120-Volt Mig welder.

[dragoneggs]

Watertight is no problem, it's a pretty quick pulse, about as quick as you can work that trigger finger. I have never quantified it but guessing from memory it's about 2/3 on, 1/3 off.

Why watertight, does it hold liquid? Or just to exclude water so it doesn't leak rust stains or fill with ice? You can do that with paint if the weld is decent.

This pic is 1" x 1" x .065" (=16ga) pulsed with .030 wire. You can make it a little tighter with .023 wire. I think you'll pick it up pretty fast.

Yeah it is more of it not collecting water inside and making a rust mess or filling up and freezing. But I also wanted to make a tool box for my tractor that is pretty much watertight. So... it is a skill I am trying to learn with sheet metal and tubing. I hate when I pick up something that has been sitting outside and I turn it and rust colored water pours out on my shoe. Just don't like water traps!

Using the exact tubing you mentioned, building a greenhouse bench, I was occasionally getting blow out with .030 wire. And dang it, I just got back from HD and forgot the .023 wire!!! :mur:

 

[MinnesotaDaveChalmers]

Yeah it is more of it not collecting water inside and making a rust mess or filling up and freezing. But I also wanted to make a tool box for my tractor that is pretty much watertight. So... it is a skill I am trying to learn with sheet metal and tubing. I hate when I pick up something that has been sitting outside and I turn it and rust colored water pours out on my shoe. Just don't like water traps!

Using the exact tubing you mentioned, building a greenhouse bench, I was occasionally getting blow out with .030 wire. And dang it, I just got back from HD and forgot the .023 wire!!! :mur:

I wouldn't worry too much about the wire, last week I was running .035" on 18 and 16 gauge tubing.

I welded it with straight weld, used a slight weave to keep a little more heat on the side of the tube instead of the cut ends.

The thinner the metal, the more important the fit-up is.

 

[California]

Now I have a cheap HF flux core wire feed unit that does the job. A good brand of .030 wire seems to work quite well for stitch welding, the HF stuff is crappy. The last couple months I've ran 6 or 8 spools through that machine just for body work, some were 2 pound spools. .... I really should have bought one of these machines sooner.

Would I like a dual voltage MIG? Of course but this thing does the job I'm asking it to and the portability is priceless.

Which model HF welder? I'm impressed, if you can do good body work with their 90A AC welder.

And which brand of flux wire?

 

[Fifelaker]

[When doing flat butt welds I was taught to watch the keyhole. That goes for any process. The keyhole ensures full penetration if you do not see the keyhole chances are your not welding hot enough. Welding down hill will give you a flatter bead profile and up hill will be hotter and a taller bead.
I like the way my professor states that nobody he has ever seen, has ever made a perfect weld because nobody is perfect. If you get a 95 on a weld in his class you have made a darn good weld. I have been able to pat myself on the back a few times. I received a 90% on this weld, Root pass was 119 amps hot and cover were 145 IRRC. Tough grade yes but far from perfect. 3/16" base metal by the way.

 

[dragoneggs]

I wouldn't worry too much about the wire, last week I was running .035" on 18 and 16 gauge tubing.

I welded it with straight weld, used a slight weave to keep a little more heat on the side of the tube instead of the cut ends.

The thinner the metal, the more important the fit-up is.

Thanks Dave! Yes this is pretty much what I learned from the gang here and trial and error. I was really curious though if the .023 would be more forgiving but on the other hand I am not thrilled (too lazy I guess) to have swap out the spool.

 

[MinnesotaDaveChalmers]

Thanks Dave! Yes this is pretty much what I learned from the gang here and trial and error. I was really curious though if the .023 would be more forgiving but on the other hand I am not thrilled (too lazy I guess) to have swap out the spool.

I think .023" is a little more forgiving - I had a fresh spool of .030" in the drawer, but was too lazy to change the roll for 3 hours of welding :laughing:

Yesterday I had some 1/4" so it was all good

 

[KubotainNH]

Which model HF welder? I'm impressed, if you can do good body work with their 90A AC welder.

And which brand of flux wire?

I don't know about good body work but it is strong and looks decent. It is the 90amp unit.

I redid the rockers on my daughters 92 Civic, you can't kill that car mechanically. Also the wheel wells on my mothers 96 Civic. The most recent job was repairing the rear corner of my nieces 99 Camry that was hit and ripped out. None are perfect but for what the cars are I think they came out pretty good.

My 18 y/o son used it to patch a rust hole in the bottom of the cab of his Ranger. With some direction, he cut out a 3 x 8 piece to get beyond the rust and welded in a new piece of metal. Unless you looked closely you may never find it. The grinder is our friend.

As for wire, the big box store Lincoln stuff works decent but I also like the INE INETUB wire I get off Amazon. 2 pounds on a spool for a couple bucks more than the Lincoln 1 lb spool.

At some point I'll upgrade the HF junker but it gets by for now. One of the small Everlast units would be nice.

 

[dragoneggs]

Sodo... thanks for the pulse idea. Played with that tonight and I am happy with the results. Used the 'inside the cover' settings and the pulse seemed much more forgiving than continuous on 16 gauge. Here are a few pics. Even with the pulsing, the second pic seems to suggest that I still got decent penetration. The third pic was pulsing a flat butt weld.

 

[BukitCase]

Dragon, the name I've heard weldors refer to that trick is "trigger welding" - like a lotta stuff, there're probably a dozen other common names depending on geography. If you wanna spend enough, the machine can do it for you.... Steve

 

[dragoneggs]

Dragon, the name I've heard weldors refer to that trick is "trigger welding" - like a lotta stuff, there're probably a dozen other common names depending on geography. If you wanna spend enough, the machine can do it for you.... Steve

Hey Steve... yeah had a lot of fun tonight triggering it. While I tend to purchase quality/capability beyond what I truly need... I have never regretted that. But that said... I think I can manually pull the trigger. :laughing: