Learning to weld

[Dustin21]

64longstep, my buddy's MIG doest require gas. He's never used gas with it although it has the connections.

I wouldn’t want to trust my life to any of his welds... Without using the shielding gas you aren’t getting any kind of penetration and the welds are going to be brittle... One thing to remember about welding is, that the bigger the blob doesn’t make for a better job…

im with 64................ wouldnt ever attempt that with the stuff i weld i prefer being  able to walk and be alive..  last welding project i had was welding up a set of splitting stands for a  case 7130 so i could crack it and repair a severe oil leak..

[rusty]

If he is indeed welding without flux, and without shielding gas, that sorta explains why you can't see anything. All the weld energy is going into the end of the wire which is burning like a supernova 1/8 away from where the weld is supposed to be ;P

[m_fumich]

How much does a bottle of gas run? Exactly what is needed? I don't want to use up his supplies. I don't mind using his wire but I'm not gonna ask him to buy gas for my benefit. I don't wanna use up his sticks either. I'll find some thick scrap somewhere.

[Dustin21]

How much does a bottle of gas run? Exactly what is needed? I don't want to use up his supplies. I don't mind using his wire but I'm not gonna ask him to buy gas for my benefit. I don't wanna use up his sticks either. I'll find some thick scrap somewhere.

small bottle of argon like  think  pop 2liter size  should run about 40-60 bucks... been awhile since i been near a welding supplier tho..

a container of sticks should run you about 10-20 for  a  5lb box... which will give you a fair amount of rod to practice withbut prices vary by area,type of rod

[m_fumich]

Looks like I'll be learning stick welding first. I know there are lots of different rods. The only thing I know about them is that they look like a big box of "Pick-Up Sticks."

I knew a guy that owned a fabrication shop. He said there was one rod that he could use to make the welder weld by itself. I don't recall the specs though. He bent the rod into a curve, grounded a piece or steel, clamped onto the rod so it curved down, and set it on the steel plate. It welded a perfect bead all by itself.

That sounds like the kind of rod I need to practice with.

[Dustin21]

Looks like I'll be learning stick welding first. I know there are lots of different rods. The only thing I know about them is that they look like a big box of "Pick-Up Sticks."

I knew a guy that owned a fabrication shop. He said there was one rod that he could use to make the welder weld by itself. I don't recall the specs though. He bent the rod into a curve, grounded a piece or steel, clamped onto the rod so it curved down, and set it on the steel plate. It welded a perfect bead all by itself.

That sounds like the kind of rod I need to practice with.

for begining welding cant go wrong with 6011  its a "all purpose" rod

[gibsontool]

I would start with the arc welder and 3/32 or 1/8 th rod, 6010 and 6011 are both east to work with and are called fast freeze rods meaning your puddle solidifies faster than the majority of rods, they both generate a lot of sparks but are not good if your looking for max strength.Depending on your machine start around 100 amps on 1/4'' plate and see how it goes. If your buddy has a 3 phase machine and the welding you want to do is flat try 1/8 th 7024, This rod is one you just let drag along the metal, if it burns thru turn the heat down a bit and speed up your drag, if it has gaps in the weld or breaks in a bead slow down your speed. A good all around rod is 7018 and has good strength, fairly easy to get the hang of it on the flat but a vertical weld for a beginner is tough to do. If you had about 5 lbs of 7018 a decent welder could have you doing some acceptable welds in 8 hrs or so. If the machine you have is  single phase then stay away from 7018 and stick with 6010, 6011 or 7014. 7014 was refered to by a lot of people as farmers rod mainly because it is easy to weld with and is fairly strong. Hoped this helped a bit. Good luck Jim

[rusty]

>It welded a perfect bead all by itself.
>That sounds like the kind of rod I need to practice with

HA!, you don't want to know what that stuff costs...
(Hint, a box of it will cost more than the argon)

start with 6011 or such as has been mentioned, the 600 and 700 serties rods are reasonably cheap, you are going to burn many of them up practicing ;P

Also, since noone mentioned it, keep the rod DRY!, don't buy more than you are going to use in a month or so, so you don't have to figure out how to store it all nice and dry etc....

[m_fumich]

Keeping them dry isn't a problem. A section of PVC pipe capped on both ends. Use a threaded drain clean out cap on one end. That's water tight.

[scottg]

   It won't be that hard to start.
 Get some 60 series.
 
 I taught my grand daughter to weld when she was 6 year old. 
Of course I knew just how to get to her!!! 
  This is a REAL magic wand. Makes hard metal stick together....... forever!  ;^)

      I suited her up safe.
  (looking so painfully adorable in giant helmet I had to pad with stocking caps, that she could barely hold up,  and my softest gloves about up to her armpits.)

   She hid completely behind the shed to start, just peeking around the corner, watched me.
 I am just talking to her easy and calm as I work.
 
     Pretty soon she is leering right directly behind me. Looking over my shoulder.
   I hunkered way down low making sure she could see.
  and I pretended to pay no attention at all.........
 
   She puts her hand on my shoulder and eases out the side, leans further in to see closer. 

  Pretty soon after that, I get ----The Elbow---
    "I can dooo it gampa, I can dooo it!!"    fully wound up brave now, and pushing past me.
 
 So I bought her little self directly in front of me, and laid that stinger right into her glove.
    Leaning in from above and behind, I put my hand right on top of hers, lightly.
     Just a gentle guide, never a push. 
 
  We used to always work this way when she was little. She sawed, she planed, she drilled and hammered. Just a little guidance she could do anything! 

 And of course I had chosen 6011, 1/2" thick angle iron scrap from a power pole crossbar, and 1/4" plate steel.   No possible problem there.    Turn it up and let it work soft and easy!

      I still have the "project" we welded that day.  I wouldn't sell it for gold. 

Here she was at the ripe old age of 7 or 8.
  No need for help this day! Look at that working posture!! Girl is on the job!
  It was a Stanley #2, btw.
        So wish we could keep them like this forever. Joy of my life...
                   yours Scott