welder choice...

[jpg]

This runs off 24VDC. Plug it into your MV slave connector and weld. You can use flux wire, or hook up gas and MIG weld. It also works as a gun on a welding machine.
http://readywelder.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/3Model10000ADPcs.pdf

 

[SteveKuhn]

Bump. I've learned a lot from this thread and a couple like it. I've been interested in getting into welding for 2 - 3 years, and things have picked up considerably in the last 6 weeks.

I want to mention some great advice from RustyStud, who recommended making friends with an OA torch from the start, and GimpyRobb who, in another thread, suggested looking up WeldingWeb.com. I had OA/OP for cutting and brazing on hand, so it was a matter of getting some consumables and right-sized tips for that. I spent a weekend working on brazing, and another on OA welding. All together, about 12 hours on those 2 processes. It's been 40+ years since I had a short stint silver soldering reefer lines, so it was cold start for practical purposes on both.

Through WeldingWeb, I read a ton of reviews, arguments, and advice, and picked up terms that served me well searching YouTube. There are at least 3 very good tutorial video sources on each of the processes. I tried to enroll in the community college welding course, but it's only offered 1x/year and at times that are unrealistic for my work. I came to the conclusion that with Internet sources (I've spent well over 100 hours), my father-in-law's coaching and some books he gave me (like Audel's, circa 1950), I could combine those with hands on practice of the exercises I watched and get underway.

I decided on some basic requirements: Good outdoors for almost all work (no shop now or in the foreseeable future); dual voltage and fairly light; good installed base and reviews on the machine and support; readily available consumables. 8 months ago, I was going to buy a Miller 211 but day before yesterday took delivery of an Everlast I-Mig 200, 160 amp stick; 200 amp wire. For now, no gas, just flux because of where I'm working.

I learned from the sites that my environment is much closer to that of a farmer than of a body shop. I cashed in a vacation day yesterday and burned about 4 dozen rods of varying types and ages (new - 20 years?) all over a junk flywheel and got more hands on time than I would have in a full semester of class. I've concluded that the machine is a better welder than I am now or am likely to be in the foreseeable future. I really like the OA torch and that'll get some serious time as well. It does go much slower and you can pay attention to what's happening and how to control it.

I would have liked to buy an all-American machine but in my price range, they don't exist. I've become convinced that every mfr uses imported parts, including Miller. So I bought function and (a very good) price. I'm hoping it turns out well. I purchased from the mfr rep, who I'm hoping made the Georgia Rally and perhaps signs up here as a vendor.

I could go on with details but that's the high points. There's so much about warranty, applications, and the like that I've picked up in following 2 guys' advice from here.

Hope that benefits someone else. Since I really still know nothing about the topic, it might be worthwhile knowing how I got to that point, but how I'm trying to solve it.

Steve

 

[74M35A2]

Cool. Start fusing coupons together and striking them with a hammer. If they break at the weld, you have more to learn. If they fold over and the weld stays, good enough for hobby level.

 

[SteveKuhn]

I hope to be where you suggest before I get frozen in for the winter. I've seen the bend and impact tests demonstrated. Coupon supply depends on what I can scrounge from the local garage's scrap bin for now.

I've gotten as far with amps as striking the arc on 1st scratch, keeping the arc lit for the whole rod, and beads with short stacks of dimes interspersed with pennies, nickels, silver dollars and glops. As for the successful repeated 6 lb hammer smashing, that was the brazed 3" washer chain on a railroad rail. For the moment with the machine, I'm sticking with the advice to control the puddle and bead, and penetrate the material.

Thanks for the tip. It's taken seriously.

Steve

 

[rustystud]

I'm glad you started welding Steve. The reason I mentioned Oxy-Acetylene welding to start was because that was how I was taught. Once you learn to control a puddle of metal then it is a lot easier to control it with a Mig or Stick welding machine. Tig welding is really Oxy-Acetylene welding except your using electricity instead of gas to melt the metal. Once you learn how to control the puddle your golden !

 

[jpg]

Once you learn how to control the puddle your golden !

It's the *depth* of the puddle that I struggle with. I've made very pretty MIG welds that had 0 penetration, and some with far more penetration than necessary. It's hard to tell the depth of a puddle by looking. When practicing, I saw through the welds afterward to see what depth and penetration I got.

 

[SteveKuhn]

Tips I got from the YouTube class videos:

Make sure you can see detail through the helmet without getting flashed.

It doesn't matter what the process is, there are certain things to look for in the finished piece.

