Fun and games welding sheet metal with an arc welder - learning to weld - Page 6 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Clemson88 · #76 03-27-2022, 03:10 PM

you have my respect for exposing all your failures just to show your progress.

I bought a 10' x 4' piece of 18 ga to learn to mig weld, $125. With it I bought a harbor freight 170 mig welder and ordered a 10lb spool of .023 wire. After sizing up from 40 to 120 tanks of 75/25 co2/argon to protect the bare welding wire I discovered that mig welders are a bear when trying to get full penetration without blowing holes.

I have no need for running beads due to a want to control the temperature to prevent warping of the pieces I'm joining. I stitch weld even where warping doesn't matter due to being proficient at it now. It took months under the carport where rain can't fall on me, the equipment or work place but the slightest breeze kills the process.

I commend you on all the effort to display the process. I never considered using a stick to weld such thin sheet metal. I probably would have burn the machine and use pop rivets and a ton of bondo.

cornemuse · #77 03-28-2022, 01:42 PM

I bought one of these years ago:

made for arc welding thin sheet metal.

The 'barrel' on top is a solenoid which pulls the electrode back when your arc is struck. The black 'bolster' is plastic, & flexable, you can finely control not current, but duration of the arc, thus controlling the heat of welding. Press the back of the plastic to control the 'time' 'cycle' of the arc. The farther you press, the quicker the electrode returns/contacts base metal & arcs again. With a bit of practice, you can weld some pretty thin metal.
Electrode is held in place with a(n allen head) set-screw. (mine anyways)

I dont know if Eastwood is still in business, but people sell them on Ebay, , , ,

Stopped using mine when I bought my TIG welder, , , , ,

(yellow end goes into regular electrode holder,
sorry for large image size)

cmac2012 · #78 06-22-2022, 01:41 PM

I took a couple of quarters of welding class at Lane community college in Oakland about 10 or 12 years ago. Picked up a lot of useful information that would’ve taken me quite a while doing it seat of my pants style, pretty sure.

Welding is an art form, I’ve seen people put out excellent quality work that mine does not begin to approach. My former shop neighbor is an outstanding welder, uses mostly TIG.

I bought a Lincoln 220 V MIG welder not long after the schooling. I have yet to get a bottle of inert gas to use with it. I’ve always use the fluxed wire. I welded in about four or five CATs in my two BMWs over the years. The welds worked but they were ugly. The money I saved paid for the welder many times over.

One thing that really helped me was getting really bright lights to focus on the work. That way I could see where I was at before the arc light came on. I hate that blind feeling with the mask down.

cornemuse · #79 06-23-2022, 03:07 PM

You should see if your neighbor has a bottle of mig mix you could borrow, the difference (from flux core) is incredible!

Clemson88 · #80 10-13-2023, 09:42 AM

If you want to prevent warping the .023 wire is the way to go but if you're outside any breeze is going to drive you nuts. The flux core takes care of that but the splatter is going to happen.

whunter · #81 10-14-2023, 05:26 PM

It is in my opinion an art worth cultivating and nurturing.

Welding is a "hard skill" that nobody can take away from you.

At the least, you can perform your own repair and fabrication, often using scrap material = wrecked doors, fenders, coat hangers as welding rod, the list is only limited by your ingenuity.

Many times I have fallen back on it to make a good living.

My best advice, is to learn the following.

Soldering.

Plasma Cutter.

Oxygen / Acetylene, welding, brazing + silver solder.

Flux core Mig welding.

Heliarc Mig welding (gas shielded).

TIG welding steel, aluminum, and alloy's.

FYI: Most technical schools have adult, and reduced cost or free Senior citizen classes.

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Clemson88 · #82 02-25-2024, 02:57 PM

I'm going to check in at Greenville's local tech school and see if I can sharpen my welding skills. That's assuming that what do with a mig is actually viewed as a skill.

Thanks, Mr. whunter

whunter · #83 02-25-2024, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clemson88

I'm going to check in at Greenville's local tech school and see if I can sharpen my welding skills. That's assuming that what do with a mig is actually viewed as a skill.

Thanks, Mr. whunter

You are most welcome.

FYI: mig welding art projects

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=mig+welding+art+projects&atb=v345-1&ia=web

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=mig+welding+art+projects&atb=v345-1&iax=images&ia=images

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=mig+welding+art+projects&atb=v345-1&iax=videos&ia=videos

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