A place for anything to do with Welding.Post your MIG/TIG/Stick/Fluxed Cored Arc welds, ask questions and discuss sticking metals together.Previous: >>2894379
>>2932874Whats a good price for a used welder/good brands to look for (mig only)
>>2932985all depends what you want to do
Vulcan omnipro 220 welder guy from the last thread... Welding cart from filing cabinet has been fully fabricated, just need to find the time to properly paint the file cabinet orange and assemble the final time. Also ended up with another identical Vulcan omnipro 220 that popped up for sale locally barely used for $600. So now I will have to make yet another welding cart...
just a heads up roasties are getting into wekding. Prepare to have ypur little flame waving job recieve a paycut.
>>2933247I don't get paid to weld, but it sure does save me a lot of money. So send in the roasties, I don't care.
>>2932874Laser welding is the future of welding. All 'welders' will be replaced, poorfags need not apply
>>2933315sureok
>>2933315Basically only able to seriously compete with TIG for low deposition rate indoor welding. Arclets need not reply.
>>2933315All labor will be replaced by Gok-Tesla-Bot and you will be mulched in a wood chipper by the billionaires, fed to pigs
>>2933242Welding cart fully finished. Now I need to build another one for the other new welder... Used the stick process last night for the first time. Seems to run a nice bead. Overall very happy with how it welds.
dinosaur here, feel dirty posting a no electricity weld but check out these dimes. #1 Victor tip on my 315FC in the back yard. making a lil table to weld on. Only got oxyacetylene though, no idea how any of the other ways work.
>>2934641I did some oxy welding today too. Made a top for a little grain bin/hopper and oxy fuel welded some galvanized sheet metal to an angle iron frame. Used some leftover mig wire from changing out empty spools of welding wire.
>>2932874>be me>have too much clutter in the junk shed>no room or spare dollarinos for a lista cabinet >see ruskie yootoob guy show swingout drawer cabinet >feeblebrainponderssuchorbs.gif>cut/weld/grind for more hours than ill admit >net gain 492.8 cu in of crap storage space
>>2932874Building a truck camper and I plan to do MIG Aluminum. I've never welded before in my life and I honestly have no idea how it works. The extent of my understanding is "big, hot torch melts metal to other metal"How much should I spend on a basic beginner set up? How in over my head am I?
>>2935875>never welded>aluminum migthats like entering the olympic 100m dash when you havent ever walked around the block. basically a vertical learning curve. not impossible thoughwatch jody weldingtipsandtrickshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUpmiDL92V8or bob moffathttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aZN7iswgqMyoull easily have a $1k outlay to get going on aluminum unless you snag a complete setup used. primeweld is a good starting point with the 200a machine but youll be limited to under 1/4 material
>>2935850I'm more interested in that Unisaw in the back.
If I get a cheap Tig welder from Amazon how long would I need to practice to make some basic aluminium or stainless parts like a light fixture, maybe simple gps mounting bracket or a skid plate? It looks like a fun thing to learn but I’ll be doing it maybe 5-6 times a year for practical stuff so I don’t want to spend a thousand if that’s possible
>>2932874Will using shielding gas for flux core wire reduce welding splatter?
>>2935892Thanks for the channel rec, there's so much retarded slop on youtube it seems impossible to sift through
>>2932874previous owner bitched about it "tripping breakers."
>>2936099>shielding gas for flux coreno. gasless innershield wire needs oxygen to react with the alloying elements in the flux. shielding gas prevents the reaction and makes for a garbage welddual shield fluxcore is completely different stuff and you dont have a machine powerful enough to run it if youre asking this question co2 will run hardwire mig fantastic and is much cheaper than mixed gas. a 20lb beverage machine tank is perfect for little wirefeed machines
>>2932874https://warosu.org/diy/thread/2894379#p2895205it livesno variable foot control yet. running with an on/off pedal connect to the enable on the stepper drive at fixed speed from a pulse gen boardhf tig start didint make anything strange happen but its running on m18 batteries so no building ground connection
>>2936110Where's the rest of it? Also if it trips the breaker as soon as power is applied, that board has a fault most likely. If it only trips half way through a weld, then the breaker isn't big enough for the machines demand.
