I suppose they offer classes at some community college I could take but if anyone is willing to show me the ropes, I'd be grateful. I've always wanted to learn and now that I'm basically running our farm I've come into situations where it would be nice to be able to do.

anyone? is a CC my best bet?

4/7/2015 8:09:23 PM

If you have the time, and the little bit of money, the CC course is great.
If you are looking for one of us, you will get limited exposure and practice.
You can learn that way, but you won't have the knowledge depth or the knowledge of the multiple types.

(I taught welding at NCSU for three years)

4/7/2015 8:14:30 PM

Where are you located?

4/7/2015 9:30:38 PM

go buy a mig and watch some youtube videos, there are so many really good welding videos.

i welded up a bash bar the other day using a cheap ass harbor freight welder. I havent welded before except tacking stuff together with this same cheap welder. Managed to get some decent welds after watching youtube and practicing running beads on scrap.


[Edited on April 7, 2015 at 10:01 PM. Reason : pic wasn't great..]

4/7/2015 10:00:24 PM

https://www.youtube.com/user/weldingtipsandtricks

Jodie is the man... this is how i learned to tig...

4/8/2015 7:15:20 AM

lower end wire welders are going to require dicking around with the wire feed a lot. ain't nothing around the farm you can't take care of with a buzz box and some 6010s. should be able to find one cheap on craigslist.

4/9/2015 10:14:59 PM

Translation

Buzz box
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200434276_200434276?utm_source=CSE&utm_medium=Google&utm_campaign=Welding%20%3E%20Arc%20Welders&utm_content=167743&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=167743&gclid=CPfdgLTL68QCFQMQ7AodexMAZw

6010s

http://www.zoro.com/i/G4672324/?utm_source=google_shopping&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google_Shopping_Feed&gclid=CP6_8MnL68QCFdcYgQodwwEA5w

4/10/2015 7:04:14 AM

just realized i fucked up that post. if it's a true AC-only buzz box, you would want 6011 rod. 6010 is for DC.

4/10/2015 2:59:35 PM

any of y'all tried this 225 amp AC stick machine from harbor freight?

http://www.harborfreight.com/welding/arc-welders/225-amp-ac-240-volt-stick-welder-69029.html

4/12/2015 12:33:04 AM

not me, but those transformer boxes are pretty much bulletproof.
and btw theres nothing at all wrong with 6011.
use it for as much as you can get away with
fuck 6013

5/22/2015 1:57:07 AM

https://www.amazon.com/AHP-Alpha-160ST-Stick-Welder-Voltage/dp/B01HDUMAUC

stick and scratch start TIG for ~$250. better duty cycle than anything else in its class. compact and has the flexibility of 110v operation. any reason not to buy this?

12/17/2016 12:54:42 PM

solid bump, ive learned a little

That might be a good self christmas present to myself

12/17/2016 2:07:59 PM

I learned how to weld on a stick welder when I was about 8-9. It got the job done for most things.

When I bought my house 6 years ago and actually had a garage that was "mine", I got a cheap flux-core mig welder. It gets the job done for most things.

HOWEVER,

My next "forever" welder will be a decent gas-capable Tig setup. Fuck having to clean up after all your welds with stick and flux-core. Learn to tig, and be done with it.

12/17/2016 10:38:17 PM

that's kind of an oversimplification. tig is not the be-all end-all. there are lots of good reasons to have multiple options at your disposal. i've never seen anyone laying in the mud under some piece of farm equipment with a tig rig.

but for some folks, tig may cover 99% of their needs. that's ok, but "tig and be done with it" is not very good advice, imo.

[Edited on December 18, 2016 at 1:09 AM. Reason : adsf]

12/18/2016 1:05:18 AM

I totally hear ya and dont disagree. But 99% of people arent going to be laying in the mud having to weld a tractor either

Also, I believe most Tig rigs can also be used to stick weld.

