Maaaaan this brings me back. Bob needs to come back! A true master at work. Honestly one of the guys who taught me how to weld, today being close to 9 years as a structural welder, and I can say EVERYTHING on youtube related to the matter has dropped off. Between Jody from WeldingTipsandTricks and Mr. Bob here if you can't weld after just a few videos buddy this trade ain't for you. The 2 men give more in depth descriptions and "keep it simple stupid" solutions to the daily problems welders come to face than all the other youtubers combined. Wish someone would nominate them for some awards lmao.
As someone trying to teach myself to weld via RUclips and trial and error, I really appreciate you explaining different settings and how to use them. The explanation helps when I am over my head with what is going on in my welds.
As a guy who went to trade school & graduated, then spent over twenty years in the industry, get yourself a cheap cracker box. The more rod you can burn, the more proficient at reading the puddle you will become. Instruction really only helps if you don't have any clue what you're doing, or are are fine tuning your skills. SMAW is 100% your skills, and those skills translate well to other welding processes. The same is not true for MIG. Modern machines can be set up for novices to make surprisingly good welds. I spent six months learning SMAW well enough to certify AWS 4G, but only needed two weeks of practice on dual shielded MIG for the same certification.
@@kaisersose5549 Thanks and cheers, brother... My little brother found (quite literally stumbled upon) a Dayton 200 Amp, and he bought the thing as my combination present (b-day, X-mas, etc... combo')... I happen to know it was one of "those" deals you just don't walk away from, and he had me in mind when he bought the thing... I've been a hobbyist for years with a cheap-o I found at the Flea market for about 50 bucks... AC... with two setting "high" and "low"... and a power switch... It's good enough for a start... BUT I'm still about half in the dark on about half the projects I undertake... (lolz) I also enjoy "beating myself up"... and can laugh at me with the best of them, SO when I proudly proclaim I can make pig's ass out of anything, I'm only exaggerating a little... I also found a nice little "Harbor Freight Special" MIG for about 50... Picked it up, and you are correct (at least in my limited experience)... It's not difficult for my "dumb ass" to get a fairly decent weld out of the MIG... AND as such, when I have something "relatively critical" to weld, I'll probably default to it for the job "just to be done with it"... BUT in the "Process of Learning", I much prefer the crackly little stick-welder and I go back to "making a pig's ass of the thing" whenever possible... Maybe I'm just stubborn, but your words struck home... Sorry if this is so long as to be "annoying"... BUT thanks for the encouragement... I will certainly continue burning rods up and making a pig's ass of everything I can until "By God" I get it right... BTW... Is there a particular recommendation on rods to burn? I mean... as far as the learning process is considered... I've got the 6011's and 6013's just about coming out of my ears... AND somehow I "inherited" a 10 or 20 pound box of 7018's I can work with a little "help" from the oven and a pair of quality bolt-cutters... Yeah, kinda stuck "working junk" to get anywhere on my budget... BUT I usually manage. Happy to look out for (and likely find) what you'd recommend... If you don't mind sharing such wisdom with a hobbyist who just has to make the hobby pay for itself (or I can't afford to keep it up)... ;o)
@@gnarthdarkanen7464 6010 and 7018 are the standard rods to learn with, provided your machine is DC. Start with the 6010s to get a feel for controlling the puddle in the position you're learning & switch to 7018s, because they're a bit less viscous when molten. For any AWS certification 7018 is mandatory, so the extra practice is worth it. 6013 is able to be used on AC machines, but gives best results with DC electrode negative setups. As I recall, it's supposed to be the AC equivalent of 6010. 7018 and 6010 in an AC machine could very well be the cause of the "pig's ass" welds you described. The penetration will be next to nothing & the puddle will try to run away from the rod. For general learning, SMAW is the way to go... that isn't to say that MIG, TIG, or even oxy acetylene welding don't have their place. Just try welding a modern exhaust pipe with SMAW & you'll see. MIG is best used for thin, clean, steel. TIG is best used for anything other than steel. Oxy Acetylene is best used for steel pieces that are so delicate that the arc force of electric welders would vaporize it. Brazing/silver soldering cast iron or two dissimilar metals is another great use for oxy acetylene. You'll be able to spend a lifetime welding & will always have something new to learn. So long as you stick with it, you're always making progress. The newest gizmo I've been playing with is a homemade portable welder that works better than most professional machines I've used (aside from having a short duty cycle). Its got a pair of 150 ampere alternators rewired to be 3 phase generators, which are turned by a riding lawnmower motor. Each of the phases are rectified with two diodes from inside the alternator of an old RV, with all of the positive diodes sharing a bus bar & the negative ones sharing another. The machine is run as fast as it will spin & the voltage/amperage of the output is controlled by the voltage fed to the stator coils. The cool part of it is the super fast pulses of DC output (a nightmare for MIG, but most TIG machines use a high frequency start). The rods just don't seem to stick, no matter what you do, which makes it easy to hold a REALLY short arc length for eliminating undercut when welding horizontally.
