I'm ready to weld.

Airmapper

First Fill-Up (of many)
Unboxed one of these today. (See pic below.) I got tired of running up on problems and the obvious answer being, weld it. A fortunate turn of events got me this set up for an awesome price.

I hardly know where to start, I have 5-6 projects already in mind, and no telling where it will go from there. I guess making small pieces of scrap into bigger pieces of scrap will be the first order of business. I have a pro welder named "Dad" to show me the ropes, so I'm hoping I can pick it up. He's had me welding before here and there, so I'm not expecting it to be too difficult to pick up.

I'm set up for MIG with shielding gas, but this machine will do a little of everything, except TIG aluminum. (It will MIG aluminum with a spool gun, if I wanted to.) It's pretty stout as well, it can handle up to 1/2" plate. I'm pretty impressed with the welder reading it's specs, great for what I want. I can do simple stuff now and grow with it to do more advanced techniques, all in a package that isn't overwhelmingly large and heavy. (Without a spool in it I can easily lift it myself.)

Harbor freight has a nice fold up welding table now. I picked up the only one they had, I'll probably get another though. One is a bit small for any large project, but they will connect to each other to expand your space, and fold flat which is perfect for my small working area. I have handy 220v in the garage and got a 50' extension cord to reach out into the driveway, so I should be set to reach out to the vehicles when I need to weld directly on them.

Didn't get to try it out today, but got it out of the box and mostly ready. I'm itching to start fabbing my own stuff and make what I really want, not just what is available to buy. It will open up new worlds on building my 4x4's up. I figured it was cheaper to get set up to weld than to ever hire it out or buy parts for stuff than can be quickly fabricated.


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robcarync

Sliders
Location
Raleigh, NC
Sweet man! Where and how much?!?!

I have the cheap-o harbor freight welder which has done good for me thus far for learning on and some light fabrication. It is flux core wire feed only...but man I would love to get a much more powerful 220 volt unit to get into some thicker plate.

Better stock up on angle grinder accessories...gotta cut metal before you can weld it in place!
 

OffRdX

Lockers Installed
Location
Port Orchard, WA
Nice man! Making my own stuff has been pretty frustrating at times but in the end you get your vision and function, definitely worth it. Have fun!
 

Airmapper

First Fill-Up (of many)
Thanks guys, I'm just a little bit excited.

Sweet man! Where and how much?!?!

I was very fortunate to get it the way I did. My Dad works in the welding industry, and had access to an internal sale of "scratch and dent" units through his employer. He had to get his name drawn from a pool of other people across the country associated with the company just to be able to buy it, so it's not exactly a bargain anyone can jump on. He put in for a bunch of welders, I had no expectation or guarantee he would be able to even get a welder, let alone the model I wanted, but I was very lucky that both happened. It was slightly damaged when I got it, but it was just the panel door jammed due to improper assembly, I fixed it in a couple minutes and now it's good as new. A customer unboxing a full price welder would not have been too happy to deal with that though. But, considering what it cost, it could have had a big dent in it and painted pink and still would have been a heck of a deal.

Better stock up on angle grinder accessories...gotta cut metal before you can weld it in place!

Yes, that has been on my mind. I haven't really found anything I like yet. An angle grinder jig seems cool, but also the ones I found have a reputation for being cheesy. Small chop saws seem to be low quality as well. I don't really want to drop $200 on a chop saw that takes up my whole workbench either, I don't have a lot of room for stuff I can't put back on a shelf when I'm not using it. The good news is for most projects, I'll be able to take my stuff to work and make all my cuts on the fab equipment there, but that doesn't replace being able to cut stuff when and where I need it.

It's not an end all-be all, but there is a lot of good information here.
http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/

Thanks, I'll check that out.


I finally got to try it out some today. I put it in stick mode and used rods, I don't have a cart yet so the full MIG setup is cumbersome. Dad got me started and says I'm doing well with it. I have stick welded before, but not more than burning up 1 rod, maybe 2, and that was years ago. I didn't do a lot today, just making little pieces of scrap into bigger pieces of scrap. I think I could piece something together, stick welding anyway, I think I'm going to prefer that mode for quick jobs, a lot less to hook up and will work better out in the wind. The machine welds really smooth, Dad even commented on how smooth it welded. It doesn't sputter much and starts easily.

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P&P

Need Bigger Tires
Site Sponsor
Location
Middle TN
welcome to the working world!:smile:



A great first welding project is always a weld cart!

Then 2-3 years from now when you really figure out what you're doing you'll look at it in disgust, tear it all apart and build a new one. You'll put a lot more "stuff" on the 2nd one as you'll have a much better idea of what you needed and didn't. Watching the evolution of weld carts is kinda fun. I love building a new weld cart. Never seem to have the time though.....
 

robcarync

Sliders
Location
Raleigh, NC
Yes, that has been on my mind. I haven't really found anything I like yet. An angle grinder jig seems cool, but also the ones I found have a reputation for being cheesy. Small chop saws seem to be low quality as well. I don't really want to drop $200 on a chop saw that takes up my whole workbench either, I don't have a lot of room for stuff I can't put back on a shelf when I'm not using it. The good news is for most projects, I'll be able to take my stuff to work and make all my cuts on the fab equipment there, but that doesn't replace being able to cut stuff when and where I need it.

I have an angle grinder jig/holder:

http://www.amazon.com/--Klutch-Angle-Grinder-Holder/dp/B003BUSL7A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1400299183&sr=8-3&keywords=klutch+angle+grinder

You can read my review on there

I think I should have just gone with a permanent chop saw...not because the angle grinder holder is bad....but because once you learn how to weld some...you want to weld more and more...and a chop saw is worth it more and more...

weldingweb.com is a good place to search for tips and general info...but there are a lot of purist snobs there. If you don't own a Linconln, Hobart, or Miller...then they basically tell you that you suck. gobble forbid you buy a cheap Harbor Freight welder because you are curious and have a coupon to get one for 90 bucks...still learned a lot there, though I don't post after seeing how uncool the community is...say...compared to here
 

Airmapper

First Fill-Up (of many)
Take a long hard look at portable band saws instead of a chop saw, you can get them in pawnshops, at least around here.

Thanks, I wasn't really aware of those. They are kind of steep new, but that fits the bill for my space. I'll have to keep my eyes open for a used one.

Right now I'm trying to get a cart rigged up. I may buy a cheap one at Harbor freight, but I really need big tires so I can roll on gravel.

I got plans for an Xterra project to start with, hopefully I can post that up soon. Been slowly refining my 3D model for a design I first started early this year, before I knew I'd have my own welder. It looks good in the virtual world, needs some more measuring to ensure proper fit. Now I have the appropriate tools, to see if I can make it a reality.
 

Nailbomb

Test Drive
Only thing that makes you a better welder is practice(well maybe having a good hood, but thats less needed with MIG).

I'de recommend getting some scrap together to practice on. Everyone has to start somewhere.

A oxy/acetaline setup and a portaband are good add ons too. I have a cheap drop saw, but never use it. The portaband and torches do ost of the work.
 
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