Rara Avis
Veteran Member
Stampeder said:
Yep...starting with Oxy/Acetylene will definitely help alot when you get to MIG/TIG...that is the way our trainer operated...
What kind of welder should I buy?
- Thread starter Loogie
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Yep...starting with Oxy/Acetylene will definitely help alot when you get to MIG/TIG...that is the way our trainer operated...
gemini5362
Veteran Member
guys I am going to disagree with you here. Depending on what kind of welding they are doing why start with oxy acetylene. I wont argue that it will make you a better welder probably. But if you are just doing light farming or hobby work why spend the money to learn with the oxy/acetylene. They can get a mig unit learn the basics with that and do a lot of handy work without having to know how to be a pipeline welder.
HPXDEEREDEALER
Member
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2007
- Messages
- 27
gemini5362 said:
Agreed.
As a past Ag Shop Teacher, we always taught Oxy last as to develop the basic skills. Oxy/Acy also seems to be, for us, a lot more dangerous.
I Started With Oxy but that was back in the day
Then learned stick
then learned mig
then learned tig
Now I'd have to say I'm pretty darn good.
JB4310
Super Member
This thread is getting stretched out but could go on forever due to the fact that the people on this site have a keen interest in metal fabrication.
A couple of observations, I've been a hack welder for 30 years, even though I have an A/C, a D/C, a Mig and a O/A gas outfit, I've never had a minute of formal lessons and at 46 I'm thinking it's not to late.
As someone already mentioned welding is an art, it's not like most other expensive power tools were you just plug em in and in a short time you've pretty much mastered it. I've only recently learned the importance of using two hands while welding which is probably something you would learn early on in any training course.
Regarding the OXY/ACET talk, I think it is a must for steel fabrication, not so much for welding with but for cutting, bending, blowing bolt holes and I've never ever had a fastener that would not break free after being heated with the torch.
I've never used a plasma cutter but have seen how clean they cut, can you use the plasma machine to do other torch applications ie. heating/bending type stuff or are they strictly only for cutting? if you can do everything a torch set up can do and still have those perfectly clean and cool cuts then that will be next on my list.
A couple of observations, I've been a hack welder for 30 years, even though I have an A/C, a D/C, a Mig and a O/A gas outfit, I've never had a minute of formal lessons and at 46 I'm thinking it's not to late.
As someone already mentioned welding is an art, it's not like most other expensive power tools were you just plug em in and in a short time you've pretty much mastered it. I've only recently learned the importance of using two hands while welding which is probably something you would learn early on in any training course.
Regarding the OXY/ACET talk, I think it is a must for steel fabrication, not so much for welding with but for cutting, bending, blowing bolt holes and I've never ever had a fastener that would not break free after being heated with the torch.
I've never used a plasma cutter but have seen how clean they cut, can you use the plasma machine to do other torch applications ie. heating/bending type stuff or are they strictly only for cutting? if you can do everything a torch set up can do and still have those perfectly clean and cool cuts then that will be next on my list.
No, a plasma cutter is a very specialized tool. It demolishes everything in its path with a 50,000 deg flame. You would have to have a very deft hand to simply heat with it.
O/A can make some very clean cuts, too....IF you use the right tip and pressures.
O/A can make some very clean cuts, too....IF you use the right tip and pressures.
Rara Avis
Veteran Member
gemini5362 said:
The reason for Oxy/Acetylene first...is that when you get to TIG...much of its skill sets are more like GAS welding...
The other advantage is you can weld, cut and heat with a single unit...Relatively cheap investment
As for Farm welding...AC/DC Buzzbox is very nice, because you can do it in a breeze...
....and it doesn't have to be clean... Hobby work...I agree with you...a little MIG unit is OK...
JB4310
Super Member
cp1969 said:
Yes another area where the skill level is almost an art, it's amazing how fast you can cut with a steady hand, I have an interesting tip that you can rest on plate steel and just drag it on the surface, have not used it much though.
Thanks for the info on the plasma machine.