@@kaisersose5549 That's a wealth of helpful information, there... AND well... to be honest, I have an occasionally terrible habit of awkward situations when "practicing"... (Lolz) I work on a LOT of junk, so metal isn't always clean (or even just not scaly)... and I get myself into poorly balanced situations where I end up "outrunning" the puddle... If I can manage a reasonable position, it's usually not quite terrible... a little more akin to monkey-shit on white bread than quite a pig's ass... BUT I'm starting to pick up "reading the puddle" instead of blindly jabbing at it between slipping out of position... and there is that whole "hand-eye coordination" thing we humans seem to get used to while we can see... A tad frustrating with the darkest friggin' lens I can get keeping me from seeing anything until the arc is "struck" which is almost always someplace I DID NOT want it struck... BUT enough of my petty novice issue... I know... Rather similar to my philosophy about motorcycles. "Shut up and practice"... It's not the welder's fault. It's all in the hands of the idiot operating it. In any case... I'm kind of sticking to 6011's and 6013's mostly, though I do burn a 7018 as well, trying to "tune my eyes" such as they are to see the difference... AND at the moment, it's because (primarily) the two machines I can get to work at all are in fact, AC... I have a DC "crackle-box", but the core of the transformer is adjustable, and has a dubious crack through the middle of it, almost completely separating it into two pieces... How it strikes at all is probably very little short of a miracle, and I'd rather learn than burn the porch down... Even on an adjustable 70 to 90 Amp unit.. When I can scrap my way into reasonable parts, I'll dig in and figure out how to fix the thing... OR I may even get lucky (yet) and stumble upon a solution before someone decides they want it more than I do... which also happens from time to time... Figured out my habit of clamping closer to the working area has the unpleasant side of effect of somehow making everything harder... SO stopped that business... and some of the "pig's assitude" has diminished from more and more beads... even getting some that might fool a complete noob' like myself into thinking someone knew what he was doing when he laid them... SO it's a work in progress. As you pointed out, so long as I keep at it, there's always something new to learn... AND that keeps the whole thing fun and exciting (as exciting as I can take anyway). BUT yes, I do trade tools around a lot, so if I want to afford something new, I just keep an eye out for it... One of the perks of being able to rebuild and refurbish old equipment is that I can generally afford about anything that passes by. A decent DC machine is probably somewhere on the horizon... a "when" and not an "if"... Copy-pasted to a document for study later, particularly interested in the different purposes for the different types of welding "generally speaking"... SO thanks again on that... Jeez... I guess I'm on the way to another great wall of text... SO catch you up laters, and thanks for sharing (again). ;o)
Hey bud just coming from a cwi inductance is a cold start or hot start its the amount of time that the arc levels out... the lower the inductance the faster it comes back down to temperature (wire feed and speed) the higher the inductance is alot hotter start to keep from getting that hard start on thicker material... again after inductance your arc levels out to the exact same set perimeters...inductance= introduction of arc to material the lower the inductance the thinner the material! Hope this helps!
Another great video Bob. You are right that inductance makes for a really smooth weld. It works a lot better on thin Automotive sheet metal. We get spot Wells to look like they've been compression welded it's beautiful. And your welding with an excellent machine, we use the Esab 235ic. Thanks and take care.
Good information Bob, and explained very well. I run a miller pipe pro 450 rfc (which is now I believe the pipe works machine) and in my experience I have had the best luck changing my arc control on a pulse mig fill pass on carbon steel pipe. For example I typically run the arc control around 25 for a cap but on 6" and 8" pipe but turn the arc control down to around 17 for the fill pass because it seems to catch both edges and freeze better making a flat and even pass. I'm sure it runs slightly different on every machine but it's a helpful option to help you tune in your machine to your preference.
I guess I've got to try this out on my everlast welder to really understand what it is doing. This is one of the best explanations I've been able to find on youtube.
Not sure if I won't be to technical... the inductance adjustment it the "electronic delay" that we introduce to the "current control circuitry" in inverter based machines on how the machine reacts to the "short" state of the weld during short arc transfer. As Bob said, the more inductance, the less spatter, almost like adding a little bit of a spray transfer into a mixture, if that makes any sense.
Thank you sir for all your videos im learning to weld and have no knowledge of even the concept and you've basically given me a college level education.
Excellent Explanation. Have you considered adding multiple ferrite toroidal cores on your ground wire to add inductance? I have had excellent results with stick welding and holding a better arc using six ferrite cores with the wire looped through the center 2 or 3 turns.
Great explanation and demonstration of the inductance for those who have that option on their machine. What about those who lack that option? I was very happy about your demo. Thanks
I'd love to take a leave of absence from my "real" job to enroll in a welding program with Bob. I attended a local College in the early 80s and have an Applied Science degree that served as the foundation for my career. I bet Bob has sent many good Welders out into the world.
It also really helps for vertical Welds keeps it keeps it from drooping and has a nice look..but what I have noticed the higher the inductance the Cleaner the material needs to be... That's a little finnicky.. The biggest advantage I notice is very low spatter
Another great video from these guys. I'm a beginner welder and using a gasless Mig with just scrap to learn at the moment. I've learned all the basics and really just need to focus on technique and learning a "feel" for how things work but the manual that came with my welder didn't even explain at all what wave control was and simply had base number settings in the manual for different steel but the welder doesn't even have any numbers on the dial so I had no idea what this was even for and initially I noticed no real difference when seeing what it did but can now see what it affects so have more of an idea on how it is used and basically, a setting of 20-50% seems perfectly fine for most general welding. Again, great clear info which is very helpful for the inexperienced
Thank you. What I don't understand is how an inductor is able to affect the DC output or is it a matter of the inductor smoothing out the variations in the output power of a DC welding machine.
