info for beginning welders Options

[scotty b]

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/welder.gif) As I have been going through some old posts I have seen a fair amount of discussion on how to weld,what machine to buy etc. As a certified welder I can tell you a few things right off the bat. if you are only going to be using it for sheet metal and light steel ( up to 3/8 ) you don't need any more then a 150 amp machine. Go mig, it is the easiest, fastest and cheapest, I know tig is THE thing now, but it isn't for sheet metal due to machine cost, material cost, learning curve and if you don't know what you are doing you can warp the hell out of a panel tigging. .023 wire is all you will need, anything larger will require more amperage and will burn through. Don't mess with flux core on sheet metal, you will most likely ruin your job. My first machine was a 250 amp and came with .035 wire and I used it for panel replacement succesfully, but not without a lot of patience. When I finally broke down and bought the neccessary parts to run .023, my job time was cut almost in half because I didn't have to give the panel as much time to cool.Spot weld across the panel not around ( noth, south, east, west, repeat ) until you have enough strenth to run small stringers, then do that in a simmilar pattern. Two pieces of angle, c-clamps, a rubber malet and a body hammer make a great brake, I made several pieces, including entry steps like this before buying a brake. Always remember, if you can see 2" of rust ......there will be 5"!!! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/aktion035.gif)

[kkelly]

I have both MIG and Oxy-Acetylene welders.

With thin gauge steel, like autobody panels, using a MIG welder with .023 wire is a lot easier and faster. But, like John Kelly (no relation) says - the metal finishing is a lot harder.

When buying a gas welding outfit for sheet metal work try to get the smallest flow oxygen regulator you can. You only need about 2-4 psi of oxygen to do most jobs. Most oxy-acetylene welding kits come with oxygen regulators having a 5-125 psi range. You can get oxygen regulators with a range of 0 - 30, which makes it a lot easier to adjust your torch to 2-4 psi. (Note: Acetylene regulators only come in one size, and you should never flow more than 15 psi of Acetylene.)

Also, try to get a aviation size torch handle and tips like a Meco Midget. They are smaller and lighter than the normal size, which makes it easier to handle.

Kevin.