New member of the welding fraternity!

DaveNay · Mar 12, 2005

Well, I couldn't let Cliff have all the fun of owning a new welder, so after negotiating with the CFO, and receiving our tax return, I finally purchased a welder. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Eve nthought I have never welded before, I have always wanted to learn, and I am sure I will have no shortage of things to make or repair.

I am sure my choice of welding style is probably not the most popular though, I went with a Hobart Stickmate XL AC/DC unit. For some reason I feel that the stick welder will be a little more flexible in its uses around the farm than a MIG would be...just an hunch from someone with no practical experience.

I can't wait to start practice! My father in law says he can teach me, so I will give him a shot before I take some community classes.

Dave

johnday · Mar 12, 2005

Dave; Good for you. I started welding classes about 2 months ago. Right now I'm having problems with verticle up fillets. I completed all my MIG projects in 2 days, and most of my stick before that. If you can do a good job at stick, you'll do fantastic at MIG. I bought a LINCOLN 250 Idealarc AC/DC from one of the welders at work. I try to practice at the plant whenever I can, we have 15-20 welders that all have offered to teach me. One on one is the absolute best way to learn. I don't really need to be an industrial welder, but that's how we're being taught in class. Most of the welding there is done with 1/8th" 6010 rod. The instructor is teaching us the hard way to do it so when we're on our own we will have already done the worse case welding, and be able to get good then. There is a site called WeldTalk that I also am a member, and you pickup alot of good advice from those guys. One thing that is stressed to no end, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and then PRACTICE some more, sooner or later you'll get it down using all kinds of rod. There are some very experienced welders at this site also, EddieWalker and Rotten, I mean Wroughton Harv are two that come to mind. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif And have fun learning. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Oh, and a decent autodarkening hood will do wonders for you too!

DaveNay · Mar 12, 2005

I hve been reading the Hobart forum for the last week, but haven't posted anything yet. Lots of good info there!

I bought an auto darkening helmet at the same time I bought the welder.

Dave

Tallman · Mar 12, 2005

I learned to weld on an AC/DC welder. DC is easier strike an arc then it is with AC. The welds are usually a lot nicer and flatter. I welded for 20 years in a shop that manufactured valves for power plants and for nuclear Navy ships. 90 percent xray welds. I am retired now and have a Craftsman AC/DC welder, that I bought at a yard sale that I play with occasionly, mostly repairing things for friends and neighbors. I'm sure you will enjoy learning to weld. The key is to get a lot of pratice. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

LarryD · Mar 12, 2005

I once got some instruction from a guy that was a certified nuke pipe welder. He laid the prettiest beads I think I've ever seen, perfect width and every lap the same.
All I can say about my education is I can stick two pieces of metal together. It aint pretty but it'll hold.

Cliff_Johns · Mar 12, 2005

( Well, I couldn't let Cliff have all the fun of owning a new welder)

Yeah, Yeah, I have a new welder, but I don't have any power to connect it to, so where's the fun in that?

Working on solving that problem though.

Congradulatons on your welder. So first you weld up a welding table, then you weld up a welder cart, then you weld up a shelf unit to hold the rods and the gloves and the helmet and the clamps and magnets and all the welding crap you have to get, then you weld up some industrial burgler bars so no one will steal your welder . . . Yup, lots of projects when you get a welder.

Cliff

Taylortractornut · Mar 13, 2005

Dave For every inch I weld with either of my Mig welders theres probably 50 or 60 inches i weld with my stick machines. Im really too clumsy for a mig gun to. I have a friend thats a welding shop setup man that told me in the old days migs ran down hills only on the verticals because o the sheilding gas was heavier than air. Im still working on my veritcle up welding on the Mig. I do good on a fillet weld going up but a flat verticle up is my downfall. lol

Henro · Mar 13, 2005

Dave,

This is almost kind of stupid sounding, but make sure you can see well and focus good at the distance from your eyes that you will be welding .

The reason I say this, is I did not realize that I was not seeing well when I was taking a stick welding class at the local community college. And I am sure it affected my weld beads.

Actually, the ONLY reason I realized this, is that I have a stick/tig combo welder, and after getting around to trying the TIG side, where there is no smoke or slag at all, it became apparent that I was not seeing as well as I should with my glasses or contact lenses, at welding distance.

In my case, I can see close, but not far, so I ended up doing a lot better with my glasses off...have to hold my head a little closer though...

