Anything welding

Yup you have to be careful. So after I tacked everything on I would run a single bead on the outside and work my way inside while also workin front to back with about 10 minute cool down in between each bead

 

Thank you. I like learning new stuff.

 

When I trussed mine (Jeep axle… shhh…) I preheated the axle tubes and cast center with map gas to 400*, then welded a bit here and a bit there till it was fully welded. I also welded the truss to the center section. Once welding was done I wrapped the axle in a welding blanket for a day till it was cool.

Your work looks good though! Are you doing a 60 front?

 

Nice! I used that same method when I welded the tubes to the casting but I didn’t have a blanket so I just stood there with my temp gun and would torch them from time to time to slowly lower it.

My buddy used cat litter on his steering knuckles?! Welded then and put them in a bucket to hold the heat and lower the temp. Was an interesting idea.

Yup I have a 60 front out of an 08 Ford which is pretty much done.

 

Interesting idea with the kitty litter. Haha. I would probably have used sand but I don’t know anything about the properties of kitty litter.

Is this all going in a 2nd gen? If I remember seeing previous pics before I sold my Tacoma, I think I remember you having a 2nd gen. I see you’re in Colorado Springs, I was there for a few years at Carson. The wheeling there is incredible, I miss it!

 

These were originally intended for the 3rd Gen but there isn’t a reasonable way to keep the the dash cluster and electronics working to include basic stuff like the speedo since the tone rings don’t match and no one makes any.

I figured I’d wait to tear the truck up and instead putting these under my Jeep (don’t tell anyone) that’s been sitting in a barn for 20 years.

 

Got the spare holder done for the most part. Last thing is figuring out a way to hold it down and then also figuring out a way to lock it in the up position. If anyone has any suggestions I’m all ears. I wanted to do a pin to lock it down and then a second hole for the up position near the bushing but with it up, it won’t work
It’s not hard to lift, but it’s also not easy. Struts would make it way easier

 

Also bent and cut some aluminum for a jack skid. I’ll try my hand at tig welding it as some of it cracked along the long bend and to weld some gussets to it

 

I want a lot of custom stuff on the Tacoma that requires a welder. I have never welded before and know basically nothing about it. Is there a welder that I could buy to learn on that won’t break the bank? Also I don’t know that difference between ark/mig etc. just looking for some advice. Thanks

 

As someone in your other post mentioned..."buy once, cry once".

I have never welded a day in my life but a few years ago I purchased a Miller 211 autoset. I was welding like a semi pro in a couple of hours.

 

I agree with Matic above. However, I went with a less expensive option and purchased the Hobart 210 MVP. $600 cheaper than the Miller 211. It's not the best and it's not garbage. I'm happy with it.

In addition, if this price range doesn't interest you, I was guided toward the Hobart 140 by several people. I have zero experience with it, but I've heard good things about that machine.

 

I thought it was mentioned that a lot of internal Hobart and Miller parts were similar/interchangeable. That usually suggests they may come from the same factory.



My Miller is about 16 years old and has needed very little attention in that time so I feel like I got my money’s worth out of it.

 

You are correct. This is true in the photography industry as well as others. For example, Tamron makes Sony lenses. Therefore, I choose to purchase Tamron's best lenses over Sony branded lenses. Saves me a lot of money.

The main reason I chose the "budget" option is because I had to start from scratch. I had zero metal working tools and accessories, so the overall startup expense was high for me. Saving a few hundred bucks here and there was helpful.

 

A lot of people around me wanting to get into welding lately. They look at welders costing around $600 and think, “not bad”. But add in a good hood, miscellaneous PPE, gas tank, wire, cart, clamps, welding table…. The list keeps growing the more you get into it.

 

I’d say for a basic, decent setup, you’re looking around a grand. Then you can start to add nicer things from there like a bigger table, more clamps and grinders, etc. That’s taking mid level harbor freight welders. Price just goes up from there.

 

The cheapest way to learn is a Craigslist/Marketplace Lincoln AC-225 stick welder, with a little searching you can usually find one in the $100-200 range. The AC-225 has been in production for over 50 years, ask around as a friend or family member probably has one sitting in the corner of the garage gathering dust.

There isn't much inside one, a big honking transformer, 2 switches and a fan so they never seem to wear out. Buy a nice helmet and gloves, some 6011 1/8" rod and scare up some scrap metal and start practicing. Buying a book or watching some videos will help.

Note: you will need a 220 volt 50 amp circuit for the welder.

Mig welding is much easier to learn but the up front cost will be higher. If you learn to stick weld and enjoy welding you can buy a mig later.

 

Yeah, I started the same way. Welding with flux core, on the garage floor with random leather gloves that I burned through immediately. I did have a decent hood though.

 

I don't care for welding gloves. Full leather work gloves are all I've used for the last 30 years. Use what you are comfortable with.

Just remember:
Cold metal looks exactly like hot metal. Assume all metal is hot until you verify it's cooled off.

 

I burn myself almost every time I’m working on a project. One day I’ll learn. Or not.

 

Big deliveries this week. My Langmuir Crossfire Pro CNC table is coming in. I'll be pairing it with my Primeweld Cut60 plasma cutter and a Dell Latitude with Win 10 and Fusion 360.

Still have at least one more delivery to go. I am getting psyched about seeing it in action. Been on Plasmaspider.com trying to get up to speed.

Looks like it will be a fun project just assembling it.