Learning how - WELDING

[richfromPA]

hey patrick,
ive been weldin for 17 yrs and like it. i have the lincoln sp125 mig and the ability to use 110v is great. next came the miller thunderbolt 225v ac/dc stick welder. after i really got into doing side stuff i got a miller bobcat, then, after full addiction to portable welding i got the trailer for the bobcat and the wire feeder and use flux cored. i have a speed glass helmet at work that i bring home when i weld. im spoiled by this helmet. it is great for a beginner who has bad habits of moving when flipping down the lid and also when you have those hard to reach spots it keeps you from hiking thru the cave with a flashlite, ya know, like sparking your way to the weld area. save the few bucks and buy one. what kind of flux cored do you use? i use lincoln innersheild nr-211-mp .035 and like it very much. the little sp125 has welded alot of tree nursery stuff even in the larger ranges without any failures. now it is in the bobcat wire feeder and pours out like a chaulk gun. it also runs alot nicer in the bigger unit. just point, aim, and pull the trigger. the slag scraps off with yer fingernail.
rich

 

[JonLeonard]

I took about 4 months of classes (3 nights a week) to learn to weld about a year ago at a local vocational school. I really learned alot. Like others said, the instructor was a retired welder, and he was a storehouse of information.

One of the things he told us was that we needed to be good at stick welding. Other welding techniques are easier to master (mig and tig in particular), but you can produce welds that look pretty, but have no real strength.

His theory was that if you could become proficient at stick welding, you would do the other types without a problem.

Nice thing about the class too was the ability to try out different equipment. I was able to torch cut, weld and braze, mig weld, tig weld, plasma cut and use the metal forming equipment.

Go take the class, it is REALLY worth the time. Mine cost $3.50 an hour and you can burn alot of rods in an hour /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[RPM]

I also took a course at a vocational school - it was a blast. Nothing quite like quietly welding your neighbours project to the bench when he's out at the rest-room. I miss the practical joking that used to happen when I was more 'hands-on'.

The other thing we learned was that grease and welding don't mix well. A bit like eggs in the microwave, but will put you in hospital - don't try that one at home.

Another don't try at home - had a local guy lose an arm around 10 years ago in a welding accident. He was trying to repair a cracked rim on a heavy earth-mover at a local quarry. The tire exploded and a large chunk of rubber just about ripped his arm from his socket. Don't try that one either!!!

 

[GlueGuy]

Larry,

I'm like you. Want to start welding stuff around the homestead. Probably will take a course at the local JC. That said, if I were to get one welding outfit, what would I get? Mig? Tig? Arc? Gas? Friction stir? (put that last one in there to see if anyone is paying attention /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif)

The GlueGuy

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

GlueGuy,

I'm running a little Century wire welder from Quality Farm. It has mig capability but so far all I've needed is the flux core. Besides, I'm afraid if I ever try with gas I might like it too much and then I'd have to drag the bottles around. The Century is small enough that it fits right on the floor on the passenger side of my truck and is easy to lift in and out. It's 110 voltage, so I can run it off my generator for field repairs. (The generator is a little harder to load). A spool of wire is about $15.00 at Quality, and I keep several spools available. I've welded everything from sheet metal on car bodies to 1/4 plate with it. The only thing I wish is I had spent the extra $100.00 and bought one step better machine. I have infinitely variable wire speed, but only 4 heat settings. It can get a little tricky matching wire speed to heat and getting that to set up for the thickness of steel. Hobart also makes a great machine, but they're a little bit more expensive.

Mig or wire is probably the easiest to learn. I just asked a friend who is a welder to teach me and he got me going. Then practice, practice, practice. My biggest problem is going too fast and losing the arc. Remember it's supposed to sound like bacon and eggs frying. If it pops, you lost your arc.

The advantage to arc and gas is you can get farther from the welder because you can extend your cable or hose. You're pretty much stuck with a mig at however long the factory hose is. (Unless someone has found something I haven't).

When you buy, look at the DUTY cycle. The higher the rating, the longer you can weld. With mine, I can set to low power and weld longer than I really want or need to. On High power, I've got under 60 seconds to finish whatever and let the welder cool back down.

Hope this helps.

SHF

PS, Friction stir sounds like something you'd do on plastic. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[GlueGuy]

A small MIG setup does look like the economical/practical compromise. I think I would get something in the 175-200 amp range. I'm not too concerned about 110 vs. 220 issues as I have a 50 amp 220 outlet in the garage (where most of the welding would probably happen), and my generator also has a 50 amp 220 outlet (but the sucker weighs 350 lbs. so is not exactly "portable" even though it has wheels /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif).

The big question is: OK, so a decent TIG is going to cost (at least) twice as much as a decent MIG. What am I really losing if I choose a MIG instead of a TIG?

The GlueGuy

 

[gordon]

I would go with the mig hands down for general home use. Tig is the hardest to do in my opinion. Also need shielding gas and a real nice machine as well. So if your going to go to that expense in time you will be able to weld just about any metal with the correct shielding gas and lots and lots of practice.

Tig is sort of like gas welding only twice as hard. I've just started messing around with it.

If you go with a fancy ac/dc machine you can get a wire spool add on and be able to mig as well. All in how much pocket jingle you've got to spend.

Gordon

 

[Hawgee]

Smith, don't know where you are located? I have talked to many kids who have in the more rural settings had high remarks on courses just for the farm. 4H and Future Farmers of America type clubs for the kids. If that is all your needs, look for that type of schooling. I keep an older AC stick machine and gas bottles for cutting and heat. I've done structural pipe but no stainless in the Nuclear field. Don't choose to. If I was still hammering on the old Ford Model A's, I'd go for the mig. The little bit of stainless or aluminum I'll have done at the shop. Go for the basic's. It's a good talent to have.

Like Red Green says, "If the lady's don't find you handsome, let them find you handy". /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

GlueGuy,

Don't know for sure, don't TIG weld. I did buy a book about it, though and it looked like TIG would be harder to learn, as I recall, you're back to using a stick that has to be replaced periodically. With MIG, you just press the button and the wire comes out until you use up the 3 pound spool.

Only one caution about wire. BE CAREFUL about the back side of your project. Nothing can warm up your day worse than a couple inches of hot wire shooting out the back side of a joint and contacting something you'd like to keep! Generally, I've only had that problem when filling holes in sheet metal. But it makes the back of the project look like a porcupine. You're supposed to be able to clamp a piece of copper stock to the backside and weld away. The wire isn't supposed to stick to copper. But I've never had a scrap piece of copper stock laying around to try it. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

SHF

 

[JOR_EL]

Hawgee,

[[[Smith, don't know where you are located?]]]

I think you'd say "I'm just down the range from you".

I was LHSmith in my larval form /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif ...hatched out as "JOR_EL" when I registered, having finally brought home my new tractor "SUPERBABY" /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

I found a (very good, I think /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif ) book , ...WELDER'S HANDBOOK, by Richard Fink (HPBooks-1264) and have been trying hard to absorb it.

I have a basic aircraft size oxy/acet set, and the Dillon low pressure torch.(had both for some time, used them next to not-at-all)

I'll probably end up with a mig setup,...tig sounds great, but maybe too many $$ for the use I'd give it. Got a lot more to learn, ...keepin'-on a'readin' /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

Larry