A place for anything to do with Welding.Post your welds, ask questions and discuss sticking metals together.IDK I just want a place to talk about welding.
something is up with my feed speed
>>2849067you may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like
>>2849067i got an arc captain 130 last year and have had fun welding bits of junk, anyone have other idea of where to expand?
this is a collage of some of my tig welds on a project im currently working on. also a stick weld that is lol i dont have a whole lot of experience.
>>2849236you should make a minibike. that was my 1st welding project. now im making a car lol
>>2849365forgot my pic. future mid engine locost
>>2849092Based 302 trailblazer owner. I have one of them on my service truck and a 250 bobcat that gets thrown on farm pickups for random welding jobs. Anyone buy welding rod off e-bay? I ordered 60lbs of 6011 for like $85 the other day. Haven't tried it out yet, but might get a chance to today.
>>2849067That's a cutting torch, anon.
>>2849067Where to start welding? Was going to take a class at local city college but haven't gotten around to it. Books or YouTube channels?
>>2849580Is she supposedly welding or cutting with a torch in that scene? Also what shade of glasses would you all recommend for torch cutting? I need to get myself some actual prescription tinted glasses. Been just using my prescription sunglasses, but would like to get something more proper.
>>2849591shade 5 goggles should be good. you can buy ones that you can use prescription glasses underneath.I wouldnt use sunglasses.
>>2849591>Is she supposedly welding or cutting with a torch in that scene?Looks like using a grinder.>Also what shade of glasses would you all recommend for torch cutting?If you mean oxyfuel cutting, 5 or so is about right. If you mean plasma cutting, that's in arc welding territory. I usually use 9 for that.
>>2849596>shade 5 goggles should be good. you can buy ones that you can use prescription glasses underneath.>I wouldnt use sunglasses.I hate trying to put goggles over my other prescription safety glasses. I just looked it up and on rx-safety I can get prescription shaded glasses from 2-9 shade for a reasonable price. I'll go ahead and order some here soon. I really don't do a whole lot of oxy-fuel cutting, but really should start utilizing my torch more often. >>2849623>If you mean oxyfuel cutting, 5 or so is about right. If you mean plasma cutting, that's in arc welding territory. I usually use 9 for that.Sounds like a #5 shade will suit me well. I also have a plasma cutter, but hardly ever use it. Once in awhile I will break it out for a project and then think it's pretty nifty for a bit and then I'll get fed up with it being so damn finicky and put it away again for a while... Usually I can cut sheet steel with a circ saw and ferrous blades with much cleaner results than the plasma.
Just got this new toy. Wanted to try my hand at Tig. Just waiting on my wire, rods and 50a receptacle to arrive tonight. Any noob advice on pull off tig? Got some 1/16 ER70S-6 on the way. (Didn't have -2 for same day delivery) Already got a 150 bottle of argon.
>>2849997Most important thing with TIG is your arc length.You can never hold the tungsten too close to the puddle (unless you dip it in).A short arc lenth will keep the heat pinpointed where you want it to go and it keeps the weld puddle behaving.other than that its a matter of being comfortable and staying consistent.Theres tons of videos on youtube with good information. Youll learn a lot more seeing it done on youtube than reading words on a screen.
>>2850011Also get a gas lens and a number 8 cup instead of those shitty collets you get on those cheap torches. Youll save argon and its a lot nicer for welding.The argon flow from collets is a bit turbulent and it can make the puddle a little unpredictable and the argon coverage is dogshit compared to gas lenses.Idk why they bother still making those shitty collets no one who welds professionally would ever use them.
>>2850011>>2850013Awesome. Thanks for the info. I know the initial setup is most likely cheapo so I plan on buying better cups and such when I get a feel for it. And you are correct about the ridiculous source of information on yt. I did see they make arm rests to get you in a comfortable position. I'll be making a shopping list soon enough. Cheers brotha!
>>2849067You can still buy that nice steel headed Airco cutting torch she's holding today: https://www.concoa.com/products/9000-series-cutting-torchBest bought used via Ebay tho.
>>2849499If it's still sealed it will be fine.
I’m thinking about getting the titanium 140 multiprocess welder. I will be using the flux core and mig for AutoBody repair and I want to learn stick. Best option or do y’all have other recommendations s?
>>2850045Its brand new china welding rod guaranteed to give you all the cancer. Ran some today and it worked bretty gud. Has a different small to it like a hint of burning wood. So their cellulose flux is probably slightly different than the other rod I've been running.
Here's my little project. Not much planning went into it, just a few trips to hardware store. Using MIG. Did it rough but when it will be all cleaned up it will look nice.
>>2850232Here's the "planning" phase
>>2850233And here is how far I got with it yesterday. I'll use it for a week to see what I need to change and then take it all apart, make it all nice and paint it. I also have a different mounting mechanism for the pedals but it will take a days work on it's own. Then a bit of wiring and it will be grand
I've never welded.i live rurally.it doesn't have to look pretty. i want to do it cheap and just be able to glue metal to metal.I will practice in a garage alone.someone make sure I don't kill myself and suggest the cheapest shit that works right and what type of welding please.I'm retarded but I learn fast and do general contracting work so I'm already "handy".i can install 240v if needed in shed, but I got a 120v 20a break to work off naturally.
>>2850235cool.
>>2850235Why are you controlling a chemical plant with a steering wheel and pedals?
>welder>$600+>2x72" grinder>$600+why does everything have to be so fuckin expensive and take up so much spaceI don't have the garage space for all this crap
>>2850779>$600 welderif that price scares you off, you wont like welding. thats nothing in the welder world. ive bought spools of stainless wire that cost more than that. also just buy a primeweld >$600 belt grinder once you have a welder, just build your own. picel cost about $25 in junk misc
>>2850779That's not much money or space. You can put your equipment on simple easy to roll carts and weld/grind/cut outdoors. If you don't have the money then you can wait and lurk for deals. Study saves shittons of money and gives you an idea of what's worth owning. There are two kinds of cheap, good cheap and frustrating cheap so figure out what you need and choose wisely. For example if I didn't have money for a MIG gas cylinder to start with I'd still get a wire welder which can use shielding gas but run it with flux core wire to get started (and woking outdoors where exposed to breezes) and for welds where appearance is secondary.
