mig welding techniques

When I first started welding i had no clue where to search for info on the proper ways to produce a attractive weld (stack of dimes, mig like a tig etc..)

However ive picked up allot, from pretty affluent welder/fabricators and also have worked in top Off-road fabrication & suspensions manufacturers over my 9 years as being a fabricator.
In this article im going to make an attempt to help save you some time and a good deal of the effort, which i underwent to obtain where i am today and with luck , steer you in the rite direction to creating that “Perfect Mig weld.’‘
there are definitely many different ways to get that perfect mig weld. But before we get started we now have a number of factors we must examine.

Welder Tuning:

1st your going to have to set the settings on your own mig welder. I'd utilize the settings on the inside door of the mig welder as a general guideline. some welders you will be able to use the door configuration settings. in the two welds to the right i have used the actual stock miller settings to weld them. If the stock settings and adjustments tend to be way to Warm or producing "V" formation then i would likely.

-Start by dropping the wire speed.
-if it doesn't help shift the configurations down to the next lowest setting on the panel.
-If still nothing at all your going to have to continue on fine tuning by lowering your current wire speed first then the volts and repeat that process untel you have a nice constant sharp “Frying Bacon” sound. as well as a nice rounded bead stack.

One process i use that works good is:

-Drag the mig welder in close proximity to the area your mig welding, enough so you will be able to reach for the adjustment switches while welding.
-Get the welders settings close to your liking.
-Then while mig welding on a piece of scrap slowly spin the wire speed knob up or down until you get the “Frying Bacon”sound and a nice looking bead.


I said that i was by making use of the stock miller 250 mig welder settings, witch functions nicely in cretin applications and joints. But some not so well, at least in the purposes im applying it for. In the photo below i was using the stock miller setting, for 3/16" in order to show you what it appears like when you try and weld a corner joint. I tried to make the weld look good. but ended up using the stock setting for 16 gauge.


In my own past experiences each welder has unique adjustments to acquire that “sweet spot” EX: i use a miller 210 all the time and have the settings memorized. and at my friends shop i end up using completely different settings on his particular miller 210. im not very sure exactly why but ether way i think its better if you use the strategies i explained above.
If you swap to a different wire size you will have to change the settings to get back to the original “sweet spot”
if you want to get more information on pro mig welding techniques check out my blog at: Profabricationtechniques.com