Bob, could you get around to showing us how to weld 11018 low hydrogen rods in the 3g position on 3/8ths plate with backing? Defense contractors sometimes give this test for increase difficulty. A lot of welders i tested with for a ship repair job busted out. You'd be the first to showcase this kind of rod on youtube.
I was taught that all the oscillating can create cold lap and overheating. I've always just done a smooth straight line but that's just me. It looks awesome though and thanks for the lesson!
Its the heat input more than cold lap, thats just a problem with short arc mig altogether. But yes a straight line with any process gives the lowest heat input with a given setting
Wondering what the electronic circuit design and parts are for CC and CV and variable inductance and variable capacitance not using the traditional mechanical variable inductors or capacitors respectively?
during a t joint I'm getting a distinct peak weld on side A that im having trouble flattening out. but I flip it and side B seems more flat I assume due to the material being preheated from side a. I haven't messed with inductance at all. Would this be a good approach? Voltage increase hasn't rectified it.
This guy would be an awesome teacher short sweet and to the point. And I understand what hes saying about the sound. If I can understand that anyone can. Cause I ain't the brightest crayon in the box. And I dont know anything about welding.
Inductance is the rate at which the wire overcomes the short circuit or when the wire makes contact with the puddle. When the wire makes contact, resistance builds up in the wire and eventually it succumbs and heats up, develops a plasticity and then liquefies. At this point an arc is formed once again. The faster this happens, the more inductance is present. It layman's terms it's the rate of change between the formation of an arc and the wire contacting the base metal. As you can see, the more inductance you have, the more fluid and smooth your puddle will be. It's okay to weld with high or low inductance. Decide how you want your welds to appear and go with that rate of inductance. It has no bearing on penetration but affects the weld aesthetically.
MB Porter between this video and your comment, I am now convinced that everyone who has ever told me about inductance was just as in the dark as I was. It probably helps I had just watched this video before reading your comment, either way, your explanation makes perfect sense to me, thanks
MB Porter, I can see and hear the differences between each setting! I am still confused as to why it is called Inductance! The reason I say this is because Inductance is measured in Henrys, if my Electronics background serves me correctly. It is a measure of Impedance (the equivalent of resistance in a DC circuit) in an AC circuit. Being MIG/GMAW is a DC process to the best of my current knowledge (pardon the pun), I do not see Inductance as being anything more than a fancy name for another feature on a machine. If you or other readers of this thread can explain I will be grateful. Cheers from John, Australia. Edit: For a spelling mistake!
@@joandar1 I see your point. Inductance is usually referring to a current being induced from one coil to another like in a step down transformer. Yeah I think it should be called something else too. Of course I don't know how the machine is actually changing this behavior we see in the arc and puddle definition. It probably does have something to do with manipulating what we often understand inductance to be. You'd have to ask an expert. I'm only a welder.
If I remember correctly, on the transformer based machines, they put a coil after the main transformer to smoothen the arc behaviour. To measure the effect of this coil, the inductance was used, hence the name.
elsar0, MB Porter, thanks for your replies. I am not sure but I have a feeling with an observation made by elsar0 about the secondary coil in a transformer type mig (non inverter) to smooth out the arc. I know this is called a choke and is used quite often when converting AC to DC as it resists changes in voltage and therefore smooths the voltage so it has less ripple. This coil/choke is an inductor, so if you can electronically change the inductance or value of coil size then it will smooth the ripples entirely or not at all depending on % setting. So now we can choose to have a very ripply (Alien) DC or smooth as a babies bum DC. We saw the effects of that in this video. My thoughts, how say you Guys? Cheers from John, Australia. PS : Link to Inductor description and symbol. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductor#Powdered_iron_core_inductor Edit: Spelling mistake.
Hi, nice video but i have a question, does inductance interacts with the lenght of the Torch cable? If i have a very long cable Is Better to have low or High inductance?
Im vey keen to know if inductance have any help or effect welding vertically and overhead. And does inductance effects are same with mig and fluxcored. Anyones thoughts would be a great help. Thank you
You present a good arguement for using 100% inductance and then suggest that 35% is just as good while the jest of the arguement is almost negative regarding 0 (zero) inductance. If there is no affect on weld quality other than the "buttery" effect, why use anything less than 100% inductance when the choice is available?
If you want a fast freezing pool, a lower inductance would be much better. For example, if you are welding an open root with short circuit, 0% would be a good idea.
If the weld material is thin enough the one pass at 0% would do it. If it was thicker therefore the weld requires multiple passes would you return to 35% after the first since you don't need a fast freezing pool at that point?
very interesting video. good explanation . i wonder what level of inductance is used by mfgs that dont provide the adjustment feature? if this was an extra cost option would you buy it? on a personal note i much prefer the old fashion skull cap as opposed to the cockeyed rapper hat.
Hey Bob, so..... in more precise terms this "inductance knob" regulates the phase between voltage and amperage, correct? For instance, if you have a machine with four way switch for voltage ( sometimes notated for metal thickness) and an infinite potentiometer (a pot whose knob rotates freely like a radio volume knob) for wire speed. The best combination these two settings can offer can then be fine tuned by the "inductance knob" to get an even better looking weld. It's this correct? That's all this is for?
0 is zero, but 100% is what the manufacturer of the machine thought was a good number of Henrys. What if I scrounged up all copper in the world and wrapped it aruond a core the size of an oil tanker? If I call that 100% then your machine is now adjustable from 0 to .0000001 ppm ;) The fact that it would create a voltage spike in the lightning bolt range when trying to extinguish the arc is another thing, LOL!
