Anything welding

I'm no wood worker so let's see if I don't fuck up the wood top

 

It's no different than metal fabrication. Wood work is the same. You cut the piece too short, you just glue it back together...it just takes longer...

 

I have no intention of buying tools either

At least not a router which I need so I'll just file a radius/corner down with hand files

 

Speak for yourself!

I am only allowed to touch wood to burn or get tossed into the dumpster.

 

Hey guys, I would like to learn to weld for my own personal projects. Been looking at community colleges, adult education programs, trade schools, YouTube, Khan Academy, etc. I’m in southwest Connecticut very close to I-95 and the NY border. Any recommendations?

Initially, I have two simple projects to accomplish. But once I get going, I’m sure I’ll find many more.

(The projects are
1. Weld in a couple of pieces of angle iron support for the backyard skid plate my buddy @Arcticelf helped me with last year.
2. Cut 1.5” off the ends of my All-Pro tube bumper and reseal where the tires hit at full lock / compression)

After some initial research I think a MIG welding machine would be best for my needs. I’m pretty good with mechanical stuff, so I’m confident I could learn to be a decent welder.

Would love to find a local shop to do this with. Saw the post about the Eastland stores and their Saturday workshops, but the closest one is about 90 minutes away. Would be totally awesome if a TW member somewhere nearby would be open to spending a few hours with me here and there in exchange for beer, but that’s probably a long shot!

Thoughts & recommendations?

Thanks!

 

Yeah. I hate it too. Unfortunately my wife knows I'm good at it.

 

my thoughts?

buy a welder. get some steel to play with--scrap or new, doesn't matter. some welders come with a 'what went wrong' card for what the weld that should look like:


many will also have a metal gauge vs. settings reference guide on the inside cover to get baseline settings dialed in.

play with sticking together the metal and getting the speed and settings close--it's much more your rythm that sets the quality than the machine settings in many cases-- as long as the settings are close, they'll fly.

build up your confidence with that, then find a stupid/insignificant but structurally-worthwhile project to further build your confidence before moving onto the projects you really want to use it for.

in my case, it was a flag pole for the truck. i don't ever use it. 5' of 1/2" IMC conduit, and some chain links cut in half.

 

Okay. Any recommendations on welding machine brands? I’ve seen MIG machines going for $200 - $4000. I’d like to spend on the lower end of that range.

 

PrimeWeld MIG180

Welcome25 for your coupon code

Send me a pack of your favorite hazy IPA as you'll thank me later

 

i'd be remiss if i didn't suggest looking at primeweld!-- either the 160 or 180 should suit your needs just fine.

i personally use an eastwood 90 for little home projects, and at work, use a lincoln 225. the eastwood definitely has some quirks that nicer welders don't exhibit, but i had it before i had heard of primeweld...

 

Having used everything from a transformer-based, 3 phase Miller CP to single phase Miller 350P's and many things in between, I can say without a doubt that a PrimeWeld 180 will last you for awhile.

I only got rid of mine because I have a Miller that's more compact, and my larger machine is a PrimeWeld 285.

 

An alternator-powered mobile-welder would be clutch in the Black Rock Desert right now

 

Two batteries, cables, stinger, some 7018 rod and a shade 10 lens is all you need

 

Happy Birthday @Kwikvette !!

You made it another year.

 

Thanks!

Feels even more rushed each and every year

 

Id also recommend the PW Mig 180. They have the best customer service I have ever seen. I bought one never mig welding before (only a few hours tig welding and a bit of fluxcore with a HF shitbox) and found it super easy to use and setup.

 

Being the Tacoma World Prime Weld Sales Person.

I think you should be getting demo machines to review . Is that a Good idea?

 

Happy Birthday!!! Hope it's a good one.

....but:

You're reaching the "age acceleration point" on the graph. Age is linear when you are younger, but it accelerates to an exponential curve once you reach around 40.

You need to go ahead and start thinking about at what age you'll buy your "last new truck", where you'll live in Florida, and how you'll look wearing a white belt.

To stay on "Anything Welding" my advice is to start practicing welding with a shield that you scuffed up the lens with a 60 grit flap disk, cause soon you eyesight will make your welding look like you attended the Stevie Wonder School of Welding. Ask me how I know. I have 20/800 in both eyes and have bifocals.

Okay, I'm done. Enough birthday harassment.

 

Enough just by a Prime Weld 180 and be done.

My second choice would be the Hobart line!

Look to your future needs plan ahead.