Anything welding

Not entirely true. I've welded stainless/mild to brass and bronze using silicon bronze rod. But no to the original question.

 

Victor owns a ton of different companies. Victor, Tweco, Thermodyne, Thermal Dynamics, Thermal Arc, etc.

Then you go look at who makes what and then it's all muddy again

I have a Thermal Dynamics plasma and I'm happy.

 

Yep, which is also why they have Tweco mig guns on all of the thermal arc welders, and I've really come to like their guns too.

 

There are a lot of shops that standardize on the Tweco guns simply because it allows them to get the machine they need with an easy set of consumables to manage.

 

Yeah, I've come to find that as well. For instance, on my 210 the spool gun uses the same gun consumables as my new 211i's mig gun. I was quite happy to find I didnt need to source new tips/nozzles etc.

 

Anyone have any opinions with the thermal arc 95s?

Iv never really get to tig much, seems like a good little machine, guy near me has one with the tig and stick setup like new for $300

 

Learning how to arc gouge tomorrow in class! (TSTC WACO TX) so far ive done flat, 1F, and 2F with 6010 rods, 7018, and 7024 on a miller multi process machine. In mig ive done 1F, 2F and now 3F. laying beads all day and basically feel like im in heaven. Ive been doing both stick and mig for a few years now and im feeling more confident after attending classes here by ex pipeline and contract/rig welders. I feel im one of the few who prefers stick over mig on a daily basis. Id call it even if im using pulse mode on mig as apposed to short arc.

 

I like stick a lot more as well, but the MIG is just so dang convenient/easy.

 

I agree with this 100%

 

I prefer tig.

 

not on dirty metal! Removing every molecule of mil scale gets old.

 

Eh even dirty I prefer it, I do mostly architectural metalwork so there isn't much worry about strength. I hardly ever clean properly when prepping for tig unless welding something that has to be airtight/no leaks.

I prefer flux core over mig any day.

 

Ah I see, all the stuff I do needs to be strong so there cannot be any porosity.

 

Yeah you do real welding, we just make things look pretty, the closest we get to anything structural is railing and stairs. Welds need to be clean and strong but nothing crazy.

Whenever I try and explain what I do people are always confused so heres a few examples.

 

very cool, nice work.

 

I think stick can be easier when it comes to how portable and its easy to load up a crackerbox lincoln or my buddys sa 200 on his truck and just go off to do fense jobs or whatever than having to transport a bottle ect, im not counting flux core in this. In a shop id do mig over stick though. I just find stick more confortable than the gun on mig. I will say the 6010 are freaken easy to use, the 7024 are if its only a flat position.

 

If it is really in your blood, stick with it, save your duckets and get you a good machine that covers all those bases. Once you set the sticks down for any reasonable amount of time, the experience you acquired fades. Now more than ever, you need to be trained and learned on all of those processes if you want to make a living at it,,if that is your plan. Save all those credit papers to be able to list them on a resume.

 

New member here, been reading some of the posts on here. I tried to start out reading all the post, but just too many thru 2011 & 12 so I skipped over some.
Been welding since 1989 off and on at work. Got my first welder in August 2001. A Miller Bobcat 225 G, engine drive stick machine. Really like it a lot, no worries about access to 220 or having enough amps to git'er done, just needs fuel. In 2006 I got a Miller Matic 140 with the spoolgun set up to do aluminum, mostly thin stuff like aluminum boats.
Any ways, I got quite a few projects done since I started welding. I built an air tank bumper for my 2500 Chevy and a rack. Several "A" frames, steps, BBQ grills, double doors for my shop and many others that don't pop into my mind just yet.
I just bought a 2013 Tacoma SR5 in January and found/joined the forum a few days ago while researching rollbars for Tacomas. I want to build my own, and I don't mean a light bar or headache rack type of thing. So it WILL be structural in case it ever comes into use for what it's built for. I was wondering if there were any pictures or links to some showing how they are mounted to the frame, the plastic bed aint gonna cut it for mounting this. So if anyone has any idea where to look I would appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction.
In the mean time here are a few pix of some of my past projects. If ya'll want some more in depth discussions on welding topics check out weldingweb.com. A lot of things involving all sorts of welding from home hobbiest to professional ironworkers, worth taking a look, I'm on there too, same name.

 

Here is a safety sign most of us might need to post up somewhere close to where we are working, either in the shop/garage or out in the driveway etc.

 

Thanks, its not all work done entirely by me but just a few examples.

Welcome to TW!

Nice work!