[Edited on December 18, 2016 at 7:45 PM. Reason : .]

12/18/2016 7:40:59 PM

knowing how to stick weld is a valuable and versatile skill. your advice seemed to tell newcomers to skip over it entirely and go directly to tig, and i think that's a disservice to them.

12/19/2016 12:08:17 AM

my AHP Alpha 160ST arrived today.

gotta make up an adapter to plug it into my 50A outlet before i can try it, though

i guess i could use it in 110V mode

splurged and got a Optrel VegaView 2.5 auto hood

[Edited on February 20, 2017 at 7:51 PM. Reason : first project is some lawn mower deck repair]

2/20/2017 7:49:52 PM

https://www.amazon.com/Goplus-Automatic-Welding-Machine-Commercial/dp/B01N4OXVAY/ref=zg_bs_553012_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=1P9NJBSBTH1WYKBZ1GTA


tell me why I shouldn't buy something like this for little projects?

2/22/2017 10:41:55 AM

Depends on what you define as "little projects", but I'm sure it would get the job done. With that said, if you want your welds to be "pretty", flux core sucks.

Never heard of that brand though. I'd look for some reviews.

2/22/2017 8:02:46 PM

^^because learning to weld is difficult enough with decent equipment. it'll really suck if you're fighting with a crappy wire welder.

that thing is about the same price as a harbor freight unit. find a used AC stick machine on craigslist.

2/22/2017 10:58:27 PM

^good advice. thanks.

2/23/2017 9:15:54 AM

started the mower deck repair today with the AHP 160ST. i am still learning, but it got the job done with 3/32" 6011. i want to get some 6010. got the replaced a section of the curved baffle under the deck and patched up the rest of it. next step is to scab some 1/8" plate to the top side of the deck over the thin sections and holes. got some gauge wheel mounting holes that are wallowed out, so i'm gonna try to weld them up and re-drill. good project for learning because it doesn't matter what it looks like.

2/26/2017 6:11:02 PM

started welding out the plates tonight with some 6010. burned through the powdercoat on the deck. this AHP machine is awesome for the price.

also, i would highly recommend spending the money for a decent auto hood if you're starting out. i didn't have one on my first few projects and it has made a huge difference. the auto hood eliminates one skill to learn and lets you focus on learning to strike an arc reliably. significantly flattens the learning curve.

2/28/2017 10:26:27 PM

two more plates to fit and weld out

https://goo.gl/photos/PjNhJUzCC7SWbD7y9

3/1/2017 9:43:10 PM

mower deck after paint and reassembly:
https://goo.gl/photos/1YnUpT1JK2yu55669
https://goo.gl/photos/fHBkKH2kFDkFezr67

then i made this sprayer tank rack:
https://goo.gl/photos/cBng5nCS92ZWLnoJ6
https://goo.gl/photos/kSHy6X9RynxwBfGQ9

and i modified an ATV boom sprayer to fit the back of the mower:
https://goo.gl/photos/LkkjCgw19Mtv7TW39

3/26/2017 6:17:44 PM

building a rolling welding table for the shop

https://goo.gl/photos/ZN7MtrgHHwZteXot9

4/8/2017 9:48:13 PM

https://goo.gl/photos/Lbbm38vgEeHtsiLR6

realized my harbor freight casters don't have brakes on them. probably going to change them out eventually. gonna add some expanded metal shelves and incorporate some kind of cabinet or toolbox. Also want to add a grinder rack, something to hold my stick electrodes in rod guards, etc. this is it for this weekend, though.

4/9/2017 3:48:24 PM

I like this thread. Good work man! Keep it up!

4/9/2017 5:14:17 PM

I like this thread. Good work man! Keep it up!

4/9/2017 5:14:17 PM

that thing is ridiculously heavy and overbuilt. 3/8" plate for the top and 2.5" x 3/16" wall square tubing. it was all i could do to turn it over and move it around as i welded on it. i started with it upside down on saw horses and almost squished myself taking it down off them.