>>2850963You can always use co2 shielding gas too for cheap. I scored 20lb co2 cylinders for $20 a piece. Bought 5 at that price to go along with the 6 or 7 others I already own. They make good fire extinguishers too if you put a dip tube in them or turn them upside down. Hell of a lot cheaper than an actual co2 fire extinguisher and zero mess like a powder extinguisher. Can also put them in enclosed spaces as a makeshift fire suppression system. If the tank gets hot enough it will burst the rupture disk and possibly smother/extinguish the fire.
i bought a argon cylinder from someone local on ebay. a local gas company is stamped on the top so i think to myself thats cool I can take it there to get it filled. im pretty much out of gas now but now im thinking what if that guy i bought it from wasn't supposed to sell it and when i go in they take it from me. its a 200cuft tank which ive read is bigger than what they usually sell or rent out to hobbyist
Burned almost 10lb of this last night. It runs pretty good. Probably gonna keep buying it at that price. Almost 1/3 the cost of the stuff from my LWS. https://www.ebay.com/itm/126355681349
>>2849067I have a big ass power transformer and going to build an almost continuous duty welding transformer out of it. I will just need to make sure it doesn't saturate since it is not a specialized transformer, it was taking for a 2000W step down / step up 110/220 transformer.
so my gut feeling was right about my argon tank. i took it into the place and the guy was like yeah we dont sell or lease tanks that big to non companies so whoever you got it from wasn't supposed to sell it. anyways the guy waived the $100 deposit for bringing it back and i had to get a new tank, a 125, with a lease. it was $66 for the year and 85 for the gas an 10 for a hazmat fee. that big tank was $200 and i got quite a lot of use so whatever.
>>2852492you got fucked. should have ground the name off the ring and shopped around until you found a shop that would swap it as an owner cylindert. owns 15 k bottles
>>2849067Why weld when god gave us Epoxy and Duct Tape? Do not spit on his gift.
>>2852531i dunno. the big tank had around 700 psi in it so im not sure how full it was but if it was $100 worth of gas then im not too butthurt but its pretty fuckin lame. its this shop and airgas and ive read airgas is worse. if this 125 lasts awhile ill probably ditch the lease, get a primeweld 125 tank off amazon and then call around and drive further out. but im not really sweating 66 dollars its weird
I need to friction fit a pin into a hole. This isn’t too hard with wood, but how do I do this with metal? Can I just freeze the pin, stick it in there, then let it come up to room temp and expand? It needs to be removable, but it can’t fall out.Or should I just give up and rivet the damn thing
>>2852736>but how do I do this with metal?The usual method is to machine the parts to the proper clearance and assemble them with a hydraulic press. I'm guessing this is not very practical for you. What specifically are you doing, and why do you want a friction-fit pin?
>>2852736you could use a roll pin. you might need to replace it after a few uses or get a taper reamer and maybe you can buy a tapered pin
>>2852785>What specifically are you doing, and why do you want a friction-fit pin?This. What are you trying to accomplish? Could be as simple as drilling an undersized hole and hammering or pressing the pin in.
>>2849567See if there's a technical college near you that does evening classes, that's where I started. It was a basic MIG welding course, 2 or 3 hours every Thursday night for 6 weeks. Class of less than 10 people. It was really enjoyable and led me to start a 6 months full time course which then led to me starting an apprenticeship.
Can you weld in your garage if you are in an HOA? Is it safe in general? Does it need much space?
>>2850628Seconded.
how do i make some cash with my omnipro 220?
>>2850628>>2853371FCAW is the easiest to start. It's the same as MIG except you don't have to dick around with gas because it's all in the wire. Stick takes a little more technique but can do more stuff and everything is cheaper. Less moving parts to break, very little setup. I started with FCAW but you should start with stick because after that MIG/FCAW will be easy if you ever need it. I got a very cheap chinkshit inverter stick welder and honestly it works pretty good though it tends to stick sometimes and the amp rating is obviously a lie. Watch some youtube videos, it's not that hard. Don't be disappointed when your welds look like shit compared to those online. Also a protip I have never seen anybody talk about: If you work outside on a bright sunny day you can just barely see through the welding shade, which makes it so much easier. Or you can get absurdly bright lights really close, or buy a auto darkening helmet but those always made me paranoid.>>2853338The dangerous part is from burning yourself, setting fire to something, huffing fumes or flashing your eyes. All these can be mitigated by PPE, ventilation and putting some kind of barrier between your welding and flammable stuff. Just be sure to hide all the equipment before HOA penis inspection day so Karen doesn't see.
>>2853436>or buy a auto darkening helmet but those always made me paranoid.Why?
>>2853463Maybe the battery's dead and it doesn't turn on?Allegedly it blocks the actual damaging rays even when it's not darkened but ah don like it ah don trust it
>>2853479I had an old harbor freight one and those were slow to darken sucks
>>2853479>Allegedly it blocks the actual damaging rays even when it's not darkened but ah don like it ah don trust itYeah it'll flash your eyes, but still blocks all the UV light so it isn't really damaging at all. I've run those HF helmets exclusively for years. Even when the batteries quit on them I'll take them apart and wire in a 9v battery and keep them going.
>>2853479>Maybe the battery's dead and it doesn't turn on?Then your eyes get dazzled for a few seconds, and you replace the battery.
>>2851187Some of them are owned by the company and you just rent them or pay a deposit. It should be printed on the bottle though if that's the case. The ones I use are owned by the distributor, pay a one time deposit and swap the tanks over. Hopefully for your sake he did not redeem
>>2853436>Or you can get absurdly bright lights really close, or buy a auto darkening helmet but those always made me paranoid.Turn the sensitivity right up and point it at a bright light source before you start work if you're paranoid. I do when I haven't used it in a while just to make sure it still works.
>>2849366Sick. Are you following the Midlana plans or modifying the Book chassis?
>>2849067Has anyone used a battery generator for welding portable projects? I am going to give it a shot once I buy my next battery and run it on 240v
>>2853644A battery is a device which converts chemical energy to electrical energy. A generator is a device which converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. Both are typically made to operate at a particular voltage and not others. What are you talking about?
