Give me your welding experiences

[40Kchicks]

Tom

I understand what your saying about levels of approvals for purchases. Where I work I can approve $100, my supervisor can approve purchases up to $7K his boss can approve up to 50K and his boss can approve up to something like $150K and on and on. It’s the same at my house. I can approve $20 everything else is up for discussion with the boss. Somehow she has a much higher spending level although I never remember establishing these limits. Fortunately I have impressed my wife with my projects so tools usually are approved. While building my barn cleaner I justified a plasma cutter for all the long cuts I had to do on the spreader body. I have not regretted that purchase at all although I got a small ½ machine for only $1300. I use it for cuts up to 3/8” and the torch for anything thicker.

I used to live on the other side of hill from you near Gaston when I worked for Intel in Aloha. It’s good to hear from another Oregonian.

Eric

The pic is of my barn cleaner when it was almost done minus guards, black paint, and a hydraulic tongue.

 

[texastomtom]

what is a barn cleaner ?

I thought it was going to be something to clean your barn,,, which I call a broom & hose but thought you had something fancy setup....

Interesting looking piece of equipment....

tom

 

[texastomtom]

I dont have an approval really as such,,,

It one of those cases where if I spend a significant amount, I need to at least be sure I have available funds when she finds out - as she will likely be in the market for something of similiar value at that point.... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Actually she is very thrifty and it will be something worth while.

My new tractor cost me a kitchen and bathrooms remodel in addition to the tractor and implements. I got the better end on this deal...

Hope she doens't find out how much the tractor and implements were..... or I'll be building on additions... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

tom

 

[texastomtom]

Mith,,

so what did you build / repair this weekend........

pics pics pics

I had other things going on so have not been back at the welder - but have been waiting to see what you and others have been working on.

tom

 

[texastomtom]

Mith,,,

How's about a picture of your welder.....

I'm sure you have it all waxed up and pretty so it should take a good picture... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

if you have time to take a pic try and get one with the unit and the gun and all ......

I guess yall have different brand names on stuff over there or is it a world known brand ? lincoln - miller - hobart ?????

 

[Henro]

I'm going to jump in...and I think I have read every post...but the thread is long...

Just feel like adding a couple comments that I HOPE will relate.

First, I can't believe that I waited until I was over 55 years old to learn to weld. All you youngsters...LEARN TO WELD NOW!!!

Now how do you learn to weld? Practice, practice, practice...and better, take an evening class. Nothing beats having an experienced instructor to get you going down the path right.

Do you need to spend big bucks to get started. No, I don't think so. Can you? Yes, I know so. But you don't have to.

The legend of the MIG as a hot glue gun is no doubt true. Beware.

There is no reason but lack of experience/practice that a stick weld has to look shameful. Look at a stick weld done by an experienced hand and you will be humbled. ESPECIALLY after you just started learning! But don't fear, if you practice, practice, practice you will improve.

My personal problem with stick was seeing what I was doing. Funny, but I did not realize I was not seeing what I was doing. It was not just the slag and smoke, it was my contact lenses! I never realized that I was not seeing until I started using the TIG side of my welder. With TIG there is not smoke or anything to get in the way, so you can pretty much tell you are not seeing when you are not seeing clearly.

In my case the solution was to take my glasses off or my contacts out, and move my face to the point where my eyes can see the puddle. Makes a huge difference when you can see what you are doing!

Anyway, I am not sure I buy the idea that a stick weld need not look faily good to be strong. I think a stick weld should look fairly good and if it does not, it is probably not as strong as it should be. A relatively cheap welder can produce a very good looking weld if it is in the hands of an experienced weldor.

I don't consider myself much of a weldor, but I do know that most of us could produce a pretty good, strong weld if we were willing to practice, practice, practice.

That being said, practice is pretty boring. So in the end I guess we really need to say simply: Do it, do it, do it.

But do your best to strive for a good looking weld, especially when using stick. Your weld will be better and you will be better for it.

Don't write off the stick machines. They may give the biggest bang for the buck. Not as fast as MIG, but still very good performance...

Better to build something than get burned out practicing on scrap. Practicing for the sake of it is really boring...necessary up to a point I guess... but after a point, you will feel better about what you are doing if you build something, even if something breaks and you have to redo it.

I think the goal should be to make the nicest looking weld one is able to. Nothing beats doing one's best.

 

[MMM]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( They may give the biggest bang for the buck. )</font>

If you can only have one machine, I think it should be an AC/DC stick. I think I've said before elsewhere, my MIG collects dust. If it weren't superior for Al, I'd probably sell it and get rid of the Ar bottle contract, like I did the CO2.

 

[tomrscott]

Harv,

I too have greatly enjoyed your posts. Please keep it up.

Or better yet, Start a new thread and call it "Harv's Welding 101."

You could give lessons, suggest techniques, and practice exercises, answer questions, comment on pictures of student welds, tell anecdotes, examples of lessons learned, and so on?

Or just keep commenting as you have the urge, but I'm enjoying reading your comments.

 

[Lazy]

Hi
A wife is a barn cleaner

Charlie

 

[JD3130]

Eric
I wasn't putting down MIG machines. But I stand by my advice that for the average reader here, their first machine doesn't need to be an expensive machine. Not many of us are building $16K projects in our home shops. If we are, we already have the equipment and are the ones answering the questions. Since I retired, I mostly use my arc machines, just seems faster to setup. I made farm implements and backhoe attachments and loaders and other large projects before I got my MIG, Arc is just as strong as MIG. As Harv likes to say pretty does not make a good weld. I too, have rewelded an awful lot of MIG welds in my life.
JD