On older Esab machines with inductance dials, the lower the inductance dial, the weld was hotter eradic, sloppier and threw large splatter balls. When it was turned up, the short arcing became more rapid and smooth and tightened the bead or tightened the liquid nature of the puddle. When turned up too high, the puddle becomes too tight and can pop and sputter as if there is not enough voltage heat. Inductance seems to either rough or smooth out the short arcing cycle. If I had an old esab on 35%, it would be pretty sloppy with an eradic short arc cycle. We usually had ours on 60-90%.
Im confused as to why you used a reverse cursive e on the 1st test @ 35%, then a back a fourth push method on the 2nd pass and then a mix of the 1st and 2nd on the third pass....?
Neither. Transfer mode for gmaw is determined by your overall amperage (primarily determined by wire feed speed) and the shielding gas you are using (~90% argon minimum; the overall mixture will effect the amperage that spray transfer starts to happen at as the different ionization characteristics changes the voltage an electrical arc can be established and maintained at without extinguishing from short circuit or resistance). Inductance plays a role when your machine is re-establishing the arc right after the electrode melts and creates a new arc gap during short circuit transfer. Remember that during short circuit this happens 100-120 times a second, so the effect becomes noticeable in terms of the freeze qualities of the weld pool, so a lower inductance setting can assist you with welding in positions 3 and 4. If you are doing spray transfer the electrode vaporizes into tiny metal droplets before it can even contact the base metal and create a short circuit so inductance doesn't really play a role.
Bob, based on sound or whatever, what would you estimate the % inductance of Wire feed machines that do not have adjustable inductance? Thanks for the great vids.
I hope this isn’t a dumb question. Is inductance for mig only? Or will it work on flux core as well? I have the titanium unlimited 200 and I have yet to get shielded gas so I’m stuck with flux core, and don’t know if I see a difference when playing around with the inductance. Someone please help me thank you.
so inductance helps with arc control simply put in my 15 years of welding ive never even messed with it so my question is....when would someone really want to change it? i could see turning it up maybe when doing stainless just for the less spatter aspect but what other reason is there to actually change it?
Can you do a video doing these same welds with an old school SA200 not these new fancy new welders wit all he fancy settings. Done allot of field welding and repair welding with just a DC gas welder just would like to hear ans see your take on it. Thanks: Clint
Two part question: One, if inductance is changing the weld-spatter then it must also be changing the weld "deposition" of the filler wire. If I'm getting more spatter that would mean my wire is not going into the weld pool. If I am getting less spatter I should be getting maximum rate of "deposition" correct? Two: How come there are very few answers the questions listed in the comment section?
Maaaaan this brings me back. Bob needs to come back! A true master at work. Honestly one of the guys who taught me how to weld, today being close to 9 years as a structural welder, and I can say EVERYTHING on youtube related to the matter has dropped off. Between Jody from WeldingTipsandTricks and Mr. Bob here if you can't weld after just a few videos buddy this trade ain't for you. The 2 men give more in depth descriptions and "keep it simple stupid" solutions to the daily problems welders come to face than all the other youtubers combined. Wish someone would nominate them for some awards lmao.
As someone trying to teach myself to weld via RUclips and trial and error, I really appreciate you explaining different settings and how to use them. The explanation helps when I am over my head with what is going on in my welds.
im in welding school. i leaned more from jody and weld dot com bob mofaft than my instructors that prefer to smoke outside than teach us.
As a guy who went to trade school & graduated, then spent over twenty years in the industry, get yourself a cheap cracker box.
The more rod you can burn, the more proficient at reading the puddle you will become.
Instruction really only helps if you don't have any clue what you're doing, or are are fine tuning your skills.
SMAW is 100% your skills, and those skills translate well to other welding processes.
The same is not true for MIG.
Modern machines can be set up for novices to make surprisingly good welds.
I spent six months learning SMAW well enough to certify AWS 4G, but only needed two weeks of practice on dual shielded MIG for the same certification.
@@kaisersose5549 Thanks and cheers, brother...
My little brother found (quite literally stumbled upon) a Dayton 200 Amp, and he bought the thing as my combination present (b-day, X-mas, etc... combo')... I happen to know it was one of "those" deals you just don't walk away from, and he had me in mind when he bought the thing...
I've been a hobbyist for years with a cheap-o I found at the Flea market for about 50 bucks... AC... with two setting "high" and "low"... and a power switch... It's good enough for a start... BUT I'm still about half in the dark on about half the projects I undertake... (lolz)
I also enjoy "beating myself up"... and can laugh at me with the best of them, SO when I proudly proclaim I can make pig's ass out of anything, I'm only exaggerating a little...
I also found a nice little "Harbor Freight Special" MIG for about 50... Picked it up, and you are correct (at least in my limited experience)... It's not difficult for my "dumb ass" to get a fairly decent weld out of the MIG... AND as such, when I have something "relatively critical" to weld, I'll probably default to it for the job "just to be done with it"...
BUT in the "Process of Learning", I much prefer the crackly little stick-welder and I go back to "making a pig's ass of the thing" whenever possible... Maybe I'm just stubborn, but your words struck home... Sorry if this is so long as to be "annoying"... BUT thanks for the encouragement...
