Welding Procedures

[chuck]

Mud,
Let me post a picture and then explain it.



My uncle Fred is 80 years old, retired architect. Avid woodworker. This is his garage, he also has an attached building to his garage full of woodworking equipment. Went to visit Fred today, my Dad and all his brothers, aunts some cousins.

Thats my nephew standing by Fred's welder. See it there, by my nephews right leg. The the wall, loaded with tools. My Dad and all four of his brothers have garages like this. Fred's shop is the smallest of my uncles. My other three uncles farmed and have pretty fair sized shops containing a lifetime of tools.

That welder is a lincoln 225 amp ac stick welder and will weld a bike frame easily with a week of practice a couple of hours an evening.

That welder costs about $250
gloves, helmet, about $50
grinder and accessories, $50
rods, $50
Hopefully you already own the basic hand and power tools like drills and saber saws, wrenches and pliers, tape measure etc.

All you need is a little practice.
If you have the other basic tools, you can get into welding for $400 plus tax.

Who make the quickest learning welders? Carpenters. They can apply their knowledge of putting wood together to metal quite easily. Carpenters know how to read a tape measure and are good with power tools. All these are skills.

A house can be built with a tape measure, hammer, handsaw, level and just a few other basic tools just as well as a house a contractor builds who shows up with $20,000 dollars worth of tools. Just take a little longer.

chuck

 

[chuck]

Frame building pictures

View attachment 4


View attachment 1

I used 1' square tube 14 gauge because thats what I had that day
This is all mig
Cut all of the tube, brackets and mounts with a sabre saw
Took a day to get this far

chuck

 

[chuck]

Now I was'nt happy with a bicycle seat, bought a small Harley seat, went over to Dads and fired up the ole lincoln stick welder
Used steel Dad had laying around, 6013 rods



View attachment 3



The rack, seat mount, foot pegs have all been added using 6013 rods and the old lincoln arc welder over the last couple of years. Not a thing wrong with stick welding

chuck

 

[mud2005]

what is your opinion on a cheap welder like this? http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=55060
$70 is crazy cheap, but if thats a useable welder for learning I'm going to buy one right away

 

[Papa]

mud, I see two immediate problems with the HF machine;

1. Although it claims to run on either 120v or 240v AC, it's maximum welding output in 120v mode is only 70 amps (and you'll need at least a 30 amp rated AC circuit to use the 70 amps, which few houses have. Or, wire the machine for 240v).

2. Duty cycle - the amount of continuous welding permited (in percentage) over a 10 minute period. The HF welder claims 15% @ 65 amps. That means you can only weld for 1.5 minutes continously (at 65 amps), then you must stop and let the machine cool down for the remaining 8.5 minutes.

 

[mud2005]

thanks papa, I didn't think much about the amount of power it takes to run the welder. now that I think about it, it is an incredible number of amps
do you need a special circuit in your house for welding? there is a 240v plug here for the dryer/air conditioner, is that adequate?
is my electric bill going to go through the roof?
how many batteries does it take to run one of these on DC? not that I would, I'm just curious, seems like you'd need about 10 golf cart batteries, but that's just a wild guess.
Is there a low cost welder from harbor freight or elsewhere that you would recommend?
what about the gasless mig welders, seems like a good idea, are they good to learn with/use for years?

sorry for the barrage of questions

 

[chuck]

Mud,
The quest for a cheap welder. Don't qoute me on this, I've read some welding forums that say the chinese welders are rated on a 5 minute duty cycle.

A special circuit for welding, Yes. Open the electric panel box and find the breaker for the dryer. Should be 50 to 60 amps. Match the rating of the welder to the breaker. The breakers rating can be larger than the welders, ie, 60 amp breaker will work on a 30 amp welder. A 30 amp breaker will trip using a 60 amp welder on thicker gauges of steel. Is that dryer plug near the garage? If not you will need to make a 220 volt extension cord, making up an extension cord can be costly. Both Lowes and Home Depot hire licensed electricians. Take detailed pictures, not cell phone pictures of the dryer wall outlet and the panel box. Print the pictures. There are many types of 220 volt plugs, 3 prong, 4 prongs, the shape of the prong holes will need to be drawn on a piece of paper also. I worked at Home Depot once and looking at cell phone or digital camera images does'nt help. Print the pictures. Take measurements of the distance from the welder to the dryer outlet. Take notes on the brand of the panel box. Then talk to the licensed electricians at Home Depot or Lowes. I just added a 30 amp 220 volt breaker to my sister's house the breaker at Lowe's was about $40, wire, plug, cover plate and box ran $100. Her panel box uses higher dollar breakers, some 220 volt breakers were about $15.

