Found the perfect welder! #5

[oscaryu1]

Without doubt ;)

Can anyone post a pic of a fair ARC weld up here? I'd like to compare later on, see how I'm doing.

What can you tell that I'm doin wrong right now? :)

[kibble]

For one, it looks like your power's a bit low for that material and it's not melting enough. Two, looks like you're moving the torch a bit too fast and you're getting a lot of splattering.

Something I do is slowly move the torch back and forth in a rainbow sort of motion while pulling the torch towards me, like so:

http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=928&d=1208911623

[oscaryu1]

Power... well all I have is "MIN" and "MAX" and the wire feed speed..

Thanks for that tip Kibble! I've been just moving it up n' down!

[kibble]

OH and that's another reason why sometimes it splatters, not enough being fed into it.

When it's too slow, it'll splatter like crazy and won't make a proper molten pool. When it's too fast, you'll burn through the material rather quickly. Try playing around with different settings and see what works best. Try doing similar motions and feed speeds while on the high and low setting to compare the two. With some practice, you'll figure out when to use what settings on what you're welding.

[oscaryu1]

Eh... High? That kinda scares me... I was told I'd rarely need to use high...

Well, everything I welded there, it was all below 2... Maybe thats why :D

I'll try that rainbow motion and playing around with the settings.

[jr dragster Tyler]

Yep. just take your time and wait for the puddle to form.

[oscaryu1]

Welp, I'm out to try the rainbow motion and mess with the wire feed speed. I won't mess with MAX right just yet.

Now comparing your welding vid with one of mine, mine doesn't sound so constant after all. I'll try a 3-6 and see if anything happens. I'll get more pics too!

Peace all, any more tips/comments? thanks!

[oscaryu1]

Back! Uploading pics right now.

[Kenny_McCormic]

You pretty much leave these on high and adjust wire speed to get the correct heat.

[oscaryu1]

High? Are you 100% sure?

Some new pics:

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x191/oscaryu1/100_0931.jpg

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x191/oscaryu1/100_0930.jpg

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x191/oscaryu1/100_0929.jpg

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x191/oscaryu1/100_0927.jpg

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x191/oscaryu1/100_0925.jpg

[ed1380]

not bad. clean the slag up a bit
wire brush in grinder works great. idk about dremel

[kibble]

Looking better, try it on high, it's really not THAT bad. Try to overlap each "rainbow" like in the second and third pic so that you don't have gaps between welds.

[Kenny_McCormic]

Your too cold, last one is getting there. Put it on high and turn wire speed to max, melt some stuff and start turning it down.

[oscaryu1]

Ok, I'll start on high and watch my time (so it doesn't overheat).

When welding, it should melt all the way through right?

Cause none of those pictured welds really do that.

[oscaryu1]

Welp, me go try on High and pray it doesn't trip da breaker. I'll take some more pics.

[Kenny_McCormic]

Ok, I'll start on high and watch my time (so it doesn't overheat).

When welding, it should melt all the way through right?

Cause none of those pictured welds really do that.

Ya, the back should be gray and it should melt the metal together.

[newrider3]

Slooooow down. You're moving too fast and not getting a consistent puddle. Really all you are doing there is piling up filler. When you are making a bead between 2 pieces, you need to wait until you can see them both melt together in one spot, then pull the puddle along the seam. Just move in circles in one spot, and you'll be able to tell the difference once they melt together. Once you're finished, it should look like they are smoothly joined.

[oscaryu1]

Thanks for the info Kenny and newrider3. It doesn't trip the breaker at high, but what stinks is that I couldn't separate the mower blades after that last welding, no matter how many times I pounded it with a hammer.

newrider3 - I'll try and use your idea and somehow combine it with the rainbow technique, and see which one looks better.

Tomorrow we're going to Home Depot to pickup some cheap steel and [hopefully] a line of quality flux core....