>>2853632midlana car was a big inspiration. mostly seeing that I could just make a prototype from wood but its mostly like a locost but my own design
>>2849067>usually grinding rust and laying in grease on busted equipment >easy money fab project makes it my way>all new clean steel>mostly done on the table working like a white man>everything fitup right>no airarcing needed>feelsgoodman.jpg
>>2854007>new clean steelWhat's that? Never heard of it before...
>>2854009>What's that? Never heard of it before...its a mythical substance that comes from a glorious, far away place. usually, an 18 wheeled chariot brings it directly to your shop the day after you use the magical long distance voice repeater. occasionally, you have to take your own wagon to fetch the wares if youre in a hurry. at the steel merchants castle, theres endless racks of beautiful bars of iron of every conceivable shape and size. the knights of the property quickly assemble your request and then fly it with the wings of angel through the building then set it gently on your carriagesuch an royal experience does not come cheaply. the king has lowered his toll considerably from a couple years ago, but it's still around $1.25/lb these days
i want to get into tig. is there a problem with buying a cheap chinese harbor freight machine?
>>2854045Questionable part quality and therefore longevity. You can expect the nominal amp output to be way off, and features are probably limited. But probably serviceable. The only moving parts may be the gas solenoid (or valve, if you control it manually), and fan so there's not much to go wrong mechanically (unlike a wirefeed machine). A foot pedal is nice to have, so that may be another point of failure. Check reviews of the specific model. Check out a Miller Dynasty 210 for a bells-and-whistles model with features that you might look for in cheaper machines.
>>2854045buy a primeweld instead
>>2853489I don't know if the tech is different than it was 15 years ago, but I've burnt my eyes with auto darkeners.
>>2854247it still filters out UV and IR. that's just inherent to the material it's made of. even if you disabled the auto-darkening behavior, you would at most get your vision washed out because of the bright light (like how your eyes take a few minutes to recover from looking at a flashlight). all the autodarkener does is reduce the amount of visible light getting through. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMyeVXuElkQ
>>2854045i got a alpha tig 203. From their site and not off amazon its like the cheapest ac/dc tig machine it was around 700 including shipping and its been great. the presets are nice and its all ive been using. i almost got the primeweld but my tism kept me thinking off all the knobs and repeatability
Some welds. I finally got a bench sander lol
>>2849567Get a small stick welder no more than $120.At least with 60% duty cycle.Project farm youtube recently reviewed some of them.get some scrap metal(i recommend thick rebar) and start joining them.because of the sear scale of welding you will be able to see with your eyes what you are doing wrong and after welding test peaces too see if they stick.after you figure out the basics like welding current and rod sizes, read some charts and few test welds you may proceed with techniques or more involved methods,setups and what not.
>wanted to get more weldan done>union rep kicked me out of the shop because I'm not supposed to work more than 16 hours out of 24the fuck am I supposed to do with myself now
The middle tube is gonna get removed
>>2855219Derp
Also a gun I made. It's a good way to practice. Threaded barrel, extended mag lol
>>2849067friday night innershield action. .068 nr211 at 275a eats garbage and rust and shits success
>>2855223nice luty nigga
>>2855505Odd looking gun there. Never seen one like that. Any advantages to inner shield other than your gas not blowing away? I've never actually run it before. I've always use Argon/co2 mix or straight co2 as shielding gas. If it's outside or nasty material I always just stick weld it. Never tried dual shield either. Most the time I'm migging it is short arc transfer, Once in awhile I'll get some spray transfer going on if it's getting a bit too hot. I usually run hot with my welds anyhow...
>>2855633>odd gunits a standard k126 innershield gun. the bends of the gooseneck straightens out big snakey wire. innershield over .045 wont even push through a regular tweco gun neck plus it comes out like slinky coil which doesnt work because you need to hold 1"+ stickout. its much lighter to hold than a regular mig gun and keeps your knuckles back from the heat>mig vs innershield vs stick vs dual shield its pretty nuanced. each does something better than the other. innershield has most of the traits of stick but much hotter and faster. each flavor if innershield takes a different technique to run and its picky about it. once you get it dialed and figured out, it goes like a raped ape though and you dont have to stop to grab a new rod. .045 nr212 is my general purpose wire of choice out outside the shop. it does everything up to 3/4" and runs uphill really welli ran innershield on these because they were rush and i only had a sheet of shitty rusty and painted plate to burn the parts out of. it was quicker than stick welding then>dual shield its the cats ass for heavy clean metal working inside. theres not much that compares to the speed you can put metal in with it. the drawback is its a bitch about cleanliness and the wire needs to be fresh. otherwise itll wormtrack and have pinholes you have to gouge outalso checked dwubs
>>2849079Wire speed is too high. You're looking for a stack, not a pile, anon.
>>2849079>>2855714I was trying to go along with the joke, but I was just retarded instead.I've been doing MIG too long.
Every once in a while I make one nice looking bevel
>>2856788checked and nice burn. bevels are a bitch. they take so much more heat than youd think
>>2856810Too trueAnd too often I feel like I'm the only person in the building that both understands and cares aboutbthat fact
>>2850043>You can still buy that nice steel headed Airco cutting torch she's holding todaybased airco torch recognizer. the corncob handle dedicated cutting torches are the best ever made
Noob here having issues. My drive roll slowly tightens itself. I set the tension and then after 15-30 minutes of welding it starts seizing or coming out too slow to keep an arc.
>>2858210post a picture of you feeder
I repair welding machines for a living, I fix all the shit you guys can't figure out when you're having problems with the machine. >AMA
>>2858262>amaok heres one. its not broken, but might be if i cant bypass the retarded safety programmingi have a tweco arcmaster 401mst (lorch built) i bought to backup my xmt. i primarily run a vs suitcase feeder off itis there any way to make it default to contactor on when the machine powers up? the worst is if the suitcase power lead is left connected, and the machine power is cycled, it throws a error and wont power on. i then have to unclip the lead, and power cycle on/off to clear the error. its a electrode touching workpiece errorthe other retarded shit is that after 1 hour of no arc with the suitcase connected and output on, it automatically turns the contactor off and i have to do a full power cycle including unclipping the feeder lead to get the contactor to reengagethis shit is absolutely insane for an industrial unit supposedly designed to run vs feeders. plus it makes me want to go postal when im jammed down in a piece of equipment 100ft from the welder and have to crawl in and out for this bullshittell me how to just make the thing behave like my xmt where i set it to v sense wire, flip the power switch, and run all day without ever thinking about it
>>2858240Sorry I used the wrong term for the issue I'm describing. Its not the drive roller its the spool that gets tight over time. I set the spool to rotate with finger pressure but over time it gets stuck. If I back the wingnut off a bit then it goes back to normal. The spool tension is set by compressing it with a spring, washer and wingnut. maybe the wingnut is walking itself in too tight. Could I fix this by just torquing another nut against the wing nuts back to counter act the wingnut? Did I do something else wrong?
