Cant believe im saying this...

[4.0blue98]

I've done tons of sheet metal with my 115v Lincoln handy mig with flux core setting. You really need to play with the settings. Low voltage and brisk wire feed works well. Great for plug and stitch welds. I have yet to put a tank on it but I'm sure it would be fantastic. It also works great up to 1/8" plate too.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I've done tons of sheet metal with my 115v Lincoln handy mig with flux core setting. You really need to play with the settings. Low voltage and brisk wire feed works well. Great for plug and stitch welds. I have yet to put a tank on it but I'm sure it would be fantastic. It also works great up to 1/8" plate too.

Yeah....i got an old washer out back in the scrap pile...maybe ill take the cut off wheel out and hack some of the steel off it and play around. I need to learn how.

Itd be handy to learn how to do patch panels and shit at the least. If im gonna continue owning and driving 35+yr old fords in michigan im gonna need to lol

 

[Curious Hound]

.i got an old washer out back in the scrap pile.

That sounds like BII patch panels right there.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

That sounds like BII patch panels right there.

Not a horrible idea once i get some structure to it lol.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I've been eyeing this free old fridge on kijiji to use for patch panels. Wonder about the porcelain tho

 

[4.0blue98]

Don't laugh, I've been hacking up an old riding mower and a banged up subaru hood for my "restoration".

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Don't laugh, I've been hacking up an old riding mower and a banged up subaru hood for my "restoration".

Hey whatever works. I repurpose all sorts of shit.

 

[Roert42]

I used an old refrigerator to fix a lawn mower deck and the roof on my house.
With a grinder, welder, and spray paint, anything is possible.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

If I was a little more mobile and had a few less things on my plate I’d volunteer to come help with the repairs. It’s rough for sure, but definitely fixable.

What kind of little welder do you have? @rusty ol ranger

 

[rusty ol ranger]

If I was a little more mobile and had a few less things on my plate I’d volunteer to come help with the repairs. It’s rough for sure, but definitely fixable.

What kind of little welder do you have? @rusty ol ranger

I apperciate the thought either way.

Its a little campbell hausfield. I got it on sale at menards like...15 years ago lol.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I apperciate the thought either way.

Its a little campbell hausfield. I got it on sale at menards like...15 years ago lol.

Is it one of the dumb ones that just has a high/low switch and wire feed speed? Those things work, but I hate them. They tend to be a little difficult for me to get them dialed in and often I end up where low is too low and high is too high. My one buddy has one and I’ve burned a whole spool of wire through it and still don’t really like it. Dad bought one of the Harbor Freight Titanium inverter welders awhile back that actually had dial adjustments for wire speed and power output, thing is cool because it’s small and super light, but it stopped feeding wire after the first spool through it which of course lasted long enough to be out of warranty. I’ve poked at it a bit, but so far no joy. I got tired and bought a used Lincoln WeldPak, think it’s a 125. It’s big and heavy, especially with a 10# spool in it, but it’s 120v, dials for adjustment, and can be run as flux core or with gas. I just run it as flux core and it’s my “portable” welder. Well, it’s much more portable than my Lincoln PowerMig 200 with a big gas bottle and takes 10-44# spools of wire. I just came to the end of a 44# spool yesterday. I have a 33# that’s going in it. The big one is also 240v.

I actually learned welding using dad’s old oxy/acetylene torch set years ago. I needed to patch two body mounts on my Choptop. Dad had the torch set complete with cutting and welding heads plus a box of welding rod for it. I still have some of that welding rod, but I bought a tube of new welding rod for it. Sometimes I break it out for fun or if for some reason an electric welder just won’t work well. I have the tanks strapped to a dolly so it can go where an extension cord won’t reach. That taught me a lot about penetration and puddle control and all. I’m by no means an awesome welder, but I can usually get it to stay put.

I have a Lincoln AC-225 stick welder, one of the “tombstone” style welders. I can, and have used it, but I’m not very good with stick. Someday I may play with it more and/or get a higher end stick welder. Really want a TIG machine and a plasma cutter, but those are out of the budget at the moment.

A lot of it is learning to adjust the settings for your welder correctly and learning puddle control. For thin stuff like sheet metal, it’s getting the correct setting and stitching it together. Thin stuff doesn’t take heat well and it also has a greater tendency to warp. So usually the best way to do it is get it in position and just spread out a bunch of tack welds. Just zap a little bead and move at least an inch if not more before putting another tack. Then you just keep spreading out tacks or short welds. Having an air compressor with a blow gun handy will help too, blow off the welds after welding to cool the area. It’s a tedious process to weld sheet metal because you either have to keep blowing air across it in between stitching it together with tacks or you have to do a bunch of tacks and walk away until it cools so you can continue. Of course that also applies a bit to any welding. My big MIG welder will do 1/4” plate in a single pass and 1/4” plate will take a lot more heat than sheet metal, but if you just go hog wild laying down weld, you can warp 1/4” steel with it. I found that out the hard way. You can easily run a bead with thicker metal, but you still have to be careful not to pour too much heat and warp things. It’s a process.

