i've called two places and they seemed completely fine with exchanging the bottle. Unfortunately someone bought the bottle on ebay. And they wanted like 130 bucks at the store i called with it filled, for a 40 cu ft. Ebay has 40's for like 100 bucks shipped. I dont want to spend 100 and wished i just spent 130 on a 60 though.

how long will a 40 last me? the guy at the store was saying a few weeks at best.

 

depends on skill level, amount being used and settings. its like trying to get as much gas milage in your car as you can. you just have to learn how to set it and dont wast any. if not in use. keep bottle turned off.

 

Its really hard to estimate how long it will last. Should do at least a couple hours of actual arc time if set correctly.

 

shizl. well im trying to get hooked up with some cylinders locally so we'll see what happens.

 

a 40 usually last me about 15 min. ha aha

 

Haha, man I knew that was comin

 

I firmly plan on that when I get home from work.

I'm really suprised they're cool like that down there. Must be a different welding arena.

 

aiiiiiiiight. so I got me a LE 135 and the cylinder (120 cu ft) and it all hooked up. First of all I read the instructions and couldnt find out where the gauge was supposed to read for the pressure going to the gun. I tried it all the way closed and all the way open and somewhere in between. Then I later read 15-20 psi online.
my welds were not even welds. I was welding on some crappy little piece of sheet metal but it was just splattering everywhere. I thought I had the speed settings and heat settings fairly accurate due to the chart on the welder but maybe something to due with the gas setting I was using?
i donno...thats my first welding experience and I didnt have much time to play with it so i'll go back out there and try again. My main concern is that I'm going to be welding a fairly thick piece of metal onto a crossmember maybe 1/4 thick. Is the welder capable of making a good sturdy weld on something this thick? Am I going to have to use larger wire? its .6 wire right now, very thin.

Also, lets say I'm welding 2 different types of metal together, how does that work. I gotta go get some scrap metal now.

 

If its .06 you've got flux core wire. This would explain why its very spattery. Don't even waste your time trying to learn flux core. Take that out and go get yourself some .030 or .035 solid wire. Makes since to get the 25lbs roll. Its about 50% more money than a 10lbs roll and 150% more wire.

Idealy, you should have some .028" for sheet metal work and .035 for thicker stuff. But since none of us live in a perfect world and its a PITA to switch spools all the time I'd suggest some .030". I can do 1/4" with that if its set well.

To set gas pressure set the voltage to the purge setting if there is one. Then pull the trigger. The pressure on the gauge should read between 20-25 when the trigger is depressed. I like to run mine kinda high though so I don't get any flameups. If you're worried about conserving gas run it lower.

 

thats ironic considering all of the instructions talk like they expect you to use it for MIG and not flux core. All well I'll switch out the wire regardless not a big deal. So I'll get that .030. and flip that little wheel over.
No I dont have a purge valve (i dont think) I just press the trigger with the gun in the air and let the wire feed out a little/gas flow to see where it adjusts to after i turn the ****. Once it goes to the PSI I set it to (After purging) it stays there, right? So your saying keep it at 20-25. I'll check that out.
i appreciate the help broaner!

 

on the gas for mine, I turn it up until I can just hear the gas coming out of the end when I put if near my ear. that's about all you really need if you're welding indoors. it's much lower than 20psi..
if I'm outside or welding on dirty metal, then I'll turn it up some, but for indoors and clean metal, you can generally go much much lower and save yourself some cash.

Broaner, the SP135 like what he's got won't fit the 25lb roll- at least I don't thienk they will. it's set up for 1lb and 10lb rolls.

 

I was a High school welding teacher for three years.

Get the biggest miller Mig Welder with shielded gas you can afford.

And remember its a tool you will have for the rest of your life so try to buy the best you can to save money in the long run.

 

thanks but I have already purchased a welder. I already spent more than I planned and got what has seemed to be to the general liking of fellow orgers for a middle-class welder.