>>2858449>the wingnut is walking itself in too tight. Could I fix this by just torquing another nut against the wing nuts back to counter act the wingnut?thats exactly it. better chinkshit welders have a keyway in the bolt and the washer hole has a tit that fits in it. that keeps the washer from being able to turn with the spool. double nutting it will likely solve the issue
>>2858456thanks broski. This is a Toolium welder which is supposedly "Canadian" but like come on now It was $200. So far this is the only issue I've had with it. Otherwise very happy. I want to get it set up for tig soon.
>>2858457shelf looks goodafter you get the spool issue resolved, set the tension knob on the actual feeder to the lightest pressure that will still feed consistently. the wire should stall if you point the gun at a block of wood and let it hit. any more pressure will deform the wire and make it feed like shit causing an entire different set of problems
>>2858384I don't have experience personally with that machine but have seen similar things on other models. A couple of things you can try. Firstly what mode do you have the "contactor" setting on? i.e remote or local. (see pic) Second, I don't think there will be a way for the contactor to be on when the machine is first turned on. But you are right next to the machine when you turn it on right? So something I have done before; find yourself a 14 pin amphenol that you can plug into the socket on the rear panel (see pic) This is the same plug used in Miller machines so you should be able to get one pretty easily. Solder a couple of short wires onto pins A and B then attach a toggle switch to those two wires. If I'm right then whenever you flick that toggle switch then the machine will see that as you pulling the gun trigger i.e, output will be turned ON. You should be able to walk away from it like this and leave it all day. It shouldn't go into that retarded standby mode you were talking about if it thinks the gun trigger is on. Might need to be in remote mode for this to work, maybe not. You might still get an error if you leave the toggle switch on and power cycle the machine. So only turn it on after the machine has finished its boot sequence. Also there would be no way to bypass the "electrode touching" error. You will have to un-plug one of the front dinse connectors, turn the machine on, then plug it back in.
>>2858483thanks for the effort post anoni have a miller wired remote ill give a try the next time i use it and see if it improves the experience otherwise its a good machine. im just not used to euro style safety shit and the retarded control panel
>>2858524>just not used to euro style safety shit and the retarded control panelAnd if it really is a rebranded Lorch machine, they are the euro-est of them all. Absolutely hate repairing their shit. Good when they work but man they are a PITA to fix when they're broke.
>>2858542>lorchim not positive of that. just what another welder repairman told me when i was thinking about buying it. tag says germany and it sure looks like a lorchi also have its precursor which is a thermal arc 400 made by sanrex in japan. i havent had a chance to run much but sanrex seems to have a good performance reputation all the inverters seem like ticking timebombs thatll eventually let out their smoke without notice for no good reason. i probably should figure out how to inspect and replace caps on boards
>>2849366is this the GNUcar
>>2858547If the cap top is bulging it's fucked, but caps are cheap and if you do one the rest are equally old. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague slaughtered many pallets of military Dells back innaday.Solid state caps preferred if you can find matching replacements but most are small.
>>2858547Here in Ausfail the Sanrex machines were sold here at least 15 years ago, the ones I see in for repair nowadays are approaching 20 years or older. They were amazing in their day, as far as features and functionality. Near impossible for me to fix them now since I can't get parts. Even though they are still manufactured in Japan. Their outer casement is 100% plastic with no fiber reinforcement so that's usually what is busted on them. In an inverter welder the caps are very rarely the cause of magic smoke escape. It's usually the switching IGBTs on the primary side that go bang. You need a very powerful soldering iron to desolder stuff on main inverter boards. Don't run them from a generator that's too small or that makes dirty power.
>>2858575LOL it will have some characteristics its a gokart basically. Im working on the front suspension now, these are the upper ball joint holders. tomorrow ill be modifying the spindles to accept the ball joint. they are mcpherson type now.
>>2858262Am I right in thinking that sometimes on old machines the gas valve becomes slower/less reactive -> can make porosity at the beginning of welds. Also why the fuck does a single one of our Miller MIGs refuses to not stutter at the start of a weld despite being the same model and settings than the other ones
>>2859554>sometimes on old machines the gas valve becomes slower/less reactiveNot really, but not impossible. If the valve doesn't have a screen in front of it then debris can get in and gum up the works. Usually shows itself as the valve getting stuck open though, gas won't shut off.Porosity can be many things, most of the time the condition of the MIG gun or TIG torch head is the main suspect. Bernard and Tweco guns the gas hose can pop off the back of the swan neck inside the handle, you'll get some gas but not enough. Get one of those flow meters with the rubber cone you jam on the torch nozzle to see if you're getting out what is going in from the reg. >why the fuck does a single one of our Miller MIGs refuses to not stutter at the start of a weld Again, many possibilities. If it's not a cooked earth clamp then have a look see if the output studs/terminals are burned or melted. The cable/bus bar inside the machine that goes to the output sockets can also be bad. Contact tip worn out? Swap a different torch onto it, see if it changes. Length of the welding cables, etc. If it has a creep function or arc start function use it. So the wire runs in slower when you first pull the trigger.
>>2859554does it have a different gas hose from the flowmeter to the welder? cheap hoses swell up like a balloon when the gas isnt flowing then let out a big puff when you pull the trigger. the puff sucks air into the weld zone and fucks everything up then immediately smooths out as the gas flow normalizes. they make a little controlled flow orifice that screws in between the hose and welder to stop the surge
Rate my weld table I just built out of stuff I had lying around.>48x36x1 304SS plate was just lying around my shed
>>2859883Looks good to me! There was a guy on facespace selling 4x8 sheets of 1" thick plate for $500 a piece. I shoulda jumped on that, but didn't and now they're gone. Oh well. I also probably ought to let my bank account recover a bit anyhow.
