I got a welder......FINALLY

[88_Eddie]

i was at lowes yesterday getting some spray paint for the old battle axe and naturally, i decided to get a welder too.

i cant build a skyscraper with it, but it should fit my needs just fine. it'll do steel and aluminum (once i get a spool gun and some argon).

i can do up to 1/4" with fluxcore and i think 12 gauge on alminum. me and my dad have a bunch of projects lined up for it. i'm gonna do some bumpers for the b2 as well, plus i need to gusset lift brackets, do my spring perches, etc., etc.

i havent welded in quite a while, so everyone give me your .02 cents on setups, techniques and all that crap. btw, it's a lincoln 125

 

[guitarSteve]

I love welding. Used to be certified 6G stick welder (all position pipe).

Something about the world being all dark except for that little puddle made the day go fast!

I'd love a wire feed rig like that. Very handy thing to have around. Congrats!

I can't give much advice being as I was a stick welder, but I've done a little bit of wire feed and like it.

 

[PORTnPOLISH]

Congrats. Get some scrap metal and practice practice. Start with flux ore and once you make nice fluxcore welds start using your gas and your welds will look very nice.

 

[88_Eddie]

Congrats. Get some scrap metal and practice practice. Start with flux ore and once you make nice fluxcore welds start using your gas and your welds will look very nice.

thanks guys!!! yeah, i have a few pieces laying around right now that i wanna practice on.

Start with flux ore and once you make nice fluxcore welds start using your gas and your welds will look very nice.

do i need to get gas for it? i wanna weld up the axle tubes on my 8.8 and gusset some lift brackets this week. can i flux core that?

and where might one find gas? the manual advised 100% argon to do aluminum. and a mixture of argon and CO2 for steel.

we had a badass thousands of dollars lincoln welder in the shop when i was in college, it would do anything. i know we had it rigged up for gas, but i never paid attention to it, just used it when i needed it for a project.

 

[MrE_Powers]

nice machine. http://www.mwsc.com/ i would recommend or just google welding supply in your area for argon. if you plan on welding aluminum just get argon cylinder, no c/o argon mix because you can still weld steel with straight argon. they mix in c/o just to make shield gas for steel cheaper.
the argon-c/o mix isnt used for aluminum because it does not protect the aluminum from the atmosphere and reacts to the carbon dioxide when the metal pool cools and wont fuse the metals well at all.

 

[88_Eddie]

nice machine. http://www.mwsc.com/ i would recommend or just google welding supply in your area for argon. if you plan on welding aluminum just get argon cylinder, no c/o argon mix because you can still weld steel with straight argon. they mix in c/o just to make shield gas for steel cheaper.
the argon-c/o mix isnt used for aluminum because it does not protect the aluminum from the atmosphere and reacts to the carbon dioxide when the metal pool cools and wont fuse the metals well at all.

thanks for the link. i just remembered i used to drive past a welding supply shop going to my last job, i need to go check them out

 

[disciplerocks]

Nice. Now get to fabbing!

 

[RatDog8o8]

I think you're gonna have a blast with the new toy!

I've got a flux-core wirefeed, it's a Campbell Hausfeld 115v. Got it at Menards, several years ago. Built several bumpers for Jeeps in the area with it, plus some work on my own CJ-7. Never had an issue arise with either it or it's results. I doubt I ever use a stick welder again.

 

[LIMA BEAN]

I have a fairly new Miller 211 with spool gun, been getting back into aluminum and building a bunch of tunnel-jet boats. I have dam like 8 welders now but still need to get set-up for TIG again so I can do stainless and aircraft frames. I have a little lincoln like you have but it sucks with flux-core, I use CO2/Argon on all of them except the 211 for aluminum it's 100% Argon and of course not the stick welders like my big 250 diesel on the trailer. I also have full torch set-ups and a Thermal Dynamics plasma cutter to boot. Here is the 211 on about the 3rd tunnel-jet

 

[88_Eddie]

Nice. Now get to fabbing!

i'm on it, gonna get the 8.8 ready to go in first and then start on some bumpers and extended RA's

 

[PORTnPOLISH]

For fluxcore you don't need gas but I would practice making nice welds with fluxcore because its cheaper then wasting gas and once you can get nice fluxcore welds the gas welds will feel easier. At least that was my experience. I would only use gas for structural pieces in my opinion since flux core isn't the best but if you throw it on the back of your rig fluxcoe is nice for outdoor use because the wind will not blow away your shielding gas on tue trail.

 

[LIMA BEAN]

Here is one i built for a friend.

Part of the collection of money pits

The motor going back in my jet-boat

 

[88_Eddie]

those look good lima bean, way beyond my grasp right now lol

 

[LIMA BEAN]

those look good lima bean, way beyond my grasp right now lol

You will get there man, you got the welder now so just have fun with it.

 

[trail B2]

I bought a similar welder last summer got gold gas for it and a decent helmet it was man I shoulda done that a long time ago.Had a torch set a friend gave me when I helped him move.I'm like you no where near Lima Bean but it gets my little hobby jobs done.