don't expect too much from that welder.
Id practice first with that ridiculous plastic shield they provide (did I give you that?)

It works, but needs constant attention to get a good weld. Id feel bad if you got all dressed up for the ball with a nice spiffy helmet, and discovered your date was wearing a burlap sack and was 250lbs heavier than her eharmony advert

__________________
This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

No such thing as a tig helmet. A helmet that will work with tig just has lower sensitivity ranges. Those do nothing for you when welding 1/8" steel.

If you ever decide to go auto dark, spend the money on a good one.

__________________
have no worries.....President Obama swears "If you like your gun, you can keep it

How about this one.

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
For the Saved, this world is the worst it will ever get.
For the unSaved, this world is the best it will ever get.

Clk's Ebay Stuff BUY SOMETHING NOW!!!

The more sensitive auto darkening helmets; the ones specifically designed for / recommended for TIG welding are so much better than the cheaper auto darkening ones.

I bought a cheapish - but not the cheapest - auto darkening helmet that works quite well with stick welding even on thin 0.8mm steel plate and low amps but it just does not react to sparks forming at the end of pointy 1.0 mm TIG electrodes...

...definitely need a "TIG helmet" for TIG welding but because it is more sensitive it is way better at protecting your eyes when using MIG or stick. You just don't get any of those nasty moments where you think "%%%% that was bright - the %%%%ing thing didn't darken"...

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

WeldingWeb™ - Welding forum for pros and enthusiasts

Links to a good welding forum.

Make sure the darkness of the glass is rated for the type of welding that you plan to do.

Don't breath the fumes. Super poisonous, kill you quick, make your babies look like stupid fish.

Search, this is probably the fourth or fifth welding thread I have posted to on this site.

There is a used market out there of sizable proportions today. Many things that are surplus to some go very cheap. We became a consumer society and the overconsumption by companies and individuals has made this so in my opinion.

Last week for example I got a new venmar 3100 heat exchanger for a project. Was 350.00 from one private source. Plus two replacement really decent chesterfields for the cottage from another. The individual was moving to Texas from eastern Canada. The deal was they kept one of the chesterfields until they were ready to pull out. For the price it was a reasonale condition and it is home now. So we have four chesterfields in the house until spring when two leave for the cottage.

One has recliners at both ends. Four twenty for the pair. The wife just wanted the old chesterfields out there replaced. When I say decent I mean the used chesterfields where pretty much as new.

Right now I am trying to source a new 60 inch Samsung smart television . Looks like 1299.00 plus tax from sears during the Canadian boxing day sale is about the best I will do. At our age the wife and myself usually aquire a major appliance or something like it as kind of a Christmas gift for each other. Our real Christmas is all the people that come over the holidays and having a very large dinner for many on new years day. Maybe with netflex connections and others we may find something worth watching from time to time on the box. Our provider gives us very few interesting programs on cable currently.

Auto darkening sucks, even the expensive hoods loose sight of the arc in certain situations like TIG pipe welding, and go bright. Plus regardless of how good it is, there is a delay. If you're starting and stopping a lot, by the end of the day your eyes will feel all dried out from arc flash. I use a real helmet with a #11 filter plate usually.
My main hood is a Huntsman 14529, it's a vulcanized fiber hood. Plastic melts in hot spaces, plus it's a really low profile and large window so I can see well in odd positions.
I have the cheapo HD hood at home for weekend projects. It works, and if the kids trash it I'm not too upset.

I have to agree, I have an expensive auto darkening helmet, and every now and then it doesn't catch and stays bright. Some of this has to do with th fact that the sensor must be kept clean, and I've let it fog up a few times, but sometimes it doesn't work quite right unrelated to a fogged sensor.

__________________
This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

Go with the big blue fixed lens, you can buy new glass for it if the current stuff is covered in spatter. Buy name brand glass-miller or lincoln, should be under $20.

Just don't pull the mig trigger, or strike an arc, or pedal the tig until after the lens is down. Easy.

If you need more light a 100W spotlight bulb in a desktop lamp housing works well to help you find your starting point.

__________________
$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

I don't remember a "ridiculous plastic shield" . My expectations aren't that high -- I'm going to try to set up a full-size headrest for the rear middle seating position of the Corolla. Was going to do it last year, but ran into the problem of needing a welder. That problem is now solved.
Cool. Thanks. I've reached out the blue helmet dude, but he's playing hard-to-get. Will try again today...

__________________
"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Good points about the auto dark helmet. It is another thing that you have to be aware of to make it work for you. If you flick a lighter or a striker in front of the helmet you can test it and learn how it works to keep it working for you.

If I were young and potentially had a lot of years left with my eyes I would be wary of an auto dark. As an old fart I don't see it as a threat.

If you get a cheap mig welder the wire might be hot all of the time. Most are hot only when you trigger it. The cheap ones are a PITA.

Welding masks are for suckers.

__________________

1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

you have to admire that guys rubber gloves in a welding environment.

Ive gone as far down as cotton motorcycle gloves, and been burned for my trouble pretty quick.

__________________
This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

I have a theory that cheap welders suffer form cheapo electric connections. Maybe pull it apart and replace the power cord with a heavier gauge and check all the connections? Just some thought if it gives you trouble.

The dip lube for migs is worth every cent, and if you have feed issues spray electrical cleaner through the whip followed by compressed air.

__________________
$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

The conduit needs to be blown out after every roll of wire, and if it gets worn or damaged you can change just the conduit. Much cheaper than replacing the whole whip.