Welding is proving to be a nightmare

As you can see after having a poke around I have quite a big hole in the rear of the 88 , I Also have a huge hole In the chassis that I need to weld .
I have a gasless mig welder which I have used for floor panels in the past which was great . Yesterday I attempted to repair these holes with it , it was CRP, I spent more time fixing the flux core feeds than I did welding , I think I ended up with over half a roll on the driveway wasted .I have a few questions , the flux core kept buckling up and snapping which resulted in me wasting loads of it , it splattered all over the place , with no actual weld , the metal was clean , the clamp was good. , Could the roll just have been bad? , does it go off ?

Also for such sturdy welds , not panels etc , should I get an arc welder instead , I was always put off as I was told it could blow holes in panels but I'm not doing panels I'm doing the rear and box section of the chassis ,


I'll probably try new flux core reel first before buying an arc welder , however if im wasting my time I'll sell mig and but an arc welder

Any advice , thanks .

Sounds like your feed needs adjusting, too fast and long spatter, too short and it gets fused in the tip. Practice with feed speeds and amperage on some scrap first

Thanks , can this be done with a flux core welder if I get enough practice in ?

Should be able to weld up to 1/4 inch with FC. Your bumper should be 4mm steel. Could always pass twice and bevel the join.

neilc75 said:

Thanks , can this be done with a flux core welder if I get enough practice in ?

Click to expand...

yes, I have welded loads with flux core before I got my gas set

It's easier to how holes in thinner metal with an arc welder, it can be harder to get a deep penetrating wild with a mig, but practise makes perfect!
Whatever your welding needs to be very clean and rust free when you use a mig and it doesn't work so well upside down.
Make sure the earth clamp making good contact with whatever you're welding

Get a gas set up your currant gasless rig is pish, I use R-tech welders, great product great
customer service & 3 year pick up & post warranty. Not the cheapest but if your looking for
a hobby machine look at Clarke. No point messing about with cr@p tools tis like trying to
remove a seized bolt with a Cadbury's spanner.

Hobby weld do a 15L gas bottle for 90 quid including deposit, costs 40 quid to fill it.
You get the 50 quid back when or if you return the bottle.

I'd want to see that cleaned up and prepped a lot better before you think of patching that...

Assuming no fault with the machine & its attachments and that you've got the leads the right way round for flux core use.

If the wire is just hitting the surface & bending then either your wire speed is far too high for the current setting or there is something stopping the arc forming.
If the picture is the actual state of what you're trying to weld on then I'm not surprised it's not working.
The metal needs to be bright & shiny, use an angle grinder to clean it.
The clamp attachment point needs to be the same.

kevstar said:

Get a gas set up your currant gasless rig is pish, I use R-tech welders, great product great
customer service & 3 year pick up & post warranty. Not the cheapest but if your looking for
a hobby machine look at Clarke. No point messing about with cr@p tools tis like trying to
remove a seized bolt with a Cadbury's spanner.

Hobby weld do a 15L gas bottle for 90 quid including deposit, costs 40 quid to fill it.
You get the 50 quid back when or if you return the bottle.

Click to expand...

A proper MIG, set up properly is the dogs for welding chassis' and such like. MMA is great structurally, but needs more technique ...

Another vote fro R-Tech - I have one of their TIG sets - very good, and a Plasma cutter too, also very good.

Personally, I fell out with Hobby weld due leaking bottles and disinterest in sorting it - now use Energas - but there are loads of suppliers - one was even a forum sponsor for a while....

Marmaduke said:

I'd want to see that cleaned up and prepped a lot better before you think of patching that...

Click to expand...

100% agree. Proper Preparation Prevents P*ss Poor Performance

kevstar said:

Get a gas set up your currant gasless rig is pish, I use R-tech welders, great product great
customer service & 3 year pick up & post warranty. Not the cheapest but if your looking for
a hobby machine look at Clarke. No point messing about with cr@p tools tis like trying to
remove a seized bolt with a Cadbury's spanner.

Hobby weld do a 15L gas bottle for 90 quid including deposit, costs 40 quid to fill it.
You get the 50 quid back when or if you return the bottle.

Click to expand...

Disco1BFG said:

A proper MIG, set up properly is the dogs for welding chassis' and such like. MMA is great structurally, but needs more technique ...

Another vote fro R-Tech - I have one of their TIG sets - very good, and a Plasma cutter too, also very good.

Personally, I fell out with Hobby weld due leaking bottles and disinterest in sorting it - now use Energas - but there are loads of suppliers - one was even a forum sponsor for a while....

Click to expand...

Chaps, the chap has a small area to prep and weld. Clean the area practice, practice and practice then use the kit available to do a good job. Spending thousands on more capable kit is disproportionate in this case. If I were welding for pleasure or had significant structural work too would be all in

Sometimes it's much easier and cheaper to let a professional do the welding.

Col

Start saving for a x-member replacement! But, as others have said, the weld area needs to be cleaner than than, as does the clamping point. Both should be back to bare metal. You can weld through crappy paint and rust if you’re desperate, but if the earth clamp is on a painted surface then you’ll get the effects you’re experiencing.

kevstar said:

Get a gas set up your currant gasless rig is pish, I use R-tech welders, great product great
customer service & 3 year pick up & post warranty. Not the cheapest but if your looking for
a hobby machine look at Clarke. No point messing about with cr@p tools tis like trying to
remove a seized bolt with a Cadbury's spanner.

Hobby weld do a 15L gas bottle for 90 quid including deposit, costs 40 quid to fill it.
You get the 50 quid back when or if you return the bottle.

Click to expand...

second the R-tech

Amazing customer service and the machine is great, mig 180 and hobbyweld Gas.

inhad a Clarke hobby thing I used with gasless, and it worked but wasn’t very refined. With gas it gave slightly nearer welds but still was a nightmare for birds nesting etc.

the R-tech is an utterly different beast, it’s lush to weld with, it’s really nice.

New nozzle tip time, also is the trigger head working properly?

doriz said:

Chaps, the chap has a small area to prep and weld. Clean the area practice, practice and practice then use the kit available to do a good job. Spending thousands on more capable kit is disproportionate in this case. If I were welding for pleasure or had significant structural work too would be all in

Click to expand...

He owes a landy he's always going to need a welder or a better grinder

kevstar said:

or a better grinder

Click to expand...

Only one ?

kevstar said:

He owes a landy he's always going to need a welder or a better grinder

Click to expand...

That’s all well and good but as others have suggested the welder he (they,sorry) has is adequate for a little patch on a non structural area. It’s not all hi-tech welders and strap-on tool kits ere If like everyone who owns a silver Disco 2 then you understand the benefit of a full £2500 rig as they rust the worse

doriz said:

That’s all well and good but as others have suggested the welder he (they,sorry) has is adequate for a little patch on a non structural area. It’s not all hi-tech welders and strap-on tool kits ere If like everyone who owns a silver Disco 2 then you understand the benefit of a full £2500 rig as they rust the worse

Click to expand...

I thought you had a drawer full of strap on tools they prob belong to broke or kurt
Sorry I dont do adequate repairs, he'd get a better repair with JB weld than a dog sh!te welder lol
Did he not need a patch welded on his chassis too, I do like a silver D2 though.