farmhand needs welding advice

Date 08-12-2003 05:02

Lots of those welders live on farms. Does everything you just asked for. Even aluminum with aluminum rods. Steel down to 1/16 or so without much trouble. No top limit just more passes. It comes in an ac/dc version, more bucks but nice to have.
Bill

By dee

Date 08-12-2003 07:18

Gone...

The issues on your mind probably force versatility into a top slot on your list of priorities, and I believe oxyacetylene might be a good choice. Certainly it bears serious consideration..
It's an indespensible tool for all kinds of repair work and I wouldn't be without one. Its also my personal opinion that familiarity, if not proficiency, in this process will make all other welding processes easier to master, and other issues, such as outstanding portability, less cumbersome protective gear, and other advantages make it my first choice. It welds, brazes, solders, cuts, bends & forges, loostens frozen nuts, slices, dices, and does everything except fold up your socks and put them away in a drawer... I exagerate only slightly... it's a pocket blacksmith shop in trained hands, not merely a welding device, and pardon the pun, is the hot ticket for the farm.

The advantages of "stick machines" as well as oxyacetylene become clear when you have to buy unnecessarily large, expensive reels of wire for some obscure small repair you might see once or twice in your MIG welding "carreer", and upon investigation you'll find there are products suitable for oxfuel use available which will enable you to complete all those projects in steel, aluminum, bronze and brass, copper, and stainless that you are thinking about.

Oxyacetylene simply does not come to mind when we think of welding equipment, but I would place it first ahead of stick, tig, and mig in that order of personal preference for your purposes. As you are still orienting yourself, a good place to begin would prhaps be to explore why they're in that order when you talk to pops friend.
(I could, and often do, go on and on, but I'm out of time for now but will follow up if necessary)

Good luck and regards,
d

By gonefishin Date 08-12-2003 11:22

Thanks for all the help, but I've seen ac225 welders go for like 50 bucks or less at the auction. A decent harris or victor setup looks about 200 bucks plus i don't know what for bottles. I haven't seen many of them used. Does anybody know where i might find them used?

By gonefishin Date 08-12-2003 11:34

I looked in used supplies and found a few setups, but it is all greek to me as to what i want and what to stay away from

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 08-12-2003 12:06

Welcome to the forum,
Naturally brand names are good choices(blue, red, yellow colored machines come to mind). If money allows, I recommend both SMAW(stick) and OFC(oxy/fuel cutting) as my choices for around the farm.
GMAW(gas metal arc welding) and FCAW(flux cored arc welding) also have their advantages and can both be run on the same machine with proper shielding gasses, which make them fussy about breezes. Unless you use the self-shielded flux core wire which like SMAW generates its own shielding and doesn't need external gas shielding.
My father-in-law has run a farm and many of his neighbor's farms with SMAW and OFC only for many years without any trouble, so they would be my tools of choice to start with.
Let us know what you choose to use and how it all works out for you, so we can help other people with their farm needs.
John Wright

By dee

Date 08-13-2003 06:41

e-bay ? local flea-markets ? talk to weld supply houses about tank ownership (& periodic hydro-testing), refill policy and perhap rental first. let them show you how to identify ownership and hydro testing on the tanks, and perhaps a welding handbook that discusses equipment

an outfit called generico has what seemed to me as low cost apparatus listed at their internet site- dont know much else about it but at least you'll know where it's been and it carrys a guarantee

for 50 bucks youll always be able to use the little lincoln no matter what other equipment you've got it will find use from time to time

regards
d

By thetraininglink (*)

Date 08-13-2003 23:56

I agree with all that's been said....however, it's important to point out that whatever welding processes you choose to use, you will still need to have some training....and lots of practice....to have success! HIGHLY recommend you check out the tech center you mentioned and get into some training!!! While trial and error can teach you, the learning curve is shortened greatly with some over the shoulder help from a professional.

By gonefishin Date 08-14-2003 00:54

i plan on getting some training, and i am even considering taking some night classes in the winter when things slow down for me. i tried to search for some good books to read, but i am having trouble. Can anybody reccomend some books? i checked with the local library, but they had a very limited selection. i can just buy books through amazon.com or something

once again, thanks

By billvanderhoof (****)

Date 08-14-2003 05:47

Here's one for free
http://www.adtdl.army.mil/cgi-bin/atdl.dll/tc/9-237/toc.htm
Bill

By Brenda L. Ruple Date 08-14-2003 17:31

Good Afternoon Sir,
You have a very good source of knowledge at your fingertips! All of the men @ this site are worth they're weight in GOLD :)

They all have very good points of expertise, and I believe you are most interested in Portability/Weight and Function? Yes, the investment of $50.00 will pay for itself - learning the trade for proper application.

I did some work for local farmer's where I used to live,(Michigan) combine,tractor's,stalls etc.etc. I used a little Mig with Tig conversion kit for all of it. Fix and repair peices, parts and equipment.

It was the technique and application=Skill of welding.
My grandfather owned a 200 acre salvage yard in Northern Indiana and thats where I learned the trade :)

P.S. I have a little craftsman 120 in the garage now and I used it to fix boat trailers,trash bin,bycicle's and art. L.O.L !

Oh Ya! Go to this site for indepth info http://www.weldinginspectionsvcs.com/miscPages.htm
Good Luck!
thephoenix

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 08-14-2003 18:14

Brenda L. Ruple,
Welcome to the forum,
Gerald Austin will be flattered that you mentioned his site in your post. He has lots of useful info for the enquiring mind on there. Pipewelder_1999 is his user name here in the forum.
I too treasure his "nuggets" of wisdom concerning welding and inspection that he brings to this forum.
Have a great day,
John Wright

By gonefishin Date 08-15-2003 00:16

thanks for the links, its a lot of info but i am starting to understand it
I still don't quite understand carbon arc gouging or cutting?

By billvanderhoof (****)

Date 08-15-2003 04:07

An arc is established between the work and a carbon electrode, this melts the surface of the work. Simultaneously a blast of air blows the molten material away from the crater. In my experience requires a substantial welding machine and a fair size air compressor. Works on many materials like stainless and aluminum that a torch won't easily cut.
Bill

By gonefishin Date 08-16-2003 00:41

I noticed some stick machines in the lincoln electric catalog will also tig weld and some will not. Why? is it because the amperage is too high? or do you need DC current? the ac225 does not say it can tig weld

thanks