I will certainly continue burning rods up and making a pig's ass of everything I can until "By God" I get it right...
BTW... Is there a particular recommendation on rods to burn? I mean... as far as the learning process is considered... I've got the 6011's and 6013's just about coming out of my ears... AND somehow I "inherited" a 10 or 20 pound box of 7018's I can work with a little "help" from the oven and a pair of quality bolt-cutters... Yeah, kinda stuck "working junk" to get anywhere on my budget... BUT I usually manage. Happy to look out for (and likely find) what you'd recommend... If you don't mind sharing such wisdom with a hobbyist who just has to make the hobby pay for itself (or I can't afford to keep it up)... ;o)
@@gnarthdarkanen7464
6010 and 7018 are the standard rods to learn with, provided your machine is DC.
Start with the 6010s to get a feel for controlling the puddle in the position you're learning & switch to 7018s, because they're a bit less viscous when molten.
For any AWS certification 7018 is mandatory, so the extra practice is worth it.
6013 is able to be used on AC machines, but gives best results with DC electrode negative setups.
As I recall, it's supposed to be the AC equivalent of 6010.
7018 and 6010 in an AC machine could very well be the cause of the "pig's ass" welds you described.
The penetration will be next to nothing & the puddle will try to run away from the rod.
For general learning, SMAW is the way to go... that isn't to say that MIG, TIG, or even oxy acetylene welding don't have their place.
Just try welding a modern exhaust pipe with SMAW & you'll see.
MIG is best used for thin, clean, steel.
TIG is best used for anything other than steel.
Oxy Acetylene is best used for steel pieces that are so delicate that the arc force of electric welders would vaporize it.
Brazing/silver soldering cast iron or two dissimilar metals is another great use for oxy acetylene.
You'll be able to spend a lifetime welding & will always have something new to learn.
So long as you stick with it, you're always making progress.
The newest gizmo I've been playing with is a homemade portable welder that works better than most professional machines I've used (aside from having a short duty cycle).
Its got a pair of 150 ampere alternators rewired to be 3 phase generators, which are turned by a riding lawnmower motor.
Each of the phases are rectified with two diodes from inside the alternator of an old RV, with all of the positive diodes sharing a bus bar & the negative ones sharing another.
The machine is run as fast as it will spin & the voltage/amperage of the output is controlled by the voltage fed to the stator coils.
The cool part of it is the super fast pulses of DC output (a nightmare for MIG, but most TIG machines use a high frequency start).
The rods just don't seem to stick, no matter what you do, which makes it easy to hold a REALLY short arc length for eliminating undercut when welding horizontally.
@@kaisersose5549 That's a wealth of helpful information, there...
AND well... to be honest, I have an occasionally terrible habit of awkward situations when "practicing"... (Lolz) I work on a LOT of junk, so metal isn't always clean (or even just not scaly)... and I get myself into poorly balanced situations where I end up "outrunning" the puddle... If I can manage a reasonable position, it's usually not quite terrible... a little more akin to monkey-shit on white bread than quite a pig's ass... BUT I'm starting to pick up "reading the puddle" instead of blindly jabbing at it between slipping out of position... and there is that whole "hand-eye coordination" thing we humans seem to get used to while we can see... A tad frustrating with the darkest friggin' lens I can get keeping me from seeing anything until the arc is "struck" which is almost always someplace I DID NOT want it struck...
BUT enough of my petty novice issue... I know... Rather similar to my philosophy about motorcycles. "Shut up and practice"... It's not the welder's fault. It's all in the hands of the idiot operating it.
In any case... I'm kind of sticking to 6011's and 6013's mostly, though I do burn a 7018 as well, trying to "tune my eyes" such as they are to see the difference... AND at the moment, it's because (primarily) the two machines I can get to work at all are in fact, AC...
I have a DC "crackle-box", but the core of the transformer is adjustable, and has a dubious crack through the middle of it, almost completely separating it into two pieces... How it strikes at all is probably very little short of a miracle, and I'd rather learn than burn the porch down... Even on an adjustable 70 to 90 Amp unit..
When I can scrap my way into reasonable parts, I'll dig in and figure out how to fix the thing... OR I may even get lucky (yet) and stumble upon a solution before someone decides they want it more than I do... which also happens from time to time...
Figured out my habit of clamping closer to the working area has the unpleasant side of effect of somehow making everything harder... SO stopped that business... and some of the "pig's assitude" has diminished from more and more beads... even getting some that might fool a complete noob' like myself into thinking someone knew what he was doing when he laid them...
SO it's a work in progress. As you pointed out, so long as I keep at it, there's always something new to learn... AND that keeps the whole thing fun and exciting (as exciting as I can take anyway).
BUT yes, I do trade tools around a lot, so if I want to afford something new, I just keep an eye out for it... One of the perks of being able to rebuild and refurbish old equipment is that I can generally afford about anything that passes by. A decent DC machine is probably somewhere on the horizon... a "when" and not an "if"...
Copy-pasted to a document for study later, particularly interested in the different purposes for the different types of welding "generally speaking"... SO thanks again on that...
Jeez... I guess I'm on the way to another great wall of text... SO catch you up laters, and thanks for sharing (again). ;o)
Thank you, Bob. Man, you're really a master of your craft. Your videos have helped me tremendously, I really owe ya!
Thank you, Bob. I am a 55 year old Firefighter that just took up welding. Need all the help I can get. Great videos.