[newrider3]

A 1lb spool of wire is about $10. A 10lb spool is only $40. The only problem is, the 10lb is way too big to fit inside the machine. I'm working on a mod that allows you to use the big spools. It involves old 2x4s, PVC pipe, JB weld and a drinking straw. :arf:

[kibble]

Ok, newrider3, if you're gonna post up that your "mod" requires all of that stuff, this forum requires that you post up pics too! :arf:

[oscaryu1]

Haha yup! "More creative than oscaryu1" :D

I was also told the spool included with the welder was crap. Can anyone vertify this? :)

[jr dragster Tyler]

Oscar do you verifiy everything I tell you on msn here?

[newrider3]

The free wire worked fine for me. But I used it all.

[oscaryu1]

Haha, better safe than sorry :D

I trust you though ;) You've been downright correct and honest me throughout everything so far :)

Well I'll use the stock wire unless I stumble across some tomorrow at Home Depot.

Any suggestions on what type of metal I should practice on?

I'd like total (steel) of under $100. Thanks guys!

[newrider3]

Look in construction site dumpsters for stud shims. They seem to throw 'em out a hundred at a time. They are various thicknesses, and about 1.5"x2.5". I found a bunch that I'm using for different parts on my kart.

[jr dragster Tyler]

Oscar just pick up some hollow tubing or some flat bar at home depot. They sell it in the fasteners section and in about 4-5 foot lengths for like 8 bucks. And the home depot around my house DOES sell quality flux core and MIG wire.

[oscaryu1]

newrider3 - There aren't many construction sites in this part of Houston nowadays... But if there is, I'll keep my eyes open ;)

Tyler - Hopefully they're the same in Canada as US... I'd love to start welding again! :) I'll try and pick up whatcha said!

[kibble]

I trust you though ;) You've been downright correct and honest me throughout everything so far :)

:eek: :eek: :eek: He's luring you into a false sense of security in order to take advantage and steal all your stuff! :roflol:

[oscaryu1]

Well... bad news? :(

Went to Home Depot... got a roll of Lincoln Electric .030"/.8mm ARC welding wire...

Then I couldn't find any metal :( The only thing I could find was aluminum, and some type of metal that was zinc plated (something told me not to buy that)... :(

Well, if it helps, I did pick up two random metal edger blades. I'll grind off the black paint and try n' weld it?

[Kenny_McCormic]

Go to a Omni Source and ask if they will sell you some scrap steel.

[ed1380]

dude go dumpster diving. i cant believe in this modern world you cant find scrap metal.
hell just drag a dumpster home and practive welding on that :roflol:

[kibble]

hell just drag a dumpster home and practive welding on that :roflol:

Take a sawz-all with you and cut chunks off of the dumspter! :roflol:

[kibble]

Shoot! I just realized I haven't split this thread up yet!

[AutoMX]

well nickel and zinc plates steel isn't great because welding it makes toxic fumes, but honestly i use it pretty often for non-structural projects and it's fine as long as you dont breathe the stuff in for sure. my procedure is open the garage up completely and get my really strong fan pointed directly at me, blowing outside and keep the other door open for air flow. i never breathe when i weld as a precaution, and the fan helps drive off any leftover fumes.
you can grind off the coating on the outside but you'll still have the inside stuff, so dont think ur safe if you grind it. also, if the steel is coated and not plain steel, the spark will be green and not the normal blue.

with that disclaimer through, a good source of cheap and strong (for our uses) steel tubing is chain link fence top bars. my home depot has them at 10 feet for $10, 1.25" 17gauge steel. it's good for making stuff for the house, a little thin for bending, and its light enough that you could use it for a kart chassis.
BUT REMEMBER IT'S PLATED FOR RUST PREVENTION, DONT BREATHE THE FUMES.
it's cheap enough to practice on, but it's got its issues.

i guess the bottom line is, you shouldnt be breathing in flux fumes anyway so "technically" it shouldnt matter if the stuff is plated or not, but it's worth always taking precautions.

[oscaryu1]

Scrap steel... sounds really nice...

*doh* Today was trash day... forgot to take a look :(

Well... if I can't do anything, I might as well go back to welding mower blades?

