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[Webby the Bear]

Afternoon chaps. Hope you're all well.

Don't panic, this thread shouldn't be massive and elongated; but like with the ''Mechanic School Blog'' I wanted to chronicle my latest adventures.

Got paid today and am very excited cos I just ordered my new MIG welder. I paid an extra 3 bucks (on top of the 4-something they wanted for delivery) to get it delivered for tomorrow.

This is the beast as recommended by many on here:

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/135te-turbo-mig-welder

Luckily got an E-mail from MachineMart last week offering me VAT free purchases up to 24/11 so with delivery this beast weighed in at £247.something. The kit comes with everything needed to start off (CO2 gas, wire etc) although I took the liberty of ordering a proper welding mask (Silverline) as I need one that will strap to my head as opposed to holding it on a stick. Oh and I ordered a pack of 4 X 90 degree magnets.

So with that all ordered and hopefully arriving promptly tomorrow... you need metal to weld together, right? 

I fitted a new door for SWMBO to her Pug 206 and kept the old one to chop up for welding purposes as it was shagged anyway...


...and started going about getting it chopped up...



...finally with a bucket full of scrap metal for me to practise on


Putting the welding aspect aside for one moment I got to say I am totally comfortable with using the angle grinder for cutting or grinding (thanks to everyone for their advice on that a while ago ) and bloody love using it. I make sure I am holding it as tight as possible cos there have been a couple of instances where its tried to ''run''... presumably where it grabs trying to go through a tighter space. But hold it tight and let it do the work and it's awesome!

Anyways, so I got my welder ordered and I got a big bucket of scrap to practise on. If I was a forward thinker (I'm not) I'd have ground off the paint where I want to weld first and THEN cut. But no dramas, I can do that tomorrow and it'll give me an excuse to get the grinder out again 

I got one quickie question before I start layin' some beads down  ....

I plan on spending most of the day tomorrow practising. I know nothing about how quick i'll eat through the consumables. The welder comes with 390g of gas and a 5kg (I believe) spool of wire. Is it likely i'll run out of either / or?

Secondly I plan on doing it outside assuming it doesn't rain. That way I figure if I set anything alight it will be safer. Does wind have an affect? I'm guessing it wont help the gas form a shield??? If so i'll simply set up shop in the garage.

NOTE I am purchasing a fire extinguisher first thing tomorrow from BACA (local safety store) 

Got a good feeling about tomorrow.





Touch wood 

[Marks DTM Calib]

Welding gauntlets?

[aaronjb]

5Kg of wire will probably last you a while when you're practicing.. but the gas runs out pretty damned quick in those little bottles, especially if you're doing it outside in a breeze so with a high flow rate.

Along with gauntlets as Mark says, wear long sleeves and thick cotton clothing .. polyester likes to catch fire/melt and if you wear short sleeves you'll have a lovely tan if nothing else

[Webby the Bear]

Yep knew I'd forgotten to mention summat.

Welding gauntlets also ordered for delivery tomorrow.

Thanks Aaron, will order another bottle or two

[Varche]

Another in Webby Bears chronicles.  I think the forum ought to pay you a small retainer!

I learnt to weld at nightclass in 1976. My eyes have never been the same since. I made a sumguard and a skidded exhaust in the practical sessions.
Next year I went to gliding nightschool. I bet the council don't run classes like those anymore.

[Marks DTM Calib]

If buying the little bottles and practising stick to the straight CO2 as you can get circa half a kilo in one which will last better than argoshield or similar.

[Webby the Bear]

Thanks boys. 

Having not used this welder yet... am I able to hook the bigger bottles up? All I know is (from what I've read) that the bottle sits in the hatch next to the wire spool. if I can fit bigger bottles at a later date I'm sure that would be better instead of changing 'em every two mins. 

Varche.... gliding school! How awesome!  I've never done night classes for anything but I'm sure there'll be something down the line that I can tempt me old man in to doing (as he likes practical stuff too)

Re your eyes..... is that even with the protective mask? 

I downloaded the welder's instruction manual and looked at the settings. All seems a piece of piss. With regards to how I'm going to weld..... tack two ends of the metal to be joined. Gun no more than 10mm away, once it pools up move it along zig-zagging across the two pieces to be joined. The metal is about 1mm thick so assuming I get the settings right I hopefully wont blow holes (hopefully)

[Webby the Bear]

Ps, re the project you mentioned, Varche...

