Found the perfect welder! #6

[oscaryu1]

They look... a bit expensive? Does HF sell them?

Next time I get into HF, I'll get that orange one! Sounds like I definitely need it! :)

[Kenny_McCormic]

They look... a bit expensive? Does HF sell them?



This is the one tool YOU CAN NOT cheap out on.

[ed1380]

my $30 cordless one has been running great for years now

[AutoMX]

yea i have a wired ryobi which works well and has a really nice/secure latch for blades, and recently got a cordless HF one (blue one) and it's strong and working fine (19v one). the HF has a much cheaper/simpler system of holding blades, nowhere near as sturdy but they only fall out if you're not pressing down ont eh blades.

if you're gonna do any kind of metalwork, you need at least a grinder, a close 2nd is a sawzall ('reciprocating saw') and if you're working with any tubing like me, a cutoff saw is a must. i got mine for $30 at HF, it uses i think 6" grinder disks and has different angle settings. something that takes 3 mins with a grinder and 2 mins with a sawzall takes maybe 10 secs with the cutoff saw. and they last way longer than grinder disks.

[oscaryu1]

Hmm... so either the blue or the orange, but the orange preferred.

So, if I want a Sawzall, I'll be needing the "genuine" one, correct?

[Kenny_McCormic]

Hmm... so either the blue or the orange, but the orange preferred.

So, if I want a Sawzall, I'll be needing the "genuine" one, correct?

I would recomend it.

[kibble]

Hmm... so either the blue or the orange, but the orange preferred.

So, if I want a Sawzall, I'll be needing the "genuine" one, correct?

I have yet to get me a sawzall :(

It's funny about HF's blue and orange products. The orange ones seem to be made with better quality than the blue ones.

[Kenny_McCormic]

Sawzalls are awesome, dunno if I could live without one. With the right blade it seriously "saws all".

[kibble]

dunno if I could live without one.

I'm just barely making it through life without it, yup, just crawling along... :roflol:

I have used my friends before and it's great for quickly cutting something that doesn't require much accuracy.

[Kenny_McCormic]

You can get pretty accurate if your careful.

[newrider3]

The only problem is they make what your trying to cut vibrate like hell. I prefer a grinder and a cut off wheel, but the wheels are way too expensive and wear out every day.

[ed1380]

not if you hold the saw guide up against what you're cutting.

[Kenny_McCormic]

not if you hold the saw guide up against what you're cutting.

:iagree:

[oscaryu1]

I have yet to get me a sawzall :(

It's funny about HF's blue and orange products. The orange ones seem to be made with better quality than the blue ones.

Well.... :sifone: I'll consider it. Right now I'll plan on the grinder and... accessories.

Anything else I'll be "needing"? :cheers2:

And just wondering, should I start welding some projects or should I "improve" more? It's ok, you can bash me for my welding all you want. :p I'll admit, they're messy and probably rather weak :sifone:

[Kenny_McCormic]

I would practice some more. Remember, better to melt it a little and have to turn it down than have a crappy weak weld.

[oscaryu1]

If I read correctly, with that autodimming mask I have, I should be able to SEE both metals (or whatever I'm welding) melt, as with the wire, correct? Thanks Kenny! :)

[kibble]

I think that's what everyone's been trying to tell you...

[Kenny_McCormic]

Yea, the hot spot should be 1/4" to 3/8" wide.

[oscaryu1]

Hehe you know I'm slow at welding Kibble :D

Now... Just welded some more! Dad went to Home Depot and bought a $4 bar for me to practice with. I'll upload the photos right away.

I really think I've improved quite alot... you'll see what I mean in the pics.

[newrider3]

not if you hold the saw guide up against what you're cutting.

No, it still vibrates if you don't have it clamped down to something heavy.

[oscaryu1]

"Bad" welding:

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x191/oscaryu1/100_0984.jpg

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x191/oscaryu1/100_0985.jpg

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x191/oscaryu1/100_0986.jpg

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x191/oscaryu1/100_0987.jpg

It was quite strong. Again, I couldn't separate. All those photos were of me holding it up (by the rod) to take a picture of it :)

The "better" welds (these were all in order, starting from ^ those, to one by one these, I didn't take the best of all my welds :))

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x191/oscaryu1/100_0989.jpg

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x191/oscaryu1/100_0990.jpg

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x191/oscaryu1/100_0991.jpg

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x191/oscaryu1/100_0992.jpg

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x191/oscaryu1/100_0993.jpg

[kibble]

Looking better but it looks like you still gotta heat it up a bit more to get some better penetration.

[oscaryu1]

Those welds were all on high... and #7 wire feed setting... Seemed perfect...

So... raise it up to 8 or 9?

[kibble]

or maybe slow down your movement a bit. It doesn't look bad though.

[oscaryu1]

Woot thanks! I'll take it a bit slower now :)

[newrider3]

Looking better but it looks like you still gotta heat it up a bit more to get some better penetration.
12345

Slow down a bit more too.

[oscaryu1]

Slow down even more? :eek:

I was already going... well... slow o.O

I'll try some more tomorrow.

[newrider3]

LOL I posted before I saw the other posts on page 5.

[Kenny_McCormic]

Have somebody watch the other side, it should be bright orange-yellow hot where your welding. Try maxing out the settings just to get a feel for it, kinda like purposely making a car spin out so you can learn to get it straight again.

[oscaryu1]

Hmm... interesting way to learn Kenny, I'll try tomorrow! Maybe I'll go buy some more metal.. or just use the two edger blades now :p

Well, I only have one welding helmet... and when I'm welding, usually it's "down under" or blocked by another piece of metal I'm welding.

