Anything welding

Well I finished my first project for the most part except for paint. Built a welding cart for myself today. I'm pleased with it.

 

thats nice

 

Thanks man!

 

Great idea!

 

Thanks!

 

What would make it more awesome would be to attach the rear portion of a bike. Boom mobile welding!

 

Nice job! I like the handle bars.

 

I use a 125 and mine are $29 to swap out. I had a 40 and it was $38 to swap out. WTF?

 

You sir have brilliant mind

Thanks! Glad I finally found a use for them.

 

Do you know how much the tank costs?

 

Might be due to the popularity of the size or something. I will try to remember to ask if a bigger bottle is cheaper next time. Maybe I would upgrade.

 

A fucking lot. Buy one used from someone. I got mine with the welder used.

 

I believe air gas here wants $160 for a 40. Check craigslist and even local flea markets for one. I traded in a larger o2 tank for my 125 c25, all I paid in the swap was the $29 for the gas.

 

Even at those prices for a tank, it rally isn't a lot of money. You will have the tank for your entire life. $160 spread out over 50 years. Pffft!

Same goes for a quality MIG welding rig. Sure, 1.5 k or so sounds like a lot, but it will be the only tool you will buy once. I've worn out 4 Port-a-band saws, 8 cordless drills and 3 welding helmets in the same 20+ years of owning my MIG welders.

I have had really poor luck searching the classafieds for used MIG units. In most cases the price is not much less than new or the things just get swooped up before I get a chance to buy them. Lots of times the ones for sale are the chinese knock offs. Good for small amounts of welding, but just don't have the robust build for something that will live in a pretty harsh environment.

I get people asking me to look over a welder that is for sale all the time. I just tell them to buy new. It will be less of a hassle.

Amazon had some refurbished Hobart units a while ago. I wouldn't even think twice. If they were the unit I wanted, I would buy them without heasitation.

 

lol... might be worth the flux core grinding for a beginner?

 

^^^^This. I went from a 40 to an 80 to a 125 everytime I drained them. It was roughly 50-70 more each time and they were already full.

I NEVER thought it was fun. And I used mine for quite a while.

 

What size cord wire should I use to MIG weld some coil bucket gussets? Maybe buying all this stuff tomorrow welder, tank, welding gloves, mask, wire, hat, am I missing something? Also what kind off tank do I need?

 

Either .035 or .030. and no brand specific tank but you'll want a 75/25 gas mix. And find some kind of long sleeves to prevent the sun burn you can get from the arc.

 

Got a hobart 190 last week and started playing with it yesterday. Never welded before. Studied weldingtipsandtricks.com.


.030 wire, 75/25 mix. Started on a scrap crossmember






Today's practice, a T joint and lap joint. Tried V's and cursive e's. Very happy with my progress and it is fun!

 

Oh and I paid $157.50 for an 80 tank and it will cost about $20 to swap.