>>2937011no complaints on its functionality while i was pretending to be a pipefighter. its now well past paid off
>>2936111>co2 will run hardwire mig fantastic and is much cheaper than mixed gas. a 20lb beverage machine tank is perfect for little wirefeed machines.I adapted high pressure paintball cylinders to be even more portable since I've plenty of CO2 for welding and much more.The idea isn't new as Hobart had a portable battery-powered wire welder before batteries got good. I converted my Lincoln 120v to gas (per Youtube videos, do NOT waste money on the official kit), swapped polarity and have a pleasantly portable machine with a good arc.
>>2935875You should READ first on welding and metal boatbuilding forums to copy success because there is nothing left for anyone new to welding to invent. You can MIG with a shortened MIG gun (you can and I have shortened a damaged Tweco but that requires the specific (cheap) band clamp to fit inside the gun, not just any Oetiker clamp. A spool gun is handy but not required. >>2936102Visit forums, not Youtube except for technique videos. There is much you can only learn from reading in forums because every other online format is inherently shit and cannot be deshittified. Effective communication of details requires text. Euros can benefit from migwelding.uk. USians from Weldingweb and the Miller forums.
>>2937335It would be easy to bolt a baseplate to the speed reducer for easy clamping to a tristand or in any vise. Rollout machines are so nice to have.
piggy backing off the omnipro 220 guy. I need a spool gun to repair my outboard but Ive yet to pull the trigger(pun intended) on the vulcan brand one at HB that like 250. Is there a cheaper alternative on amazon? I actually have so much time Ive thought about trying to 3d print one
>>2937032disassembled. i believe i found the fault. one of the diodes on the main input rectifier was blown. everything downstream appears to be fine (tested by applying my 30V bench supply to the dc terminals of the bridge rectifier.) replacement part on the way, $4.
I've been welding for about a year, and my company has a few positions open for inspection (they train you) and I think I have a decent chance. I was planning on going to inspection eventually anyways. Can't decide if I want to jump the shark and try for it before I'm all that good at welding or stay the course. Should be up for tig training soon but inspection would be a big pay bump.
I have this aluminum welding wire with this black gunk all over the spookl. >what is it?>Is the wire still usable/any hope of cleaning it? >how to prevent it in the future?
>>2938114its not worth the assache of fighting dirty wire for the lousy handful of bucks a clean new 1 lb spool costs
>>2938114Bin it. Aluminimum is extremely fussy on cleanliness and the welds with that wire will look like total shit. Prevent it in the future? Use the wire up quicker. Don't let it sit around for years inside the machine.
Did anyone ever try building his own welder from scratch? I was looking how to do a good TIG welder online and only found 1 thread that started in 2005 on some welder forum and went on until 2012 (good old phpbb2 forum). But of course all recommendation for parts and where to get them are 90% outdated now. Also power electronics progressed quite a bit in 20 years.I am not an expert in electronics or welding but not a complete amateur either. I technically could start fully from scratch with my desired output parameters in a SPICE simulation, tweak it, buy the parts and PCBs etc...But if anyone already has experience with that, I could save some time.>>2933315akshually its electron beam welding. Much more energetic and precise than lasers.
Last thread I talked about my old century welder that shit the bed and that is why I picked up the Vulcan from HF. Anyways one of you guys mentioned it was probably a bad diode. Finally had some time to tear into it again and looks like you were right. Ordered some new diodes and should be able to get er up and running again for cheap.
