| Author | Message | ||
     Scottorious |
I am looking to get a welder to start the process of learning to weld. I would like to some day possibly build exhausts and then maybe weld on the frame of my x1 a little. there is always a possibilty of needing it for heavier duty work but that would be rare if ever. any advice would be great thanks! | ||
| Court |
I'm not sure where it is . . someone may be able to point us in the right direction. . . but there was once . . long long ago . . a great, fact filled thread about this. | ||
| Court |
By the way . . . this is a good place to ask questions . . there are some VERY skilled welders here. Take as little advise from Bill (Reepicheep) and I as possible. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Actually, while Court could not be more correct, I actually can give a little worthwhile advice (as it was given to me by somebody else and I have simply tried to not damage it)... Don't rule out Oxy Acteylene. Its slower then MIG or Stick, but it gives the flexibility of TIG. You can heat and bend, braze, solder, weld, cut, anneal, you name it. You can be sloppy about surface prep (it burns off) for non precision work, it requires no re-wiring, and it's portable. Probably a hard way to do aluminum, but aluminum is just hard. Not the be all end all, but if I could only have one setup (and I can only have one setup), I would pick Oxy Act again. Watch estate sales / used stuff, or even just grab the harbor freight setup. Getting cheap tanks and refills takes some work, but you can generally eventually find a set of tanks somewhere cheap, then find a way to get them refilled. Suppliers will say they won't refill them unless you leased them from them, but there are almost always shops and ways around that. Locally, Tractor Supply will swap out tanks if you just pay the $15 hydro check charge the first time you introduce a "new set" to them. Search the knowledge vault for the welding thread, it was *great*. Any other advice I give should be taken as Court suggests.  | ||
| Reepicheep |
Ahh! I think this is the one: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/show .cgi?tpc=3842&post=782222#POST782222 There may be other though... http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/show .cgi?tpc=3842&post=909040#POST909040 | ||
| Mbest |
Welders are like speakers and TV's. Once you settle on a model and bring it home, if it turns out that you really needed something a little bigger or advanced, you will find that it is often very hard if not impossible to throw a few more dollars at it to get it to do something that it was not designed to do in the first place. Tell the welder sales person what your requirements are and they won't hesitate to show you the proper gear. If you want a Z28, you can buy a std Camaro cheaper and then add better wheels, bigger engine, fatter tires etc. but in the long run, get the Z28 to start with if thats what you need. The bigger welder stores will let you "test drive" one before you buy it. So always try one a little fancier than you think you need just to make sure you can live with out it. If you really really need a Corvette, you will never be happy with a Camaro. | ||
| Swrsmik |
MIG is fast & easy,but I don't like 110v.Oxy-acet is nice to have around for all around cutting,welding,etc.I am thinking of getting a tig for precise work,kinda slower though.arc is nice but not good in hard to reach places.oxy- acet trick-u can cut with welding tip by opening oxy knob once u puddle.easier than switching back & forth. | ||
| Need2ride |
im an oxy/ acet, and even propane.. cheaper and great for small welds. i learned to silver solder, the stick, then mig/tig... more control with a small electrode (rod) i have than a bulky gun.. where ever i can get my torch tip- is where i can work... yes dress in leather- keep a dousing tank full of water, be confortable- some bulky glove will drine me nuts- yesterday i brazed my header to more pipe for a slip on harley exhast.. barehanded t shirt and googles.. going to wrap pipe on blast im not polishing heat fatiuge | ||
| Reepicheep |
I got a MIG unit since I posted my previous comment, and I had underestimated how much ease of use increases frequency of use. Being able to walk over to the MIG unit, flip a switch and twiddle a couple of knobs and flop on a helmet, then tack two things together in 5 minutes start to finish has lead to me doing a LOT more welding then I did with my Oxy Act rig... which requires a lot more setup and a lot more care. So I would now probably recommend a newbe start with a sub $100 110v mig unit. It's not the best, but it is SO easy. | ||
| Buell_bert |
Oxy-acetylene is a must. I have the backpack style with spare tanks. Really torques you off when your working on a project and one of the tanks goes empty, especially on Sunday. Cutting and heating things up to remove them and brazing are just a few. I used to do coat hanger welding with it before I bought a stick welder. Now it is the Miller Multimatic. The only all-in-one, portable, power source. Weighing only 29 pounds and running on either 120 or 240 V, the Multimatic 200 can go anywhere you need to MIG, TIG, Stick weld and even a spool gun option. Expensive YES, but it is the best I have ever had. I use 220 unless there is no other option. To TIG aluminum is a real pain in the butt and I am still struggling with that but stainless isn't to bad. I do have a (Miller Diversion 165) dedicated TIG machine. OH, as long as your spending money a plasma cutter (Hypertherm) should round it out. Buy something better than you think you need. Should we mention a nice big air compressor too. | ||
| Mrakz83 |
Scottorious, if you are thinking of working primarily on exhausts and bike frames type of stuff, a MIG welder might be right for you. I'm a noob of a welder and picked up a SMAW (stick) welder for my Bro-In-Law to teach me with, which is about the cheapest welding to get into but, for the kind of stuff I like to do, I wish I got a MIG. My Lincoln AC 220 is probably better at building bridges than making tools and truck racks with 1" square tubing. P.S. Criticism is welcome: I am a noob, after all, haha. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I'd agree. Even a $100 Harbor Freight flux core MIG welder would be worth it just to start and be able to do simple things and get an idea of what works. Use it for year and give it to a buddy when you upgrade. It can't do everything, but it can do a lot. You can do more than join metal as well. My buddy had a bearing that was stuck in the hub of his race quad. The inside ripped out trying to remove it, so the outer race was just stuck in there. We used a trick Al Lighton mentioned, and ran a bead of weld around the inside of the race. I knew it would at least let us get a lip to pound at from the other side, but I suspected when the weld cooled it would shrink the bearing. Sure enough, after running a good bead around it, and letting it cool, it slid right out. | ||
| Mrakz83 |
Clever trick! | ||
| Chaseroe |
I'm a welder by trade. I have had a few home welders. I currently have a Miller thunderbolt 225. It's old but it burns like hell. It's very reliable. The thunderbolt is a stick welder. The reason I choose the stick welder was that it was cheap (100$), it has the heat to burn, easy to upkeep, I like the fact that you can go buy rod for many different applications. Mig welders are great, but if you choose to get one you'll to buy gas depending on the application and the wire you use. You have some many choices in wire. Say you want to burn stainless steel with a mig setup. You need a mixture gas that can be pricey, as well as the wire can empty your pockets quick. With the stick welder you can go by 5pounds of rod for 40$-60$. I also need to throw in my 2 cents about products from Harbor Frieght. That place is shit, you are throwing your money away when purchasing a product from them. If you plan on actually use a welder throw down the money for a good one. Look online for videos of beginner welding and then start throwing down beads. Welding is a lot of fun, so enjoy it! | ||
| Chaseroe |
Here is the exhaust I built. I had to build three to get one that the bike liked and the sound I liked .  |
