Anything welding

Looks like its cold and travel speed is too fast

 

Not bad, not to bad at all. Your speeding up and slowing down and it is a bit cold. The stops and restarts are hard to match, keep at it. Consistent speed is the key once you have your settings right for the material and machine you are using. Watch your duty cycle on your machine,,you can't just buzz a 6 foot long weld on the average unless you spend big bucks on a production type machine.

Alot of guy's and gal's don't even care to look at those recommendations and then try to figure out why there welds look like crap when in fact they are overheating the machine and burning it out faster.


(Case in point,,The 110v hobby box wire feeds have a short duty cycle (very short welds recommended)

 

thanks for your response! my goals are mostly hobby type stuff, household projects (custom railings, decorative stuff) and some mods for my truck (bumpers/skids), def not looking for a money maker, just personal projects

 

Thanks. Welds are starting to improve. Should I be preheating all the metal? Or just preheat parts if they're thicker than what they are being welded to?

 

I will soon be taking the portable setup more seriously and will sadly have to get into something bigger when I get my B pressure.

Right now I'm working for E&M oil field services in Alberta doing as much repair work on the leases as they give me and the 305g has handled anything I throw at it. Seems to be the most popular machine around. Not many millers, I would say for every 10 Lincolns 1 Miller. I have 4100 hours on my 305 so its paid for itself time and time again.

Overall the Tacoma handles the weight no problem. With the bags you barely feel it back there... ride is nice, still lots of power, lots of room for tools. I'v got it on a skid made to self center around the wheel wells so its only a 5 min job to load it up with a bobcat.

 

Lowes has the 12.5lb Lincoln Superarc spools on clearance. I bought one for $21

this is the wire

http://www.lowes.com/pd_178802-1703...L=?Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=

 

oh wow, did not realize that was your truck! that is awesome! im currently drooling over an sae300. hoping by the end of next year I will be able to throw something together (fingers crossed).

I work for a company now, (have for my entire adult-life) that deals mostly with hydronics as far as piping goes. how is it with oil? some guys say its cake as long as you can pass x-rays because all you do is weld, and some guys say its brutal because all you do is weld.

just wondering how it really is, because I enjoy layout and fitting as much or more than welding

 

The 300's are good machines, lots of guys running them around here.

All depends what kind of a welder you are. The x-rays do say lots so you gotta be able to beat them for sure. Some guys walk on site claiming to be welders who couldn't make two pieces of tape stick together

With my C ticket I do about half fab/fitting half welding. With a B ticket its almost all welding. I love welding so that's not an issue for me but I can see it getting old if you don't really like to weld all day.

 

So I'm in the process of deciding whether to teach myself or go take a class over my winter break. How many of you taught yourself?

And one more question, I'm looking at purchasing a welder as well. I'll have about $500 to spend and I dont want anything huge just something for a few projects. I'd also need to factor in a helmet into the price. Thanks guys.

 

ordered a thermal arc 211i and a victor torch last night. looking forward to making some things!

 

I would say teach yourself. Watch a couple of youtube videos, and practice practice practice. I had a buddy of mine show me the basics and practiced from there and figured out what worked for me. Save the money and use it on scrap metal to practice on

As for the welder, you figure a helmet is gonna run you ~120 or so depending on the quality. Can't get a super nice welder for $380, but check out craigslist for some good deals that pop up occasionally. I use a Lincoln Electric 140hd, and it's more than fine for what I need it for. You also need to decide whether you want a gas or electric welder

 

Going to attempt this later what do you think?

 

With the amount of work it takes to remove the Yoke I would just replace it. You will need to remove it anyway to pre heat it to 400 degrees anyway so just get a new one.

 

It's on my trail truck, not that worried about it. Gonna heat it like it is then tack put joint in and go too town. It's just for moving the truck around right now. No way would I run the 408ci with this little shaft, thats how this happened

 

What I think he's trying to tell you is that without pre-heat, you'll end up with lots of weld and little penetration.

 

subbed

 

Hello - I'd like to get some opinions on this welder:

MIG 100 Flux Wire Welder

http://www.amazon.com/MIG-100-Flux-...TF8&colid=164T97P2Y0JYA&coliid=I3NCT25R2C21TV

My intention is to teach myself enough welding so that I can do a good job making my own racks, and work of that size and complexity. Probably nothing any thicker than 1/4". It has good reviews but maybe somebody here has a different opinion? I am a hobbyist and know there are better machines out there, but maybe this is good enough for my purposes. Thanks.

 

I wouldn't use that machine. I use the Eastwood Mig 175. Id recommend a gas machine instead of straight flux core, will be a lot easier for you to teach yourself on than with straight flux.

http://www.amazon.com/Eastwood-Weld...8615&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=Eastwood+mig+175

They also have a Mig 135 which would suite your needs and not run you as much as the bigger brother. Either way you still cant beat a good Miller or Lincoln in the end. Ill be upgrading as soon as I can to a bigger machine

 

if your not familiar with cast welding, don't expect it to even make it up the driveway. as stated you need to pre-heat at least to prevent most cracks. I think post-heat is a major plus too.

I only tried it once and was told to use Ni rod. lots of nickel in it. I did not pre or post heat and I could hear cracks happening as I welded. the welds themselves still hold, but they are just holding old brake rotors to 4x4 tube for an ash tray. . . . .beyond redneck, but I still think they look cool

 

Thanks for the advice. Stupid question - do you have to buy tanks of gas for a gas MIG welder?

I have to say $500 is steep for me. Needless to say part of the attraction of the other machine is that it's just $100 and people don't seem to hate it.