4/9/2017 5:21:26 PM

picked up a metal cabinet and drawer unit from the back of a work van off craigslist. should work out perfect.

4/9/2017 9:33:15 PM

https://goo.gl/photos/Y1fGk4897DdyqE5EA
https://goo.gl/photos/JCyhxTx2UvxvJKpw8

craigslist cabinet was about 1/8" too wide to fit between the legs and mount flush, but still worked out pretty good.

shelves tomorrow, assuming i have time to run by the welding supply place and get some more 7018

4/10/2017 9:55:24 PM

best part is that at the end of the night, i just roll it over beside the boat and pull my truck back in

4/10/2017 9:59:18 PM

https://goo.gl/photos/RDJAovA9pf2dp7DM7
https://goo.gl/photos/8KDaEK5gq91oXKJYA
https://goo.gl/photos/PnCA6FcsRweYD17U9

4/14/2017 6:14:55 PM

finished. very happy with it.

https://goo.gl/photos/aD1xBXa6eZenpXw98
https://goo.gl/photos/3PxUkeLsFjjq5Mh46
https://goo.gl/photos/xZLRL3bXn21QTH4F9

4/28/2017 5:19:55 PM

That turned out pretty slick.

4/28/2017 11:13:54 PM

I want to continue to practice and learn. Thinking about saving up for one of these:

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/product/mig/powermts-251si-tig-package

comes with everything you need to mig, tig (except gas and tungsten), and stick weld. capable of running 6010 (the AHP 160ST does not run 6010 well). only thing it won't do is AC tig, so aluminum would be limited to a spool gun, which it is compatible with, but not included.

Seems like it would be cheaper (and take up less space) than separate mig and tig machines. Thoughts?

4/30/2017 2:43:24 PM

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/product/mig/powermts-221-sti-tig-package

mig, AC and DC tig, stick w/ 6010 mode. this unit does it all.

11/5/2017 7:19:44 AM

Ended up ordering one of these. Mig will be more useful for me and I can add a separate tig machine later and still spend less than the all in one units. This runs 6010, too, which was a big reason I chose it.

http://www.everlastgenerators.com

11/10/2017 6:34:05 AM

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/product/mig/power-i-mig-230i

11/10/2017 7:25:01 AM

I have a power pro 256

I’ve had to send it in on a warranty claim already

But the new version I got back def works better than the old one ever did

11/18/2017 9:31:45 AM

made my first welds with the mig 230i today. still learning how to dial it in, but it did pretty good. i wish the mig gun it came with had a longer cable.

11/18/2017 6:30:11 PM

making this rolling A-frame pegboard tool dealie that my mom wants to give to her boyfriend. ready for paint and just kinda mocked up in this pic. it will have pegboard on both sides.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/bqv5RNLao91zr2oW2

11/19/2017 5:57:35 PM

done

https://photos.app.goo.gl/roFvaccRs1W3SRwv2

11/22/2017 3:05:48 PM

^nice.

is it powder coated?

11/27/2017 12:10:40 AM

No, just rattle canned. Powder coat is kinda expensive.

11/27/2017 7:50:22 AM

Cart for this Everlast unit is my next project. Gonna give it space for two gas bottles and a tig machine below the mig unit.

12/4/2017 6:53:58 AM

horseshoes with 7018

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2WjfqTbYl2BHHgQg1

12/9/2017 9:56:02 AM

horseshoes with 7018

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2WjfqTbYl2BHHgQg1

12/9/2017 9:56:02 AM

working on a cart for the mig welder. room on the bottom to possibly add a tig machine, along with room for an additional gas bottle for it.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/d4ATaNh5TXtCSneg1

gonna try to build a drawer on it

[Edited on December 12, 2017 at 7:11 PM. Reason : ds]

12/12/2017 7:10:10 PM