Is your electric bill gonna go through the roof? No. Continous nonstop welding for an hour will probably cost 10 cents on 16 gauge steel.

These welders do not run on DC. They run on 120 volt or 220 volt ac. Lower cost stick welders output is ac. More expensive stick welders rectify the output to dc.

All mig welders will run gasless. The gasless wire for mig welding is called fluxcore. A little messier than mig. Yes, it is easier to learn than stick welding, It is an excellent process for mild steel and can be used outdoors, safer than working in your garage from a potential fire hazard view.

I have used name brand 115 volt welders. I will not recommend them.
I will only recommend welders for a beginner made by Hobart, Lincoln and Miller than run on 220 volts.

chuck

 

[chuck]

115 volt welders.

The power available from a standard wall outlet is 110 volts X 15 amps = 1650 watts assuming the panel box is near the wall outlet used for the welding machine. Add an extension cord and the available wattage at the welder reduces.

1650 watts is barely capable of welding 1/8 inch steel. It is not near enough power to weld 1/8 inch aluminum.

The power available from a 30 amp 220 volt outlet is 220 volts X 30 amps = 6600 watts. 6600 watts is adequate for 1/4 inch steel and will barely be adequate for 3/16 inch aluminum.

Over at welding tips and tricks 115 volt mig welders are discussed

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/lincoln-mig-welder.html

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/hobart-mig-welder.html

The lincoln 140c 115 volt mig welder is considered best in class. At 90 amps and 19.5 volts a minumum of a 20 amp breaker is required, again this is just barely adequate for 1/8" steel. Yea, the welder's output is rated to 140 amps, that is theory versus reality.
http://content.lincolnelectric.com/pdfs/products/literature/e723.pdf

I am mentioning aluminum. Aluminum wicks heat away from the weld so rapidly that higher heats are required to weld it. Why am I mentioning aluminum while discussing mig welders? Everyone knows that tig is better for aluminum.

Tig is the preferred method for aluminum under 1/8 inch thick.

Mig is the preferred method for aluminum 1/8 inch thick and over.

What???????

Tig is the most over rated process welding process. Used mostly on steel, stainless steel and aluminum where APPEARANCE, not STRENGTH is required, Generally speaking.

In Industry tig is used for
Titanium
Magnesium
Chrome-moly
Thin aluminum

If you are considering welding a bike frame from aluminum you should seriously consider a good mig machine.

From the Lincoln welding website

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowledge/articles/content/compactmig.asp

I have both the Lincoln 180c and the Hobart 187 mig welding machines, both weld aluminum very well. To weld aluminum with a mig welder you will need to change the gun liner from the standard liner to one coated with teflon designed for aluminum. About a 1/2 hour the first time you do it, 15 minutes after that. Change the wire drive rollers to U shaped drive rolls, about 2 minutes. Change the gas bottle to argon. Change the contact tip in the nozzle, about 30 seconds.

I use short mig guns for aluminum. For steel my mig guns have 15 foot leads. For aluminum I use mig guns with 8 foot leads. Out of the box most name brand lower amperage mig machines come with 10 foot leads. I don't like spool guns for aluminum, they are just quicker to change out. They are big!!!! and get in the way for detailed work and don't hold much welding wire, cost as much as the welder.

Hope this helps

chuck

 

[set]

Chuck,

Thanks for the knowledge and info. I have taken a welding course in SMAW, GMAW but not GTAW. I've passed my bend tests in horizontal, vertical, and overhead positions. I happened to enjoy stick welding the best because you have more control of the arc and speed. Flux core was very nice too but very, very HOT! Spray was strictly for production IMO.