You are a real good teacher, the way you explain reminds me old time teachers, I’m 59 Excellent video
That title hit the nail on the head with me, thanks for the help Bob
Hey bud just coming from a cwi inductance is a cold start or hot start its the amount of time that the arc levels out... the lower the inductance the faster it comes back down to temperature (wire feed and speed) the higher the inductance is alot hotter start to keep from getting that hard start on thicker material... again after inductance your arc levels out to the exact same set perimeters...inductance= introduction of arc to material the lower the inductance the thinner the material! Hope this helps!
Another great video Bob. You are right that inductance makes for a really smooth weld. It works a lot better on thin Automotive sheet metal. We get spot Wells to look like they've been compression welded it's beautiful. And your welding with an excellent machine, we use the Esab 235ic. Thanks and take care.
Very well explained. I knew nothing about inductive. I understand now and it’s exactly what I needed to know. Kudos well done
THANX, I JUST BOUGHT A CHINISE MACHIN AND THE INTRUCTIVE IS VERY BAD , YOURS IS CLEAR SHORT AND ACURATE.
As always sir, your method to deliver important information is unmatched. Thank you again for your time.
Good information Bob, and explained very well. I run a miller pipe pro 450 rfc (which is now I believe the pipe works machine) and in my experience I have had the best luck changing my arc control on a pulse mig fill pass on carbon steel pipe. For example I typically run the arc control around 25 for a cap but on 6" and 8" pipe but turn the arc control down to around 17 for the fill pass because it seems to catch both edges and freeze better making a flat and even pass. I'm sure it runs slightly different on every machine but it's a helpful option to help you tune in your machine to your preference.
I guess I've got to try this out on my everlast welder to really understand what it is doing. This is one of the best explanations I've been able to find on youtube.
Make sure you let us know what you find on your own.
I wish I knew what my I-MiG 200 has, I don’t have a control but want to know what it is.
Good info. I've never really had the chance to play with inductance setting so it's nice to see what happens. Keep up the great work!
Straight to the point and easy to understand . Great video. Thank you
Great video, I've just bought a mig and had no idea what the purpose of this setting was.. now I do! 👍
Not sure if I won't be to technical... the inductance adjustment it the "electronic delay" that we introduce to the "current control circuitry" in inverter based machines on how the machine reacts to the "short" state of the weld during short arc transfer. As Bob said, the more inductance, the less spatter, almost like adding a little bit of a spray transfer into a mixture, if that makes any sense.
Thank you sir for all your videos im learning to weld and have no knowledge of even the concept and you've basically given me a college level education.
I weld rods and cylinders and induction helps keep the pool from dropping off. Great function for that.
Yep, a great instructor. True craftsman. It just shows.
Only this guy speaks what matters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Excellent Explanation. Have you considered adding multiple ferrite toroidal cores on your ground wire to add inductance? I have had excellent results with stick welding and holding a better arc using six ferrite cores with the wire looped through the center 2 or 3 turns.
Great explanation and demonstration of the inductance for those who have that option on their machine.
What about those who lack that option? I was very happy about your demo.
Thanks
My Old Miller 211 has perfect built in Inductance!
Bob knows his stuff very well explained 👏
I will be playing with these settings on my everlast welder to check it out. Thanks for the explanation.
Don't be playing with fire!
I'd love to take a leave of absence from my "real" job to enroll in a welding program with Bob. I attended a local College in the early 80s and have an Applied Science degree that served as the foundation for my career. I bet Bob has sent many good Welders out into the world.
It also really helps for vertical Welds keeps it keeps it from drooping and has a nice look..but what I have noticed the higher the inductance the Cleaner the material needs to be... That's a little finnicky.. The biggest advantage I notice is very low spatter
Another great video from these guys. I'm a beginner welder and using a gasless Mig with just scrap to learn at the moment. I've learned all the basics and really just need to focus on technique and learning a "feel" for how things work but the manual that came with my welder didn't even explain at all what wave control was and simply had base number settings in the manual for different steel but the welder doesn't even have any numbers on the dial so I had no idea what this was even for and initially I noticed no real difference when seeing what it did but can now see what it affects so have more of an idea on how it is used and basically, a setting of 20-50% seems perfectly fine for most general welding. Again, great clear info which is very helpful for the inexperienced
Thank you. What I don't understand is how an inductor is able to affect the DC output or is it a matter of the inductor smoothing out the variations in the output power of a DC welding machine.
I just bought a welder with this option and this was very helpful to understand
Thank you
Bob, could you get around to showing us how to weld 11018 low hydrogen rods in the 3g position on 3/8ths plate with backing? Defense contractors sometimes give this test for increase difficulty. A lot of welders i tested with for a ship repair job busted out. You'd be the first to showcase this kind of rod on youtube.
Well add it to the list.
I was taught that all the oscillating can create cold lap and overheating. I've always just done a smooth straight line but that's just me. It looks awesome though and thanks for the lesson!
Its the heat input more than cold lap, thats just a problem with short arc mig altogether.
But yes a straight line with any process gives the lowest heat input with a given setting
Wondering what the electronic circuit design and parts are for CC and CV and variable inductance and variable capacitance not using the traditional mechanical variable inductors or capacitors respectively?
Great video again....will try those settings tomorrow......
CEA pulse 2000....
very informative Bob, thanks so much, well explained, cheers from Florida, Paul
A good video as always. Thanks.