>>2938364why? you can scratch start on a $50 chink stick box. some of the $100 models will lift arc. the bottle of argon is going to cost more than the power supply
>>2938364im probably in the same electronics skill set as you (but not welding skills.) im repairing this >>2936110 and studying it at the same time. you would definitely need to know practical power electronics like the back of your hand just to get the bare basics running, since the core of it is basically a cc/cv switching power supply. things like transformer magnetics, how to wind something that can handle a few hundred amps on the secondary, snubbing, switching losses, rectification losses, thermals, and so on. adding in all of the features you would expect from a tig welder is also probably a big challenge.
>>2938364I tried to make a battery powered stick welder once. The voltage regulator was insufficient so the MCU kept resetting and the FETs blew up due to undervolting immediately.
Not a welder just visiting this thread. I have some very basic stainless stuff I want to weld together. I plan to get sheets (2mm) laser cut and just need to weld the some inside 90 deg corners. I did SMAW classes in school but it’s been 12 years and wasn’t stainless. Only thing I want to ask is if I get a smaw welder and practice for a few weeks is it achievable or should I go and find a welder guy? Hobby project, it is basically very big storage boxes, does not need millimetre precision
>>2938646>SMAW>2mm stainlessForget it. While you can get stainless rods and a skilled operator might be able to do it, the end result would still be total dog shit.
>>2938663I dunno, I welded these stainless bolts to these stainless fins using a stick welder and some 308 stainless rod. I think it was 11 or 12 gauge if I remember right. I'd think someone could do a decent job on 2mm/14 gauge with those rods and some experience.
>>2938408>whymostly for the sake of it. Curious to see if I can do it. And the type of welder I had in mind can definitely not be bought for 50-100$.More importantly, I wanted to use it as an extensible platform for all kinds of exotic features: Variable frequency, tightly controlled current/power, possibility to connect a Rasberry Pi Cam with OpenCV and an actuator holding the electrode.Essentially a CNC welding robot. The cam+openCV part would enable detection of imperfections during the welding and could cause the actuators to move back to the default and fix it, with adjusted parameters (example: assuming the weld is still red-hot, it would need a lot less power, otherwise a hole might be created.) >>2938415>core of it is basically a cc/cv switching power supplyI don't think those are that complicated. Unless welders need to super-tight power parameters that I am unaware of.> transformer magnetics, how to wind something ...I was hoping to do it fully semiconductor based, without the need for any "old school" wound transformers>switching losses, rectification losses, thermals,Thermals is in fact what I am most worried about. I can simulate it using FEM but high frequencies + high power can be very tricky and numerical simulations do not necessarily catch a 3ms 5000A spike that can nonetheless melt components.
>>2938990>I was hoping to do it fully semiconductor based, without the need for any "old school" wound transformersyou're misunderstanding me, or at least i hope you are. even inverter-based welders have a transformer. my pic shows an inverter-based welder, the transformer is the big yellow thing in the top center. of the photo. ive hacked together small smps as an amateur with very rough guesses and rules of thumb and it's challenging with lower power levels. when you're playing with multiple kilowatts of power and hundreds of amps you need to be very concerned with physical construction of the transformer (how to construct a secondary that can handle hundreds of amps), thermals (core losses, winding resistance losses), avoiding transformer saturation, etc.
>>2939003I just re-checked because your post made me think that I might have misunderstood something big about power electronics and their power capacity. But no, I think there is no need of an old-school wound transformer for a welder. At least not for a welder that does not blow out the fuses whenever it is plugged into a normal 3.5kW 250V retail outlet. I looked for "SST power limit" "power electronics drawbacks" and similar terms for this. Found some research articles and market overviews. TL;DR: SSTs can deliver 45kVA easily and can go to 100 kVA if one is willing to accept increased price. (5x or so).I worked for infinion 14 years ago and even back then they had transistors that were so massive, they had cooling channels milled straight through the silicon. (one single transistor was as big as a shoebox). I assume that these kinds of power electronics will not have any issue at all with a "mere" welder.
>>2938215>>2938124>bin itYou don't have to throw it out. There are lots of uses for aluminum wire that aren't welding. I agree on not using it for welding though.
