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Learning Mig Welding

Wow, Jason. Great video. Where is part 2? Got a link? I had already found the welding tips site and bookmarked it.

But now I have a bunch of things to buy. Leathers, helmet, pliers, lube for starters. I have gloves, a fire extinguisher, and first aid kit. Finding a welding buddy will be an issue. I also have a gas bottle which has CO2 in it but darned if I know where it is. It could even be in Arizona still. ill also need gauges. The regulator is with the machine. I have some welding vise grips but no welding table.

Its like getting a circular saw and think you have everything needed to build something. Hah! The Amazon wish list will be growing!
 
I really like the welding tips and tricks site and weekly videos. Here are some other helpful resources:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ChuckE2009?feature=watch
I hesitate to recommend this one, because they can be a very rough crowd, but there is some good info on here...you just might have to wear the internet equivalent of ear plugs:)
http://weldingweb.com/
HF makes nice little welding tables and carts:
http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?32627-HF-welding-Table&highlight=
http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?32526-HF-Welding-Cart&highlight=
 
Carol Reed said:
Wow, Jason. Great video. Where is part 2? Got a link? I had already found the welding tips site and bookmarked it.

But now I have a bunch of things to buy. Leathers, helmet, pliers, lube for starters. I have gloves, a fire extinguisher, and first aid kit. Finding a welding buddy will be an issue. I also have a gas bottle which has CO2 in it but darned if I know where it is. It could even be in Arizona still. ill also need gauges. The regulator is with the machine. I have some welding vise grips but no welding table.

Its like getting a circular saw and think you have everything needed to build something. Hah! The Amazon wish list will be growing!
Click to expand...


Looks like the next one is "advanced"...



As for supplies - Harbor Freight actually has quite a few good values - aprons, gloves, helmets, clamps, etc. I picked up a few of the basics from there and have been doing fine with just those. My first project was a welding table and that helped me really improve but I wouldn't start on the project without learning to make a few basic welds first. Definitely need a project once you have burned up a little wire on some scrap steel, though, because you'll learn a lot more about technique that way as well as workflow (what to weld first, when you need to tack before running the bead, etc).
 
Yep ChuckE2009 gets my vote as well.

Teach yourself how to MIG weld

Now I'm going to say something here that I'm sure most will not agree with, that is the welding helmet you buy, spend the money once on a good one, don't buy or use the cheap auto darkening units, the are not good to use or good for your eyes, IMHO. I went through two of them at about $100 each and I finally bought this unit...

[h=1]Jackson Safety W70 BH3 Grand DS Auto Darkening Welding Helmet with Balder Technology[/h]
51Hwu4xBkVL._SL1000_.jpg

Yes it costs $370 but is you are going to use an auto darkening helmet get a good one, cry once as they say.

If you want to save money then use a normal helmet and learn to do the head nod thing to bring the shield down. Even with that, make sure you get one with a good headgear, nothing more frustrating than when you are trying to learn something new and your PPE keeps distracting you or getting in the way.

Have fun, good luck!
 
I have a added question about those welding tables from either Harbor Freight or Northern Tool.

Having had a look at the one at harbor freight, its incredibly light gauge material. So much so that it put me completely off it. I purchased a piece of good heavy steel plate which i have at the moment resting on a scrap ply piece but its going to form the basis of my own welding table.

In my view a welding table should be

a) Sturdy ..given you going to put steel on it to weld.

b) Able to be clamped to so the pieces you going to weld are held in the position you want them to be for the weld

c) Able to take some of the heat away without adding its own distortion to the project at hand.

Those all singing dancing tables HF have seem to fit the marketing gadget bill as far as my look at them was concerned i would like to hear from actual owners that have used them as to how well they found it worked.

Something real handy is these magnetic clamps they come in a variety of sizes.

http://www.harborfreight.com/weldin...ter-inch-multipurpose-magnet-holder-1938.html

and something else you may want to think about is this a place to put your torch when not in hand.

http://www.harborfreight.com/magnetic-mig-torch-rest-3642.html
 
I am definitely interested in the welding helmet question. My main welding friend, has gone through a few (things happen, spatter, headbands get broke, etc), after better then 40 years. I have heard a lot of negative about HF helmets from those that do a lot of welding (not fast enough on the auto darkening, still get eye damage, etc).
My welding buddy said he wished his uncle taught him, what he knew. He learned on his own, and the book he recommened is actually the one sold by the welders are most places:
Welder's Handbook, RevisedHP1513: A Guide to Plasma Cutting, Oxyacetylene, ARC, MIG and TIG Welding by Richard Finch.
 