As always a great informative video.
during a t joint I'm getting a distinct peak weld on side A that im having trouble flattening out. but I flip it and side B seems more flat I assume due to the material being preheated from side a. I haven't messed with inductance at all. Would this be a good approach? Voltage increase hasn't rectified it.
Thanks for the knowledge I have learned more from watching your videos thank you
This guy would be an awesome teacher short sweet and to the point. And I understand what hes saying about the sound. If I can understand that anyone can. Cause I ain't the brightest crayon in the box. And I dont know anything about welding.
Bob Moffit is a welding instructor.
wielding oh hell ya well nvm then.
Thanks for a good explanation. It was educatonional and enjoyable
Fun facts! Thanks Bob for all of your friendly and informative videos
In case of overhead fluxcore welding, Does Inductance feature help to get a better weld pool control against gravity?.
Inductance is the rate at which the wire overcomes the short circuit or when the wire makes contact with the puddle. When the wire makes contact, resistance builds up in the wire and eventually it succumbs and heats up, develops a plasticity and then liquefies. At this point an arc is formed once again. The faster this happens, the more inductance is present. It layman's terms it's the rate of change between the formation of an arc and the wire contacting the base metal. As you can see, the more inductance you have, the more fluid and smooth your puddle will be. It's okay to weld with high or low inductance. Decide how you want your welds to appear and go with that rate of inductance. It has no bearing on penetration but affects the weld aesthetically.
MB Porter between this video and your comment, I am now convinced that everyone who has ever told me about inductance was just as in the dark as I was. It probably helps I had just watched this video before reading your comment, either way, your explanation makes perfect sense to me, thanks
MB Porter, I can see and hear the differences between each setting!
I am still confused as to why it is called Inductance! The reason I say this is because Inductance is measured in Henrys, if my Electronics background serves me correctly. It is a measure of Impedance (the equivalent of resistance in a DC circuit) in an AC circuit. Being MIG/GMAW is a DC process to the best of my current knowledge (pardon the pun), I do not see Inductance as being anything more than a fancy name for another feature on a machine.
If you or other readers of this thread can explain I will be grateful. Cheers from John, Australia.
Edit: For a spelling mistake!
@@joandar1 I see your point. Inductance is usually referring to a current being induced from one coil to another like in a step down transformer. Yeah I think it should be called something else too. Of course I don't know how the machine is actually changing this behavior we see in the arc and puddle definition. It probably does have something to do with manipulating what we often understand inductance to be. You'd have to ask an expert. I'm only a welder.
If I remember correctly, on the transformer based machines, they put a coil after the main transformer to smoothen the arc behaviour. To measure the effect of this coil, the inductance was used, hence the name.
elsar0, MB Porter, thanks for your replies. I am not sure but I have a feeling with an observation made by elsar0 about the secondary coil in a transformer type mig (non inverter) to smooth out the arc.
I know this is called a choke and is used quite often when converting AC to DC as it resists changes in voltage and therefore smooths the voltage so it has less ripple.
This coil/choke is an inductor, so if you can electronically change the inductance or value of coil size then it will smooth the ripples entirely or not at all depending on % setting.
So now we can choose to have a very ripply (Alien) DC or smooth as a babies bum DC. We saw the effects of that in this video. My thoughts, how say you Guys? Cheers from John, Australia.
PS : Link to Inductor description and symbol.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductor#Powdered_iron_core_inductor
Edit: Spelling mistake.
Enjoyed good explanation thank you for sharing
Thanks Bob!!! Love the channel!!!
Great information. Thanks for sharing.
Hi, nice video but i have a question, does inductance interacts with the lenght of the Torch cable? If i have a very long cable Is Better to have low or High inductance?
Im vey keen to know if inductance have any help or effect welding vertically and overhead. And does inductance effects are same with mig and fluxcored. Anyones thoughts would be a great help. Thank you
Thank you Bob. I watch your channel here and Instagram.
That's what we like to hear! Thanks for the support
You present a good arguement for using 100% inductance and then suggest that 35% is just as good while the jest of the arguement is almost negative regarding 0 (zero) inductance. If there is no affect on weld quality other than the "buttery" effect, why use anything less than 100% inductance when the choice is available?
If you want a fast freezing pool, a lower inductance would be much better. For example, if you are welding an open root with short circuit, 0% would be a good idea.
If the weld material is thin enough the one pass at 0% would do it. If it was thicker therefore the weld requires multiple passes would you return to 35% after the first since you don't need a fast freezing pool at that point?
Does inductance help or hurt flux core?
Great video as always.
thanks so much for ALL your video's I really learn from you.
well explained on the first minute!
You own weld.com damn u have it all man!!!
Easily worth millions of dollars just for the name.
Will you do a review on the Yes Welder 270?
Pro welder here,guy knows his stuff👍
Good, good, good information thanks Bob.
very interesting video. good explanation . i wonder what level of inductance is used by mfgs that dont provide the adjustment feature? if this was an extra cost option would you buy it? on a personal note i much prefer the old fashion skull cap as opposed to the cockeyed rapper hat.
Hey Bob, so..... in more precise terms this "inductance knob" regulates the phase between voltage and amperage, correct? For instance, if you have a machine with four way switch for voltage ( sometimes notated for metal thickness) and an infinite potentiometer (a pot whose knob rotates freely like a radio volume knob) for wire speed.
