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Started By
Message
1
Posted on 5/3/23 at 9:07 pm to latech15
quote:
Do not waste your time with stick welding
Stick welding is awesome. Everyone should learn it.
Posted on 5/3/23 at 11:59 pm to DownshiftAndFloorIt
That and stick/flux core can be done out in the open even if it's windy. Also stick welding is the most versatile and even with a smaller machine you can handle decently thick materials. Also, ignore those telling you to buy only Lincoln or Miller, there are lots of great machines out there now, Fronius, ESAB, etc. and lots of information from professioals that use them.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 3:00 am to Dave_O
I was in a similar situation as OP a couple of years ago. I knew of no one around me who knew how to weld. I put an ad in CL saying that I wanted to hire a welding instructor for personal instruction and I didn't have any equipment. I lucked out finding a really good guy who had gone to welding school. He would come over to my house on Saturday mornings and teach whatever the topic was for that day. I paid him $60 per hour with use of his equipment. Once I bought my own welder, he lowered his rate to $45 per hour. I wanted someone who had gone through welding school because: (1) I wanted to learn how to weld safely (especially important for oxy-acetylene work), and (2) I wanted to be able to ask a lot of questions (and I did).
This process worked perfectly for me. My primary interest was stick welding and that's the type of welder I bought (ESAB Rogue 180i). I also have oxy-acetylene tanks and torch. It's a lot of fun and I've done some cool stuff with it. Good luck in your journey!
This process worked perfectly for me. My primary interest was stick welding and that's the type of welder I bought (ESAB Rogue 180i). I also have oxy-acetylene tanks and torch. It's a lot of fun and I've done some cool stuff with it. Good luck in your journey!
Posted on 5/4/23 at 5:51 am to Clames
If a person can only have 1 process they will learn/use, it should be Stick welding for most people.
Agreed. OP isn't getting into Shipbuilding and doesnt need "the best."
I have a POS Lotus high frequency tig machine that works. It's not great, but I can tig aluminum with it and it costs something like $400.
quote:
ignore those telling you to buy only Lincoln or Miller,
Agreed. OP isn't getting into Shipbuilding and doesnt need "the best."
I have a POS Lotus high frequency tig machine that works. It's not great, but I can tig aluminum with it and it costs something like $400.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 7:33 am to Dave_O
Welding is a good hobby to learn if you have a need to metal work periodically. One project can easily justify the cost of a machine. I started off building furniture for our house and gradually went from there.
I've rebuilt a boat dock with a 150' walkway and 500 sq ft platform. Built a 300ish' sq ft dock on a buddy's pond, a 450 sq ft pavilion next to my pool, and a lot of metal fence.
The down side to welding is everyone and their brother find a reason to get you to weld something for them.
I'd suggest budgeting $2,000 for a decent welder, gas, and an angle grinder. One of your first projects should be a welding table. A good welding table is probably the most valuable tool you'll have once you get going. I started with a Lincoln 180 Weldpak. That's what I use on everything non structural. I have a few buddies that have gas powered Miller welders for structural but in the beginning, DO NOT attempt anything structural. A failure on a structural weld can result in death. Angle grinders are also extremely dangerous.
WeldingWeb is a good welding forum for beginners. WeldingWeb
I've rebuilt a boat dock with a 150' walkway and 500 sq ft platform. Built a 300ish' sq ft dock on a buddy's pond, a 450 sq ft pavilion next to my pool, and a lot of metal fence.
The down side to welding is everyone and their brother find a reason to get you to weld something for them.
I'd suggest budgeting $2,000 for a decent welder, gas, and an angle grinder. One of your first projects should be a welding table. A good welding table is probably the most valuable tool you'll have once you get going. I started with a Lincoln 180 Weldpak. That's what I use on everything non structural. I have a few buddies that have gas powered Miller welders for structural but in the beginning, DO NOT attempt anything structural. A failure on a structural weld can result in death. Angle grinders are also extremely dangerous.
WeldingWeb is a good welding forum for beginners. WeldingWeb
Posted on 5/4/23 at 11:27 am to Dave_O
You don't need a lincoln/miller to learn, that's a waste. Get Klutch from Northern Tool. I weld as much with it than my millers. Easy setup to learn and run.