 

[scotts90ranger]

With flux core and sheet metal you really need to do some playing around, it's doable, I used that for years before I got a bottle of 75/25... if you're not too worried about warping or being perfect you can get around some things... what was said above about low voltage and high wire speed is really the key, take most rules of thumb and base settings and just ignore them for thin stuff that wants to burn through... normally they say more wire speed is more amps but if you don't have the voltage to make the amps at the wire speed it cools it down... on my stupid flux core 90A HFT special that thing only works good with .035" wire no matter what you're doing just don't listen to ANY "rules of thumb" as they don't apply to that thing... I really had it figured out for several years before I upgraded...

Anyway, stitch welding is key, tack welds every 2" or so and just work your way around, if you don't rush it you might not even warp it...

Looks like a pain but fixable, most of my mower decks have been scabbed together for years since I only use the best 25 year old stuff I can find cheapest

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Gas is great... but if you are working outside with much of a breeze your gas will be joining the atmosphere and not really doing welder gas things.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Is it one of the dumb ones that just has a high/low switch and wire feed speed? Those things work, but I hate them. They tend to be a little difficult for me to get them dialed in and often I end up where low is too low and high is too high. My one buddy has one and I’ve burned a whole spool of wire through it and still don’t really like it. Dad bought one of the Harbor Freight Titanium inverter welders awhile back that actually had dial adjustments for wire speed and power output, thing is cool because it’s small and super light, but it stopped feeding wire after the first spool through it which of course lasted long enough to be out of warranty. I’ve poked at it a bit, but so far no joy. I got tired and bought a used Lincoln WeldPak, think it’s a 125. It’s big and heavy, especially with a 10# spool in it, but it’s 120v, dials for adjustment, and can be run as flux core or with gas. I just run it as flux core and it’s my “portable” welder. Well, it’s much more portable than my Lincoln PowerMig 200 with a big gas bottle and takes 10-44# spools of wire. I just came to the end of a 44# spool yesterday. I have a 33# that’s going in it. The big one is also 240v.

I actually learned welding using dad’s old oxy/acetylene torch set years ago. I needed to patch two body mounts on my Choptop. Dad had the torch set complete with cutting and welding heads plus a box of welding rod for it. I still have some of that welding rod, but I bought a tube of new welding rod for it. Sometimes I break it out for fun or if for some reason an electric welder just won’t work well. I have the tanks strapped to a dolly so it can go where an extension cord won’t reach. That taught me a lot about penetration and puddle control and all. I’m by no means an awesome welder, but I can usually get it to stay put.

I have a Lincoln AC-225 stick welder, one of the “tombstone” style welders. I can, and have used it, but I’m not very good with stick. Someday I may play with it more and/or get a higher end stick welder. Really want a TIG machine and a plasma cutter, but those are out of the budget at the moment.

A lot of it is learning to adjust the settings for your welder correctly and learning puddle control. For thin stuff like sheet metal, it’s getting the correct setting and stitching it together. Thin stuff doesn’t take heat well and it also has a greater tendency to warp. So usually the best way to do it is get it in position and just spread out a bunch of tack welds. Just zap a little bead and move at least an inch if not more before putting another tack. Then you just keep spreading out tacks or short welds. Having an air compressor with a blow gun handy will help too, blow off the welds after welding to cool the area. It’s a tedious process to weld sheet metal because you either have to keep blowing air across it in between stitching it together with tacks or you have to do a bunch of tacks and walk away until it cools so you can continue. Of course that also applies a bit to any welding. My big MIG welder will do 1/4” plate in a single pass and 1/4” plate will take a lot more heat than sheet metal, but if you just go hog wild laying down weld, you can warp 1/4” steel with it. I found that out the hard way. You can easily run a bead with thicker metal, but you still have to be careful not to pour too much heat and warp things. It’s a process.

Yeah its exactly the one you describe in your first line lol.

Ive welded 2 things with it....the cross bars on a big metal dog cage that broke (that held for maybe 3 weeks) and the tailgate hinge on my F250...that actually held for a year or so.

I think a big part of my issue besides not knowing what the hell im doing is the fact i also cant see what im doing. I need some auto dark goggles too. That coupled with i tend to rush.

Im gonna go out tomorrow and put the new battery cable on and atleast begin putting the PS bracket on my F250. Ill drag it out and plug it in and play with it a little bit.

Thanks for the advice guys...ill for sure heed it.

 

[Curious Hound]

I think a big part of my issue besides not knowing what the hell im doing is the fact i also cant see what im doing. I need some auto dark goggles too. That coupled with i tend to rush.

Seeing is important. I need a better welding helmet at home. Sometimes I can see. Sometimes I can’t. Part of that is ambient lighting. I’m usually near the front of the garage with the door open. Look one way, everything is great. Move to the other side of the work with the sun shining behind me and it all changes.

I did some tig welding at work the other day, in a well lit shop using a premium miller helmet and I could see every detail of what was going on in that weld puddle. It was an amazing difference. But I think the helmet costs around $400 or more.