With the OA torch running practice beads, I picked up to use thin metal, e.g. roughly the stuff for plant hangers and shelf brackets, less than bed frame. Bead done, I'd brush both sides. You can see the penetration via slightly rippled metal on the reverse side. With that information, you know what it looks like in progress from the face.

A similar cool one was fusing scrap bolts laying parallel. Flip over and look for penetration.

I also picked up an exercise they called 'pushing the puddle' where you don't use a filler rod and simply make a puddle and push it across the metal. Afterward, look for dimes on the face and the penetration ripple on the reverse. When I made lumpy, crappy beads I smoothed them to practice using the technique. I went through about 40 cf of acetylene in 2 days using a small tip.

Using the arc on the flywheel that was too thick to cut with my stuff, I tried to get the face picture from the OA. I had some ancient 6010 given to me. Once I was able to keep it lit, I watched the puddle closely and you could actually see it digging down into the face. With the other rods, I tried to approximate the same thing. Another couple of hours of these exercises and I'll probably stick with the new rods and start going down to progressively thinner metal to see if I can get the consistent through penetration I got with the torch, no blow-through.

I read up on the various number rod numbers and since I have 4 different numbers, I can see what takes a lot of amps, what penetrates, etc. fascinating stuff.

I also got a 10 lb spool of flux wire that I've gotta waste learning some basics of how that works. I suspect that working the same exercises will give me the same results. There's a 30 day free shipping return for malfunctions and I need to check out the wire feed.

Maybe some of that will be helpful to you. Or somebody can tell me I'm full of bananas.

Steve

 

[m16ty]

The only thing you'll have to learn switching from gas welding over to stick or mig is your speed. Once you get the gas welding down pat, you can go as fast (relatively speaking) or as slow as you want. With stick or mig, once you strike the arc you've got to match your speed to the welder because it's going whether you want to or not.

 

[SteveKuhn]

I realize that I actually hijacked this thread with my early learning experiences of the processes when I really meant to try to contribute what I learned in selecting a machine. It was quite an education and the choices were tough.

Steve

 

[Another Ahab]

I realize that I actually hijacked this thread with my early learning experiences of the processes when I really meant to try to contribute what I learned in selecting a machine. It was quite an education and the choices were tough.

Steve

I'd say that your comments were more like a small blood transfusion:

- Helped to pump some missing iron back into the thread.

 

[rustystud]

When I was welding professionally I used to get so close to the weld that the other welders used to say "I was one with the weld" . Kind of a Zen thing ! LOL ! I also used a number 10 filter. I know most will say that is not enough but it worked for me.
The only metal you cannot watch the puddle is aluminum . It is almost "sprayed" on when Mig welding it. Tig welding is another matter.

 

[wiccantoy]

Hello, I am thinking of buying a welder for myself, I have absolutely no experience in this area other than a little tinkering from time to time years ago. The main thing I am wanting to do right now is have something I can do some exhaust welding with. I am thinking of turboing the 6.5 I currently have in my M1008, and possibly down the road fabricating a winch mount. The little bit I do know leads me to believe that the unit I have linked to below would work for the exhaust work, but I dont know if it would work for anything much heaver. If this unit is not good for what I am wanting to do, maybe someone could suggest a unit better suited to my needs, as I said I dont plan on anything heavy duty. I would like to stay with a 110v unit if this is possible.
Thanks much for your time!

Greg

http://www.harborfreight.com/90-amp-flux-wire-welder-68887-8494.html

I have 10k in welders and equipment. ....... Located in south nj............. Has a mig, tig, and arc. All miller no junk.

 

[Another Ahab]

I have 10k in welders and equipment............. Located in south nj........ . Has a mig, tig, and arc. All miller no junk.

Now THERE'S a bargain!

Say, just between you and me:

- Is there maybe somebody out there trying to find you!?

 

[wiccantoy]

Not sure have all 3 on Craigslist for sale and just get a bunch of scammers. He'll I chased off one with my shotgun. Never came back or the cops called on me.

 

[gimpyrobb]

I have 10k in welders and equipment. Selling for 2k. Located in south nj. My loss is your gain. Has a mig, tig, and arc. All miller no junk.

Bringing up a thread from 2014? Is this a classified ad now? We do have a section for that...

 

[gringeltaube]

No longer an ad, after deleting the offending part...

 

[wiccantoy]

I have it on craigslist, just was responding to the

 

[Another Ahab]

I sure hope you sell it all fine. It's a bargain package; should go fast.