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Post by niz76 on Jan 19, 2015 3:10:48 GMT -5
Hi fellas and ladies I got myself a new tool from Harbor Freight- a welder!  I have never owned a welder in my life and have about zilch experience with any welding- besides copper to copper brazing which I do a lot of at work for A/C, installs/repairs etc. Actually, when I was a young(er) buck I worked at an automotive seat manufacturer- Toyo Seat USA in Imlay City, MI- and used to play with the touch-up welders quite a bit when nobody was looking! I did ok, but I assume those welders were high quality and probably set up just right for the seat frame material... Sooo, yeah- I bought a welder but I don't know how to weld haha. This is a cheapy HF welder, but at least I didn't get the bottom dollar 70 amp one- I layed out the big bucks- $109! lol for the 90 amp one. Here's the link if it helps to answer any of my questions/concerns: www.harborfreight.com/welding/mig-flux-welders/90-amp-ac-120-volt-flux-cored-welder-68887.htmlI guess I should start by outlining what I'm hoping to use it for mainly; I want to weld sheet metal for exhaust building. Will it even weld this without just burning right through it?  As you can see I was serious problems blowing holes and that was using oxy/acetyline which I assume is even easier to control. I basically gave up on my pipe building project when I was spending more time and gas filling blown holes than anything else... I bought this 'welding spoon' which is copper and it says it's used for filling holes as it absorbs heat- I almost wonder if I could go back to the oxy/acetyline w/coat hanger (the material I had the most success with) and have more success using this spoon?  Anyway- I bought this welder and I'm going to use it! I may blow holes all day long with this thing but I really need some tips and tricks and advice from y'all out there that know how to weld. Save the 'it's a cheap p.o.s. speeches'- I know this! Does anybody have some good advice for a newbie welder like me? I know the basics like knocking slag off etc. but any knowledge is appreciated! Thanks in advance fellas! |
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Post by moofus02 on Jan 19, 2015 4:11:08 GMT -5
Practice on some scrap pieces laying flat butted togather. No sense burning holes in cut and curled confess until you get the hang of it
Sent from my SPH-L720 using proboards
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Post by scooterpimp on Jan 19, 2015 5:29:52 GMT -5
Welding surface must be clean , dont focus in one area too long , practice is your best friend. Play with speed & temps till you find your groove ! Thin metals are not easily welded vs thicker stuff 1/16 & up whatever you're burning on in pic is way too rusty , too gappy & possibly too thin. , .i always used argon vs flux core on my migs. I see all kind of goodies in pic , wheres your welding helmet? Dont use sunglasses or cheezy goggles with any electric welder.
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Post by Clank on Jan 19, 2015 6:03:46 GMT -5
.030 wire not .035. It's a little machine and it will push the .035 on up to about 1\4" for short durations. But with the thin stuff and that little of a machine .030 E-71 flux core works really good unless u got bucks to but cylinder and gas also.
I have the same machine. Fiddle with wire speed, but most core shields run at slow wire feed speeds.
And what the PIMP said, clean that s#¡t!!
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Post by Clank on Jan 19, 2015 6:06:00 GMT -5
Where you really welding with sunglasses??!! Don't!
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Post by 2TDave on Jan 19, 2015 6:17:57 GMT -5
Great thread topic. I've been wanting to learn as well.
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Post by oldgeek on Jan 19, 2015 6:18:48 GMT -5
When I was fixing that RSII pipe I used oxy/act and mig wire to fill a few pinholes and split seams. It took a while to get the temp just right but then it went fairly well. I used a #5 tip and a nice quiet flame with a small sharp cone showing. I am going to build a pipe someday, and I think oxy/act will be my choice for doing it. If it really pisses me off, I will throw some 45% silver braze at it!
Congrats on the new welder, we expect even greater things coming out of NIZWORKS now. LoL!
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Post by niz76 on Jan 19, 2015 7:05:21 GMT -5
The rusty piece in pic is an old project that I gave up on- as stated. No I'm not welding on rusty material. No I'm not welding in sunglasses. And yes, I'm basically starting with a very tricky procedure trying to weld thin thin sheet metal, so I'm practicing on scrap pieces. I actually practiced for a couple hours and it's very difficult... Thanks for the tips...
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Post by nelson on Jan 19, 2015 9:52:45 GMT -5
I have owned a few different wire welders and can tell you there is a difference in quality. Like anything, pay for what u get. Anyway, I have a small welder these days and like most have said keep it moving. Otherwise you will burn through. You can fill small holes after the fact. When you vet better at it you make a little puddle and a small circle into another puddle. It will look like dimes are stacked up. It will be harder without sheild gas using flux wire but it is certainly possible.practice is all I can tell you.
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Post by nelson on Jan 19, 2015 9:54:07 GMT -5
Oh and yea a good clean surface! You will get a lot of spatter with the flux wire so dont wear flip flops or have stuff around that will burn!
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Post by 190mech on Jan 19, 2015 10:18:02 GMT -5
MIG welding an expansion chamber is not going to turn out well,even with a top of the line unit.Gas or TIG is the best way for thin .030"(.8mm) stuff..The heat and feed speed is critical and with minimal heat settings on H-F welders its difficult at best..Hope you guys prove me wrong on this,Ive tried it a bit and failed,yeah I know they are used in production machine welded pipes,but not human operated...
