New Guy Introducing Myself

[RookieWelder]

Hello, all!

I've been lurking a while and decided to finally sign up and say hello. I've recently decided to teach myself how to weld from a hobbyist's point of view. Wanting to learn to weld has been with me since my days in High School Metal Shop. I never could strike and hold an arc with a stick welder back then, despite trying over and over, managing to stick the electrode to the bit of steel I was hoping to lay a bead down onto. The teacher finally suggested I go over by the forge and cast some more fishing sinkers...

I picked up some safety gear and a Harbor Freight MIG 170 welder - I figured that if I found out that metal working wasn't for me, I wouldn't have too much dough invested. So far, I've only used it with flux core wire, and I've been able to actually produce a couple of decent looking welds. I also managed to put this simple welding table together:



It's not perfect, but it's getting the job done!

After I develop a bit of mastery with the small MIG welder I bought, I'll probably be ready to start looking for a decent stick welder.

Dwight

 

[Big Barn]

Looks good,Dwight!! Looks like you're well on your way. And welcome to TBN!

Terry

 

[Baby Grand]

Welcome to TBN, Dwight - great first post!
You were smart to start with a small investment. From the looks of your welding table, you should be very proud of your work. You'll find a lot of good advice on here from some really skilled craftsmen - it's a great resource.
-Jim

 

[travlitt]

:welcome:
From Texas
Good looking table.

 

[deerseeker001]

Welcome from Wisconsin

 

[BukitCase]

Welcome from Ory-Gun - that's a pretty impressive first project (or third or tenth, for that matter )

One piece of advice, take it or leave it - sooner or later, there's a good chance those air filled tires will catch a spark or a sharp piece of metal and "only be round on three sides" - if/when that happens, I've found that these

10" x 2-1/2" Solid Rubber Tire

make a decent flat-free solution - I don't think I've seen them much cheaper than they are now... Steve

 

[Big Barn]

Welcome from Ory-Gun - that's a pretty impressive first project (or third or tenth, for that matter ) One piece of advice, take it or leave it - sooner or later, there's a good chance those air filled tires will catch a spark or a sharp piece of metal and "only be round on three sides" - if/when that happens, I've found that these 10" x 2-1/2" Solid Rubber Tire make a decent flat-free solution - I don't think I've seen them much cheaper than they are now... Steve

I dunno,Steve. Letting a little air out of a tire might be handy for "levelling" the table for some projects.

Terry

 

[RookieWelder]

I dunno,Steve. Letting a little air out of a tire might be handy for "levelling" the table for some projects.

Terry

We had the same thought! I work in my garage so naturally the floor is pitched toward the doors.

Dwight

 

[k0ua]

Hi Dwight, nice looking table. If you are still looking for a nice stick machine, I might suggest the Everlast PA200 or if you want to get into HF start TIG also the PA160sth. I have the older PA160, and I really like it. No, I don't get paid in any way for recommending them, I am just a satisfied owner of one. Here is a photo of my machine. It runs 7018 very smoothly.

While I can scratch start TIG with my little welder, and here is the torch and an example of some copper crush washers I made out of #10 romex, I do not have High Frequency start nor a foot pedal. Mark from Everlast is an advertiser and contributor here on this forum, and can help you select a welder if you wish.

I used to have a lot of trouble getting going with a stick machine, but a couple of things help quite a bit, one is to get an auto-darkening helmet.. That will do the most. The other is to get a good DC machine with some 7018.

I guess the third thing would be to not give up and practice practice practice.. Many will reccomend finding a good pro welder to give you some tips. I am sure that would help a bunch, but that was not an option I had. For better or worse, I taught my self. So any bad habits were earned all by myself. I have no-one to blame.

 

[RookieWelder]

Thank you all for the warm welcome, and for the kind words about my welding table project!

James - I am still looking for a stick welder; and I am definitely thinking about the PowerArc 200. Between what I've read on the forum here and what I've seen in various YouTube videos, Everlast seems to build as good a product as the Blue or Red guys do. And at a much more attractive price.

I'm also leaning toward a plasma cutter. I've been cutting metal with an inexpensive band saw, a jig saw and an angle grinder. All have their strength and weaknesses, but plasma cutting is just too quick (and cool) to not look into!

Dwight