Help fast please!

[r97]

You can adjust it. What I do is get a piece of flat stock, get my welder ready. And put beads on the flat stock, holding my gun in my right hand and adjusting the dial with my left. I run mine usually around 6.5 anyhow. I don't adjust it much, but when I do, I believe that is a very easy way of doing it.

Just a tip; You will get much better results welding a bead with both hands, stopping, adjusting, and welding with both hands again.

(Not trying to offend anyone here) Welding and screwing with the dial at the same time, quite frankly sounds like a terrible idea to me.

 

[OzFab]

Just a tip; You will get much better results welding a bead with both hands, stopping, adjusting, and welding with both hands again.

(Not trying to offend anyone here) Welding and screwing with the dial at the same time, quite frankly sounds like a terrible idea to me.

We're only doing this to set the machine for perfect welds. Once it's set we do weld with two hands.
I'm a panel beater by trade who learned to weld as part of my apprenticeship & THIS is how I was taught to set up a mig. Boiler makers will probably tell you much the same thing.

Not trying to offend anyone but where did you learn how to weld?

 

[ryf]

IMO, you can weld with one hand if you can brace it without keeping it from hindering your technique, that said, two is better, if you work with friends you can have someone adjust it for you while you work, but this requires enough seat time to know you need X amount of change to get where you want the speed to be (or a helper who knows what they are doing). after you get used to it you can often get pretty **** close just by memory.

 

[beastmode986]

http://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/tls/2989585090.html
would this work for welding frames
or this
http://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/tls/2999296187.html

 

[r_chez_08]

The second one if you have a suitable power supply. I use around 100 amps with 2.5mm rods to weld most kart stuff (around 2-3mm thick stuff)

Edit: I weld stick with one hand. Wish I could use two but I have one of those hand held masks.

 

[OzFab]

I weld stick with one hand. Wish I could use two but I have one of those hand held masks.

Helmets aren't that expensive, unless you get an auto one. Even then they range from around $60. Do yourself a big favour & buy a helmet; you'll be amazed how much your welding improves.

 

[beastmode986]

well im assuming the campbell hausfield wont work? the guy said hell include rods a mask and gloves

 

[r_chez_08]

Helmets aren't that expensive, unless you get an auto one. Even then they range from around $60. Do yourself a big favour & buy a helmet; you'll be amazed how much your welding improves.

Yeah I know. I want to get a $30 or $40 auto darkening one, but it's not on the priority list yet.

well im assuming the campbell hausfield wont work? the guy said hell include rods a mask and gloves

I don't think so, but I do not know a great deal about welders.

 

[pipehack]

DO NOT BUY any welder from HF. If you do not know how to weld then you need to start with an O/A or what you have may work. Get back to basics. Don't worry about what other people may have or talk about. Go to a custom bike or hot rod shop in your area and look around. See what they use. Talk to the old guys with all the gray hair. Save your money. You can weld just as good with O/A than you can with a TiG, Mig, or stick. What are you going to weld anyway?. Are you thinking about building a kart chassis? Learn to weld. A skill that will last a lifetime. YES..... O/A welding can and does make a perfectlt sound structural weld. Tons of cars, motorcycles, karts and AIRPLANES were and are built this way. It DOES NOT need to be welded with electricity. WELDING and BRAZING are two different ways of joining metal. Yes you CAN build a kart chassis by brazing. Read some books on it. Theres a book I have on welding in which the author shows a kart chassis he built and competed with. Won races too. All chassis and suspention joints were brazed.

 

[jman231994]

DO NOT BUY any welder from HF. If you do not know how to weld then you need to start with an O/A or what you have may work. Get back to basics. Don't worry about what other people may have or talk about. Go to a custom bike or hot rod shop in your area and look around. See what they use. Talk to the old guys with all the gray hair. Save your money. You can weld just as good with O/A than you can with a TiG, Mig, or stick. What are you going to weld anyway?. Are you thinking about building a kart chassis? Learn to weld. A skill that will last a lifetime. YES..... O/A welding can and does make a perfectlt sound structural weld. Tons of cars, motorcycles, karts and AIRPLANES were and are built this way. It DOES NOT need to be welded with electricity. WELDING and BRAZING are two different ways of joining metal. Yes you CAN build a kart chassis by brazing. Read some books on it. Theres a book I have on welding in which the author shows a kart chassis he built and competed with. Won races too. All chassis and suspention joints were brazed.

Hate to be brazen ( ) but if your beginning, dont bother with oxy acetylene. Yea its good and versatile but in the long run you will wish you had the arc or mig when it comes time to refill a bottle, or you run out mid job. The mig should be capable of fcaw and will keep going assuming you change wire. And the arc welder never needs anything but rods. Also, arc can be used in many places that the others cant.....such as tight spots in corners where an oxy torch or mig torch wont fit.

In saying that, if your on your own, its a cow to learn. Always consult the internet for help haha, I should know, I still suck at arc

 

[beastmode986]

thanks everyone

i hate the bernzomatic that i have for one reasonits 10$ for a bottle of oxygen just a small one!!!! and on average they only last 10 minutes!!!! arent oxy acetyline tanks like 350$ for a whole setup??? i dont like how mig uses gas either id rather just have something simple like arc because all it needs are rods.

 

[klicky96]

thanks everyone

i hate the bernzomatic that i have for one reasonits 10$ for a bottle of oxygen just a small one!!!! and on average they only last 10 minutes!!!! arent oxy acetyline tanks like 350$ for a whole setup??? i dont like how mig uses gas either id rather just have something simple like arc because all it needs are rods.

Not every mig uses gas. You can buy a flux-core wire mig. a $20 roll of wire last me 2 months if used a lot. plus, i think its the easiest to learn myself.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200403263_200403263

http://www.harborfreight.com/welding/mig-flux-welders/90-amp-flux-wire-welder-68887.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/welding/mig-flux-welders/170-amp-migflux-wire-welder-68885.html

 

[jman231994]

And, if you get tired of flux core you could run it with gas if you buy the right machine. ^

 

[klicky96]

And, if you get tired of flux core you could run it with gas if you buy the right machine. ^

yup. But i've heard that although flux core is easy and cheaper, using gas gets rid of all the shlagg and all that, is that right?

 

[jman231994]

yea, true mig welding with gas is wonderful, no slag, just straight weld material. Flux core as far as I know is slaggy but not as bad as arc.

I've only used my old Arc welder, my new inverter arc and the 240A MIG at school. Absolutely love the mig, but bought an arc again because of the low penetration you get on the lower end migs