>>2939089>I think there is no need of an old-school wound transformer for a welderYou are wrong. There is literally not a single inverter based welder in the world from any manufacturer that does not have a transformer of some kind isolating the input from the output. If your welders output voltage is directly referenced to the mains input voltage then, it fails every safety test relating to welding machines. You need a transformer. The higher the switching frequency, the smaller the transformer. I've held 500A planar welding transformers in my hand about the size of a cigarette packet.
>Mig stopped working>still feeds wire but won't arc at all
>>2939089"""solid state transformers""" still have transformers in them, it's just a gimmick name that exploits the difference between line frequency transformer vs medium/high frequency transformer. also, for whatever reason, i've never really heard of welders using any of the latest power electronics tips and tricks like active rectification, GaN/SiC transistors, etc.https://sci-hub.ru/10.1109/TPEL.2018.2835564
>>2939212What if I hook the gun up to my Arc welder and just use the MIG for wire feed
>>2939212make and model? >>2939217It will weld like dog shit, borderline un-usable.
>>2939210> There is literally not a single inverter based welder Yes, thats why I wanted to build one myself.>transformer of some kind isolating the input from the outputThis is in fact a very good point that I had not yet considered. Maybe that could be the reason why. Everything else, to me based on my current knowledge, is not a legit reason to keep a classical transformer. Sounds to me like tradition, nothing more. Like why trucks are still blocky and not aerodynamic. > it fails every safety test relating to welding machines. It cant fail the test if you never submit it to be tested, duh! 300IQ move.>>2939213>"""solid state transformers""" still have transformers in themYou seem to be correct in that aspect. I found 3 other papers on this topic from the wiki article on SST. Nonetheless I believe the mass of the coil can be negligible. Further, in the paper "Evaluation of MMCs for High-Power Low-Voltage DC-Applications in Combination with the Module LLC-Design"The abstract explicitly mentions arc-welding as an area of application for their SST, including proper insulation:>Therefore, each module is extended by an LLC resonant converter to adapt to the specific electrolyzers DC-voltage range of 142 - 220V and to provide galvanic isolation. going to anna's to see if I can get the full paper there, maybe this will shed more light on the whole situation
What kind of video camera would you recommend for a hobbyist to record their work, so they can get critique on the forums?
>>2939320>Everything else, to me based on my current knowledge, is not a legit reason to keep a classical transformer.Because it does everything you'd want cheaply and efficiently. You MUST have isolation from mains for safety. Even with the rest of the electronics used to modulate voltage/current, you almost certainly are going to have an easier time of doing so if it's not at mains voltage. A transformer helps with that. Some inductance built into the system helps keep the arc stable. A transformer can give you that for free.You seem to be under the impression that the transformer is somehow a big, costly, problematic part of an inverter welder. It's not. The rest of the assembly all but trivializes the transformer's cost.Have a look at pic related. It's a very small, Chinese-made inverter welder. Look at the size of the transformer. It's not that big. Yes, it's one of the bulkier components, but it's hardly 90% of the weight of the machine, the way it used to be with the old buzz boxes. How much smaller could you really make that enclosure even if you literally just deleted it and didn't have to add anything else? Would that tiny weight/cost/space savings really be worth it? Would it still be worth it after factoring in that you're definitely going to need much more expensive, high-performance semiconductors to make a truly transformerless design work? Do you even have any real alternative to achieve isolation?Moreover, do you even have an idea of what kind of topology you're going for? Or are you just throwing out "fully semiconductor based" as buzzword salad? To my (admittedly limited) knowledge, there are no truly transformerless power supplies that don't have severe drawbacks that are deal-breakers for something as big as a welder.
Not to pile on but>>2939320>classical transformerThe transformer in inverter welders pictured here >>2939364 is not a "classical transformer". It runs at much higher frequency which is how those things weigh like 2lbs instead of having to be carted around on wheels. You can see the ratio is like 2:3 whereas an old welder will be like 50:1 or something.The alternative you are proposing is probably something like a full bridge rectifier followed by a buck converter. A buck converter is made from a half bridge followed by an inductor and smoothing cap. And an inductor is basically a transformer with 1 wire instead of 2. You're not going to be saving much by replacing a big transformer with a big inductor, and it will be very dangerous given how many outlets are wired up backward in this country.