Sounds cool man
My upper blowjob holders
>>2859630I think it's the same everywhere desu>>2859579>Contact tip worn out? Swap a different torch onto it, see if it changes.Nah, it's been doing that shit for years, most of the guys refuse to take their cwb tests at this bay because it's almost guaranteed to fuck up your tie-ins. iirc the ground looks fine but I'm gonna check the other things, thanks.Would be nice if our millwrights/mechanics had an ounce of responsibility and competence so a regular-ass welder wouldn't have to take charge of this shit himself but hey whaddya want
>>2859883>48x36x1 304SS plate was just lying around my shedhow does that even happen lelI'm jelly
Impulse bought a MIG welder. What should I know before powering it on?I know about welding masks and gloves, but no safety standards or would anything off ebay/Amazon would do fine?
I want to learn gas brazing to build bike frames. I work in a wood shop but my experience with metal has been mostly incidental, although I did some stick and mig in high school (never got very good.) Do any of you opinionated bastards have thoughts on getting started? I'm kind of thinking of just getting whatever gas rig I need, building a jig and going to town trying to build my first shitty frame. Lots of people advocate making many practice joints, but I feel like the material cost difference of just going for it is not that great, motivation to do a good job will be stronger and if it ends up a complete shitter, I can just cut up the tubes and do practice anyway.
>>2860844Go for it. Brazing is fun and pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Buy your flux covered brazing rods on e-bay in bulk, because local stores will ass-rape you for it.
>>286084490% of good brazing is joint fitment and cleanliness. optimal gap is essential nil to get good strength from wicking the filler in. get your tube cutting figured out first and your experience will be a lot betterthe pros use a gas fluxer. its really difficult to get the stacked dime looking buildup bead using coated rod or dipping in powdered fluxalso, bicycle queers are the biggest fucking faggots on earth
>>2860870Ty>>2860879Does bead pattern matter much to strength when filleting or is it more of an aesthetics/efficiency thing? I'm guessing gas flux is a lot more expensive up front. Joint fitting is a lot of time with a die grinder or just files I would imagine? Sorry if I triggered you by bringing up going faster than walking but slower than driving, I won't do it again.
>>2860941Nta>Does bead pattern matter much to strengthStacking dimes is mainly about being able to see the filler material creeping into the root of the joint properly and you're welding or brazing. It's normal to grind down both welded and brazed joint to a smooth concave surface for aesthetics as well, especially with bike frames and similar tube structures
i made a set of lower control arms. send cut send made the tabs. they were cheaper than what the metal place wanted for the stock.
>>2849067any decent sites/yt channels to cover the absolute basics - the terminology, what to do and what to watch out for, what entry level gear to buy, etc? I had to quickly weld something, so I bought a passive esab mask, gloves, some electrodes and a 50$ chink handheld welder and just winged it and survived, but I wanna learn more
>>2862453weldingtipsandtricksolder circa 2018 weld .com videos with bob moffatt
>>2849297I'm the same way anon. once I got a tig welder I felt a lot more confident. My stick welds look a little better after a lot of use with the tig, but still look like shit.
>>2849067I've been planning to weld up a bed frame for a while, and an idea came to me. I could build it with enough space underneath to fit those big totes. How would you guys do it? trying to imagine in my head what materials I would use.
>>2853338You can't exist in an HOA space, so no.
>>2853795I have an ecoflow delta pro and it runs ac 240 volt battery power.
How much do you guys pay per lb at your local steel yard for scrap?>>2850233>>2850235ebic
>>2860398>>2861638NICE
>>2849067That's a woman? Go to hell.
>>2863250That varies greatly by grade. This isn't very good but there isn't a lot of online info as prices fluctuate quite a bit. https://iscrapapp.com/
>>2863816Oh, I meant how much do you guys pay when purchasing scrap. I paid about $2 per lb for 14lbs. Got some 3/8" plate, 1"x1" angle iron, and some 1/4" round stock. Thanks for the site though. Good resource.
>>2863863i just paid 1.15 lb for new steel. scrap is under 125/ton not even worth hauling right now. i wont but from the retail yard at the local scrappies because those jew ficks always want more than new steel and my steel dealer delivers free next day
>>2864032dang>steel dealerI gotta get me one of those.
Hey ladsI'm doing an engineering course and we start welding tomorrow. Any tips?Also any website or place for resources on (simple) projects? I want to suggest a workshop stool or something for the the guys to take out to the smoking area that's off grounds (not to use in the shop). We are making vices of varying usability ATM.Seems like the most dangerous tool in the shop is the guy everyone knows isn't meant to be there.>>2849297good idea to take photos and see the progress.>>2850628Nice ducks. You end up making a purchase?I love the idea of being able to make or fix shit, not too fussed on looks cus i aint sellin it>>2853436>buy a auto darkening helmetseen some cheap auto helmets have little solar panels on em i guess to charge a batteryI'm sus on them as well, gonna watch this vid >>2854271 thanks m8
>>2863863There is a place near me that is like a farm equipment junkyard. He has one guy doing nothing but cutting old shit apart with a torch and salvaging useful steel and scrapping the rest. You can buy the salvaged steel for 40 cents a pound.
>>2864225>We are making vices of varying usability ATM.Vises not vices. Unless you are making bad habits. Show pics of some of these vises. I'm currently making a fireball style fabbed vise out of junk I had laying around...
>>2864242>Vises not vices.thanks fren>>2864242>Show pics of some of these visesit's all random bits at the moment being cut and drilled, i'll see if i can take a couple pics tomorrow. Also fuck tapping, and i'm struggling with the drill press and getting holes where i want em exactly even after punching em. I'm blaming the old gear but i think i'm getting better at it.We will also make an F clamp each, really cool shit making tools we could use for many years to come.>fireball style fabbed viseno idea what that is, but cool post progress pics when ya get to it
>>2864254>no idea what that is, but cool post progress pics when ya get to itFireball tool on youtube fabricated a vise a few years back using two pieces of telescoping square tubing as the slide, and plate jaws. Pretty simple to build really. Now he sells plans for them and also sells his hardtail vise which is $$$. I'm on another forum where a bunch of guys have bought the plans and built the vise. I told them, why even buy the plans, just build the damn thing! Of course someone had to call me out so now I'm building one out of spite to show that cocksucker you don't need any damn plans to fab something simple like this. Obviously not done yet, it was just tacked together when I took that picture last night. I did weld it up this evening. Gotta clean it up some, and then add some plates behind the jaws, build a handle, and a base plate.