I was training to become a welder for Electric Boat. They are a contractor for the Navy and they build submarines. When the economy went bust, I had to find another field to work in :?

How do you feel about welding downwards? I was taught never to weld downwards as it covers slag. In fact, if you get caught welding downwards by the Navy Officers/EB on site, they would fire you immediately. No second chances.

Nice looking welds. I had some pretty good looking cladding done when I finished my course. Was getting into pipe welding with stick. Man that process is HARD! That part required an x-ray test!

Was definitely fun though. Great skill to learn but very, very dirty. I spoke to a retired welder at EB and he was only in his mid 50's . Couldn't breath. Too much crap in his lungs.

 

[chuck]

Set,
For frame building using 16 gauge mild steel tube, mig or stick weld downhill, watch that rod angle, a little pull at the top and straight in the rest of the way. Don't weld up on mild steel until you get into the 3/16 inch thick range depending on the type of joint. On 16 gauge tube the weld should be between 3/16 to 1/4 inch wide, or have legs of a little greater than an 1/8 of an inch for a beginner. A little wiggle or a weave of about a 16th of an inch will help beginners to tie in the edges, (wetting) and avoid undercutting. Most beginners weld to fast and end up with a dished, concave weld on tube. If the weld is flat try little tiny slow ovals that re-enter the weld pool rather than just a weave. Tig usually requires one to weld uphill or you can't see what you are doing.

So, welding up, welding down. Many factors. I welded tanks that were 1/4 steel down. Why, appearance. These were hoppers for gravel chutes. Appearance and price were more important than strength. These welds were not critical. Once you get into the thicker steels you can begin to weld up. I always found up to be pretty easy on pipe of more than 3/8ths inch wall or thicker, just as easy as welding down would have been. Welding up on flat plate is'nt too difficult, but those outside corners on 1/4 inch steel plate are probably my most challenging weld. I still burn through and undercut uphill outside corners on 1/4 steel with mig or stick. Chemical and pressure, well things change, I weld exactly as the specifications state as written by the engineer, architect or certification. Or damn straight you'll get fired.

Too much crap in the lungs. I guess if one thinks they need a mask they probably do. For most welding businesses insurers and osha require that the company provide npf 95 masks, they do not require the employees to wear them, they cost about a buck a piece in bulk. I wear them when grinding or when cutting with an abrasive chop saw. Generally speaking, I don't grind much, am about 50 years old, have no known health problems. Most people think I am in my mid 30's. I work with about 20 welders, to the best of my knowledge they have no lung or health problems. Frankly, I see just the opposite, welding is a physical activity, none are overweight and I would say as a group surprisingly healthy. A good friend of mine is about 65 years old, looks about 45, about to retire. Welded for a trailer manufacturer all his life.

Welding rods that contained manganese caused a lot of disease in welders. Before my time, pretty sure they were discontinued in the 60's. Rework requires a lot of cutting and grinding, black dust everywhere, osha definitaly requires mask and respirators when tearing out old boilers, pipe etc. Lord knows whats in those old shipyards, refineries etc.

chuck

 

[chuck]

What a small home workshop should look like

First ya gotta have a hammer



Need some welders





View attachment 6

Ya need something to cut with

View attachment 5

bandsaw

View attachment 4

steel is pretty heavy,

View attachment 3

Need one of these to roll that one inch tube

View attachment 2



Or roll that tube the old fashioned way



chuck

 

[chuck]

Need a milling machine, get ya a drill press while you're at it

View attachment 2

I'm real lucky to have Vincente, who does the real work around here



Builds stuff like this for me

 

[JS Tyro]

Was getting into pipe welding with stick. Man that process is HARD! That part required an x-ray test!

I used to do the x-rays for re-certs for pipe welders (when I wasn't doing regular production pipe weld x-rays). The tests tended to be a bit harder than routine work. I've always had respect for the experts at overhead welding. I remember one guy could do overhead better than most experienced welders could do horizontal. Work of art!

One thing not mentioned here - you can't tell a weld from how it looks on the outside. I've seen beautifully finished welds with lots of inclusions, porosity, undercut, lack of penetration, you name it and I've seen the crappiest looking finishes with the best quality inside.