Any tips you can offer would be appreciated though. My current concern is making a durable weld seeing as how the crossmember will be holding my transmission up.

Also, lets say I want to weld a thicker piece of metal than the welder is meant for. Could I just bevel the edges and pool alot of wire on there?

 

alright I switched the wire to the larger stuff, I dont know if it made a difference but its probably better that its thicker anyhow.

I think my main problem was what i was welding on and how far i had the gun from the surface of the metal. Its hard to hold it a steady distance away without letting the gun tip "ground out" on the metal itself. I keep having to clip the wire down cause i'll hold the gun too far away and too much wire will come out. Anyhow...still learning. I need to get some scrap metal

 

The tip shouldn't ground out on the metal. Only if you have got some splatter stuck inbetween the wire and tip will that happen. You need to hold the tip at about a 45 deg angle and put it as close as you can. So the shielding gas doesn't dissapate.

 

hmm. what i mean is that I accidentally let the tip rest against the metal for a second and then the welder makes a weird noise and its as if the gun tip is welding itself to the metal.

I got some pretty good welds beads down though. How do I know if the gas is working or not?

 

"hss" sound. If you don't get teh gas around the working area, the welds will look like crap.

 

no, the sound is electrical, its like a very loud HUMMING sound. only when the tip touches the metal though for a quick second.

 

lol dont worry bout that weve all done it

 

aha thats what i like to hear!!
btw I had to move fairly fast to get the weld that I wanted. I got the impression I could kind of hold the gun in one spot for a moment and pool a weld in there.

 

I got a Hobart 125EZ, it was the most I could afford and does great for non gas.... I wish i had gas though. One day.

I got it around 300 from northern tool.

 

Are you holding the tip with both hands? that helps a lot. only the really good guys will use one hand to weld. it takes a real steady hand to make those pretty pro looking welds. usually you want about 3/8" or so of wire sticking out of the tip. if it's real windy, choke up a bit closer and use more gas.

if you have to move too fast to make the weld, try dropping the current a bit and slowing your wire speed. it sounds like your wire speed is too high to me. usually with the current set to max on my welder and 030 wire, I'll only have the speed set to like 3 1/2 or so. run it slower and you'll get good penetration.

why don't you come by sometime and I can work with you on getting some decent welds. an hour working with someone who's got some experience will save days of the n00b screwing around in the garage burning holes in ****. (Ask me how I know. )

 

haha, I donno man, I appreciate the offer but I live far out west and my next door neighbor is a welder and offers too but I just have weird thing about getting help, I'm stubborn I guess. My dad keeps telling me to go take a class but I just dont have the patience lol.
I have my welder set on like the 2nd voltage setting (thats what the chart said)and like 2.5 wire speed it looks like i'm getting some pretty good welds...It seems like keeping the angle right and the distance from the object right is the most crucial part. Using both hands DID help. and no there is no wind, I'm in an enclosed garage so keeping the gas pressure to 20 psi.

Also, if I want to weld something onto a body panel on a vehicle, I need to ground the ground wire to the chassis on the same panel dont I? and i'd have to sand down the paint to get the ground to work on bare metal?

I'm going to find something to weld today, and buy some sheet metal or something.

i'll take pics in a bit

 

The closer you can get the ground to the weld the better. But on unibody cars every body panel is spot welded to another so if you can't get a good clamping point within 12" or so it usually isn't a problem.

After a while you'll start to really get the hang of it. At that point you can start focusing on your breathing. Timing it in a rythmic cycle with your welding can improve things a lot and really make for a robotic looking weld.

And FYI the chart is a baseline I find that I almost always run my wire speed lower than what the chart recomends.

Best of luck in your learning.

 

yeah i had to grind a door down to bare metal (spare junk door) for it to ground so i could play around and weld on it.

I think I'm gonna try lowering my wire speed, it seems like it can just go way too fast.

thanks man

 

alright. Here's the crossmember I was talking about welding. I notched it out and welded in some steel I bought. i know the welds arent the best but I think they are pretty sturdy. I had some pretty clean beads at first even though they did look a tiny bit porous. But I went back over them because I was afraid that one bead wasnt strong enough or something.
I also added this little rod which was probably too thick to be welding but it was just as back up support.