Just bought a welder, no clue if there is gas inIs it dangerous to run without gas?
>>2863401thanks>>2864225i have a Deko brand solar auto darkening helmet. it darkens from the high frequency start so no worry about it not switching fast enough. >>2864262lol nice, you know they will hate you for this.
>>2864362what welder did you get? if it needs gas and you dont use it it will be bad.
My buddy bought a 20CF argon tank two weekends ago and had me weld for the first time ever, straight on TIG. Pic related is my first stuck junk.He just bought a 300CF tank and said I have to come over at least once a week and learn TIG the hard way until I'm a master. Apparently becoming skilled will be my payment for the material and gas. When I hit a certain point, we'll be modding his boat with a custom drive and motor. He grills amazing food out of the cheapest groceries every time I'm over there, too. I'll learn fast and right so I don't keep him waiting for his fun projects.I don't know how the hell I'd afford this on my own. I don't know how he does.
>>2864545>lol nice, you know they will hate you for this.Some of them will probably have a heart palpation. I don't understand why so many people need "plans" or CAD files to build shit. Just build it! The holes in the front jaws were torch cut holes in some chunks of steel I had lying around, so I cleaned them up with a hole saw so they weren't ragged as hell. Decided to go with the speed hole theme. Looks like a Tesla Cybertruck vise... Still gotta fab up a handle and make a mounting base for it.
>>2864553Be sure you clean your steel really well for tig. Like down to bright bare metal with no crap on it at all.
>>2864546Migmate 100I just want to check it works before buying new gas, so testing it on some junk metal
>>2864630>I don't understand why so many people need "plans" or CAD files to build shit. Just build it!they literally cant. they are worker drones only equipped to do preset tasks. they are incapable of free thinking or cognitive design. their only evolutionary purpose is to tend the hive and aimlessly consume things presented directly into their tiny sphere of existence
>>2864750I went to technical school and we had a technical drawing class. This image is true. I had colleagues who couldn't project perspectives instinctively. They learned, but it was difficult until they achieved it and sometimes they got lost.I have nothing to complain about the cards nature dealt me. I fit into class 1 and can still turn the thing whichever way I want.
>>2864750I'm the anon that built the vise above and I'm going to be real honest with you, when I take that "test" I also see blackness. I know what I want to see but it isn't there. But I can imagine parts and how they fit together in my head while I'm working on stuff or before I even work on it, with my eyes open while doing other stuff but I don't see a "picture" of it. Even when having a vivid epiphany of how to design something I don't think I could exactly picture it in my head. I could however make a quick sketch from "memory" if that makes any sense...Am I completely broken? Or severely autistic? Is there a difference?
opinions on chink welding aprons? at 45$ it's suspiciously cheap for real leather. will a spark set me on fire wearing one? I don't have any protective clothing for welding or using an angle grinder and I haven't seen anything similar outside aliexpress, it's always just overpriced cotton shirts
>>2864665there are gasless setting in the manual i saw, you should check that out. it looks like junk but thats cool it can do aluminum lol>>2864794yeah i dont get it either. I can imagine something with my eyes open better than with them closed. maybe its a trick question haha
the lense in my cheap hobart pipeline mask cracked and i cant find a replacement, everyone now only sells big square lense masks. i bought one and cant see shit out of it. pipeline lenses come in quite the variety and so do new masks online, what is everyone's general preference?
>>2864817It will probably be fine. My sweatshirts haven't caught on fire but there are a few burn holes, I've thought about getting sleeves but I dunno>>2864864If I had to buy another mask right now I would get this one. I've looked at pipeline masks cause they sit on your face. I hate the light getting in behind my helmet. But a actual pipeline mask is not really what I want. This seems like it would work good over my glasses.
>>2864887i was looking more into these goggles and i wouldnt buy these. i saw a review saying there isnt a bridge in the nose area so they suck ass which sucks. like i guess i would try a pancake style now but it would have to be lightwight and probably without the side part pipliners have
>>2855223Does the jamming stop it from being considered fully automatic?
my upper mounting solution >>2865211i could get a switch from ace hardware lol
Where my oxy acetylene welders at
>>2864225followupdid a couple lines on metal then got told to try joints.r8 my first T joint weld and (2nd?) butt jointforgot to take a pic of the lap joint where i tried weaving.
>>2855505gross...I hope you had some sort of respiratory protection. Even a fan blowing the fumes away from you is better than nothing. >>2855633It's called a squirt gun kek>>2855652>wormtrackYou know for sure what causes this? I've never been able to control it reliably. Customers complain to me their machine I just fixed is still broken because their dualshield is "worm tracking". It doesn't seem to be related to gas flow rate or gas type AFAIK. One "expert" told me it was because dualshield doesn't like going above 27v or something. I use the same dusty old spool of E71T dual shield whenever I have to test-weld a repaired machine that's set up for dual shield. Sometimes it worm tracks, most times it doesn't. And I'm definitely using the wrong gas.
>>2865789>You know for sure what causes this?its moisture in the wire or surface contamination. my lws only seems to want to carry esab dual shield, specifically 710x. shit runs ok the first day out of the box but being open to the air any longer and its a crapshoot. they claim you can bake it, but it hasnt worked for me. ive dumped many partial rolls in the scrap bin because it wouldnt stop assfucking my work with wormtracks. i only run straight co2. lincoln 71m and hobart triple 7 doesnt seem to be nearly as bad about getting shitty from sitting around a couple weeks in the feeder
>order stamped shock mounts>forgot to measure asumed it was 1" when infact it were 1.5"would you trust this?
>>2866384
>>2866386I would, youll know when it gives lol
Chinese pulse welder, thoughts/recommendations?
>>2867046I haven't tried pulse on my machine yet, an alpha tig 203, but I can comment on other tig features. You'll want one with a gas solenoid, not a valve on the torch, with a post flow setting and also high frequency start. 2t and 4t are actually decent but you will need/want a pedal eventually. Don't get a machine where the pedal input is only on or off.
