Welding

[tiznutbrnt]

SMACK DAB in the middle of state of MOO.

13 Miles East of Tomah.

Is there anyone heading this way ?? Pal, Buddy..

A guy has a Lincoln model AC180S Arc welder.

Is this a good welder to get ??

[Stacked smoker]

If you have very little welding experience I would recamend going with a wire feed. I Also use a shielding gas as well as apposed to flux core.(no gas) I use 75% argon 25% Co2 for mild steel. If you are going to weld sheet metal wire feed is the way to go. Arc welding sheet metal is dificult to do and takes a lot of practice. I have a 120 volt lincoln wire feed and weld 1/4 and 3/8 together with multiple passes with no problems. You can also go down to about 26 ga sheet metal with a little practice. Wire feed is a point and pull the trigger, arc welding involves a little more hand eye coordination and you have to stop to replace your welding rods as you go through them. Also welding rod(for arc welding)needs to be stored in a moisture resistant environment to keep the coating from falling off. Wire feed is the way to go imo. That is my .02 Caleb
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[tiznutbrnt]

How about this one.

Lincoln weld pak 100hd 110v welder.

[Stacked smoker]

This is the newer version of what I have. I have had mine 4 years and have had 0 problems. I would check and see if it has a regulator for shielding gas hook up. You can weld with flux core wire but I prefer to use a shielding gas. It gives a better looking weld as well as less spatter around and on the weld. It will be a little more expensive with the gas you will need to buy/rent a tank for gas. I bought mine but you can lease as well. So you know you will use tips, wire and gas as consumables. Tips are very reasonable though. ask at your local welding store to see if they have any trade ins or used machines as well. I got mine as a factory reconditioned demo with a full warranty for over $200 off list price. Also do some price shopping and tell them another store has the same thing for a lower price and watch those comissioned salesmen sharpen up there pencil to try and get a sale. Caleb
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[Oregon smoker]

Got any friends that are welders?
Only reason i ask is to suggest that they go with you to check out any used machines you may purchase.
Look at the cycle rating also.

[tiznutbrnt]

Now what is the cycle rating ??

This is good to have this thread for all that are like me.

Is there a uTube to watch or ??? to learn how to weld without going to school..

[Stainless]

Repost via my cell phone. Don't know why.

[crashpilot]

Our local community college offers welding classes, machine shop classes, etc pretty regular around here.

Is this an option for you?
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[Stacked smoker]

I am a big fan of books. I like to buy them so I have them for referance and to look at the pictures. I prefer color books if avalible it helps me to see all of what is going on especially in relation to the temp of the weld( to hot or to cold). Im also a big kid and like to look at pictures as well. If you are on a budget go and check out your local library, mine had piles of books on welding. Some of the books have troubleshooting sections on weld quality as well. They show a pic of a weld and will say wire speed to fast or slow. Temp to high or low. Travel speed to fast. These pics are invaluable to someone learning to weld so you can see what you are doing wrong and correct it.

Duty cycle-is the length of time your welder can run at 100% of its capacity. We have a bigger wire feed welder at work with a 100%% duty cycle. You can keep welding all day at max capacity and the fan will run when it needs to to cool the machine down. The smaller wire feeds that we have been talking about are in that 20%-30% range or less. On my machine the cooling fan runs at all times with the power on. If you are welding sheet metal I have never had a problem with it. Now when I was welding 1/4 and 3/8 is where it gets a little more interesting. I found this out one night. My torch has a thermal overload switch in the trigger. It just shut down no power nothing. After some time and troubleshooting I found out you have to let the torch cool down. I was running at max capacity for between 5-10 min before it shut down. and had to let it cool 5-8 min before I could start welding again. If you are building smaller smokers and other odd jobs dont be afraid of a smaller welder. If its to small for your needs you can always trade up to something bigger. Also it will also take up less space in the garage. When welding heavyer material just take frequent brakes to let the torch cool down.

A note on power. It is best to run the welder on a 20 amp outlet if possible. I have run other welders like this on 15 amp outlets and it will trip your circuit breaker if welding to long on higher settings. Also limit extension cords to a minimum. If you use a lighter weight cord (14 ga wire) over 25' on a 15 amp breaker you are adding a lot of resistance to the equation and run a lot higher risk of tripping the breaker. Before I rewired my garage I had 1 15 amp breaker for the whole garage. I had to select what was important to be running at one time. ie the radio got shut off,and some lights to be able to weld. Check your power panel to see what you have. This is all stuff that I have found out the HARD way and thought it was worth the mention so ya know before ya get there kind of a deal.

Once you get to welding CLEAN UP THE METAL BEFORE YOU WELD. New steel is not to bad but just hitting it with a 4" grinder, file or wire wheel will really help out. If you are using used steel with rust build up on it take some time and get the rust off down to shinny metal where you are going to be welding. You will get a stronger and cleaner weld. Also these smaller welders do not have the power to burn through rust, heavy mill scale or grease build up on the metal. So clean up your metal it will weld nicer and you wont get frusterated as bad. Also clean up a good spot to hook your ground clamp to your project. It can be any where on the piece you are welding but you need a good contact or you cant get a complete path to ground.

I hope this helps to clarify and not confuse. Caleb
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[tiznutbrnt]

Thank YOU.