 

[Papa]

For building more than one or two bikes , I wouldn't recommend stick or MIG. While it certainly can be done, and is done, it'll be a frustrating "row to hoe"... especially for the amateur. Why...

Because both stick and MIG start cold, and unlike TIG or gas, it is very difficult to alter the heat input while under the hood. And when the tubes are less than .065" wall, burn-through will be frequent... and time consuming to patch. And the first time you hack a chromoly donor frame and decide to salvage the tubes... well,.. I wish you luck 'cause you'll need it as most are .035" wall and thinner. And the going gets even tougher when you start welding compound curves.... lots tougher. On the plus side, MIG is wickedly fast - just dial-in the settings and go. And because it doesn't require two hands, it's a fantastic tool for one-handed tacking. I have a 130a Hobart Handler which I use exclusively for tacking and building jigs - otherwise it just sits and collects dust.

TIG is sweet. You pop an arc and feed in more amps with your foot while watching the heat rise at the joint. When it begins to get glossy and turns liquid, you feed-in the rod and away you go. You have instant and complete control over heat input by simply lifting your foot or changing travel speed. And since the filler is hand-fed, you just pause a little or add whats necessary as you move along the seam. It's a 'busy' process, but it's the-cat's-meow to have full control while under the hood. The arc is small and requires a steady hand to prevent dipping the tungsten into the puddle - which requires stopping mid-stream and removing and regrinding the tungsten - expect to 'dip' at least a dozen times on your first 6" long bead. Problem is, TIG isn't cheap. Figure at least $1500 to get you started, and likely 2 or 3 weeks of diligent practice and concentration to get the hang of it. Previous oxy-acetylene welding experience really helps here as the process is very similar. Better yet, get some instruction from a pro at your local college.

Gas is the 'poor man's TIG... and then some. You can weld, braze, solder, instantly remove paint with a wire brush, thaw frozen water pipes and even heat a hot dog when a nuke machine isn't handy. And much like TIG, you have full and complete control over heat input and filler from beginning to end. Figure $500 new to start, or as low as $250-$300 if you're patient and do a little leg-work.

The coupon sample shown below was brazed with off-the-shelf 64kpsi tensile LFB (the cheap stuff) and Harris (Black) paste flux. It was extremely rusty 1/4" thick mild steel (ground to .200"), and the fillet was done in a single, 15 second pass using a Victor #4 tip fed with propane and oxygen. The sample was then allowed to cool and bent in an AWS coupon bender.

Or simply screw-on a smaller tip on the very same torch and silver solder 2mm stainless spokes....

... or whip-up a unique Mother's Day gift outta cast iron faucet knobs, copper tubing and discarded brass pipe fittings. Try that with a MIG or Stick.

 

[chuck]

Mig and stick start cold? What?

Has'nt been my experience. Yea, it takes a 1/10 of a second on 16 gauge for the puddle to form and then wet in before you actually start a bead.

Cold lap? On 16 gauge? Whatever. If you practice some, maybe a half hour on 16 gauge one should certainly be past the cold lapping stage and be able to recognize what cold lapping is. Again, with mig, the proper wire size and wire speed for the gauge of metal being welded must be used to prevent cold lapping. With stick, apropriate size rod, proper voltage, proper travel speed. All of the abpve applies to both tig and gas.

Hard to control the heat input? Using stick or mig? On steel? Once under way, rod angle and torch angle definitely effect the heat input. Takes practice to learn how to control the puddle. Tig, I rarely use the foot control on steel in the 16 to 18 gauge range. A couple of tacks on the end of the joint is generally sufficient for heat control at the end of the joint.

I know very little about braze welding so I generally won't comment on it. I have an oxy/acetylene set-up. Later, I will discuss the safe handling and operation of acetylene and oxygen.

I am writing this for the novice who wants to be able to build their own frame. No hoopla needed. Good, solid information so that the novice can decide for themselves what method would be best for them.

Up next. 1020 vs 4130, weight considerations

 

[chuck]

Weight and its affect on energy consumption. Or, why use 4130 when 1020 gets the job done.

