I need help, new to the whole welding thing

[tgras141]

Hey guys. im totally new to welding and im getting into my first project, i havent done any welding b4 considering im 15. but i have a few questions, first. is it possible to weld with a blow torch ??? i was risking sounding really stupid on that one
second. this isnt welding but how han i put a bend in my frame?? without buying a pipe bender?
could i just heat it up and put it in a mold or something???
thanks a lot i may have more to come

ps my dad will probably help me with this...

 

[frederic]

If you mean a propane blow torch you buy at sears, home depot, lowes or ace hardware, no. That's for soldering not welding.

Gas welding requires a fuel gas (usually acetelyne) and oxygen and a welding torch which feeds both gasses into the tip where it combines to make an incredibly hot flame, hot enough to melt steel and weld it or cut it.

To bend steel you can in fact bend it around a form, which is how hydraulic pipe benders work - the form is usually called a "mandrel".

I made a steering wheel once out of round tubing and got the round wheel shape by bending it around an old brake rotor. Thinner materials can be bent directly, thicker materials need to be heated to bend them.

 

[tgras141]

k, could i solder aluminum??? or do i have to weld that as well...

 

[modelengineer]

Soldering won't hold up on a kart.
And no, you can't solder aluminium without really special rods.

Gokarts are made of steel for many good reasons.

 

[IHcubguy]

Do you have a welder!? (flux-core or wire feeder)a good way to make bends for a frame it take a 4x8 sheet of 3/4" plywood and you will need a jigsaw! laying flat on the ground mark out how you what the frame! try not to make sharp 90's, It will be your jig. If you start from the front to the back you will need to put something to hold the pipe as you bend it around like a block of wood! Start your bends in the center heat the pipe/tubing until it get red hot make sure you heat a wide area to prevent kinks! After it's heated enough set into jig and follow around your cut-out! let it sit until it cools down. then make your second bend so on and so forth! This is how i made my frame, (see pic below) This will smoke like crazy keep a bucket of water near by just in case! it a cheap way, plus you can make custom bends however you want! Plus not all go-karts are steel, you just need a tig welder or a spool gun set-up and talent to weld alum.

 

[frederic]

k, could i solder aluminum??? or do i have to weld that as well...

Yes, you can solder aluminum, as well as any non-ferrous metal, but again, it requires a little more heat than a propane torch will give you. If you run that torch on mapp gas, you're more likely to solder aluminum successfully.

There is a product called Durafix, which allows you to solder aluminum and create a joint that's equal in strength to the aluminum you're soldering, so it's suitable for a go-kart *if* the aluminum you're soldering is strong enough. Thin aluminum isn't very strong.

While a lot of the guys here like to tease me about my frequent recommendation of the durafix soldering rods, I've found them very useful for many things and not just soldering together projects. I've fixed radiators, locks, BBQ stands, engine parts including heads and blocks, transmission cases, etc.

However, wire welding for steel is a lot easier and more forgiving, though the machine will cost you a couple of hundred dollars for something useful as compared to the many imported $129.95 and less units that have a ridiculous duty cycle. The duty cycle is important because a 10% duty cycle means you can weld for a minute then stop for 10 minutes. When you first start welding that's actually okay because you're going to stop and inspect what you're doing constantly while trying to get the hang of it. But after about 10 hours of laying beads, you're going to find that low of a duty cycle annoying at best and you'll be looking for a better, higher power machine.

You might also consider used welders. Ebay and craig's list are littered with them and sometimes you can get a really good deal.

 

[Rickracer]

My first welder was a 90 amp 110 machine, I bought it mostly for doing exhaust work, but wound up trading it in after about 3 months for a 140 amp 220 machine, the 110 machine had like a 25% duty cycle, the 140 had a 60% duty cycle at max output. The 225 amp machine I've had for over 25 years now has a 100% duty cycle at the amperages I normally use, down to like 60% at max output. I was in the middle of building my car trailer when I traded the 140 amp machine in, it kept shutting off due to overworking it.