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Post by niz76 on Jan 19, 2015 10:47:41 GMT -5
Yes I agree 190mech- I have spent hours and hours practicing and although I know it takes years to learn the craft and I have actually been a pre-apprentice in the iron workers union- which doesn't mean much- but a few of my friends and family members are pro welders and I know there are a ton of tests etc. for skill, penetration, x-rays of welds, weld strength yadyada- short circuit welding is just not going to produce results on this 22 ga. sheet metal. It's a razors edge between penetration and blow through and although I did manage to get some ok welds- maybe 1/2" long at most before too much heat- I don't see it working on this thin thin sheet! Here's the result of a few hours of practice- some channels purposely cut out of sheer frustration- with this welder playing with feed speed etc...  It's interesting though that I think some of the research and practice I did for this might allow me to go back and be more successful with the oxy/acetyline torches- using the spoon to soak up some heat, doing small areas at a time and changing positions to let the area cool a bit before welding again etc... EDIT: Fellas- thanks for your concern but some of you seem to think there's something wrong with welding in shorts and bare feet? Whaaatt?? Is it bad that I'm staring directly at the arc with no eye protection while I weld? Oh yes- I'm also wearing a paper apron that's soaked in gasoline- is that bad? Oh yes- and I always stare directly at the sun, grab hot pans with bare hands, and always always cook bacon naked! |
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Post by 90GTVert on Jan 19, 2015 11:05:01 GMT -5
Might wanna practice on a little thicker stuff first just to get the most basic techniques down. I can weld alright on something say 1/8" but then when I have tried 18-22GA it was a nightmare. 18GA actually wasn't so terrible, but not fun. Beyond there I totally failed to make anything near a seal and it was ugly as can be. To me it's more do-able if you just wanna weld a couple of panels in, but something like an exhaust or fuel tank that must be sealed with very thin stuff is not suited for flux core. Clank seems to be able to do it, but he's a pro. Not sure what helmet you have now, but if it's not auto-darkening consider upgrading. I used a standard one the first year or two that I had a welder around, but after finally getting an auto-darkening helmet I kicked myself for not spending the extra $20 or whatever it was initially. Clank and others were kind enough to provide some tips when I was butchering my fuel tank project : 49ccscoot.proboards.com/thread/10545/larger-fuel-tank-ideas-build |
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Post by nelson on Jan 19, 2015 11:30:18 GMT -5
I have not built a pipe for a scoot but I have built them for atv. I assume the material is of the same thickness. If so it is definitely doable. Wire speed and low heat is key. Have to find point of burning through and penetration. It takes awhile, especially if you have no experience. If it looks like a bird Shit on it you dont have good penetration. I may have to go chop a pipe and try to flux core weld to see what's up. I can tell you it is easier with sheild gas. You have to have both peices of metal hot for wire to fuse them together. Would be easier to tack it together and then go back and fill the spots. Get your hand grinder ready because you will have a lot of cleaning to do. MIG welding an expansion chamber is not going to turn out well,even with a top of the line unit.Gas or TIG is the best way for thin .030"(.8mm) stuff..The heat and feed speed is critical and with minimal heat settings on H-F welders its difficult at best..Hope you guys prove me wrong on this,Ive tried it a bit and failed,yeah I know they are used in production machine welded pipes,but not human operated... |
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Post by nelson on Jan 19, 2015 11:36:30 GMT -5
Yes I agree 190mech- I have spent hours and hours practicing and although I know it takes years to learn the craft and I have actually been a pre-apprentice in the iron workers union- which doesn't mean much- but a few of my friends and family members are pro welders and I know there are a ton of tests etc. for skill, penetration, x-rays of welds, weld strength yadyada- short circuit welding is just not going to produce results on this 22 ga. sheet metal. It's a razors edge between penetration and blow through and although I did manage to get some ok welds- maybe 1/2" long at most before too much heat- I don't see it working on this thin thin sheet! Here's the result of a few hours of practice- some channels purposely cut out of sheer frustration- with this welder playing with feed speed etc... It's interesting though that I think some of the research and practice I did for this might allow me to go back and be more successful with the oxy/acetyline torches- using the spoon to soak up some heat, doing small areas at a time and changing positions to let the area cool a bit before welding again etc... EDIT: Fellas- thanks for your concern but some of you seem to think there's something wrong with welding in shorts and bare feet? Whaaatt?? Is it bad that I'm staring directly at the arc with no eye protection while I weld? Oh yes- I'm also wearing a paper apron that's soaked in gasoline- is that bad? Oh yes- and I always stare directly at the sun, grab hot pans with bare hands, and always always cook bacon naked! Well, I have worn shoes that are not leather and the slag cooks rich through them. Hot ass little bb's melt into your toes quick. I have actually welded shirtless and leaned over my weld onto a hot ass pair of vise grips. Melted my nipple off but it came back. Not that I care much for having nipples because I can not be milked. I did have a nice scar there in the shape of vise grips.  |
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