Anything welding

K maybe it's me or maybe I didn't make it clear... I was deff not tryin to spend anywhere near that kinda cash on a welder... Is there a reason the TONS of $200-500 machines aren't decent enough.. I mean I know these somethin to be said for quality but this is a welder for basically weekend job types of use

 

^^ I love my Longevity mig welder. They make great products that dont cost a fortune.
I got the migweld 140 and sometimes with I got a little bigger unit (220).. but for what I do it
works just fine.

 

Anyone use 75/25 bottles on their side? I know 100% argon is gtg.

I'm building a welding table for home use so space is a concern. What I've been thinking is mounting my welder/bottle under the table. I know there are safety concerns with the neck/regulator, I'm not an idiot, they will be properly protected. I've tried searching and most answers saying no don't seem to know what they are talking about or the info gets lost with people crying about safety or to never lay acetylene on its side, I know this, I know not to use co2 on its side either. I know I've used/seen others use argon on its side but don't know about 75/25, anyone have any input?

 

I may be off base, but as the liquid C02 reaches your regulator - and the pressure is reduced below the boiling point of C02 (Liquid to Gas) - the dramatic expansion of that little bit of liquid C02 to gas could do very bad things to your regulator..

From a little research, it looks like paintball guys have had anti-siphon valves installed. However - it looks like your bottle can ONLY be used in the horizontal position after that. I don't think that would work very well with the exchange program that is in effect at welding gas suppliers. You'd always need YOUR bottle back..

Just curious, why does your design require a bottle laying on it's side?

Argon is fine, because it is purely an inert (GAS), stored under pressure in a gaseous state. Not liquid, like C02.

I might be talking out my ass..

Read This:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/shop-tools/1044169-horizontal-tig-mig-shield-gas-bottle.html

 

I'm not using co2

Argon 75 Carbon Dioxide 25

 

As of now i haven't finalized a design, but it would be easiest to just lay it down on a shelf under the table. Its a 60 do i would be able to stand it up, but I'm just trying tokeep it simple.

 

Not trying to be a dick, carbon dioxide is C02.

 

t

Yes i know but pure co2 acts differently then a mix, that is exactly what I'm trying to find out. Every thread I've read seems to go just like this, all i need is someone to tell me I might bust off the valve or to not lay over acetylene etc.

 

Try reading that link I posted. One of the posts was addressing the mixed gases, seems as though there is enough of a pressure differential within the 75/25 mix to maintain CO2 in a gaseous state.

 

Please practice a lot before you try and do these things. And also welding horizontal, vertical, and overhead are not the same or as easy as welding flat. And just because a weld looks good doesn't mean that it is strong. Here is a good video for you guys with small underpowered flux core machines. It shows some bend tests and how to get the most of of your welds. And you'll be suprised how easily a "good looking" weld will break. Lots of good info in here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzSNpsLT40Q

 

Thanks for the info and pm, seems to be what I've been finding, just a lot of people saying you cant do it with ANY compressed gas blah blah blah acetylene explodes blah blah blah. +1 to you!

I'm actually going to mount it verticle under the table, it will take up less room anyway and the tables going to be about 45" tall anyway so I'll have plenty of room for a 60 under there.

 

Just ordered a thermal arc fabricator 211i.
Any one have any feedback on it? I've read nothing but good about them online

Anyone done mig tig and stick with it? I know how to mig and tig. Learning stick next semester

 

I've got one in my shop. Use it daily, in addition to my older ThermalArc 210 Fabricator.
It's a great little welder for welding up to 1/4" regularly, and about 1/2" on occasion if you crank it up. Smooth crisp arc characteristics, and lots of adjustability.
Havent bought the TIG torch yet, but will be doing so pretty soon I think. I've run a few sticks through it to test the stick capability, certainly does the job.

 

You run any 6010 with it? And I'll be getting the tig torch as soon as my work pays for it. Gonna start repairing airplane parts with it

 

Cab Mount Chop and Slider mount yesterday..







Some parking lot bollards today..







The perfect mix of residual cutting fluid/acetone/oxygen ignited halfway through one of the beads on a cap piece; blew my helmet off. Not fun..

 

That's some scary stuff! I saw one demo of what a good neutral mix can do and it aint pretty. I remember in h/s the instructor had like weekly safety stories. one was an email of a bunch of kids who filled trashbags with optimal mix and tried to transport them in a cloth-seat chevy. blew all the damn doors off.

in person we made a "cannon" at work once. shop-lead was pretty experienced with this stuff and set a very rich flame, snuffed it, and added just a touch to our "cannon". boooAAMM! water-bottle goes flying.

couple idiots tried the same thing. . . . they blew up the cannon. no injuries but the one guy looked like he got the rock-salt-by-shotgun treatment. all office personell came out trying to find the cause of the noise. they thought an air line or the propane tank exploded; and it was pretty amazing, without prior discussion, there were about 20 of us that had the same answer

" I dunno, man, I heard it, but my hood was down when it happened. . . ."

 

I have a question for any welder that has worked on rusty cars. I have a friend that bought a tracker from PA and it has a lot of rust. I am going to try to weld new panels on from another tracker that has good metal. I am looking for tips. I know prep is 90% of the job. I am a good welder but never worked with thin metal or on a car. I have Hobart 180. I don't think I will be using gas on this just wire. Going to be windy and we will be outside


Thanks
jake

 

Yeah, I thought I got the majority of it cleaned off with Acetone; let the tube sit for 45 minutes before starting welding. The guys at the plate shop definitely are not afraid to use a lot of cutting fluid - I was actually a little pissed.

The Styrofoam cup on the edge of the table works just as well - not a good trick to do inside, though. Acetylene is pretty dangerous chit.

 

I think you'd be much better off to do your welding inside, and with some shield gas. FC runs pretty hot, and will really make a mess if you have any paint that you're trying to retain within the immediate area..

Definitely don't over prep. Or else you'll end up with a beer can.

 

I was working on some pipe with oxy/acetylene when the flame went out for a second. The torch re-lit from the weld and the small amount of gas in the pipe exploded (out the open ends). Scared the shit out of me