I'm thinking about adding some gussets just to make sure its rigid.

 

Wow. Well keep practicing! Looks like there's no gas surrounding the weld area. Also looks like not enough amperage or you're going too fast.

Here's a resource that might help.
http://www.millerwelds.com/resources...ur-skills/mig/

 

thanks. if theres no gas surrounding the weld does that effect its strength? I have it set to like 20ish psi. hmm.

Also, I forgot to flip down my mask and looked into the spark for a real brief second. Do you think any damage has been done to my eyes? It really didnt phase me until I had done a quick tack and i was like "hey thats kinda bright!"

 

Nah.. once every now and then won't hurt much.. just don't make it a habit... make sure you use the darkest mask you can get and still see well enough to weld (they make the lenses in different darknesses. most are a "12" I think. I use a couple steps darker than that when the part is well-lit. not as dark when there's not much light.

for metal that thick, you need to use more current. set it to the next step up. wire speed prolly around 2.5 or 3. also looks like the metal inside the tube is very dirty. that'll FUBAR a weld worse than with no gas, since the oils and rust and crapola are literally boiling under the weld puddle and gassing out.
It looks like you've got plenty of gas, you just need to practice your welding and get better so you can lay a better bead. it doesn't look like it's spattering too much, but it's putting down big globs because your current isn't set right. Again, best thing to do is get someone to help you out to get started. for the time I've spent in this thread, either myself or your neighb coulda shown you how to put down a MUCH nicer weld than that. 10-15 minutes of help will get you a LONG way.


Also please tell me that's not a major structural crossmember. cutting it like that lost probably 90% of its strength for bending. you never want sharp 90* angles if you have to do something like that. cut it at a 45* or less angle and give it some taper. rounding the intersections of the cuts helps too, as it decreases the stress at the corners. those inside corners on that tube will likely start to crack toward the back of the pipe soon if you put a lot of stress on it. beter yet would have been to simply use a press to flatten it out. some. no welding or cutting necessary then.

 

I agree your welds are looking pretty good for a new welder. Typically weld guns have the nozzle bent in the correct position if you hold the handle parallel to the piece being welded. This is a good practice for new welders once you start getting the hang of that you need to pay attention to the sound it will indicate a lot to you. Your looking for a bacon sizzling type sound if you allow the tip to move further away you well here the sound waves increase in length (sound like its boggin down or slowing down). IT looks to me as if you are going pretty straight and as others have said too fast. You want to use the junction of where the two pieces meet together as a center line and manipulate the tip of the welder in a CCCCCCC kinda shape(think more crescent mooned then C). Number one thing that you need to get used to in my opinion is to watch the puddle behind the arc not the bright light! looking at the light doesn't tell you **** but if you are watching the puddle that you are leaving behind you can make sure it is to the uniform thickness that you are going for. Always weld from left to right if right handed and right to left if left handed. Also That miller welds sight is very very good. Lots of good info there.

Good luck and remember welding is like anything else in life the more you practice the better you are.

GET BURNEN!!!!!

Oh and weld flash is not to bad not a good idea to do it often but when you really get a good one it will feel as if someone poured sand in your eyes.

 

I tried to clean up the area the best I could. I used a wire brush on a drill to every actual spot that I welded on.

matt- yes its a cross member that holds the transmission up on my el camino. I realized after I cut it at the 90 degree angle that I should have thought it through more. I test fit the cross member everytime I changed something. the notch was about half way through the pipe and it seemed to still hold the transmission fine, but once I notched it out deeper it was bending under the weight of the transmission. After welding my initial plate on there the bar was still bending a little bit. after I completely boxed in the sides though the beam seemed alott stronger and wasnt bending at all.

like I said I'm going to put some gussets on there and call it good, I think that should make it sturdy enough. I asked for help on this on like 3 different forums and nobody could seem to help so I just jumped in. the write ups I saw was some guy who just cut a section out completely and then welded a 3/8's plate on top...I figured this would be better.

