Anything welding

I’ve got an electrician coming out to do it. I’ll spend the money so I know it’s safe. I don’t like playing with 110v. 48v DC is usually my max I’ll work around

 

Awesome, that's good to hear.

 

Just to throw this in there... it’s not all about voltage. 110 volts at 10 amps is 1100 watts, 48 volts at 25 watts is 1200 watts. Meaning that the amperage is very important to look at when measuring what electricity you’re comfortable with. And you said that 48vdc is the max you’ll work with, dc is much more potent than ac since you’re playing with constant voltage where ac for 110v (household) ranges from -155 to 155 volts at (I think) 60 htz (cycles per second), giving ~110 volts rms.

Not to over think everything, just throwing it out there that it’s not all about voltage alone. That can be dangerous if you don’t respect other aspects of electricity.

 

I know. It’s the amps that kill you

I’m just more comfortable around usually 12v stuff. 48v was my super modified power wheels race car.

 

All of that is witchcraft. Idc how many times it’s been explained to me. Electricity is bad to touch your skin with. That’s all you need to know

 

Actually... electricity is simply the flow of electrons and neutrons, without that flow you’d be dead.

 

Voltage burns but current will kill before high enough voltage will cook you. Low voltage is safer because skin resistance is so high that it limits the current that can pass through you to meager amounts. Arcs that occur when you short a car battery melt metal only because the metal has such low resistance. 110v is high enough to push enough current through you to kill you and higher voltages will cook your body after the current has stopped your heart. Also, the higher the voltage the farther a spark can jump a gap, I seem to recall ~50,000 volts per inch. It’s that arc that generates the heat that allows welding to occur, insufficient voltage results in lack of welding depth and too much is hard to control. Inert gas or welding rod flux are both means to exclude impurities from the molten weld metal.

 

Ill just leave this here

 

So close!

 

Zim
and for the record, I've done this 377 times.
Z

 

Yup. I've had RF (radio frequency) burns and finally a full thickness 3rd degree burn and it's not fun. The RF burn was worse. I'd post a pic but it's nasty. I don't like electricity for a reason, but I respect it. No amount of workmans comp money would ever ease the pain.
Zim

 

Abstract! I like it!

 

Yes DC does cary more overall power. With a perfect sine wave, AC is 78% of DC because of drops as the voltage approaches zero. That being said, you body has a capacitance property that helps to nullify DC power from traveling through it.

We've all put a 9v battery to out tongues. It's annoying but try 9v AC and you'll regret it.

 

This is only my second time actually welding on my own. First time was a quick how to on a MIG at the makerspace

After I finished the other sides and other leg I let it cool and tried to pry it apart and it’s stuck together. The other weld are ok. I was welding on my floor and wasn’t exactly in a good position. But I welded a thing!

prepping the edges and surfaces with a grinder really helped. If I had a metal table to weld on I probably would have a better time.

This was done with the Harbor Freight Titanium 125 Flux Core welding machine with whatever wire it comes with. Now I want to weld more stuff

 

That looks fantastic! Keep at it.

 

So a really good idea is to clip the end of the wire every time you finish a line, or bead, or run...Whatever. That ball of shit on the end when you finish welding, will spatter when you start the next run. Clip the booger, and move on.
Zim

Oh...that looks really good toooooo. lol
Z

 

As you get better, you will clip that end less and less. It does help when you are starting out.

Welcome to the madness!

 

I clipped the booger off each time. Glad I bought the mig pliers.

Thanks for the words of encouragement!

 

This may not be “best practice” but I just keep a tiny set of wire cutters in my welder where the spool goes. It never caused an issue and is always handy to have at the time and place when I need it.

I’ll also keep a few extra tips in there too.

 

Is a mitered weld stronger than this type of butt joint weld? I wonder only because the welded length is longer.