I've heard the same on those HF helmets, that the auto darkening isn't quick enough for daily use, but should be safe enough for periodic use. I did spend the money for a little better one, I'll use it for tacking stuff up, but will pull out my flip hood for any lengthy welding.

BTW, order yourself a welding cap, well worth not having your hair burn from sparks, the bill on them goes over your neck... https://www.etsy.com/listing/176752...g+cap&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery
 
Rob Keeble said:
...I have a added question about those welding tables from either Harbor Freight or Northern Tool.
Having had a look at the one at harbor freight, its incredibly light gauge material. So much so that it put me completely off it....
Click to expand...

You are right, Rob. The table is pretty flimsy. I bought it to have a portable solution for light duty welding of small parts and for that it does OK. It's a knock off of the Stronghand portable table that Lanse reviews here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yKDk5TV7D0

My regular table is a slab of 1/2"steel mounted on a HF hydraulic cart. The trouble with that is it's a horizontal surface and therefore a primary storage area for 'stuff', so the HF table gets more use.
 
Somewhere I have a simple non-adjustable helmet. Don't know where that is either. Which helmet did you settle on, Darren?

FWIW, my task for now is just tacking parts together to be welded properly by a pro later. Building the front end loader and backhoe attachments for the tractor. My little red machine doesn't have the necessary power for that application, except for the tacking until proper welding. So 2 second welds as per the first video that Jason linked to.

Also maybe found a small plasma cutter..... :drool:
 
I have an auto darkening helmet from HF. Been using it daily for about 5 years I guess. There are different levels within the HF brand of auto darkening. Mine was a $39.99 on sale with a coupon deal. Mine has two settings, one is minimum/maximun delay. I set mine at minimum at all times. The other setting is for lens darkening. Mild steel in the 1/4" or less range we use shade 10 here in the shop. I keep my helmet at 10-11 range. Also, remember if you are using an argon mix (for mild steel don't spend extra $ on pure argon) and are outdoors or your garage door is open, more pressure may be needed to keep your gas shield covering your weld. If you are using a flux cored wire, you don't need the argon mix cylinder.
 
So what are your plans for this welder, besides just tacking up the broken tractor part?

Just hobby stuff?

I imagine it would be able to weld some steel together as earthquake reinforcement for your house?

Or make an interesting art sculpture?

Watch your Amperage draw where you plug it in. Some can pull a lot of current and max the circuit out.
 
The incentive is the tractor project. We'll see how good I can get at it. My brother was my welder but he is in Arizona so its do it myself or pay big bucks - $100 per hour, one hour minimum. :eek:

For the house, brackets for things like the water heater, rather than the flimsy strap HD sells.

Then the occasional jig that would benefit by welding. Who knows, really?
 
Carol Reed said:
...For the house, brackets for things like the water heater, rather than the flimsy strap HD sells...
Click to expand...

Straying a bit off topic here, but keep in mind that flexibility can be a good thing in an earthquake. There's a reason wood frame buildings tend to stand up in a quake while masonry buildings fall. ;)
 
got to do some homework myself

Somehow I have found myself with three of the little mig welders when I can't use one of them well. While never a welder I once was pretty decent with my 300 amp big 40 Miller I think it was, a crackerbox, or gas welding. The auto feed is where I seem to run afoul with the mig welding. Never can get the feed right.

One thought, if not doing much welding pure argon works fine for mild steel, a little better than the 70/30 mix if I remember correctly, and if you find that you need to weld a little aluminum you are ready. Cost is the reason for CO2 but if using very little cost isn't that important. I think my medium sized bottle of gas is fifteen years old or so, still on it's first filling. Between moves, herricanes and himmacanes, along with the stray flood, I haven't been doing much welding. May tack together a fair sized trailer to load my 12x20 shop on and then take it to a friend's shop to weld it up with a bigger machine. Fool's confidence has never been lacking, I welded the chassis for my stock cars and roll cages too.

Hu
 
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