My initial beads were not bad really I was actually impressed but like I said (or thought i said) I went back over them and added another "bead" and it got globby. I had it on the highest setting for that little bar but there was a big gap and what not.

ANYWAY. thanks 02blackout, I do see what your saying. I was kind of catching onto watching the puddle but maybe I have been moving too quickly.

matt if you want to see where I got the ideas to do it like this here are three pictures I've looked at to reference.

 

Looks good for a first attempt. Everybody just about covered it already. One thing though, I would suggest some triangular gussets on the 90 degree corners. Even if they're really small its something.

Can we turn this thread into a welding **** thread? I'l go first.

S13 rear subframe all beefed up.


Front getting worked over.

 

niiice dude. thats the kind of stuff I want to do eventually (and with pretty welds). 240's are crazy popular down here in houston (and cheap too). I might pick up a shell one day.

go ahead and post up wahtever you want. But what size welder do you have? Do you think my welder would be able to handle stuff that size?

and yeah the triangular deal is what i was thinking, I think Im just going to keep it simple and lay one plate the length of the angle on each side.

 

I have a Hobart 140. It works great for everything car related I do. But fabbing stuff for the truck is pushing its limits as I'm usually working with 1/4"+.

 

I have a hobart handler 135 which is the older model of broaners. i LOVE IT!! Got it directly from miller sense miller is in appleton where i live. They had a scratch and dent sale over there for stuff they couldnt sell as new. Only got like $50 off but its only a very very small dent.

Nice welds btw for a beginer, once you get the whole voltage/wire speed thing under your belt youll be golden. Did u happen to buy a grinder aswell?

 

yeah I was worried the metal was too thick but the welder seemed to handle it fine. I dont think that was even 1/4 though.

yeah ive got a grinder, thats been what i've been using for most everything (even to cut) because my damn compressor is messed up and I cant afford a new one right now so no cut off wheel .

thanks for the compliments...I'm going to go gusset this stuff in now.

btw where do yall get tubing and metal? My corner hardware store has pieces but not like tubing necessarily

 

okay I went back and added double decker gussets. (seemed cool when I imagined it in my head). Anyway, I mounted the gussets how I did because I figured that would spread out the stress over a larger area. I may still go back and add a plate on top of the whole notch but it seems fairly solid as is.

 

Interesting method. Looks good. I'd say you still need some more voltage due to the appearance of the bead sitting on top of the metal rather than penetrating. Other than that my only thought would be, "Rust factory!" Make sure you lay a sh!tload of rustoleum in there or maybe some POR.

I get a majority of my fabrication stuff at Farm & Fleet. They might not have that around you though. Its a fairly unique small chain store that carries stuff that the big box places like Home Depot and Lowe's don't. If you can't find a store like that the phone book is your friend as well as word of mouth. Since Matt is in your area I'm sure he knows where to get stuff.

As far as cutoff wheels. Depending on the size of your grinder you can get a cutoff wheel for it. I use Dewault 4 1/2" cutoffs and grinding wheels. Grinding wheels also come in an aluminum version if you've got some AL projects. Regular steel wheels will clog up when used on AL.

 

haha you like that? yeah i'll spray that down with something. I dont think I will have this crossmember for more than a few years at most since I really want to get a 5 speed for it (different xmember)

I think I'm going to just put the voltage on the highest or 2nd to highest (C and D) and work down from there. I thought a few times I could see it melting the metal though or something so I thought it was too high. But your right, it has been sitting on top.

We got something like that down here close to me actually called Tractor Supply. yeehaw I'll go check them out. I was just curious if there was some secret **** I didnt know about where you could get free scrap metal.

 

You need to burn some holes in some practice metal to see how overdoing does. Then back it off to see what a nice weld that penatrates the metal looks like.