Rara Avis
Veteran Member
JB4310 said:
Check out the technical education unit in your public school system...they accept adults, and your taxes have already paid for most your class expense...
gemini5362
Veteran Member
It is very interesting seeing what other people put the priority of different systms are. Watching people talk about tig fascinates me. I have used our tig at work and to be honest I consider it extremely slow. We have someone that took professional welding courses to get good with it and what he can do is amazing but it takes quite a bit of time to run long beads. With a stick or a mig you can run beads extremely quickly in comparison. As I have said in this discussion I like mig welding because to get to a skill level where you can do hobby and light farming type welding can be done fairly quickly basically all you do is put the tip next to the metal and move it along where you want the bead. Not much to doing that. For someone like me that does small jobs it is perfect. I built a set of loading ramps for my trailer. Basically that involves getting some angle cutting it and welding it together. the cross pieces sit on top of the long angle running from the ground to the trailer. All you are doing is welding them so they dont slide. I had to fix a crack in my trailer frame etc etc. The other thing that seems to be legendary is Oxy/Acy
I found the comment that you can cut straight smooth lines with Oxy/Acy amusing to be honest. I think the person that made that comment forgot how many hours over how many years of practice it took to evolve to that point. I have only seen one person in my life that could cut perfectly straight smooth lines and he was a pipeline welder all of his life. Someone said that you have to have Oxy/Acy for fabrication. My friend who does a lot of fabricating things such as, Building trailers, Building Street rods including building the frame, He took a 1940's model F5 truck and put put a late model pickup chasis under it and then built the flat bed for it including a headache rack that looks like a spider web. I know for a fact that although he has an oxy/acy rig he had to turn in his bottles 7 or 8 years ago and has not felt the need to go purchase new ones. So he has not used his oxy/ acy for any of the projects i mentioned above.
For the person that needs to do some welding and maybe make small projects but has never done that I think they just need a few basic items.
1. Band Saw - The one at harbor freight for under 200 is the one everyone I know has it does a relatively good job and makes nice straight cuts with almost no skill level involved.
2. Drill press - You dont have to have one but sure makes it nice when you are trying to drill straight holes.
3. Mig Welder - Fairly pricey up front but one 20.00 roll of wire lasts almost forever if you are just hobby welding. You dont have to worry about keeping the wire in a dry environment like you do with welding rods. In my opinion the easiest welding environment to learn
4. Auto Darkening helmet- Not that much more money than a regular helmet and for the novice a lot easier to use.
I am sure there will be disagreement with this and I look forward to hearing other peoples views on how to do fabrication.
I think most of the people on here want to honestly help and tell someone how to become expert at welding. We all tend to forget that for someone new they are just trying to learn how to
I found the comment that you can cut straight smooth lines with Oxy/Acy amusing to be honest. I think the person that made that comment forgot how many hours over how many years of practice it took to evolve to that point. I have only seen one person in my life that could cut perfectly straight smooth lines and he was a pipeline welder all of his life. Someone said that you have to have Oxy/Acy for fabrication. My friend who does a lot of fabricating things such as, Building trailers, Building Street rods including building the frame, He took a 1940's model F5 truck and put put a late model pickup chasis under it and then built the flat bed for it including a headache rack that looks like a spider web. I know for a fact that although he has an oxy/acy rig he had to turn in his bottles 7 or 8 years ago and has not felt the need to go purchase new ones. So he has not used his oxy/ acy for any of the projects i mentioned above.
For the person that needs to do some welding and maybe make small projects but has never done that I think they just need a few basic items.
1. Band Saw - The one at harbor freight for under 200 is the one everyone I know has it does a relatively good job and makes nice straight cuts with almost no skill level involved.
2. Drill press - You dont have to have one but sure makes it nice when you are trying to drill straight holes.
3. Mig Welder - Fairly pricey up front but one 20.00 roll of wire lasts almost forever if you are just hobby welding. You dont have to worry about keeping the wire in a dry environment like you do with welding rods. In my opinion the easiest welding environment to learn
4. Auto Darkening helmet- Not that much more money than a regular helmet and for the novice a lot easier to use.
I am sure there will be disagreement with this and I look forward to hearing other peoples views on how to do fabrication.
I think most of the people on here want to honestly help and tell someone how to become expert at welding. We all tend to forget that for someone new they are just trying to learn how to
