roadrunner
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| posted on 15/5/12 at 06:57 PM |
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Welding for the first time
I am going to start practicing welding soon. I think it's one of them skills that a bloke should have at least some experience of.
So, I am using a small Kende gassless mig 105/f machine.
Any tips before I start, or should I just get stuck in.
Brad.
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Daddylonglegs
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| posted on 15/5/12 at 07:21 PM |
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This is worth a look
It looks like the Midget is winning at the moment......
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T66
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| posted on 15/5/12 at 07:28 PM |
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Have a bit of a light read about the subject, wear gloves, clean metal helps a lot, good ventilation...
I taught myself 20 years ago, not brilliant but I get by..
Just crack on, more you do it , better you get.
mig welding.co.uk is a good help
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Dangle_kt
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| posted on 15/5/12 at 07:28 PM |
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get a load of scrap metal of different thickness, a vice and big hammer for bashing it apart to check your welds.
Take your time, read A LOT (that link is an excellent one) and don't be worried about getting critisism on the forum when posting your welds -
their tips REALLY help.
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ChrisL
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| posted on 15/5/12 at 07:29 PM |
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Keep your wire dry and don't forget to flip the eye shield down before you get blinded!
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jacko
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| posted on 15/5/12 at 07:32 PM |
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I thought you could weld 
No serious Brad just give me a shout if you want at any time
Graham
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Daddylonglegs
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| posted on 15/5/12 at 07:33 PM |
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On ChrisL's point, my youngest bought me an automatic mask a few years ago and it's been invaluable, wouldn't be without it now 
It looks like the Midget is winning at the moment......
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roadrunner
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| posted on 15/5/12 at 07:45 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Daddylonglegs
This is worth a look
I already have that Lincy thing, but thanks again.
Thanks for the info fellas and fellasses (you never now). I will re read the info on the link above and get straight on with it.
Jacko, I will see how I get on first, thanks.
Brad.
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coozer
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| posted on 15/5/12 at 08:01 PM |
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Well, good luck with that machine, you'll soon be cursing and swearing wondering why you bothered.
Best thing is to get a go on a BIG proper mig to master the welding bit. Small machines are useless for beginners IMO
1972 V8 Jago
1980 Z750
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jacko
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| posted on 15/5/12 at 08:07 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by coozer
Well, good luck with that machine, you'll soon be cursing and swearing wondering why you bothered.
Best thing is to get a go on a BIG proper mig to master the welding bit. Small machines are useless for beginners IMO
I agree with that gas MIG welders are far far better
Jacko
[Edited on 15/5/12 by jacko]
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chris-g
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| posted on 15/5/12 at 08:29 PM |
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When I started welding I borrowed some videos from the library. They were made by the welding institute and were invaluable. Youtube would also be
worth looking at. Good luck and have fun.
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cliftyhanger
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| posted on 15/5/12 at 08:29 PM |
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I learnt on a clarke 90A gasless. Great little machine for cars and up to 3mm steel, as long as you didn't rush it.
Gasless is very handy for outdoor work, and the flux seems to help if the metal isn't as clean as it could be in awkward corners. Always looks a
bit messy after the weld is done as it is covered in the flux residue, but that cleans off PDQ with a wire brush in a grinder.
That leads me on to wire. Use 0.8mm flux cored stuff, I get it off the bay in batches of 10. Good price when bought like that. Avoid the 4.5kg reels
unless you have loads of welding to do in a short space of time, the 0.9kg ones last a fair time, plus they are unlikely to go rusty (game over
then)
Buy plenty of tips. A wire brush in a grinder and flapwheels are your friends. And if doing "spotwelds" get a metal punch/joddler. Saves a
huge amount of time and effort drilling all those holes.
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Peteff
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| posted on 15/5/12 at 10:05 PM |
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I'd go with practising with a decent machine before you condemn your efforts with the Kende piece of crap. It is one case where a bad workman
blames his tools does not apply, if your welder is crap you will not get a good result.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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tegwin
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| posted on 15/5/12 at 10:06 PM |
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Learning on gasless is harder, the welds wont look so "neat".
I would learn with 0.8m mild steel wire and gas!
