First repair weld

[canoetrpr]

No pictures here but I thought I'd post my successful experience.

Finally acquired a welder after contracting out a couple of small jobs. Just got tired of not being able to do the little thing I needed to get welded myself.

I was trying to keep the $$ down. I picked up (after some advice here) a used AC/DC Hobart Stickmate LX 235 used. Came with a welding jacket and some 10 lb or so of rods.

Didn't realise how much the $ bills would start to fly after that welder aquisition. The welder was just the start. A couple angle grinders (I could use at least one or two more!), wire wheel, clamps, 25' welding extension cable, HF style auto-darkening helmet, magnets, more rods - 10 lb of 6011 :-) and 1 lb of 6013 and 7018AC to try etc.. DVDs on Arc Welding - 1 and 2.

Steel stock ain't cheap! even the scrap stuff. Got some angle iron at a decent deal to practise on at a scrap yard. Located a metal dealer who I bought a whole pile of drops from - 1/4" plate, 5/16" plate, 3/8" plate and so on.

Found a 6ft x 3 ft steel welding table in the classifieds. Could have built one as a project but I paid less for it than I probably woudl have for the steel - $100 so picked that up too.

Then bought a HF style 4x6 bandsaw - again after TBN consultation.

Holy cow.... this thing is a disease. I couldn't stop myself buying the stuff. I have no clue what I spent and I don't think I want to count. The welder itself was only a small % of the expense!

FINALLY a couple days ago, I decided I was half decent enought to repair a tine on my landscape rake that broke the other day. Bit of grinding / bevelling, 6011 and some more grinding. Today I gave the rake a workout in the riding ring... the weld held just fine.

Long story short.... it was WELL worth it. Not sure how I did without a welder and it wasn't rocket science for me to acquire enough skill to put two pieces of broken steel together for a simple non critical repair. I've probably put 5-6 hrs total on the welder just running beads, joining scrap. Probably burned 10 lbs of rod playing. I'm no genius at it but I don't think I need to be for the sort of non-critical stuff I am doing around the farm.

Some day in the future, I might get a big honking mig welder. I like the idea that the process is a lot cleaner - no slag to chip off. I can't justify the cost (yet ) for the odd repair / fab job the stick is doing me fine I think.

Plus at this point, if I were to spend some more $ it would be in cutting equipment (plasma cutter or oxy acetelyne rig). Only since I've started, I've realised how much more time cutting takes than welding.

Thanks a lot for the help and encouragement to all who have helped.

[zzvyb6]

Good post. I found a chop saw (Milwaukee for $90 closeout at Home Depot) the best thing for professional looking piece work. Good source of steel is road construction stand material and the steel frames new lawn tractors come enclosed in. I buy tube and rod from TSC for special jobs. Welding cast iron was my greatest achievement. I put too big a shear bolt in the hay pickup wagon feeder: Cast gear went into 5 big pieces. Nickel rod from TSC. Back in business in 2 hrs. Biggest problem was grinding off the flash. That's hard stuff. I have a small wire feed I'm starting to like for fixing sheet metal fatigue cracks in shields, fenders, and other thin stuff. I've even dragged my Miller out to the back fields and used it hooked up to my PTO alternator one night. Had every moth in the county headed my way.