Guess I get to start welding!!

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4spdragtop

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So Dad and I were talking bout a cheap mig welder and how handy it would be to have one(tacking in upper ball joints, stripped wheel studs etc). I dropped by dads last week and he said "happy birthday"....Im like uh oh Dad's havin' an "episode"....as my birthday isnt until December.....then he showed me what was in the back of his truck. Its not top-a-the-line, but more than good enough for what I will use it for. Im thinkin there will be lotsa "flashin'" in the shop!
 

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Dad is using the Happy Birthday....but I think he meant Thank You for all the help...Good for you Steve
 
Happy early Birthday Steve!:DPlease....no pics of flashing needed:wack:.Practice welding with any scrap steel you can find.Good luck
 
Enjoy,Drag.Once you start fab/wed skills,you are addicted!
 
Looks like a flux-core only welder (no gas). I have a cheaper one from Harbor Freight. It works, but I found it is hard to not burn thru sheet metal and it likes to spit. Still, I fixed a lot of things with it so far. I would have to get a quality welder to see if it is the machine or my lack of experience.
 
Looks like a flux-core only welder (no gas). I have a cheaper one from Harbor Freight. It works, but I found it is hard to not burn thru sheet metal and it likes to spit. Still, I fixed a lot of things with it so far. I would have to get a quality welder to see if it is the machine or my lack of experience.

Toss a dimmer switch from wally world inline with it and dim it ever so slightly, makes my flux core weld sheet metal like a dream.... :) Been welding with mine for a 6 months that way. Never a problem.
 
I can't say I've welded a whole lot of 16 gauge but I hear .023 wire is best for the light gauge and if gas can be hooked up your welding skills will be light years ahead of the flux core wire. A mixed gas can help with reducing spatter too and don't forget the anti-spatter spray or gel for the gun tip/nozzle. Those things cake up quick.

Some of the things i've noticed with mig is if you are right handed weld left to right to reduce burn thru and don't weld more than an inch at a time on sheet metal to reduce distortion. good luck and congrats on the new toy!
 
i have a little welder like that Steve , and i absolutely love it. it runs flux core and gas. i have done a ton of welding with it from 22 gauge sheet metal to 1/8 inch plate. i use a .035 flux core wire without gas with excellent results. its perfect for exhaust and fabbing brackets and such. its paid for itself 200 times over. get you some different gauge metal to practice with and get use to the settings. it is very addicting once you get going lol, you find yourself wanting to weld everything .
 
Thanks Lance, mine is the same setup can either use fluxcore or go with gas....gotta get the bugger wired and start fiddlin'!!
 
I used a similar machine for years with reasonable results. If it was a bigger job the gun would overheat and the performance would get spotty. I finally got frustrated when putting the duals on the Dart last year and bought a nice Hobart. It's light-years above that old mig/flux box, but for the light-duty stuff, the mig/flux machine worked well.

Have fun, and spend the coin on a *quality* auto-darkening helmet. It's worth it!
 
x2

Now that I know how to weld I get all these ideas...

Have fun with it- lots of you tube vids out there to get you started.
Theres a lot of good beginning stuff on you tube! Round you up some heat sinks, brass or aluminum. I adapted some high power magnets from Snapple cooler door racks to hold mine in place while using them. A lot of time you can find that stuff piled up behind grocery or convienience stores.
 
Theres a lot of good beginning stuff on you tube! Round you up some heat sinks, brass or aluminum. I adapted some high power magnets from Snapple cooler door racks to hold mine in place while using them. A lot of time you can find that stuff piled up behind grocery or convienience stores.

Thanks guys, hey DC, what were the heat sinks for/from??
 
Allows some of the heat to be absorbed when you butt weld thin Panels ( body ) or cracks in your lawnmower. Keeps the welder from blowing holes in things. Great for filling holes etc. Check out the vids on you tube and you'll see what I mean.
 
Thanks guys, hey DC, what were the heat sinks for/from??

using as a backer for filling holes and such. the tig wire wont stick to the aluminum. there are also "spoons" available for doing just that. it helps to bridge holes and gaps so you arent blowing through them.
 
I used the aluminum straps off the top of a Magliner delivery cart. The younger aholes at work destroy one about every two months. Any flat stock aluminum about 3/32 to 1/4 inch will work. Beer cans ain't quite thick enough though! Pm me if you have questions I'm sure I have extra magnets but as you know it costs a small fortune to ship stuff up there from here nowdays!
 
Looks like a flux-core only welder (no gas). I have a cheaper one from Harbor Freight. It works, but I found it is hard to not burn thru sheet metal and it likes to spit. Still, I fixed a lot of things with it so far. I would have to get a quality welder to see if it is the machine or my lack of experience.
Bill I'm not trying to be a smartass but those welders as well as most small one's on the market are real fickle about their voltage supply (wire size) 12/2 don't get it and the farther away you are from a breaker box the larger you need. Heat sinks help but you'll have all kinds of problems if it's screamin for more power! It's like putting tennis balls over top your secondaries or a big rubberband around your Johnson!
 
I used the aluminum straps off the top of a Magliner delivery cart. The younger aholes at work destroy one about every two months. Any flat stock aluminum about 3/32 to 1/4 inch will work. Beer cans ain't quite thick enough though! Pm me if you have questions I'm sure I have extra magnets but as you know it costs a small fortune to ship stuff up there from here nowdays!

I cut up a scrap copper pipe and made different shapes to get in all the nooks and crannies while filling in the holes on the firewall. Made the process go much faster, and the result was cleaner looking and easier to finish.
 
It has the option for gas as well. It came with 2 spools of wire, 1 flux core and 1 solid, I figure i will try practicing with the flux core. I havent priced gas out yet but its probably pricey.
PoisonDart74 that is a good idea with the dimmer.
Dovercrossing, I have left over 14/2 wire in the garage and was going to use it, but you are saying that 12/2(larger than 14/2) wont cut it???

Whats everyone think of this autodarkening helmet?? It's 1/2 price, the only concern I have is that it takes no batteries, it's powered by solar panel??? Dunno how good that would be....
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6/Tools/WeldingSoldering/AccessoriesRodsWire/PRD~0580037P/Lincoln+Electric+Darkfire+Autodarkening+Welding+Helmet%2C+Shades+9-13.jsp?locale=en#BVRRWidgetID

Thanks for the tips everyone!!
 
Hey Bill, No sparks flying yet...I just woke up from working 12 hour midnites. I went and picked up some 12/2 house wire, and some 12/2 ext cord wire and I picked up that helmet that I pm'd you about. Wiring it in the shop today should be no biggie. Pi$$es me off, I sent a couple of old cuda hoods to the scrap yard a while back...wish I hadda kept them now... Sparks soon as I am off until Monday night!!
 
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