Newbie questions

By Lawrence (*****)

Date 04-08-2008 18:56

Look online (Millerwelds.com Lincolnelectric.com) There are a bunch of training materials online including some pretty good video

Safety Glasses are important to always wear (even under your helmet)

By motgar

Date 04-08-2008 19:34

Fire extinguisher type ABC, always be aware of your surroundings. Especially if you do not have a fire watch. Always keep in mind where your body is, in relation to the weld pool, for out of position welding. Even when you chip slag off welds. It does not take too many big gobs of slag or spatter to teach you that. If you do get into out of position, get a good leather jacket. Nice to have if you are crammed into a compromising situation, when you can not avoid the sparks. Not all helmets are the same. All different styles and makes. Auto darkening to the manual flip fronts, plastic and fiberglass. Differnt kinds depending on certain situations, comfort level, and of course the almighty Dollar. Good Luck at your endeavor.

By fuxking Date 04-08-2008 20:14

Is there anything special I should look for in a helmet? There are some on eBay for like five bucks plus shipping. Looks like plastic, no pretty flame design, or skulls or any nonsense, it says shade 10 lens. Surely that would be sufficient for a beginning welder? Thanks for your other advice, definitely some stuff I didn't think of.

By motgar

Date 04-08-2008 20:59 Edited 04-08-2008 23:19

A shade ten (10) can be used. Process and the amount of amperage has some influence on the shade selection. Filter plates are sometimes made from glass. Generally less common but, still have seen them. Have a tendancy of pitting, due to sparks, if left exposed. Clear plastic cover plates on the front and back, if the helmet permits. Have the option to get gold leafed filter plates, if you really decide you enjoy welding. They give a more vivid arc appearance the so called "true appearance" without the greenish tint. Only drawback is scratching to the gold leafing and expense. Remember to keep your head out of the smoke plume.

Viewable area is a big one. 5 1/4 X 4 1/2 or 2 X 4 1/4. Size of the filter plate.

Hearing protection too. Those little sparks seem to find their way into places. You will feel what I mean, and there is no reason to lose your hearing over it.

By Jeffrey Grady (***)

Date 04-08-2008 21:17

Wow! Good for you. I commend your enthusiam to teach yourself to weld. You have gotten some good responses so far. I would suggest that you try Lowes or Home Depot. They sell weldering machines and have a selection of welding handbooks. These will give you a pretty good start for proper technique. I would not do any out of position welding using one of those ebay cheapie Hoods. If You don't already know..."out of position" refers to any welding performed in any position other than Flat postion. For instance, Horizontal, Verticle and overhead welding. Please be careful when attempting your welding. Remember...this is hot steel you are dealing with, and dangerous electrical current. Do a little reading before you try to spark it up. Also have a good sized bucket of water to quench your weld coupons, and be sure to have a good set of pliers for picking up your welded pieces. Hope this helps.
Respectfully, Jeffrey S. Grady

By RioCampo (***)

Date 04-09-2008 01:56

Long sleeve denim shirt to start with. Not polyester or other synthetic blends some will burn. Also don't weld in tennis shoes, slag is hot and i garauntee you can't get your shoe of fast enough. Wear denim pants if you have them, nothing frayed, shirt or pants. Lace up work boots with leather laces or an old pair of boots just to learn in will get you by.
Lowes, home depot or tractor supply will have a helmet and gloves to get started.
If yo are real serious about welding get the book by rampaul hoobashank, Basics of arc welding i believe is the name. good reference book and not too expensive. It has Fillet and pipe welding procedures.

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 04-09-2008 02:24

I think You will get better results sooner if You use an auto darkening helmet. The experienced guys that weld all the time can get an arc started where they want with a standard helmet, it is pretty hard for a beginner or someone who doesn't weld often. If You use a regular helmet, a powerfull work light, like an outdoor reflector bulb close to the work will let You see to some degree with a #10 filter.

   I have heard that the inexpensive auto darkening helmets from Harbor Freight are acceptable, there are or were some inferior ones in the past.

   Some helmets have uncomfortable head gear, the old fiber ones get out of shape when stored improperly, and some of the plastic ones get uncomfortably hard from age.

   If this is a stick welder, unless the rods were stored properly You should start out with fresh ones. Rods that have been lying arround in a damp area don't run well, and will make it harder to learn than it should be.

By Jeffrey Grady (***)

Date 04-09-2008 03:06 Edited 04-09-2008 03:17

Hello Dave,
Very good advice. I used a standard Hood when i first started MIG/Flux-core in my garage. I also set up a pair of 1000 watt craftsman work lights to assist my ability to see. The lights with tripod only cost $30 at Sears. I have been to Harbor frieght and looked at their selection of welding hoods. Personally...I dont't like them. I have three hoods. 1 standard flip down w/#10 shade, 2 auto dark from Farm & fleet. The expensive one is a Hobart XTP, but the other one is a KT industries w/ 9-13 variable shade and it only cost $79.99.The less expensive KT IND. Hood is really tough and can take alot of abuse. I use it for my overhead welding.
About the welding rods...can't they be placed in the oven for a period of time to dry out? I have heard this workd well. I know my E7018 rods recomend placing in the oven even though they are fresh and still sealed in their original boxes. Just some food for thought for this new welder.
Respectfully, Jeffrey S. Grady

PS. as for the work lights. Be sure to position them correctly if you use an auto dark hood, as the light can cause your hood to darken even before you have struck an arc. At which point you are left in the dark and can't see where you have positioned your rod.