>>2939364>You seem to be under the impression that the transformer is somehow a big, costly, problematic part of an inverter welder.It is not me who is under the impression. One of the replies to my first post was about transformers being super sensitive and very difficult to DIY. I then started argueing that SSTs have no wound transformers in them.My originaly idea was just to select an SST of apropriate power-dimensions (which, as I have been informed, does have a small wound transformer anyway) and focus on building the rest of the welder and its control systems around it, so to speak.This is my original post: >>2938364>have an idea of what kind of topology you're going for? Or are you just throwing out "fully semiconductor based" as buzzword salad?See above wrt. buzzword salad. I want to build the welder as an extensible platform that exposes as many parameters as possible to the user. Though "user" could also be a controller that adapts those parameters based on the input from an image/temperature/current sensor to create the most optimal weld.Most importantly, I want to find out if such a thing is possible at all, and if not, where the point of failure will be.>>2939384You too, see my original post: >>2938364
>>2939384>a full bridge rectifier followed by a buck converterMany Miller machines e.g. Dynasty, Maxstar, etc, use this technology already. They can run on anything from 110v, 240v, 380v, 415v single/three phase due to their buck/boost circuitry. This keeps the DC bus at a constant 600(?)ish volts DC IIRC. If you've ever used a Dynasty you might notice they sound like a box of crickets because of this.
>>2939435>I then started argueing that SSTs have no wound transformers in them.they have wound transformers as per my post here >>2939213. all isolated topologies will use a transformer, there is no way around this. you can't have "high power" isolation without a transformer. "solid state transformer" is usually in the context of mains power transmission transformers, where it's 50/60 hz iron core transformer (traditional pole/pad mount transformer) vs. medium frequency 10 khz or whatever ferrite transformer (much more compact) """"transformerless"""" designs. welders are 50/60 hz iron core transformer (like pic related, lincoln tombstone welder) or high frequency inverter based like >>2936110. i haven't scoped the gate drive but if i had to guess it's probably running at a minimum of 20 khz to be outside the range of human hearing. you aren't really gaining anything by looking at transformerless power transmission designs because the latter use switching frequencies on the same order of magnitude as existing welder designs.>>2939443also usually the isolated topology follows the buck/boost stage, not the other way around. sometimes they will do power factor correction on the buck/boost stage as well.
>>2939461You essentially repeated the post you made a few days ago. Again, the whole thing only started because someone argued that winding coils was somehow rocket surgery. The original point was to build a DIY welding platform from scratch, and if anyone had already tried to do so and/or could point me to good resources on that topic.
>>2939463i haven't seen any attempts at a professional finished product. but this is fun to watch.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CELYqo7KfQ
>>2939443Well anything called an "inverter welder" is going to have something like a buck converter in it. I assume they use some variation of a flyback circuit like is used in all manner of mains powered DC devices. It's basically the same circuit as a buck converter except you use a transformer instead of an inductor and as a result you get isolation. There is no real reason not to do it this way which is why trying to do it without a transformer is a dumb idea. It's not any simpler circuit but way more dangerous. >>2939463It's just a high current power supply. There is lots of information about building power supplies on the internet. But, you better get your math right because something will blow up very fast if you don't.
>>2939505i think two switch forward and half bridge are the most popular topologies for inverter welders. flyback is usually much, much lower power levels (100W or less.)also important to consider the failure mode of isolated transformer vs non-isolated buck. the former fails short circuit and you get 0V output voltage because the primary side transistor will instantly blow up or trip a breaker.the latter fails short circuit and you have anywhere from 170VDC (120VAC) to 850VDC (600VAC 3 phase) across your welder's output terminals with the only current limit being a circuit breaker.
