dialing in your welder feed rate setting

I just came in from the shop after repairing one of my wife's Christmas decorations. It was a steel sled with a raindeer pulling it. It's one of those rustic, patinaed arty things you find in tourist shops. The artist who made it was talented in that he formed the sled and deer out of thin sheet metal and used 1/8th welding rod for the frame and the deer's antlers. When she was packing it away one of the antlers broke off. Just a case of a poor weld. I said I would fix it and took it out and fired up the MIG.

The reason for the story was to use it as an example to pass along a hint.
The antlers were in two pieces and bent into a 'U' shape where it had been welded to the deer's head. I used some thin wire to hold things together at the right angle and put the end of the wire at the point where I wanted to make a small weld. I didn't want to heat or arc damage the surrounding area so I used an old trick to make sure that when the arc started it would be exactly where I wanted it. Sometimes the arc might be off a little, dropping your hood or a slight movement when you squeeze the trigger.

Here's where all the rhetoric is going. Just before droppng my hood I squeeze the trigger just a quick 'click', just enough to charge the wire and touch where I want the arc to start. Usually the wire will arc and stick to the work at the precise point where you want it. Now any movement will not effect where the arc starts and dropping the hood or adjusting your head or arm won't change it. The wire is stuck there.

Now you can pull the trigger and, presto, a neat little weld bead at a precise point.
This method can be used anytime you need to make a precision weld where you don't want to take the chance of damaging the surrounding area but keep the arc confined in a small space.

Sorry for the rambling but I wanted to set the stage for an example of where to use this old welders trick when the size and placement of the bead is critical.

Tom

Let me see if I can explain it a little better.

I squeeze the trigger, fast, just a click. When you do that the wire is momentarily electrically charged. The capacitors in the machine will hold a small charge and that is in the wire. If you immediately touch your work with the wire there will be a very small spark when the wire touches and 'usually' the wire will stick.

The spark is really too small to be called an arc so you won't need a hood. It happens fast and the flash is really small. I always wera safety glasses or reading glasses under my hood so that protects my eyes from the potential flying thing/spark. That rarely happens but just in case...........

Keep in mind that I only rely on this trick when I'm doing something very small and in a tight spot and where if the wire touches and arcs outside of the area where I want to weld it might damage/burn something I don't want to mess up. That's why I used the deer antler example. The deer's head where the antlers were welded is made of very thin sheet metal and it has a patina finish; looks antique. I didn't want to make a burn mark on the head/skin but I needed to attach the antler to the 1/8" welding rod frame.

However, Mr.Handsome is also correct in that if there is a very bright light directed right at the work area it will make it easier to see the wire and your work.
I was just suggesting a trick that works for me when the area is small and confined.

Tom

I had a bad experience with an auto-darkening hood and got flash burns to both eyes when it failed and I was TIGing and close to my work. The electronics in the hood malfunctioned, it never worked again. The hood wasn't mine but a company owned tool.

I've never trusted them since but I know many, (most) welders swear by them. Just be careful where you buy them. The one that failed on me came from a well known tool supplier that I often read about on this forum. They replaced it, free of charge, but I refused to use it.

Tom