The best combination these two settings can offer can then be fine tuned by the "inductance knob" to get an even better looking weld. It's this correct? That's all this is for?
Great vid thanks.
Can we expect thw result of inductance variation to be similar across most welders?
Yes, although some machines indicate negative numbers for increased inductance. Go figure.
0 is zero, but 100% is what the manufacturer of the machine thought was a good number of Henrys. What if I scrounged up all copper in the world and wrapped it aruond a core the size of an oil tanker? If I call that 100% then your machine is now adjustable from 0 to .0000001 ppm ;)
The fact that it would create a voltage spike in the lightning bolt range when trying to extinguish the arc is another thing, LOL!
As always... Another great video Bob!!
Now if I only had some newer machines...lol...
Another great lesson, thank you.🇮🇪
Is it safe to assume that you are welding with a 72/25 gas? Thank you
great lesson, thanks
Good info good detailed explanation
What should the inductance be for spot/stitch welding thin 18 or 20 gauge sheet metal?
nOOb here: Would this have more or less effect doing something like thin stainless? What about flux core?
Great video, Subscribed.
On older Esab machines with inductance dials, the lower the inductance dial, the weld was hotter eradic, sloppier and threw large splatter balls. When it was turned up, the short arcing became more rapid and smooth and tightened the bead or tightened the liquid nature of the puddle. When turned up too high, the puddle becomes too tight and can pop and sputter as if there is not enough voltage heat. Inductance seems to either rough or smooth out the short arcing cycle. If I had an old esab on 35%, it would be pretty sloppy with an eradic short arc cycle. We usually had ours on 60-90%.
Any difference in penetration when you do a macro? Thank for the consistently great content, merry Christmas
Would adding an extra inductor to the output smooth out the arc significantly ? Why would you not want " buttery smooth arc pool/ low spatter "?
maybe it will be hard to weld on overhead and vertical especially if your hand can't control the hot puddle fluid like
What if your tig welding with a machine with a dedicated induction knob? What do you set the induction to?
Appreciate the demo, can you demo the Burnback settings?
5:01 love that sound
Does this also work when using flux core wire?
Would this have much affect on aluminium? Maybe for more fine tuning when in spray arc welding aluminium?
Thanks
It wont have any effect on spray transfer processes. On some machines you may get a better arc initiation.
I find it helps with aluminium welding, particularly at the start of a weld where there can be a tendency to have cold lap/lack of fusion.
Really insightful! Thank you.
Great explanation, thank you!
Does inductance play any effect if your using self shielded flux core wire?
Im confused as to why you used a reverse cursive e on the 1st test @ 35%, then a back a fourth push method on the 2nd pass and then a mix of the 1st and 2nd on the third pass....?
Does 100% equate to almost spray or still fall into the globular transfer catagory?
Neither.
Transfer mode for gmaw is determined by your overall amperage (primarily determined by wire feed speed) and the shielding gas you are using (~90% argon minimum; the overall mixture will effect the amperage that spray transfer starts to happen at as the different ionization characteristics changes the voltage an electrical arc can be established and maintained at without extinguishing from short circuit or resistance).
Inductance plays a role when your machine is re-establishing the arc right after the electrode melts and creates a new arc gap during short circuit transfer. Remember that during short circuit this happens 100-120 times a second, so the effect becomes noticeable in terms of the freeze qualities of the weld pool, so a lower inductance setting can assist you with welding in positions 3 and 4.
If you are doing spray transfer the electrode vaporizes into tiny metal droplets before it can even contact the base metal and create a short circuit so inductance doesn't really play a role.
Where did you get that welding cap?
Thank you Bob ))) Apriciat your to the point helpful videos )) What's the name of this TIG machine?
Would love to see a cut and etch following a on example like this.
Bob, based on sound or whatever, what would you estimate the % inductance of Wire feed machines that do not have adjustable inductance? Thanks for the great vids.
Somewhere around 35-50% is normal.
Would have liked to see a comparison using spray arc
How can inductance be expressed in percent instead of Henries?
thanks very good info on this setting
I hope this isn’t a dumb question. Is inductance for mig only? Or will it work on flux core as well? I have the titanium unlimited 200 and I have yet to get shielded gas so I’m stuck with flux core, and don’t know if I see a difference when playing around with the inductance. Someone please help me thank you.
It's more about metal transfer mode. It should effect short circuit there most. It should only effect spray at arc initiation.
Does inductance help with flux core I'm learning how to weld Automotive sheet metal using flux core would this help
so inductance helps with arc control simply put in my 15 years of welding ive never even messed with it so my question is....when would someone really want to change it? i could see turning it up maybe when doing stainless just for the less spatter aspect but what other reason is there to actually change it?
Can you do a video doing these same welds with an old school SA200 not these new fancy new welders wit all he fancy settings. Done allot of field welding and repair welding with just a DC gas welder just would like to hear ans see your take on it. Thanks: Clint
Two part question: One, if inductance is changing the weld-spatter then it must also be changing the weld "deposition" of the filler wire. If I'm getting more spatter that would mean my wire is not going into the weld pool. If I am getting less spatter I should be getting maximum rate of "deposition" correct? Two: How come there are very few answers the questions listed in the comment section?
Have to play with the inductance setting on my everlast welder. Great instruction here.
Se puede manipular en la EMP 215 ? Gracias
Thanks Bob
@Bob . where do i get a cap like yours?