Bike and rider, 350 lbs
Grade, 5%, Rise of 5 foot for every 100 ft traveled
Distance, 1 mile, 5280 feet
Time, 2 minutes, 120 seconds
Velocity, 30 miles per hour, 44 feet/second
Coefficient of rolling = .00521
Density of air = .00273 slugs/ft cubed
Frontal area = 7.5 feet squared
Coefficient of drag = .9

Force of weight = 350 lbs x .05 = 17.5 lbs

Force of rolling = 350 lbs x .00521 = 1.8 lbs

Force of drag = (.5)(.9)(.00273)(7.5)(44)(44) = 17.8 lbs

Total force = 37.1 lbs

Power = Force x Velocity = 37.1 x 44 = 1632.4 ft lbs/sec

Horse power = 1632.4/550 = 2.968 HP

Watts = 2.968 x 746 = 2214 watts

Lets add 10 lbs of weight, approximately the difference of weight between .0625 wall 1020 and .030 4130

Force of weight = 360 x .05 = 18 lbs
Force of rolling = 360 lbs x .00521 = 1.88 lbs
Force of drag = 17.8 lbs

Power = 37.7 lbs x 44 ft/s = 1658 ft lbs/s

Horse Power = 1658/550 = 3.01 HP

Watts = 3.01 x 746 = 2245 watts

Difference in HP 3.01 - 2.968 = .047 hp

Difference in watts = .047 x 746 = 35 watts

How much energy did I use?

At 350 lbs I used 120 sec x 2214 watts = 265680 joules of energy

At 360 lbs I used 120 sec x 2245 watts = 269400 joules of energy

If you have a 48 volt, 20 amp hour battery it contains
48 x 20 x 3600 = 3,456,000 joules of energy.

At 350 lbs one used 265680/3,456,000 * 100% = 7.69% of your battery

At 360 lbs one used 269400/3,456,000 * 100% = 7.79% of your battery

The difference in energy used is .1%

Next, we'll travel down hill

 

[chuck]

Down hill at 350 lbs

Force of drag = 17.8 lbs
Force of rolling = 1.8 lbs
Force of weight = - 17.5 lbs

Total force = 2.1 lbs

Power = 2.1 lbs x 44 ft/s = 92.4 lbs

Horse Power = 92.4/550 = .17 HP

Watts = .17 x 746 = 125 watts

Down Hill at 360 lbs

Force of drag = 17.8 lbs
Force of rolling = 1.8 lbs
Force of weight = - 18 lbs

Total force = 1.68 lbs

Power = 1.68 x 44ft/s = 74 ft lbs/s

Horse power = 74/550 = .13 HP

Watts = .13 746 = 100 watts

The difference is 25 watts.

I need to edit the previous post, I left out the force of weight on the 360 lb uphill ride

chuck

 

[chuck]

Uphill 10 lbs uses 35 watts more power
Down hill 10 lbs uses 25 watts less power

A net of 10 watts over a 2 mile trip

The time is 240 seconds

10 watts x 240 seconds = 2400 joules

The weight penalty is 2400/3456000 x %100 = .07%

Not 7%, not .7%

The overall penalty is .07%

On the flat the 10 pound penalty for energy usage is the coefficient of rolling x the added weight

Force of rolling = 10lbs x .00521 = .0521 lbs

At 30 mile an hour, 44 ft/s the power required is

Power = .0521 x 44 = 2.29 ft lbs/s

Horse Power = 2.29/550 = .004 hp

Watts = .004 x 746 = 3.1 watts

What is the cost of 1020 1" steel, pickled. You should pay less than a dollar a foot for it.

I have not bought any .030 4130 for awhile, if someone here has, qoute the price for us.



chuck

 

[Gregte]

For a dirt cheap home built brazing welder you can do what I did when I was 14. After having played many hours with small 12 volt electric transformers and making sparks and discovering I could make a continuous arc with pencil lead electrodes, and that it produced a very bright light, much like I had noticed arc welders produce, I got an idea.

I took a length of 110 volt extension cord with a male plug on one end and then I devised a rubber insulated holder that I attached to the other end of the cord such that I could clamp the holder onto a couple of lengths of carbon rod that I had scavenged out of some used D-cell flashlight batteries.