[newrider3]

with that disclaimer through, a good source of cheap and strong (for our uses) steel tubing is chain link fence top bars. my home depot has them at 10 feet for $10, 1.25" 17gauge steel. it's good for making stuff for the house, a little thin for bending, and its light enough that you could use it for a kart chassis.
BUT REMEMBER IT'S PLATED FOR RUST PREVENTION, DONT BREATHE THE FUMES.
it's cheap enough to practice on, but it's got its issues.

For the same price you can get 10 ft of 3/4" black pipe. No toxic fumes, and it is almost the same as the 1" tubing used on most commercial karts. I'm using 3/4" black pipe on my kart.

[oscaryu1]

Where can I gets it?

Oh, also, on that roll of welding wire, why is the HF stock one silver, while the Lincoln Electric is bronze-colored??

[newrider3]

You can get pipe at Lowes. Did you get the right wire? My Lincoln wire is silver too.

[ed1380]

IIRC silver is flux core bronze in for gas welding

[Kenny_McCormic]

Might be a anti rust coating or something, if it steel wire dont worry about it. Brazing rod only comes in rod form(and its more of a high temp solder than a weld as the base metal isnt melted in brazing).

[jr dragster Tyler]

What's IIRC mean?

[kibble]

What's IIRC mean?

IIRC = If I remember correctly

Feel like a retard? Don't, I keep looking this one up to remember what it means! :roflol:

[AutoMX]

no black pipe in my home depot. i got either fence, conduit, or water pipes ($$$$!!!)

[oscaryu1]

Lowes... well I'll have to check that later.

And yes, I think I did.

.030/.8mm "SuperARC" welding wire??

[jr dragster Tyler]

Yes Oscar you bought the wrong welding wire. SuperArc wire requires gas. Lincoln Electrics flux core wire is called InnerShield.
And if the wire says something like L-56 or L-50 then you know for sure you bought the wrong wire. On the left is MIG wire and the right is the flux core wire.http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll33/juniordragster123/DSC02367.jpg

[ed1380]

hmm like i said
bronze=gas welding
silver=innershield
:)

[oscaryu1]

Doh! :(

Well..............................................

My last weld, the messy one, ever since I welded those mower blades together, they haven't come apart yet. (hammer, mallet, throwing it at a tree, a concrete wall...)

Is that good or bad? Lol... I might try those 2 lil' edge blades today. I'll try not to breathe the fumes.

[Kenny_McCormic]

hmm like i said
bronze=gas welding
silver=innershield
:)

Gas welding is done with an oxy torch, the term your looking for is MIG.

[AutoMX]

well a proper weld holds about 500lb per half inch if i remember right, so dont be shocked if its strong. if you can break the weld, dont ever sit in what you make lol

[oscaryu1]

Well, I just couldn't break it. No matter what... I wish I could lol... then I could start welding again.

[AutoMX]

if you dont have a grinder or sawzall to cut metal, how do u plan to do anything before or after welding!? its not like metal will come in precut

[kibble]

Yeah, just get a hand grinder and grind at the welds until you get rid of most of it. You should be able to break them apart rather easily after that.

[oscaryu1]

How much is a average sawzall hand grinder? I have a small cut off saw if it makes a difference.

SMALL small.

[kibble]

A sawsall is a saw, not a grinder. You can get a decent grinder from HF for like $16, the orange one. Don't get the blue, cheaper one, it's crap! My friend has the blue one and I bought the orange one, BIG difference!

[Kenny_McCormic]

If you get a sawzall make sure its a real one and the heavy duty one. Its like a full auto electric hacksaw.

[oscaryu1]

Sounds dangerous... yummy :D

Guess I'll be needing to order on eBay again...

Or not, I'll see if I can find the Harbor Freight in Sugarland again :)

[AutoMX]

a note on the orange grinders at HF, they do a good job and ive gotten both of mine stuff a couple times, no problems (even major brand ones can burn up if they get stuck, but no such issues here) but the one problem to beware of is that the 4 screws on the body right under the grinder wheel can get loose after use, and you dont want 14 000 rpm falling apart on you, so either periodically check or get some screw locking stuff like loctite

[crazycart]

If you have a welder, you absolutely NEED a sawzall.

And you cant go wrong with this one.
http://www.tylertool.com/mi6510ampsar.html