Want to build a frame but no experience welding

[Branderino]

So I’ve built a couple of go karts by buying run down frames and restoring them and putting on some upgrades. This has been a lot of fun and the karts are not bad but stuck within the limitations of the frame. (bad Ackerman caster and camber angles mainly). And a lot of weight.

For my next build I want to build a quick lightweight kart 100% focused on performance. Similar to a racing kart. There’s no frames around other than actual race karts which are $$$. So my only option is to build my own completely from scratch. Problem is I have never welded before. How hard is it to actually weld a frame for someone with no experience? I was looking at some cheap welders specifically the harbor freight models. I know I can do it with practice but I don’t want to spend months and hundreds of dollars on materials trying to learn it.

 

[landuse]

It's not that hard to learn. I did it. I bought a small stick welder and used YouTube to teach me. Practice on scrap pieces of metal until you become decent enough that hammering on the welds with a hammer doesn't break them

 

[Texan]

I know I can do it with practice but I don’t want to spend months and hundreds of dollars on materials trying to learn it.

You will spend hundreds just to get started welding. Even if you buy the $100 HF Flux Core welder, you still will need a helmet, gloves, grinder & consumables, welding wire, clamps, metal saw...etc, plus the raw materials. It's all worth it though, once you learn you can add "welder" to your list of talents

 

[EdgeTX]

Branderino I'm sure there are some guys on here that will disagree with me on this, but... I've welded on Millers, Lincolns, Hobarts, Everlasts, ESAB, and yes Vulcans. There's no doubt that the first three I named are superior welders. But Vulcans can do the job just fine. If your welding every day on projects that require thick material or you plan to weld for longer periods of time just bite the bullet and get a good one with an adequate duty cycle to what you want to do. If its a home hobby deal the Vulcan is fine. The big names offer better features and finer controls over settings but the most important thing they usually offer is a better duty cycle. The duty cycle on the machine will have a scale based amperage. My little Hobart 210 has a 30% duty cycle at 150amps that means I can weld for three minutes before I'm supposed to let it rest for ten. The Vulcan equivalent is 25%. The other factor is cost. SO you just have to decide what's affordable to you. IMO a Harbor welder is better than no welder.

The other thing is what process of welding you want. Stick and flux cored MIG don't require gas but have LOTS of splatters and usually, those machines come at a lower cost. That compared to my TIG machine that literally has 0 splatters and I swear is the zen of welding and truly enjoyable. But paid significantly more for it and requires gas to run plus the skill level is much steeper. My recommendation would be a MIG welder with shielding gas. C25 is cheap the tank not so much but still affordable. If you've never welded it can be intimidating but MIG it's by far the easiest process to learn. It took both my young nephews less than an hour to get the hang of it. Like anything practice is required.

 

[@Josh]

I am a very amateur welder myself. I have had before and was going to buy another Harbor Freight welder. They do ok for what they are, but the difference between a Harbor Freight and more expensive welder is night and day as everyone knows. I was also considering a used Lincoln or something when I stumbled on the Century FC90 welder by accident somehow.

It's sold at Home Depots and is priced a little more than the Harbor Freight at around $200. I watched some videos, read some reviews and decided to try it out. It's been amazing! Last night I was working with a friend in his little shop and he left his Lincoln off to the side and used the Century instead. It's so small and the welds are very, very clean for what it is. Century is owned by Lincoln, so the quality is good and as with any cheap welder, replace the spool of wire that comes in the box with something decent and then you're set!

Here's a picture of the exhaust we made yesterday with the FC90 and then you'll see my friend using it to move the seat riser. I brought it over because he didn't believe how good I said it welded.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Century-90-Amp-FC90-Flux-Core-Wire-Feed-Welder-and-Gun-120V-K3493-1/302139495

 

[numscul]

I have been a professional welder for many years and all you really need to know is.... The more you weld the better you'll get..... Welding is easier than using a hot glue gun

Remember #1 Welds do not have to be pretty to be strong but they do have to be complete and have good penetration into the base metal

Remember #2 when welding go SLOW and DON'T focus on the pretty light "focus on the pool of liquid metal that you're making to fill the void you are trying to weld

Remember #3 the sound you should hear when welding is a buzzing sizzle

Remember #4 Practice, Practice, Practice

If you have any questions feel free to ask

here is a pic of my first helmet i made in Welding college to get my Bachelors degree in welding technology

 

[Kartorbust]

The normal type of welding most DIYers do will sound like bacon sizzling on the skillet.

 

[landuse]

The big names offer better features and finer controls over settings but the most important thing they usually offer is a better duty cycle. The duty cycle on the machine will have a scale based amperage. My little Hobart 210 has a 30% duty cycle at 150amps that means I can weld for three minutes before I'm supposed to let it rest for ten.

I have a little stick welder where the duty cycle allows me to weld for about a minute before it needs to rest. I have found that I never get close to welding for a minute. You might weld for a few seconds, stop, clean off slag etc etc. Welding for a minute straight means you are doing a Mc'daddy of a weld

 

[EdgeTX]

Landuse. I can see that on stick welding. You probably weld for an inch or two then move to another spot to prevent distortion. When I stick weld that's about how I go. Knock the slag off ping it a few times then bush it up and move on. But with MIG on C25 or C90 you don't have slag and if everything was cleaned before you started you don't usually even have much gas residue left behind. So the time spent between moving from spot to spot is less. Shameful as it is I regularly hit my duty on my small MIG and seldom on the big MIG. I also don't weld much on thin material, 3/16 to 3/8 is what I mostly weld on. Anything 12ga and up I'd probably just TIG weld and then there is no reason to stop other than to prevent distortion and to keep the torch from getting too hot. But you bring up a good point. How you go about your order of operation and the process used will play a big part in the length of time spent actually welding.