The carbon rod holder was a scissors affair that would allow you to first touch the two carbon rods together then quickly separate them by about a quarter inch thus producing a continuous arc. This proved to be way too much power and also to blow the fuse in the house service panel. I needed some kind of big resistor to cut down on all that power. So off to the city dump I went to scavenge the heating element out of an old electric oven. I used alligator clips to clip onto the heating element at various locations to provide an adjustable resistance that was inserted in series with my extension cord.

I quickly discovered how to melt pieces of wire I used as welding rod and make some crude but useful welds. After a friend of my older brother came along and saw the contraption he advised me that I could actually buy such things as carbon rods made for this purpose. I had no idea! So I found my way to the farm and ranch store where I discovered carbon rods of various sizes, brazing rod with a flux coating, proper welding goggles! (I had been using sunglasses). I thought I died and went to heaven when I found these supplies. And boy did I have a time fixing all the things that were otherwise unfixable, and building things such as tuned pipes for my 2-stroke cycle motorcycle, brazing my friends leaky gas tank and on and on.

You can probably imagine what a treat it was when many many years later I was finally able to afford and buy a real oxy-acetylene torch.

My parents actually let me build and use the fore mentioned death trap. Actually, I built it and started using it quite some time before they ever found out. I suppose they allowed me to continue largely because I had been using it without incident and had presumably showed them I knew how to handle it and was very aware of its dangers. I would never consider letting my child use such a thing!

 

[stl_recum]

Has anyone tried alumaly welding rod.

It appears to be some kind of brazing rod for aluminum.
That doesn't use flux and canbe done with Mapp gas torch.

 

[Drunkskunk]

First off, Awesome Post Chuck. I'm self taught at welding, starting with a cheap walmart 110 stick welder, then a $40 oxy/map setup, finaly on to a Hobart 110 AC MIG. Theres a lot in this thread I never thought about, never new, and need to work on.

Has anyone tried alumaly welding rod.

It appears to be some kind of brazing rod for aluminum.
That doesn't use flux and canbe done with Mapp gas torch.

I picked up some of this stuff from Harbor freight for cheap. Yes, it works as advertised. Mostly.
I've fixed cracks in my bike frame, fixed the brake handle pivot on my Moped, and fixed my patio table umbrella bows with it, and built an adaptor for my rear disk brake so far, and all 4 have held up very well.

However, its not like welding. its more like solder. A good epoxy would have done the same thing, without ruining the heat temper of the aluminum. Part of the problem is the new metal is much harder and less flexable than the original Aluminum, So cracking along the weld is a potential problem. I was also able to grind down a test piece weld untill it was foil thin, then seperate it from the work material with a knife blade without damaging the work piece. It bonds very well, but not perfectly to Aluminum

 

[dequinox]

What do I weld 57 hours a week, 18 gauge galvanized. chuck

Ha ha ha I know those hours! I used to have 50+ hours a week as a welder myself! I got out of all of that and I'm now in engineering school to go "find out what the world's about." Thanks for the reference, hopefully the admins will stickify it in the Tech. References thread.

 

[chuck]

It is hard to believe it has been a year since I started this thread.

Thanks for the positive input.

First. Good books on welding. I have been in both Lowe's and Home Depot recently, browsed their books on welding. They both have the same welding book. Curious, I spent about an hour at lowes reading that book. Not worth the Twenty dollar price. And, the book has some seriously flawed general information.

I have the complete set of American Society of Metals, "Metals Handbook". I think this set retails for 3 to 4 thousand dollars nowadays. It covers everything that has to do with metal fabrication. And I mean everything. In the brazing soldering handbook, again, it states that no alloy steel, including 4130 should brazed, bronzed or joined with solder.

http://asmcommunity.asminternational.org/portal/site/www/MatInformation/Handbooks/

I have other excellent welding books from my union welding days that cover the fundamental operation of all manually operated welding processes. Most importantly the union book covers the safe handling of gas welding equipment. The first 100 pages of this book is dedicated to not killing yourself with a gas/oxygen setup. I lent this book to a cousin of mine recently when I stored my oxy/acetylene rig at his place so that He would truly understand how dangerous this setup is, and so that He will be able to use the gas rig safely. I will post where one can buy this book later, when I get my book back. It retails for about I think for about $150.