>>2939461I have a bigass transformer from an old Lincoln engine driven welder that shit the bed. It's in my copper scrap bin. Should I pull it and a couple other transformers out of there? I've kinda been thinking about keeping them, but am not that electric savvy and they'll probably just end up being clutter... But you know damn well as soon as I do scrap them I'll immediately find a need for one.
>>2939522id keep them. maybe you use them, maybe not. but copper isn't getting any cheaper, especially with possibility of copper tariffs.
>>2939218Nevermind I figured it outMain power cable to the Mig gun has somehow lost continuity under the insulation even though it has no visible signs of damage
>>2932874Has anyone used two Ecoflow Pro Delta batteries to create a 50 amp with a hub? I have two, a hub, and a welder, but I haven't tried it yet.
>>2939461>minimum of 20 khz to be outside the range of human hearing50 khz is pretty common on welders.
>>2939610Oh, Lincoln then? This gun is very good at doing exactly as you describe.
>>2939505>It's just a high current power supply. There is lots of information about building power supplies on the internet. But, you better get your math right because something will blow up very fast if you don't.True, which is why I intend to run some PSPICE simulations to avoid making really dumb errors. I was wondering if someone had already tried something like that to also avoid the not so dumb errors. Subtle oopsies that are caught only at the prototyping stage.
>>2939626I suggest contacting their tech support first to find out what happens inside their batteries during the short circuit that is welding.
I'm going to buy a cheap wire feed welder and teach myself how to weld so I can make tube frame karts.
>>2941352
Hey guys I bought an all American Pressure Cooker for my fungi and this piece of shit popped the conduction plate on its 7th use. Yeah, I used lots of water. The thing is, I live in fucking Argentina and there's no way im getting a refund or warranty.The base is cataloged as a "Stainless Steel Clad Base" and the Pressure canner is made out of aluminum. I want to weld it back together (Dont know shit about this subject), but I dont know if its a good idea or I'll end up doing cosplay of a drone strike zone. Toughts?
>>2941517Welding won't help in this situation. You really need heat shrinking to pull the thin SS back down onto the alu pot. Looks like that spot copped too much direct heat at one point which is why it is now deformed.
>>2941579Do you think that some High Temperature epoxy would help?
how's it lookin fellas, am I ready for my AWS exam
>>2943331slow down. drag steadily
>>2943340I think I had the shade too high on my helmet and could barely see the puddle. Didn't realize until later
>>2943388Somewhat related but I'm learning too and after spending a week practicing TIG welding, coming back to MIG felt like switching from a pipette to a water gun. The puddle looks huge and having the luxury to stabilize the torch using the other hand is like being on easy mode.
Started a tig class. It's literally a sewing machine
>>2943461I really like TIG so far. The progress is very slow but it's rewarding. After a week of practice I still have troubles moving the puddle consistently without leaving little holes and keeping my tungsten from getting all dirty.
>>2943481Imagine your practicing cursive, making little loops for Ls and Ps.
>>2943611I should try that yes, it worked well for MIG. What also really helped me making progress is when I learned to heat the welding area before trying to apply filler metal.
https://www.amazon.com/FEMEROL-Welding-Portable-Inverter-Synergic/dp/B0F1K4G6R7I'm trying to weld two tubes together, butt to butt with one overlapping part of the other like pic rel, and one is made out of 4140 and the other is mild steel due to it being the only material available in the specific sizeI have 0 experience welding but I know somebody who does (but their welder no longer works so I need to buy a new one)what I understand is that I have to heat up the 4140 section (I have a gas forge or a propane torch available to use, am open to rigging something up if the soot would be an issue)and it can't warp or anything, I'm hoping it wont be an issue anyways since the mild steel tube is 3mm thick and the 4140 tube is significantly thicker but i can never be too safe>just hire somebody to do itit's for a gun receiver, not illegal to do myself or with a friend, I just can't pay somebody to do it for meif its impossible to do with the mild steel tube just tell me, but it would mean a loss of $240 worth of machined metal