>>2849297>drag the welds>start from top to bottom instead of from the bottom to top>double dipsyour collage had better be a pure blood poo-in-loo cause even niggers have some basic bottomlines that they won't cross when it comes to fucking up welds
>>2867110Lol stay triggered retard
>first time ever welding>TIG>I suck major assHow do I git gud?
>>2867046If you use it for a few hours every other weekend, it will probably be fine. There are good Chinese welders believe it or not, and there are also dog shit dangerous chinese welders. If you're talking amazon or ali-express tier then don't expect it to last for years. And for fucks sake don't take it anywhere to get fixed when it does blow up, they can't get parts for it and there is no service info available.
>>2867148It needs to be clean. First, you need to be sanding it to bare metal, if it's mild steel it more than likely has mill scale on it and it needs to come off. Get a 41/2" angle grinder with a flap wheel and remove the mill scale, you want nice bare shiny metal to start with. Did I mention it needs to be clean? Get some alcohol and wipe it down after sanding. When welding your electrode needs to be close as humanly possible without touching the puddle. Make sure your amperage is correct.
>>2867175What this guy said and what i said above on my post with the vise. Clean your damn metal. Tig is not stick or mig. It needs to be 100% clean of any contamination.
>>2867110>start from top to bottom instead of from the bottom to topvertical down is retarded nigger welding with the exception of xcountry pipeline
>>2851187Tank policies (they are not "laws") vary. It's perfectly legal to have the big 'uns but getting them filled can be interesting. I own a pile of ex-Navy cylinders with blank neck rings and the local Airgas reliably loses cylinders so I was given marked cylinders in return. Not an issue andsubsequent fills are no problem.>>2852492>>2852492Know what company neck ring names you can exchange as the gas business consolidated steadily over the past century. Then you can hunt used good cylinders to exchange and no longer need the leased cylinder after you expend the contents.>>2852649>get a primeweld 125 tank off amazonBest to buy used cylinders and exchange them rather than buy new and attempt to. Saves heaps of money over time. Used cylinders make having spare and different gas trivial. I have ~20 cylinders of oxygen, acetylene, argon, CO2 vapor withdrawal (not just for welding, I use them the way off-roaders use their expensive "power tanks"), nitrogen (to pressure test vehicle HVAC) and LP (for preheating with a weed burner, flame stripping and oxy-LP cutting). I got most of my cylinders for what the remaining fill was worth.>>2853479Why do people refuse to look up facts and prefer their uninformed emotions? The lens blocks UV even when not darkened. >>2854292>tism kept me thinking off all the knobs and repeatabilityEasy way to copy knob settings is taking a pic with your phone so I do.
>>2867542>nitrogen (to pressure test vehicle HVAC)Get a HPA paintball compressor and a few HPA tanks. They're dirt cheap now.
What is considered the BIFL (Buy It For Life) TIG welder? K'now like the best of the best or whatever.
>>2867595I've heard people rave about Miller Syncrowave tig welders... I have a Hobart 165i that has done everything I need it to do. I'll admit I don't do much tig welding though. If I can stick weld it outside I do that first. If I can mig weld it at the farm shop I'll do that 2nd, If I can braze it, I'll do that third, and then finally if I have to tig weld it I will do that.
>>2867597Oh and This Ol Tony runs a HTP welder. Looks like it has all the bells and whistles.
>>2867595inverter welders are not going to last a lifetime. just a fact of life now. you can buy 6 primeweld 325s and coolers for the price of a dynasty so unless you need ultra refined ac wave patterns for aluminum oddities (you dont), youre way ahead even if they only last sub 10 years
>>2867601>inverter welders are not going to last a lifetime. just a fact of life now.I honestly don't know much about inverter welders. What goes bad on them? Just caps and shit, or fried boards? I know transformer machines just keep chugging along because they are big, heavy and chonky, and there's not much to go wrong really.
>>2867638>What goes bad on them?Barring one-off design/spec issues, or corrosion and debris infiltration? Same thing that goes wrong with every power electronics assembly: Anything that generates heat. Which, in power electronics, is basically every component that directly handles input/output current.It really is pretty fucking easy to design electronics that last basically forever. You just over spec everything and ensure things are as protected from dust and dirt as possible. The obvious problem with that is that it's just way, WAY too tempting for a company to make the number on the box bigger than the competition. Why shouldn't they? If every part of the power stage can technically handle 200A for 5 minutes, why would you put the final spec on the machine at 120A, even if that means it's effectively bulletproof and can work at 100% of its rating indefinitely? All the average buyer is going to look at is the number on the box and buy the largest they can get in their price range.An inverter welder that never sees above like 60% of its maximum rating should basically last forever, with electrolytic capacitors being the obvious failing point. Though, as their lifetime is more heavily impacted by heat than any other component, those, too, should last a very long time with conservative use.Additionally, the additional cost of breaking up the PCBs into smaller, easily-replaced/repaired units is fairly trivial. Of course, this means that you don't have to buy an entire new machine when your current one fails and the company now has to stock and keep track of spare parts, so this is rarely done. It's more common on more expensive equipment, but it's still an infuriatingly rare practice even on something like a $2,000 - $3,000 welder.
>>2867638no reason to be scared of them. it was the best thing that ever happened to welders. nearly infinite arc control and adjustment. low input current and standby power use. and best of all theyre now a small and light box you can easily move around to random jobs. instead of being the size of a refrigerator now a 400a power supply is now the size of a lunch cooler and under 100 lbs. ac tig adjustment also blows old transformer machines out of the water. being able to adjustment the frequency is a game changer and old style line current sinewave is not nearly as effective as square or modified waverform for varying the puddle and penetration
>>2867109>>2867150Any recommendations on what welder model to get?