Now, for those of you who don't feel like spending this much on welding books. Lincoln Electric has two excellent books.
"New lessons in arc welding" is $10. Excellent book. Covers tig, mig and stick in depth. I have my Dad's version from about 1950, and mine from 1979. I should get the latest version.

"The Procedure book of Arc welding" is $25. Again, an excellent book. I have my Fathers copy from 1957 and still reference it. I picked up the the 4th edition published in 1936 at a local bookstore called Half Price Books a few years ago also. For those designing gear cases and such, very valuable information on how to weld up such projects is contained in this book.

These two Lincoln books cover everything and more that a home welder will need to know.

https://ssl.lincolnelectric.com/lincoln/apdirect/item.asp?prodnum=L
https://ssl.lincolnelectric.com/lincoln/apdirect/item.asp?prodnum=PH

Tig welding, next

 

[chuck]

Modern tig welding.

With a tig welder you can weld a coke can. Yes Sir, it is doable.

I have been looking to upgrade to a more portable tig welder for over a year. One of the first tig welders I looked at is sold by both miller and hobart and is called their "Econotig". Nice machine, about $1500. Weighs 140 lbs so it is not real portable, but will weld aluminum.

Will the econotig weld a coke can, hell no. How about 4130 chrome-moly say about .030 inches thick, hell no.

http://www.millerwelds.com/pdf/spec_sheets/AD1-2.pdf

It will weld down to 18 gauge steel and 14 gauge aluminum.

1500 hundred dollars and it won't weld a beer keg, basically. It will stick weld though.

My 2 lincoln mig welders will both do .030 in steel. My lincoln mig 250 will weld steel down to .020 nicely.

Okay, lets go to Lincolns site, they have a nice little tig for about $910 dollars online. It does not have a foot control and it is a lift start arc.
Will it weld a coke can, nope. DC only, won't weld aluminum. How bout that .030 chrome-moly.
The invertec v155-s has the tig torch along with a stick torch. nice. Runs on dual voltage, 110 or 220 volts. Really nice. will run off of a generator. Great. Has a suitcase. Fantastic. Does'nt weigh much either. About 15 lbs.

http://content.lincolnelectric.com/pdfs/products/literature/e2141.pdf

Will the invertec weld 4130?, Maybe.
Well, it should. It will run down to 5 amps where the econotig only goes down to 30 amps.
Without a foot control, it will be difficult to tig weld .030 chrome-moly. but it will do it.

Back to Miller, Here is their Diversion, with the optional foot control, High frequency start, again around 1500 dollars, still can't weld that coke can. Barely able to weld that .030 chrome-moly because it will only go down to 10 amps.

http://www.millerwelds.com/pdf/spec_sheets/AD1-5.pdf

WHEN IT COMES RIGHT DOWN TOO IT, YOU NEED A DAMN NICE AND EXPENSIVE TIG WELDER TO WELD .030 STEEL

 

[chuck]

Well,, Here is a tig welder that may weld that coke can. If you can find a steel coke can from yesteryear, certainly won't weld an aluminum can.

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/tig/dynasty_200_series/

By the time it is all said and done you will spend well over $5000 in it in order to weld an aluminum coke can.


About a month ago I bought this tig welder at Harbor Freight

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=66787

Model 66787

With the sale and my 20% coupon I got the whole shebang for $100

I played around with it last weekend





I have an old Suzuki Savage that needed fixing

I got this fixes picture from here

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1241352713

Mine looks about the same.

Hey, for a hundred bucks, this is a hell of a tig welder. Scratch start. I scratch the tungsten first on a piece of copper to get it hot, then slide the torch to where I am placing the weld.

So, I go back to Harbor Freight yesterday and buy their discontinued tig welder, normally $249, clearanced for $179, model 91811, with my 20% coupon, and have tig welder with lift start. I will give it a whirl on Sunday after I get my Savage on the road again.

chuck