Biggest advice I can give is get a 240v multiprocess machine, 120v sucks. One thing you will need is a dedicated 240v plug put in your shop or house.
And you can absolutely learn to weld by youtube and tons of practice.
Biggest advice I can give is get a 240v multiprocess machine, 120v sucks. One thing you will need is a dedicated 240v plug put in your shop or house.
And you can absolutely learn to weld by youtube and tons of practice.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 1:13 pm to WhiskeyThrottle
quote:
I'd suggest budgeting $2,000 for a decent welder, gas, and an angle grinder.
That's about right for budget. Can get a decent multi-process 120/240V welder for well under $1000. Good welding helmet, gloves, jacket, clamps, accessory items, grinders, etc will eat up $1000 pretty quickly. Get a few good angle grinders, I have Hitachi and Dewalt mostly, but at least get one good 5" high-performance rat tail style grinder. Cutting and grinding off scale is a real chore with a small barrel-style 4" grinder. I haven't gotten around to building or buying a good welding table, don't have the space for one either yet, but I made something that settles onto folding plastic sawhorses using the 2x4 notches.
Posted on 5/4/23 at 1:43 pm to Clames
quote:
I haven't gotten around to building or buying a good welding table, don't have the space for one either yet, but I made something that settles onto folding plastic sawhorses using the 2x4 notches.
Pics?
Posted on 5/4/23 at 6:56 pm to CroakaBait
This thread reminds me of one from it seems several years ago.
Who posted a pic of "stacked dimes" with a Harbor Freight machine?
DownShift?
Who posted a pic of "stacked dimes" with a Harbor Freight machine?
DownShift?
Posted on 5/4/23 at 7:27 pm to wrongRob
No. If it looked good it definitely was not me.
Posted on 5/6/23 at 8:34 pm to Dave_O
Posted on 5/6/23 at 8:49 pm to mohalk
Broken hearts are easy, now show me the crack of dawn!!
Posted on 5/7/23 at 1:37 pm to Dave_O
You can easily learn to weld on your own on a Mig with flux core wire.
Practice getting the heat setting and wire feed speed correct and that is 85% of the battle. There is a chart on most welders that get you close. You fine tune setting as you weld.
Practice getting the heat setting and wire feed speed correct and that is 85% of the battle. There is a chart on most welders that get you close. You fine tune setting as you weld.
Posted on 5/7/23 at 5:37 pm to Tridentds
quote:
There is a chart on most welders that get you close. You fine tune setting as you weld.
I like it when the dude burning the gun says "up 5" and I dont do anything and he says "oh yea that's it"
Posted on 5/7/23 at 6:56 pm to Nawlens Gator
quote:I quickly became an expert cutting torch man working as a welders helper around 1979.
I learned in evening trade school. Cutting with a torch was also taught.
Got my next job from a hog farmer where we had cut down all of his barn fencing and put up new fence. I became an expert with a metal grinder cleaning everything up before we started welding. The worst part of the job was reaching into PVC drains up to my elbow clearing the pieces of fence. We cleared the hogs out of the pen's I started in, and moved some from barn to barn. I'd be in the next pen watching them them eat sh*t that ran down the leg of another pig, who had his head in the feeder. While I worked for the hog farmer, he was Louisiana Hog Farmer of the year two years in a row.
I did it for a pipeline welder one summer. When the guy handling the side boom and I had trouble getting the pipe in the calipers, someone would inevitably yell. "Put hair around it."
The first welder I worked for was an OK welder. good enough for the jobs we did. He started it after retiring from LP&L. His favorite exclamation when he made a mistake, cut a finger, hit his thumb while hammering, or just couldn't get his Bic lighter to work was, "Ain't that the drizzling sh*ts!"
I'm lying a little. When he hit his thumb with the hammer he said, "Ain't that the dry drizzling sh*ts!"
He kept me laughing all day. I remember those days of working much more precisely than I do very much of my 30 year career selling advertising.
Good luck with your welding education!
This post was edited on 5/7/23 at 7:04 pm
Posted on 5/8/23 at 12:21 pm to Dave_O
Bevel your edges to make nicer seams and get better penetration.
Learned that on Texas Metal...thanks Bill!
Learned that on Texas Metal...thanks Bill!
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