My plan was to make a welding cart; apparently this is a job a lot of newbie welders do.

I, instead, am going to make a table as my first project. i'll pick up 2x2 inch steel tubing next week and with my dad's careful eye for measuring and my use of a spirit level will hopefully get it properly flat. Then will fit a vice to it. 

But that's for next week..... crawl before running etc etc 

[Varche]

Thanks boys. 

Having not used this welder yet... am I able to hook the bigger bottles up? All I know is (from what I've read) that the bottle sits in the hatch next to the wire spool. if I can fit bigger bottles at a later date I'm sure that would be better instead of changing 'em every two mins. 

Varche.... gliding school! How awesome!  I've never done night classes for anything but I'm sure there'll be something down the line that I can tempt me old man in to doing (as he likes practical stuff too)

Re your eyes..... is that even with the protective mask?

I downloaded the welder's instruction manual and looked at the settings. All seems a piece of piss. With regards to how I'm going to weld..... tack two ends of the metal to be joined. Gun no more than 10mm away, once it pools up move it along zig-zagging across the two pieces to be joined. The metal is about 1mm thick so assuming I get the settings right I hopefully wont blow holes (hopefully)

i think the eyes was just a coincidence but when you are flailing away trying to get a spark it is easy to get out of sequence e.g. look at work piece, move eye protection strike arc, nothing, move protection, strike arc, move eye protection in place.

Gliding was ten weeks. First nine were theory (clouds, controls, thermals and so on) then tenth was an actual flight. Towed up
by a plane, released. The student sat at the front and instructor behind. You got actual hands on and performed some manouevres. That was from Husbands Bosworth. It was great to see the land from the air. I was too into cars but my mate went on to buy a glider.

[omega3000]

Can i put in an order for a tool trolley cart with wheels on to use outside  Price it up an send me pm  No rush care bear , oh and good luck 

[Webby the Bear]

Steve, i'll let you know about the cart.... crawl before running etc  but I certainly don't see why not.....although you may look at my welds and think twice. that's the great thing.... who knows! 

varche that's absolutely awesome!!!! do you have to have  a license forthat sorta thing? certainly don't remember seeing gliding in the college part time prospectus 

[Webby the Bear]

One final question for tonight (as I'm just about to leave to go and get drunk and eat curry have a quiet dinner with a friend)....

Warping. Talk to me.

Is this just a term for the workpiece moving from where you've set it?

Oh and....

Varche you mentioned not being able to strike an arc. Does that sometimes happen? I assumed as long as your settings were right and with trigger pulled it would be ok? 

[aaronjb]

Warping - heat makes things expand, welding introduces heat into the metal.. What can happen is that you get everything really hot and then as it cools, because you've now welded it to something else, things will distort as the expanded piece tries to return to it's original size.  If that makes sense?

Tends to result in things ending up banana shaped, for example, bit like running a pair of scissors along the back of a piece of ribbon. Er, not that I'd know.

It's why if you need to weld a long continuous seam it's often best to stitch weld it - i.e. you weld short sections leaving gaps and then return for a second pass to fill the gaps in. That way you don't put too much heat into the piece in one go.


As for striking the arc - as long as it's clean and you're close to the metal it'll strike.  I assume you went for an auto dimming mask anyway, which means no risk of going blind

[omega2018]

youll run out of gas first.  get the double capacity bottles http://www.thewelderswarehouse.com/Welding/Mig-Tig-Gases-1.html

best not start your welding in the wind, wait for a calm day

getting a proper bottle is a pita as i recall you can only rent them and they are v expensive.  i think maybe now you can buy them, certainly you can get pub co2 gas.  i gave up and just use the double disposables.  you will get thru a lot of gas while learning, better to put out too much than too little until you get the hang of it and recognise an oxidised weld.

a useful instruction site http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/

[omega3000]

Steve, i'll let you know about the cart.... crawl before running etc  but I certainly don't see why not.....although you may look at my welds and think twice. that's the great thing.... who knows! 

varche that's absolutely awesome!!!! do you have to have  a license forthat sorta thing? certainly don't remember seeing gliding in the college part time prospectus 

Angle grinder will sort that  Bet you wont sleep tonight  Then again your taking your medicine just now