Welding 101

[allsierra123]

In attempts to make a place where those learning to weld as well as old pros,Can come to exchange ideas and help one another to learn.If we can get enough interest in this subject we may get ourselves a welding and fab forum.So lets see if we can get some posts on this threads about where to start what to start with what to purchase,And what would be good to start reading.As well as new Ideas and techniques.

[david58]

Welding and Fabrication is a very important part in owning a VW, it doesn't matter what forum you are in, at some point in time something is going to need to be welded on your car. I now have a 220 volt Miller Sidekick Mig and all I can say is I wasted money twice on those 110 Mig buzz boxes. The right equipment is very important especially when starting out. Having the right shade of lens, and the right size wire is very important. Practice welding on scap is a good place to start, and always clean the metal rust, paint or whatever it has to come off. Let's get this thread going.

[winifredevw]

I've got a Lincoln 110, it works well on most stuff but I am aware of it's limits. A good 220 costs a little more, but is much more versatile. The only drawback to a 220 is if you only have 100 amp service to your home, you may be pushing it if the welder is set to a higher setting. If in doubt, get an electrician to check it out before you choose a welder.

[Bugfuel]

I wholeheartedly agree on 110V units being mostly junk in comparison to the 220V stuff.

Also like David there said, always get all metal surfaces as clean as possible before welding. Do not weld on rusty metal.

Remove all rusty areas completely, a good half inch wider than where the visible rust was, so you can be sure you are working with healthy metal.

Go very slow, one spot at a time, when welding large flat panels. The heat will warp them very easily. You may need to go as slow as just a couple of spots per minute, and as far apart as possible at first, then do a second round and hit the gaps.

Continuous long weld seam is not very useful in any kind of bodywork, just a word of caution to beginners. It's mostly all tiny spots at a time.

To reduce risk of warping or to close small holes with just weld, use a copper heat sink on the backside. You can hammer a piece of copper tubing to suitable shape, so you can lay it flat against the area you are welding on, on the backside. To close a hole, position the copper at the hole so it presses flat against the hole, then weld away. Weld won't stick to copper, but the copper acts as a bridge to close the hole. The copper heat sink may stick slightly, but a little twist breaks it loose.


General warnings: Welding causes sparks and sometimes open flames. Be prepared. Move flammable materials and liquid containers away from the work area and have a fire extinguisher handy. Remember when welding under the car, you have to keep watch on the inside of the car too for fires.

Study different welding techniques, to learn which type is best for what you are doing. If you have overlapping metals, especially if you cannot get to the backside after you're done, you will have an open invitation for rust to start forming.

Here's a good place to start: http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/learning-mig.htm


Jan

[buggin']

I'd love to see a welding forum. My father in law has really nice equipment both mig and tig. And a scratch start tig he said I can have, no idea how to use that little one though.
I learned halfassed how to tig building a ss turbo header, just fusing it together but much practice is needed using the filler rod.
One thing I found out was wear a long sleeve shirt ( I figgured no sparks with tig right) but after a couple hrs you can develop quite the sun burn all up the inside of your arms

[terry cloyd]

I've got a Lincoln 110, it works well on most stuff but I am aware of it's limits. A good 220 costs a little more, but is much more versatile. The only drawback to a 220 is if you only have 100 amp service to your home, you may be pushing it if the welder is set to a higher setting. If in doubt, get an electrician to check it out before you choose a welder.

I would not let the 100 amp service stop me from welding. Up grade to a 200 amp service.

I started stick welding then to mig. I use the stick on my tractors and the mig does the rest.

There is four big tools you will need to work on metal. 1. Oxy-Fuel for cutting and welding. 2. Stick welder 3. Mig or Tig welder. 4. Plasma cutter. The small tools there is a l o n g list of tools.

Send pictures of your tools

[MNAirHead]

What type of respirators do pros use?

Is there an OSHA or NIOSH number I'm supposed to look for?

[winifredevw]

[/quote]

I would not let the 100 amp service stop me from welding. Up grade to a 200 amp service.[/quote]

100 amp service will "run" a 220 welder that might be rated for 20-50 amp draw, but what happens when the electric stove, dryer, or furnace enters the equation? 100 amp don't mean you can't weld, just don't buy a 220 welder you can't use. No matter 110 or 220, if possible, dedicate an outlet (or outlets) just for the welder and use an appropriate breaker.

[Pillow]

The welding forum would be a good idea... I have no realexperience to add... But LOTS of VWs rust to start welding on

[MarioVelotta]

A welding forum would be great! I'm always up for learing a new trick or two... I use a Hobart at home and at work we have 2 miller machines. A big 220 in the metal shop and a 110 on a cart for working in cars or under them if need be.

[terry cloyd]

I would not let the 100 amp service stop me from welding. Up grade to a 200 amp service.[/quote]

100 amp service will "run" a 220 welder that might be rated for 20-50 amp draw, but what happens when the electric stove, dryer, or furnace enters the equation? 100 amp don't mean you can't weld, just don't buy a 220 welder you can't use. No matter 110 or 220, if possible, dedicate an outlet (or outlets) just for the welder and use an appropriate breaker.[/quote]

Sorry your right. Give the welder 50 amps at 240 volts and your OK.

My house needs 100 amp and my garage needs 100 amps.

Note: your dryer and water heater is only 30 amps and the welder 240 volts takes 50 amps to run. Look at your breaker in the main.

[winifredevw]

I understand that, I was only suggesting that before someone makes a major purchase, be sure the circuit panel has the capacity to handle it. I have seen guys hook up a 220 arc welder in an all elecrtric home and wonder why every time they struck an arc, the lights dimmed. I could'nt agree with you more, if you're gonna have shop equipment, you should upgrade to 200amp.

[david58]

http://shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=70348

[allsierra123]

thanks dave.Im thinking we should try to sift through the archives and link up to some relevant threads.maybe we could get a nice faq sticky page like we have over on the OR section.

[slowtwitch]

OSHA would love me

I have a MillerMatic Challenger 172, that runs on 220 volts. Also, in my garage, I have a 5 hp table saw, 8" jointer and 2 hp dust collection setup, all run on 220 volts. I run everything thru a sub-box, that uses a 40 amp breaker, as it's main. Now, count in the lights, bench grinder, etc, etc...

Been using the setup for the past 8 years and never blew a fuse, yes fuses....the best overcurrent protection out there. I've also found that, no matter how hard I tried, I can never use the saw and the welder at the same time

I've had a 110 volt Lincoln, in the past. It did ok, but the 220 machine is so much nicer.

pete