Anyway, just thought I would mention it, since I THOUGHT I was seeing OK, while the smoke and slag were just confusing the issue and I was not... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Being able to see well, and practice, practice, practice are two key parts of being able to make good welds.

DaveNay · Mar 22, 2005

Well, I got my 220v outlet installed, and my welder set-up this weekend. I even burned a rod, just to make sure it all works.

Question...what do you all do for cable management? In the pic, you can see I have the cables just tossed up on the (very messy) workbench, but that jsut seems like they would be in the way all the time.

Also, I noticed something very bad after I got everything put back in its place, but luckily I corrected it before I started playing and making sparks. Take a look at the picture, and let me know if you see the problem (hint, yellw and red).

Dave

crk133 · Mar 22, 2005

how about i throw in another hint...BOOM!

Highbeam · Mar 22, 2005

I don't have a problem welding around diesel in the field but in the shop, the fuel must be relocated. If not for the sparks of the welding, the grinder throws a fountain of sparks that have a lot of heat left in them. These sparks have even melted into my whiskey glass and left a deep pitting, this is good for the grip and has become a dedicated garage whiskey glass.

Gasoline is much nastier and I would really consider a separate fuel shed for several reasons.

Congratulations on becoming a rod burner and good job finding safety hazards before they find you.

Cliff_Johns · Mar 22, 2005

( Question...what do you all do for cable management? )

You should disconnect them. The clean them with a toothbrush, put a light coat of wax on the covers and some oil on the exposed metal, then coil them and put them neatly back in the box.

Cliff

Highbeam · Mar 22, 2005

Mine don't disconnect so I coil them up like a garden hose and hang them from a hook fashioned out of a welding rod. The Lincoln buzzbox has two handles that I used to attach two hooks. One for the leads and one for the power cable. I wish mine unplugged so that I could install some longer ones.

DaveNay · Mar 22, 2005

( You should disconnect them. The clean them with a toothbrush, put a light coat of wax on the covers and some oil on the exposed metal, then coil them and put them neatly back in the box.)

*Sigh*

Thanks Cliff! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Dave

jpm · Mar 22, 2005

maybe a visit to the safety forum is in order? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

LBrown59 · Apr 2, 2005

(

Also, I noticed something very bad after I got everything put back in its place, but luckily I corrected it before I started playing and making sparks. Take a look at the picture, and let me know if you see the problem (hint, yellw and red).

Dave )
I had insurance agents on an insurance board bounce my but all over the place when I told them I keep cans of gas and diesel like in your photo outside in an old freezer.

When I asked them if I should put the cans in the garage instead of the freezer since they didn't like me keeping them in the freezer that didn't bother them a bit.

I still haven't figured out why it's safer to store gas inside a garage like you're doing than it is to keep it in the old freezer setting outside like I'm doing.

Anybody got any ideas why the way I'm storing fuel is more risky than keeping it in the garage as shown in Daves photo,

skinderflirt

GaryE · Apr 2, 2005

Anybody got any ideas why the way I'm storing fuel is more risky than keeping it in the garage as shown in Daves photo, 

Gas fumes can concentrate more in a closed freezer than they can in a more "open" garage. If you open the freezer door and some how cause a spark, you can go boom! Long shot, but I guess it could happen.

Gary

SnowRidge · Apr 2, 2005

I am sure my choice of welding style is probably not the most popular though, I went with a Hobart Stickmate XL AC/DC unit. 

Hey, same choice I made. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif You won't regret it.

Consider putting wheels under it. Someday when I have the time, I might weld up a proper mobile base for mine, but for now, I just put casters on the bottom of the plywood plate it shipped on. Works great.

LBrown59 · Apr 3, 2005

( Anybody got any ideas why the way I'm storing fuel is more risky than keeping it in the garage as shown in Daves photo, 

Gas fumes can concentrate more in a closed freezer than they can in a more "open" garage. If you open the freezer door and some how cause a spark, you can go boom! Long shot, but I guess it could happen.

Gary )

If the gas in his garage ignites and the gas in my freezer does also which one do you think will do the most damage?

GaryE · Apr 3, 2005

L.B.

I am not agreeing with them, I was just trying to give you their reasoning. From time to time I have to deal with fire marshals and the like. Most of the time they are very easy to deal with, but I have run into some that have no clue! I have found it is best to just smile and make them happy!

Gary