You are back in the will..

Glad you took the time on me and others wanting to know.

[Stacked smoker]

You are very welcome. If you have any other questions Ill try and help.
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[tiznutbrnt]

Yes it's the pest to some.

What does it matter if a machine is just flux only compared to a universal flux / gas..

EDIT:
What does it matter of amp's. What is to many amp's needed..

[Stacked smoker]

A flux only machine will not have the capacity to run a shielding gas when welding. A universal machine has a regulator on the back of the machine with a small hose into it. When you pull the trigger to weld the shielding gas flows from the machine and into the torch assembly. There is a flexible spring in the center that the welding wire runs through. Around this there is a rubber hose with a protective coating over it. The shielding gas runs through this and comes out the end of the nozzle to shield the weld bead. The purpose of the shielding gas is to keep oxygen from contaminating the weld. Oxygen contamination in the weld will cause pitting, holes and a weak or brittle weld. When welding with a gas there is a steady sound. If you forget to turn your gas on and then weld there will be a sputtering and popping noise. After you weld awhile you get the feel for the way it sounds and when something is not correct you can hear it.

Flux core wire has a flux in the center. When you pull the trigger and begin welding the flux in the center melts and forms a gas to shield the weld from oxygen. The advantages of this are being able to weld in a windy condition and not have your shielding gas blow away and then in turn contaminate the weld. Also you dont have to have the cost of a gas cylinder and the weight and space that it will take up. I have used both and hands down prefer using a shielding gas as apposed to flux core. Thats just me. I have gotten better welds visually and it welds better/easyer.

Amps is the rating on the machine. The higher the amperage on the machine the heaver the material that can be welded. You cant really have to big of a machine. You can always weld thinner material with a big machine, but it is harder to go the other way. When getting a 120 volt welder capacity is limited by the voltage power supply. When you step up to 220 volts you can carry a lot more amps and increase the capacity of the machine.

I went with the 110 for portability. This allows me to weld anywhere there is power. I have access to a large 220 welder at work so thats why I didnt go with a larger welder. Figure out what you want to build and base the size of your welder on that. If you will be welding up to 1/4" I would go with a 110 volt with a shielding gas. Start with flux core and if doesnt work for you then get a cylinder and use a shielding gas. This will also spread out the cost as well. If going heavyer than that I would step up to 220 volt. Also budget always comes into play. As you are just starting out maybe go reasonably cheap and see if welding is something you will enjoy. If you like it and need a bigger machine resell the other machine or trade it in when you are ready. I hope this helps. Caleb
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[tiznutbrnt]

That is understood. Sounds easy enough.

If a weld was to be a 1/4 angle then does a double pass need to be done or can it be done with what amp unit ??

So with gas it is a mig welder ??

[Stacked smoker]

I have welded 1/4" together with no problem. With a 120 volt welder. It will also depend on the gap that you are trying to fill in between the 2 pieces. Typically if you are welding 1/4" you would space the pieces a 1/4" apart and weld it shut. You can fill a wider gap than that to fill it in but it wont be as strong. To answer your question yes you can weld 1/4" together with a single pass. If it was structural as on a trailer and it would be moving around with stress on it I would run multiple passes. If you are welding the end on your smoker I would run a single pass. It is amazing how strong even a smaller weld/ bead is on thicker material. For example once you put a couple tacks on to hold it together and then try and get it apart again, if you tacked it in the wrong spot. Some time you can tap it with a hammer to break it loose. Sometimes it involves a grinder to cut the tack weld off.

My welder is rated at 115 volts 20 amps and 20% duty cycle. When I weld 1/4" together I stop every couple of minutes and let the torch cool down then I have no problems. If you are going to weld a lot of 1/4" or heavyer I would step up to a 220 volt unit.

With gas yes it is a mig welder. mig -Metal inert gas. It is also refered to as GMAW Gas metal arc welding. Or what everyone calls it wire feed welding.

Was at Toll welding today and asked about the 110 volt wire feed welders. Lincoln has them on a rebate right now for $589. I hope this all helps out. Caleb
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[tiznutbrnt]

I found this on wiki.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welding

I hope it makes sense to some other than me.

Thanks for being for us that didn't have a clue.

Now I am getting to see the light..


***********************************

[Stacked smoker]

If you have any more questions before you get a welder let them fly. Ill try and answer them as best I can.
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[tiznutbrnt]

I have no, NO choice but to try to find a used one. We have many items we are selling and hope to do some bartering to get one and some other items or cash to make the deal..

Used on craigs seems to be almost impossible or the boy's want what I believe to be to much for there units for the barter deal.

Are you happy and others happy with what they have.

Very little has been said what machine they have and what they like or dislike..

Does all have a dream machine ?? Do any burn up tips often ?? How long does tips, guns, etc last..

What size wire is used for what job..

[cowboy4life]

i have a lincoln 225, which is an arc welder ( stick welder ) and i also have a hobart 140 its the wire feed, 110v gas capable. both have their purpose and do well at what they are used for.

i have had the hobart for over a year and i probably havent used it for 45 mins. my brother uses it all the time.
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#5 LIAR

[tiznutbrnt]

I have a chance to get a TIG welder..

Is this something I should go after ??
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