[Kenny_McCormic]

Hmm... interesting way to learn Kenny,

Its a VERY good idea to screw around in an empty snow covered parking lot with an old truck. That way when it happens on the road you will be able to correct it.

[oscaryu1]

Haha, everything I got is either old, or cheap, or free :p

I <3 old things :) No matter how rusty, badly beaten, I'll try my best to resurrect it :)

So on the last few "better" welds, how far am I from starting to weld more... important things? Thanks guys for ALL your help!

[Kenny_McCormic]

Your getting there.

[AutoMX]

im seeing alot of slag/spatter, try holding the gun closer (but "clean" it out periodically, smack it to the floor and the little pellets will fall out). it will still work at even an inch away but theres more room for heat to escape as well as molten metal, and the result is ugly weak welds.

also, regarding the vibrations on a sawzall:
the fastest cutting blades will have the biggest teeth. they will also vibrate the most because of that. smaller teeth means less vibrations but slower cutting. if you're cutting something that shouldn't be shaken much at all, get diamond tipped blades, they're not expensive and they cut EVERYTHING but they're really slow, and thus heat the metal up more, to the point of glowing. they also last a long time which is always good. i generally stick to cutting with mid sized teeth, and i use the machine on tubing, not components.
you dont need to get an authentic sawzall, just any quality one will be better than HF. kawasaki tools are pretty **** cheap.

[oscaryu1]

Hmm... really? There's alot of slag? Compared to before, this is... tiny. The pictures you saw were pretty much 5 seconds before I welded, and I hadn't removed any of it with the brush.

[newrider3]

Spray it down with Pam to keep a lot of the slag from sticking. Also, once you get better weld yourself up a chipping hammer to clean the welds up.

[AutoMX]

depending on the thickness of the metal and the speed you went and a million other factors, you should be able to manage maybe like 3-5 of those weld beads per inch. its not just aesthetics, all those beads are bits of the wire that didn't make it into the weld seam, so keep that in mind. it's not like you have to be perfect with this stuff, but as you keep welding, try to perfect the technique.

[oscaryu1]

So compared to before, should I step up and start welding "bigger" things? Or wait some more?

[Kenny_McCormic]

More practice, the bead should sink into the metal.

[AutoMX]

what do you plan to weld? im seeing a lot of thick metal and that wont help you practice much on tubing or smaller bits. if you need tubing for cheap, check for bed frames locally, its a classic source of strong & free or near-free square tubing.
welding tubing is probably you first taste of 'burning through' cuz that welder is just not gonna burn through 1/4" steel and tubing is a fraction of that.

[oscaryu1]

Thanks, Kenny!

newrider3 - Where should I get Pam from?

Eh, Well I've tried welding a carb bowl to the mower blade before... and yes, I burnt through the whole thing. :(

I'll be welding a electric minibike frame... I haven't decided on friction drive or chain drive with a... forgot that thing's name...

[AutoMX]

....clutch?

if you're welding a frame, get some tubing to practice on, getting decent welds on thick metal wont help you unless you're gonna weld big trailers.

[oscaryu1]

Tubing... do you have any "technical" specs I could have? So I can pretty much walk in, ask and get it? Thanks! :)

Last time, I couldn't find anything. Next day my dad went, came back with a $4 bar. Didn't know how he did it :p

[kibble]

You can get Pam at your local supermarket, where the cooking oils are. It's a non-stick cooking spray.

[oscaryu1]

Interesting... well next time I visit WalMart I'll remember! Pam and a camera... :)

[AutoMX]

tubing and metal stock is a standard thing, most hardware stores should have at least some in the store somewhere, it's no metal supplier but its enough to get something, a 4' square tube is prolly gonna run you like $12 but its enough to work with for starting.
specs are useless in something liek home depot, theyre prolly gonna have just 1 item anyway. a real metal supply place will def need specs, and a good standard size is 1" square tubing, with 16 gauge thickness.

[oscaryu1]

Well, I looked at the minibike tubing, and it's around 1/8" thick, and 3/4" diameter...?

[Roy Vanas]

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii130/waistofhumanspace/machineshop/100_2214-1.jpg

[Kenny_McCormic]

Tig?

[oscaryu1]

*speechless*

[jr dragster Tyler]

Ok Roy you win. But seriosly dude this isnt your garage is it? This must be a busines or something.

[oscaryu1]

How will the weld look like when it "melts"? Thanks again guys.

[AutoMX]

basically a good weld will glow orange on the other side and not just be on the surface. it doesnt mean a perfect weld is flat on the surface, it will have the seam, but it will be fairly shallow and uniform and the weld will be penetrating some or all the way through depending on the metal thickness vs welder power.

[newrider3]

How will the weld look like when it "melts"? Thanks again guys.

You'll be able to see it flowing. It'll be a liquid puddle on the piece, instead of solid steel.

[oscaryu1]

basically a good weld will glow orange on the other side and not just be on the surface. it doesnt mean a perfect weld is flat on the surface, it will have the seam, but it will be fairly shallow and uniform and the weld will be penetrating some or all the way through depending on the metal thickness vs welder power.

Eh, every once in a while one or a few of my welds would glow orange right after welding...?

Molten metal, that's where I'm not getting you. When I start making the bead, am I supposed to see both metals start liquifying?

[newrider3]

Yes.

[Kenny_McCormic]

Right after you let off it should be yellow.

[oscaryu1]

Oh... but everytime I look for that, the bead just covers it up..?

[Kenny_McCormic]

No the whole thing should be yellow right after letting off, then it will cool off into an orange in around a second.

[jr dragster Tyler]

Exactly. You should see your wire and base metel melting together.