>>2867150>There are good Chinese welders believe it or not, and there are also dog shit dangerous chinese welders.>>2867932>Any recommendations on what welder model to get?seconding this. I've seen yt boomers using and recommending something like this https://eur.vevor.com/mig-welder-c_10053/vevor-mig-welder-250-amp-mig-tig-arc-welder-3-in-1-welder-welding-machine-220v-tig-welder-lift-arc-welder-mma-stick-igbt-dc-inverter-welder-digital-display-combo-welding-machine-p_010115724243 (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiHtmfqFtWc) but I don't know shit about welders
>>2867932i only have experience with my alphatig 203xi. I chose that model pretty much only cause of the screen and quick settings. weldpro 200gd primeweld 225x eastwood tig 200 alphatig 225xi were all ones i also looked at but nah
>>2868040I just remembered this but the 203 has instructions on how to open, clean and adjust the points and they want you to keep it clean and adjusted per the warranty requirements. I saw all that as a positive. I haven't opened mine yet. I will open it soon. It will be interesting to see how dirty it's gotten.
>>2868040I would honestly avoid anything with a screen or digital display myself... But thats just me. Dials for simplicity and robustness.
>>2868218I know what you mean. That's the reason I was leaning towards the primeweld initially. I think I'm kind of lazy obviously I don't know how those primeweld knobs are connected but if one of them breaks out of warranty it might as well be a broken screen
>>2868223They are connected to the same style boards as the button and screen models are.They are not simpler they just appear to be and the knobs likely have a shorter service life than a membrane button.
it was kind of dusty but yeah. i dont know what im looking at but i think I got a solid state high frequency start model. according to the manual the points assembly should be by the front grill. The sales website mentions a new 2024 model with solid state start but there is no information about it. anyways i dusted it and put it back together.
Someone opened a primeweld machine up for some reason, annoying audio, but looking inside it looks not as beefy, heatsink or copper bar, wise. its an old video and hes not really showing it off but it looks bad. https://youtu.be/zxfCoS6NHEQ?t=108
>>2849067kind of an esoteric thing, but is it a good idea on a transmission shaft to build up the diameter with weld so it can be machined and splined to a larger spline count, or is it just going to turn the whole shaft into a banana and/or ruin the temper?
>>2868763I'd say not a good idea. You'll ruin any temper in the transmission shaft and yeah it'll probably warp to shit.
>>2868765fak.
>>2868430I have circled the HF start PCB in red. If it has a spark gap you would see the sparks glowing blue if you operated the HF with the covers off. >>2868223They're all chinkshit really man. Look at >>2868430and>>2868671See the use of hot snot glue to hold plugs onto boards, this sort of thing isn't found on high quality machines. But they work well enough for home gamers. Just look for 3 year warranty before you buy anything. If it's 12 months or no warranty, avoid.
>>2868851Also should mention see in that pic the thin wires coming out of the load side of the main on/off switch, going to power other devices/boards/transformers. There are no fuses to be seen for these thin wires, not a sign of quality.
>>2868851thanks for pointing that out. defiantly didn't see any sparking but its all good
>>2867932https://www.ebay.com/itm/256707095277sanrex built. cheaper than chinkshit even after you get a pedal torch and cooler
What’s your least favourite/most difficult weld you’ve ever done?Me personally, 2G with 6010 root pass and 7018 fill/capVery difficult to not get slag inclusions on the root or burn through the metal too much. Otherwise I don’t like GMAW that much since it doesn’t flow as nicely, SMAW feels way smoother and fluid compared to it.
>>2870981A 6010 4G weld. This was in school. Never really was a welder as a trade. But yeah, so fucking frustrating.
>>2849067what is needed to retrofit the torch in >picrel.jpg in order to use as a emergency torch light?bent right the tube?add more vents?This perhaps isn't into welding, but what are the dangers of use it to warm a little room?Thanks.
>>2871338this is some data for 14.1oz gas bottles that usually screw into those torches, im aware you could get a bigger bottle or adapters, but there isnt enough gas to heat a room. i know fire is cool but a kerosene or diesel heater and tea candles will be better than a torch.
>>2871400>tea candles turbo keksounds just right, I was guessing this, but at least it can be used as a last hour heater.I really appreciate the info.
>>2871438no those for light. candles dont have enough energy either. you need an actual heater if you only need it on for an hour or so you should get a kerosene heater
>>2849067Was this a photoshot or what's the story with this pic?
>>2850043>Best bought used via Ebay thojust added more to the fleet for less a mcdonalds goyslop lunch
>wire feeding system at work in one particular bay I often end up at is an old janky-ass setup coming from a barrel separate from the feeder that makes the wire act up and sometimes fuck up welds>keep leaving messages to the day shift millwrights to fucking fix that shit>they keep changing the whip liner and ignoring everything else
>>2849067fuck i need to rant about fucking miller pricingtrying to get a funky spoolmatic 30a tuned up and need all the consumable wear parts. i knew miller was proud of their shit, but ho lee fuk i wasnt ready for how insane it waspicel is the plastic guide between the spool holder and the drive roll. its just a shitty little injection molded piece about 1.5" long. $65 fucking dollarinos for one! other parts are just as bad. the jump liner in the neck is $55 for a 3 pk. its just essentially a 6" piece of 3/16 od teflon tubethe spool holder is cracked and beat. $225 for the assemblyi get that welding is an expensive proposition and businesses buying miller shit should be making money with the equipment, but its fucking ridiculous. why should anybody buy their shit? i cant see where it demands anywhere near the premium markup. its no surprise chinkshit outsells domestic goods 1000 to 1thanks for attending my ted talk
>>2872897That's online pricing or at your LWS? I know miller shit was expensive from the local airgas. I ended up switching over to a Tweco gun on my miller welder and haven't regretted it once. I like the screw on gas shield nozzle and everything about it much more than I liked the miller gun anyhow.
>>2872899onlinelws is typically 20-100% higher than online and ive even had a charge account there for 15 years. worse without an account. for example a single 14-35 contact tip would be like $4.62 or something wacky if you just walked in. i have to haggle with them every time i buy wire because theyre so much more than online. last roll of dual shield i got scanned in at over $400, "discounted" to $345, and he dropped it to $260 when i bitched it was $230 onlinetheir gas is reasonable and where they make all their money anyways servicing large industrial accounts
>>2849067got a new tank of a 6" grinder. fuck paddle switch and rat tail bullshit models you cant run one handed. i laughed at the eurocucks sending not one, but two guards and a 400 pg safety manual. threw the retarded quick nut away too. i am a little disappoint at how heavy it is. hopefully it lasts since it was pretty fucking expensive for an angle grindercaptcha:ASS HX
