Teach me to weld?

[WFO Speedracer]

I feel you on the space issue, I inherited a barn so now instead of trying to get everything in one shop I have it broken up into sections, I have a section for parts storage , a loft to store motorcycles, several places to store project hulls etc, a welding section and a block garage to work on stuff in. it's worked out much better for me , I will make a suggestion though look into a multiprocess machine that can do pretty much anything instead of a bunch of separate welders.

One tip an old school welder taught me is always brake off the flux on the end of the rod when you finish welding , tap it on the cement floor or break it off with your hand. doesn't matter, it makes striking the arc next time much easier with the flux out of the way.
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[WFO Speedracer]

This is the setup I picked up a few years back, it's old and antiquated Lincoln 300/300 but it welds like a dream, AC,DC, STICK and tig setup with a watercooled torch, I have not set the tig part up yet, I also have a carbon arc torch and an arc gouger to go with it, the carbon arc torch is used to heat things up with and braze stuff, the arc gouger works basically like a plasma for cutting materials, with a 1/4 carbon rod and set on max it will burn down the world. Damn thing weighs a ton, it took four of us to move it out of the trailer onto mine. I got it off the trailer with the cherry picker and a 30ton ram , it was moaning and groaning but it came off.

 

[MADMAT]

I just sold this for 1k...kinda regret it but man it was just a beast and I never thought I would need it!

Mig, tig and stick. 220, 440, and 508v. Brand new regulator and spool of wire. Full tank of argon. Currently set up for single phase but can be 1, 2 or 3. 3 phase for 440 and 508. Up to 250amps! There is a schematic in the door that tells you how to do all 3 phases.

 

[te4250]

Man lot of idealarc guys here, I had a 300/300 with high frequency option, 25’ of tig and stick leads, full bottle of argon, paid $100 for the whole setup, problem was on 208v the thing would pull a full 100 amps if you put the hammer down

 

[WFO Speedracer]

There are deals out there I paid $350 for my 300/300 and then I paid another $250 for my Snap om mig, the mig is kinda neat because it has spot and stitch welod settings on it for bodywork, it makes it really easy to spot or stitch weld body panels on.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

I had to run some huge cables off the 60amp breakers to run that 300/300 , you won't be running that off a Dryer plug fo sho.

 

[Vumad]

Because of the size and power requirements, I’ll probably come off the cash for a newer inverter technology machine. I’m not set on the Miller I linked, but it weighs 56 lbs and anything it can’t do I couldn’t do anyway because of the power requirements.

I’m open to other machine options but a machine that is large and heavy isn’t going to work for me even if the price is great. My current stick welder fits in a side box of the toolbox on my carport. Space and weight are more important than price for me, because the price of more space is a price that doesn’t work for me.

I’ve seen lots of great lathes, horizontal saws, welders, etc, but no where to put them (or power limitations…)

 

[Vumad]

I rummaged through the remnants and Alro and got my 3lbs of trash which they didn’t bother to charge me $1 for…



I can’t break these off with a reasonable amount of force with a pair of players.

The angle I clamped on and welded 1 full side at a time.

The plate I used a magnet and tacked 4 points, then welded.

I think my welder doesn’t continuously supply volts and has to click on when I try to arc. It hums when welding but not when not welding. I found that if I do the match stick trick like 3 times real fast the machine will hum and I can arc it off real easy. I figured this out after losing the arc and being able to effortlessly get it back immediately.

 

[Vumad]

It’s Flashy the Slagman.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

Basically welding is practice, practice , practice and practice some more, I got luck the last place at was at was an old welding shop, the guy who owned it was a certified welding instructor , problem was he was losing his sight and couldn't see to weld anymore, he taught me pretty much everything I know about welding though and I welded everything that came through the shop.