The best thing you can get if you dont have one is an auto darkening mask..they are pretty cheap these days, you will be able to see what you are
doing, getting the weld started at the right angle is the hardest part.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Would the last person who leaves the country please switch off the lights and close the door!
www.verticalhorizonsmedia.tv
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fimi7
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| posted on 16/5/12 at 12:46 AM |
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Start with the thinner of the wires, gives a little more time and you can run things a little hotter. I started a few months ago, would not call
myself a welder yet. but it opens up a whole different way of looking at things.
Example where in the past you would have put a whole and bolt, you might weld on a tab.
--- Ali
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Slimy38
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| posted on 16/5/12 at 07:51 AM |
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As above, get a whole load of scrap to work on, including some lengths of steel that will be the same spec as what you're intending to work on.
Start with butt welds first, then go on to angles etc. I got an auto darkening mask off Ebay for <£30, it's worked fine and is so much easier
than a flip down mask. Don't forget the welding gloves as well, things get seriously hot really quick, and sunburn is not pleasurable at any
time.
For the welding itself, there's a fair few video's on that mig-welding link, plus many more on youtube. The one tip I picked up early on
was listen to the weld. If it sounds like frying bacon (a constant clean sizzle) then your wire speed and power are spot on. If it fits and spurts
then something is wrong.
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FuryRebuild
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| posted on 16/5/12 at 08:06 AM |
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All good advice, and I think I've bumped into most of those pitfalls.
I also invested in a pair of nomex cooking gloves from lakeland plastic. Don't know if they still make them but they're fantastic for
handling hot work.
I moved over to tig, and felt like i'd found my home. I also moved over to tig about the same time I found the mig-welding.co.uk forum, so i
think better education had more to do with it.
When all you have is a hammer, everything around you is a nail.
www.furyrebuild.co.uk
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roadrunner
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| posted on 16/5/12 at 11:46 AM |
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All great advice, I feel like a pro already.
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ChrisL
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| posted on 16/5/12 at 12:05 PM |
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Wow didn't realise auto darkening helmets had got so cheap, just bought one! Cheers for the heads up
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FuryRebuild
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| posted on 16/5/12 at 12:12 PM |
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It really is the way to go. Makes a tremendous difference to the quality of start you get, and it removes all temptation to do the wrong thing.
Furthermore, closing your eyes tight isn't necessarily enough to avoid arc-eye.
When all you have is a hammer, everything around you is a nail.
www.furyrebuild.co.uk
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nickharding
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| posted on 31/5/12 at 09:50 PM |
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Make sure you wear gloves. Wont want the spatters going on your arms. Very sore.
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Slimy38
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| posted on 1/6/12 at 06:20 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by nickharding
Make sure you wear gloves. Wont want the spatters going on your arms. Very sore.
And a cap facing backwards, it as an amazing ability to go straight over your head and land on the one place that is usually left uncovered!!
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DIY Si
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| posted on 1/6/12 at 07:41 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by nickharding
Make sure you wear gloves. Wont want the spatters going on your arms. Very sore.
I have to say that I rarely wears gloves when working on cars as I find they restrict my movement on the gun. And if you're doing it right,
there shouldn't be that much splatter.
“Let your plans be dark and as impenetratable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
My new blog: http://spritecave.blogspot.co.uk/
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Peteff
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| posted on 1/6/12 at 08:29 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by DIY SiI have to say that I rarely wears gloves when working on cars as I find they restrict my movement on the gun.
And if you're doing it right, there shouldn't be that much splatter.
I have to say the opposite, I've been welding cars for 40+ years with oxy acetylene and mig and wear gloves whenever doing anything with hot
sharp metal. There will always be an occasion where you just think you can push something you have just tacked into place or decide something is not
quite right and want to pull it. If you are under a car keep your ears covered as well, it's frightening when a spark goes in and you hear it
fizzing as it melts the wax
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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FuryRebuild
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| posted on 1/6/12 at 11:55 AM |
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You need gloves. Don't forget the huge amounts of UV the weld kicks out. it's not good for your skin. If feeling matters, get a good set
of tig gloves - mine are calf-skin and there's very little sensation I don't get. ahem.
When I'm doing thin plate (say at 30A) I have to dial up the lightness on the mask and there's very little peripheral sensation of light.
However, if I've got the current right up (say at 80A), I can sense the uv flash around the sides of the mask, the garage lights up and I can
feel the heat through the gloves and my sleeves.
So, wear gloves, avoid the uv and all the long-term issues that come with it.
When all you have is a hammer, everything around you is a nail.
www.furyrebuild.co.uk
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