My bucket is broken !

[5030]

As a lifetime but now retired welder that small mig will do the job. 2 things help if welding say the ends back on the bucket. 1st is the mig gas. Use 75/25 as it burns hotter than straight CO2 plus less splatter. And 2nd weld vertical as much as possible as it allows you to see the weld better and wet it in plus multi pass vertical is pretty.. Never used fluxcore on a small mig so no real insight into it but I do not think I would be a big fan. If needed I would just stick weld it. Also cleanliness is next to Godliness in mig welding. No rust or paint, clean shiny metal

The issue with small MIG (low output welders is), most will only run flux core. They don't come set up for shielding gas.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Typical thread on here, I'd say.


Gonna be more than motor work on that slug. I bet the generator head has lost it's magnetism and the electronics are shot too.

There is only one way to find out, though it won't be today.

 

[Jstpssng]

Just a caution to those who have never welded but want to try...
it can get addictive.

I haven't even made it to the novice stage but there's something satisfying about taking two pieces of steel and making them into something useable. If you work something too hard or it's just getting tired, take it down to the shop and you can be up and running again in an hour. I have two AC Lincoln welders which were hand me downs from my father... one is an old "Tombstone" which I was getting proficient with until I moved and didn't have a place to plug it in. It's probably older than I am but still does all that I need it to do. The other was his "WeldanPower" which is a light AC welder generator. I'm not a fabricator or high tech welder, but he built more with those two machines than I ever will so they are good enough for my uses.

 

[5030]

they are good enough for my uses.

And will last forever with minimal care. Lincoln builds a quality product. You pay for it however. Been to their Euclid, Ohio facility numerous times and been in their first article destructive testing facility attached to the plant. There they literally run all the engine drives to death, impose 100% cyclic loads and monitor fuel consumption as well as longevity. There are staff that keep the oil and filters changed on the recommended maintenance schedule but they run them at rated output (except for downtime service) until something fails on the engine or the welding head. Lots of resistor banks and fuel storage tanks outside. I have noticed they don't use the gas/diesel tanks at all but hook them to their bulk supply.

When they run to failure, the units are disassembled in their QC lab and analyzed for component failure and those components are ungraded as needed. Very impressive (and noisy). Last time I was there, they were destructive testing a couple Pipeliner units and some Weld and Power units, all at full rated load of course.

 

[5030]

Welding any metal parts together and have them actually be 'welded' to each other is 95% prep and 4% weld technique and 1% machine.

Poor prep equals a poor job.

 

[sixdogs]

Just a caution to those who have never welded but want to try...
it can get addictive.

I haven't even made it to the novice stage but there's something satisfying about taking two pieces of steel and making them into something useable. If you work something too hard or it's just getting tired, take it down to the shop and you can be up and running again in an hour. I have two AC Lincoln welders which were hand me downs from my father... one is an old "Tombstone" which I was getting proficient with until I moved and didn't have a place to plug it in. It's probably older than I am but still does all that I need it to do. The other was his "WeldanPower" which is a light AC welder generator. I'm not a fabricator or high tech welder, but he built more with those two machines than I ever will so they are good enough for my uses.

I dubbed around for decades and was bad on a good day. Then I took a course at a tech school and an hour later I was better than I ever was. When the course was over I was running beads that were strong and looked better than what I saw other guys do. I learned gas, flux, stick, and TIG, but I'm a little shaky on TIG. It is among the best money I have ever spent. Take a tech school course.

 

[5030]

If you can gas weld, you can TIG weld. Not much difference except the heat source. Playing a guitar or piano is also similar.

 

[tacticalturnip]

If you can gas weld, you can TIG weld. Not much difference except the heat source. Playing a guitar or piano is also similar.

Yes, but what about playing guitar on a piano?

 

[2manyrocks]

First you have to learn to play the banjo.

 

[tacticalturnip]

First you have to learn to play the banjo.

My oldest kid has a ukulele.