Looking for a Welder what should I be looking for?

[PBinWA]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Turns out Quimby welding supply is like 4 blocks from my office so I walked down there at lunch today, they didn't have fire bricks but I picked some gloves and filler rods and looked around at all the stuff I'm going to buy someday /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
)</font>

Their eBay store is run seperately from their store front. The prices on eBay are usually cheaper than what they at the store. You still pick everything up at the store but they won't sell stuff through the storefront at their eBay pricing (I tried).

I hear you on the concrete floor. Seems concrete doesn't like heavy metal stuff falling on it either./forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

PB

 

[Farwell]

Chuck,
Be careful of those divots in concrete, when they happen they can have the power of a bullet, depending on the moisture stored in the concrete. Don't ask how I know.
Farwell

 

[mschuck]

Ya, I just found this on the web.

"If possible, work to be welded should be placed on a firebrick surface at a comfortable height. Welding should never be done directly on a concrete floor. Heat from the arc can cause steam to build-up in the floor which could cause an explosion. "

 

[Berniep]

The first thing I did when I bought my little Hobart handler 180 mig welder was build a metal welding table. I can ground to the table and most things will ground just by setting on or clamping to the table. I can spot weld parts to the table to keep them in position then break the spot weld with a hammer to release them, then just grind the spots back down to smooth the surface again.
My recomendation since I haven't seen anyone mention it yet(maybe you have I just missed it) Get lots of clamps, all different kinds. "C" clamps, "C" clamp vice grips, pipe clamps, regular vise grips, pretty much anything heat resitant. Nothing worse than trying to hold one part steady with your elbow and the other part with your other hand and trying to start an arc at the same time. If you are like me you will only have to break it apart about three times before you get it stuck right.

 

[dfkrug]

The DC 220V stick welders allow much easier arc
starting and less spatter. Only issue is the welder costs
more than AC-only. I have a Hobart Ironman 210 MIG,
which I use with Ar/CO2 and Ar gases. It works great
but 3/8 steel is about the one-pass limit. I use the Miller
buzz box on 1/2" steel, starting with 6013 rod and finishing
with 7018 rod on critical welds. I see buzz-boxes all the
time on Craigs List around here. Cheap.

 

[PBinWA]

Ditton on the clamps. I also like the magnetic "stubby arrow" style clamps too. They are cheap at Harbor Freight. Harbor Freight is a good place to stock up on clamps and other little accessories.

PB

 

[Highbeam]

I love harbor freight. My water heater has two of those magnetic arrows stuck on it too. Problem with magnets around metal working is that they pick up all the grindings. I used the big jaw vise grips on this last project and they are fantastic.

"Well when I got done I realized I'd put a couple of quarter sized divots in the concrete of my shop floor"

Bah, my first Oxy/acet cutting job left me with some big gouges in the floor too. You'd think I would have learned after using a plasma cutter to cut circles out of 3/16" plate- I now have two circles burnt into the floor. I haven't had the floor pop at me but I don't like the damage.

 

[lynxpilot]

For a beginning welder, I highly recommend this book:
Welder's Handbook by Richard Finch

It discusses all of the major types of welding and is extremely helpful for a new welder trying to make an equipment decision.

Don't think your oxy/acetylene rig is useless. If you can master it, you can master any style of welding. You can also perform just about any welding task with oxy/acetylene with the proper knowlege and tools. I'd put my oxy/acet welds against most people's TIG welds any day. You can also fit it for a cutter (for ferrous metals).

MIG is easy to get a half-decent looking weld but just about as easy to get a bad weld that looks good. It's great for production welding, but you really need to know what shield gas to use, what mode (short circuit or spray), what wire, etc. For non-critical welds, body work, etc. it's really good. Great for sheet metal. There are some really cool MIG machines out there that just about make all the other types obsolete, but they're expensive. If you use MIG, don't forget to figure in the cost of your shielding gas and bottle. If you use wire feed (flux core), don't forget to figure in the added cost of the wire itself.

TIG is great for fine work. Cleanliness and fit-up are paramount. It's also sort of difficult to master. It has a limited scope of use and is usually not appropriate for the average home welder. Unbeatable for critical pipe welds for high pressure systems.

Stick is probably about the most useful and convenient for the average home user or farmer. It takes a lot of practice to master, but is relatively easy and inexpensive to practice. Machines are usually relatively inexpensive. When you figure in gas for oxy/acet welding, stick is probably cheaper even with a really nice machine. I'd make sure with a stick machine, that I had DC.

I'd say read the book (or an equivalent book) and make an informed decision before you spent the big bucks. Don't be afraid to talk to someone who welds for a living either.

Good luck!

 

[lynxpilot]

For a beginning welder, I highly recommend this book:
Welder's Handbook by Richard Finch

It discusses all of the major types of welding and is extremely helpful for a new welder trying to make an equipment decision.

Don't think your oxy/acetylene rig is useless. If you can master it, you can master any style of welding. You can also perform just about any welding task with oxy/acetylene with the proper knowlege and tools. I'd put my oxy/acet welds against most people's TIG welds any day. You can also fit it for a cutter (for ferrous metals).

MIG is easy to get a half-decent looking weld but just about as easy to get a bad weld that looks good. It's great for production welding, but you really need to know what shield gas to use, what mode (short circuit or spray), what wire, etc. For non-critical welds, body work, etc. it's really good. Great for sheet metal. There are some really cool MIG machines out there that just about make all the other types obsolete, but they're expensive. If you use MIG, don't forget to figure in the cost of your shielding gas and bottle. If you use wire feed (flux core), don't forget to figure in the added cost of the wire itself.

TIG is great for fine work. Cleanliness and fit-up are paramount. It's also sort of difficult to master. It has a limited scope of use and is usually not appropriate for the average home welder. Unbeatable for critical pipe welds for high pressure systems.

Stick is probably about the most useful and convenient for the average home user or farmer. It takes a lot of practice to master, but is relatively easy and inexpensive to practice. Machines are usually relatively inexpensive. When you figure in gas for oxy/acet welding, stick is probably cheaper even with a really nice machine. I'd make sure with a stick machine, that I had DC.

I'd say read the book (or an equivalent book) and make an informed decision before you spent the big bucks. Don't be afraid to talk to someone who welds for a living either.

Good luck!