Give me your welding experiences

   / Give me your welding experiences
  • Thread Starter
#21  
ok - so ive got myself a cabinet that is now my welding bench, i love not having to connect the earth cable to each small bit od metal you weld - just chuck it on the table
more lessons i learnt - dont weld too close to the earth clamp - you may weld it to the metal (not that id know /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif)
dont trow used electrodes on floor - puncture bike tyres real easy
metal is still hot 20 mins after welding
mith
 
   / Give me your welding experiences #22  
Never weld with a plastic zippo lighter in your pockets. Never weld on galvanized metal without a proper respirator; zinc fumes are wicked and evil. And remember that metal stays hot for a long time after welding. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Pete
 
   / Give me your welding experiences #23  
Didn't notice where you lived. Things might be different over there. I allowed students in my night classes as young as 12, as long as they met my requirements.
I still think it would be best to start with a tutor, but at least take a few tips.
Clothing.- Arc welding poses more danger than just the little spatters of hot metal, you can get a severe burn from the UV and infra-red rays. Don't wear fuzzy stuff. An old long sleeve cotton shirt. Like the US GI's wear, starch the heck out of it. Keep it with your welding gear. That way you won't have little holes in every shirt you own. Wear it buttoned up to the neck and tucked inside your gloves and outside your pants. Wear your pants without cuffs and long enough reach the tops of your shoes. Wear leather shoes, boots are even better. I've seen tennis shoes melt right to a person's foot. Not a pretty sight!!
EYE protection - UV and Infra-red rays. even just a few seconds can cause headaches and eye irritation. We all flash ourselves sometimes. Most of the time it doesn't bother you, but if your eyes start to burn, don't rub them, stop welding and treat them. They sell drops for this, but the juice from a white potatoes will do the same thing. If one treatment doesn't help right away, then go to a doctor.
Never weld on galvanized iron, the zinc fumes will make you ill.
Eveyone here has given you good advice.
Keep the duty cycle of your welder in mind, if have one of those buzz box welders, wouldn't want you to burn it up. If you don't understand that, I explain it.
Suggest you practice on 1/4" to 3/8" flat butt joints to start with, then move on to "T" joints.
If you are working in the garage, make sure there is nothing that will burn within 20 foot. Those little hot cherrys will lay on paper or cloth and come to life hours later.
Good luck
 
   / Give me your welding experiences
  • Thread Starter
#24  
JD3130 - great advice
wow you sure do set em on young - altough i guess i first had a go welding when i has 12 they wont take you until you are 16 (i tried persuation but it didnt work /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)
i wear a cotton lab coat type thing - one of the long white ones and cotton trousers. i have leather steel toe cap boots (goot protection against mower blades and so forth)

"Keep the duty cycle of your welder in mind, if have one of those buzz box welders, wouldn't want you to burn it up. If you don't understand that, I explain it." - yes please (does that have something to do with overheating it?)
ive been practicing on T joints so far so ill go do some butt joints as you recommend
As to garage - i weld outside under a shelter so i dont have to take all the stuff out when i want to weld
thanks for your wise words
mith
 
   / Give me your welding experiences #25  
Mith,
Get a good leather welding jacket. Or at least one with leather sleeves.
Try your butt joints with a gap of 2.4-3.2mm. Tack weld the ends together to keep it from spreading apart. Let the gap overhang your table. Try to get good penetration all the way through. The only way to tell if you got good penetration is to look at the back side of the weld.
The 5 basic essentials are
1. Electrode diameter.
Match the elctrode to the thickness of the material
2.Amperage/Current
3. Arc Length
Learn each rods preference, most will be 3-4mm
4. Travel Speed
Sometimes if you go too slow, you'll burn through or build up on the surface. Too fast and not enough penetration depending on the rod
5. Work Angle
Does your rod want a drag angle or a push angle? Depends on the position and the rod
 
   / Give me your welding experiences #26  
<font color="red">Don't tuck your flanel shirt into your pants and then try welding. </font>

Or your pants legs in your redwings. You'll do a jig never witnessed by mankind and walk gingerly for days.
 
   / Give me your welding experiences #27  
Buzz box, refers to the Lincoln 225, Miller Thunderbolt 225 and other similar brands of that size. They have been in production and unchanged for decades. Most are AC only. most are 220V but a few are even 110V. Generally have no moving parts, other than the fan, will last forever. and have a ampere range of 40-225 amps. The name "buzz" is not a bad thing. It is because they all make the same buzzing sound. (it's the transformer).
Duty cycle. The cheaper the machine the shorter the duty cylce. The duty cycle is based on a 10 minute work cycle. If a machine has a 100% duty cycle, then it can be operated virtually all day. If the duty-cycle was 50%, the could weld non-stop for five minutes and then "rest" the machine for five before starting again. As long as your machine has at least a 40% duty-cycle at the 90-120 amp range, you should be okay. The time needed to change rods, setup, turn the piece, etc. should give the machine time to catch up. Look in your manual for the duty cycle. If this didn't clear it up, let me know.
Harry
 
   / Give me your welding experiences
  • Thread Starter
#28  
inspector - what kind of thickness metal is matched to 2.5mm (metric i know) rods. i have a box of these
ill try doing what you mentioned
mith
 
   / Give me your welding experiences
  • Thread Starter
#29  
JD3130 - yip sounds like i got a buzz box.
so far ive used it sometimes solidly for a goot 10-15 mins with no need for it to cool
yesterday i got a few electrodes stuck to the metal and it needed 5 mins to cool after about 20-25 mins of hard usage way up in the amps
i thought i might fit a fan - can i do this or will it do damage?
mith
 

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