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 04-09-2008 03:38 Edited 04-09-2008 03:52

   Jeffrey, I havn't seen the Harbor Freight hood, just repeating hearsay.

   I have a Hobart Weld It helmet from TSC farm store [probably 9-10 years old now], it has an Arc One auto lense, shade #10. My only complaints are:
   1) the lense has only 2 sensors, if both end up in a shadow You can flash Yourself.
   2) The hood has small volume around the face, and seems to fog up unusually easily. I am thinking of putting the lens and headgear into an old Hobart fiberglass hood.

   There are limits on restoring old rods that have gotten damp/wet. I have had to make repairs with other peoples gear and rods, I put the blame on rods that were laying in the guy's barn for a while, but the machine, a Lincoln 225 AC "Toombstone" and it's leads, all in mediocre condition, might have been responsible for some of the problems.

Drying damp Low Hy rods requires much hotter temperature than storing dry rods to keep them dry.

My carbon steel stick welding experience is mostly with 6011 & 6013. These are not critical like Low Hy, but We always kept them in a dry basement, in the old days on top of the boiler. They worked OK in spite of some being 20-30 years old. Come to think of it, some are probably 50 years old by now.

By Jeffrey Grady (***)

Date 04-09-2008 05:24

Dave,
I sent a reply but messed up and sent via outlook express when I noticed I had recieved a post from you. I have no idea where that went..probably floating around in cyber-space now!
I think your idea of switching out your Lens assembly and head-gear is a good idea if it increases the face to inside lens cover distance. That should fix the fog-up problem. My Hobart XTP ain't a low cost item, but i find it to be worth every penny. It never fails to provide 100% clear view until I strike an arc. it has multliple shade, sensitivity and delay settings, and i think this is why i don't have problems with getting flashed in shadow. I simply set the sensitivity for the conditions and it works every time. It also provides adjustment for increased under hood volume to alleviate any fog-up.
I would not even try restoring an already water logged rod. i was only comenting on the manufaturers recomendations for keeping the good ones in good condition. i store all of my rods in tubes with rubber gasket seals. And i use them pretty quikly anyway. I almost bought a Lincoln 225 at lowes last month. they had them on sale for $229, but i considered the amount of charges I'm already putting on my Lowes card and decided to pay down my card a little first.
As for the problem with having only 2 sensors on your hood...I have no answers to that one, except to up-grade to a newer auto lens. But, that means more $$ out of pocket. I just did a little homework before investing in my good hoods to make sure they would meet my need for differing situations. I hate wasting money to buy more stuff...and there's always more stuff to buy. It's a vocious circle when buying welding supplies. Talk to ya later.
Respectfully, Jeffrey Grady

By fuxking Date 04-09-2008 05:01

So based on what I've read... buy an auto dark hood, buy new rods, be safe/don't burn my self or anything else. So I think I'm good on that stuff, it makes sense. Now, about books and DVDs, any recommendations? I've taught my self to do some other stuff, how to make beer, how to play the drums ect. There's always one book or one DVD that is the "bible" of which ever new hobby I'm trying to learn. So I need to know which is the "bible" for new welders, surely there is one that they use as a beginners book at all of the schools.

By motgar

Date 04-09-2008 12:21

"The Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding", oddly eonugh is sometimes considered the "Bible" by some. Can find it on the internet, or get it directly from Lincoln Electric. The cost is about $25. It certainly is worth it, in my opinion. Think it is up to the Fourteenth Edition, if you want to buy a current one. If you want books for specific processes, there are a lot of great books out there. Good to learn the theoretical and reinforce with practical excersises. Not sure about any DVDs out on the market. Visit a local tech school and observe what some other people are doing.

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 04-10-2008 02:00

Another point concerning an older machine, be sure the cables are in good condition and all the coinections are clean. Shine up the contact surface on the ground clamp and inside of the electrode holder if it is a stick welder.
If there is a range selector, cycle it a bunch of times wiyh the machine off to wipe away accumulated dust.

By devo

Date 04-10-2008 21:02

Check out the books by Galvery and Marlow. Straight to the point and affordable. I believe one is titled "Welding Essentials" and the other is "Welding Fabrication and repair". I just went to my local welding supply and they have a book simply called "The Resource". It is mostly a catalog of all the major welding manufacturers, but there is a section in the middle that explains nearly all welding processes and techniques. There is some information in there that I have not found anywhere else. The best part is it is free. By the way, did you want your forum name to be "fluxking"? If not, then I think I have seen some of your movies. I especially enjoyed vol. 17.

By makeithot (***)

Date 04-10-2008 00:46

Look for this book if you are need for some good litature - " WELDING princibles and applications " by Larry Jeffus. You can also order a student sylabus to go with it to test your knowledge and help with your studies. Web site; http://www.delmarlearning.com .