Casper's Broken Down old Grumpy Assed Build

It’s a gift.

 

Hey Rob, you gettin the 3 day?

 

Yep, one more shift tonight, then off ‘til Tuesday night.

How’s that carpool working for you? Heard anything about that other position yet?

 

They have the application I got an email it said it would be a few weeks until I hear anything. Many more day like today and I might not make it. Carpool is ok. We had our first issue today their boss likes to release them early on Fridays. I told them i don't want to holf them up so either I will drive on Fridays or we'll have to get there a couple of minutes earlier and i'll start at 6 which will have me quitting at 2:30 a 1/2 hour before them then we can leave whenever they're ready.

 

If they’re anything like the Air Force Personnel Center folks that our hiring goes through, it could be 3 weeks or 3 MONTHS ... they’re, let’s call it “unpredictable.”

Our carpool has one day at the end of every two week period like that. I sometimes drive separate on that one day.

Good luck on that other position, hope you hear sooner rather than later.

 

Me and an old buddy got the garage wired up yesterday so now I can play with the welder and plasma cutter. I went out and pleyed with some scrap today trying to burn up some strait Argon I have in the tank so I can go and swap for a mixed bottle and learn the machine a little better. I need to get some materials and build a welding table in the garage I just don't have a place for it rt now.

A little more working with this one and I'll get it. I'm impressed so far and the machine is very quiet



I primarily always ran Millers now at this job it's lincoln and Fire Power but after helping @TacoFMS with some projects and using his Hobart I knew this was the way to go for me. A spool gun will come later if there's a need for it

Next on the list will be:
Dewalt grinder
Steel cutting skill saw
tubing bender
metal brake
drill press
Hydraulic press

By the time i get all this stuff I'll need a dedicated shop

 

I have been impressed with the hobarts for what they are. I think Miller and Lincoln have been going down hill and not really keeping up. Recently I have had the opportunity to try some machines from Everlast and HTP and oh man they run circles around big blue and red!

Those welds turned out really nice. A guy I know swears by pure argon for everything. He runs a lot of dual shield wire and apparently you need to run pure argon on that idk. I have only ran the mix as well and am no expert in welding.

 

We only ever ran a mix with .044 dual shield and it worked great. I have also heard great things about the Everlast machines but decided on the Hobart and no regrets. I stopped by a buddies house the other evening he's the guy i ysed to weld with every day. We were comparing this 230 machine to his older Miller 210 it's basically the same machine. I had looked at a newer Miller 212 and with it being dual voltage I guess it just doesn't have the duty cycle that this one does. The 212 could only handle 3/8 in a single pass where the Hobart will do 1/2"

 

I think for the $$$ there are just many more good, equal, or better machines than big blue and red these days. Hobart has come a long way the past 5-10 yrs and are still very budget friendly for the home gamer!

I have never welded dual shield or even know the process compared I just know a guy that's hooked on 100% argon and that is what he told me but you know how that is a lot of false info out there.

 

Is welding something you can teach yourself to do, or would it be best to have an instructor?

 

I started learning in middle school. You can watch videos and they’ll help but it’s better, for me, to have some one to ask questions and look at your work. Really everybody had their own way of learning

 

Just wondered. It's something I'd like to add to my skill set.

 

I learned how to weld in 2009 when I was laid off. Took classes at local tech college. On some days I could do real good, others not do good. I think it's something you have to keep doing so you don't loose the skill. But for some people it just comes naturally. My wife got me a Clark welder, I know it' not the best. I still play around with it. Someday I wold like to get something nicer, but I have to justify the cost. If you can take classes, do. That education no one can take away.

 

I learned welding by looking at others doing it. Then, as @Casper66 said, you will probably need someone to answer you questions, and tell you what need to be improved in your welding. Knowing your welder also helps a lot! Practice, practice and practice! Then hit your welds with a hammer to see if it holds, if it breaks, repeat the exercice lol

 

And cut your welds in half, across the weld to check penetration. This will tell you a lot about how your welder is set up as well as how your speed is in regards to the movement of the gun.

 

And don't do too long welds or it will warp your piece of steel lol

 

I went out and tried to find a pair of test coupons. It’s pretty interesting how they do it. You weld, I believe, a 9” v groove with 3/8 plates and an 1/8” backer. They slice an inch off each end then I believe a 2” coupon out of each end. They are put in a hydraulic press and bent into a U with the weld being center then they are xrayed to inspect for cracks and porosity. A test plate done in a vertical position certifies you for vertical, horizontal, and flat. Overhead is a separate test.

 

Play with the welder you may be surprised. Is it a flux core machine or gas or a stick welder?
You’re correct the classes are a wonderful thing to take if the subject interests you. I did this ass backwards as usual for me and had been welding for quite a while prior to being asked to get my certs. I don’t know much of the technical stuff hell when Cypher starts talking to me about things I don’t understand half of what he’s saying. If you’ve never welded the classes are great for teaching you the basics and getting your certs which help with jobs if that’s your interest. Welding in a lab environment is not a real world application however and I know plenty of guys who, as far as I know, have never had the classes and are self taught like me. @TacoFMS for example is a good welder who just had to kinda learn out of necessity. Welding sitting at a bench with clean steel is quite different than laying under a machine making overhead repairs or having to deal with old rusty weakened steel. It’s still something fun to learn even if you only use it in a hobby aspect or making art

 

Flux core, wife didn't know the difference. Still, I enjoy it. Like everything else, I HAVE TO MAKE TIME FOR IT.

 

This may sound like a dumb question, but, when you use it do you push it or pull it when you use it?