[Angel villanueva]

Stainless Steel beads no filler using 70% Alc.

  

Adjusting settings to get penetration on thick stainless.

NO FILLER USED!

[Rob Taylor]

Thank you for all the advice and the great pictures Angel!

[Clay Ness]

What did you use for filler rod on this weld?

[Clay Ness]

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7u2m6sV4nV8/U6yh6VYvSSI/AAAAAAAAARI/moV-h8G7mO0/s320/20131226_165735.jpg

[Adam Figueroa]

Hello Rob my name is Adam Figueroa I am the new welder on staff at Multiplaz Angel is no longer with the company. If you need anything, you can call me or send me a email at adamfi...@gmail.com 

 T

Thank you Adam Figueroa

[Rob Taylor]

Hi Adam,
Thank you for touching base and welcome to the Multiplaz 3500 Google Group!

I have a Multiplaz 3500 specific question...
I noticed that it is best practice not to run the Mulitplaz 3500 dry such that it shuts off with the overheat lamp indicated. See
Tips & Tricks from the Multiplaz website http://www.multiplaz.com/tricks_and_tips_using_the_multiplaz_3500

What if you only run the Multiplaz 3500 for a few minutes after filling, do you just store the unit with the liquid (water or water/alcohol) still in it?
I have never been able to just tip the torch over and pour the liquid back out, there seems to be a cotton wick or something in it?

Thanks,
Rob

[Adam Figueroa]

Hello Clay, in our shop we use ER70S-2 3/32 size of rod for mild steel. Sorry for the delay. 

Thanks Adam Figueroa

On Sunday, November 16, 2014 8:31:35 AM UTC-8, Clay Ness wrote:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7u2m6sV4nV8/U6yh6VYvSSI/AAAAAAAAARI/moV-h8G7mO0/s320/20131226_165735.jpg

[Adam Figueroa]

Hello Rob

 Thank you for the warm welcome. You can leave fluid in the torch, but your alcohol well start to evaporate over time. its best to flush your torch before you start to get the most consistence weld. I like to leave some alcohol or water in my torch when i go home or for the weekend it makes it easier to brake down (check cathode, evaporator)  before I start welding. When you are running your torch out of fluid keep your volts low and you shouldn't have a problem. Sometimes when my volts are too high and the fluid is low  the quarts tube to brakes. 

Thanks Adam 

[Rob Taylor]

Thanks Adam :)
I forgot to reply to your last message using the group and replied with an email instead.
So I will note some more of our communication here in case it helps other Multiplaz users.

Flushing the torch means to use the syringe to fill the torch and to continue adding liquid while the liquid runs out of the torch nozzle. (thanks Adam)

Adam breaks down his torch every day before starting work with the unit to check that everything is in working order and then checks his cathode
after every 3rd torch refilling to make sure it is tight.

Adam also suggests that if you are having trouble adjusting the voltage to below 200v you need to recalibrate the cathode.
You will also need to recalibrate the cathode if  you have filed it down to a shorter length.

I am wondering what is involved in calibrating the cathode? I see the section in the manual that talks about the crater depth in the
cathode and about checking the alignment of the cathode with the assembly by rolling it on a flat surface. Is calibration something else?

Thanks,
Robert Taylor

[Adam Figueroa]

  Hello Rob this is a pic of how to check if the cathode assembly is in calibration. Green dot is for cutting Red dot is for welding. You want no space between your tool the cathode if there is space you need to adjust your cathode assembly picture one is how it should be. picture 2 needs to be adjusted. You would adjust it by loosening the cathode Assembly screw on the side of the touch, turning it counter clock wise. In this case pull the cathode assembly out to were it meets the tool. Its a good idea to do this when you start your day welding or change a cathode or sanding it down

[Rob Taylor]

Thank you Adam :)