complete newbie, buying a mig, with motorcycle frame alteration aspirations

[dobbslc]

Rockingham? ^^^

 

[Robotstar5]

Welcome to the forum, I had a Fazer, but didn't like the fairing much, so it ended up like this...

 

[lchris21]

Bit of inspiration for you.......also my first ever custom bike modification project.....

Put the kettle on, and read through nearly 3 years worth of trials and tribulations

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/...rusting-wreck-rescued-from-the-spiders.44354/

 

[dobbslc]

That is a great build thread ^ well worth a few days reading!

 

[Lewiseyers]

Rockingham? ^^^

Snetterton


Put lewis eyers Snetterton in you tube there's a video of me following a camera bike

A cadwell one and a silverstone one

 

[Lewiseyers]

Bit of inspiration for you.......also my first ever custom bike modification project.....

Put the kettle on, and read through nearly 3 years worth of trials and tribulations

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/...rusting-wreck-rescued-from-the-spiders.44354/View attachment 116651 View attachment 116653

Crikey, I scolded down and saw the after picture, I was impressed....alot..!!

 

[Lewiseyers]

Off to collect a Clarke 160 tm now.. has small gas and gloves, no mask.. 150quid...brought for a small project recently, was never used again...

Won't use till I get a mask and big gas bottle...

What else will I need to start practising

 

[Lewiseyers]

Just
Brought a leopard auto darkening mask..

 

[Lewiseyers]

boiler suit and boots, maybe akomer cap to save sparks burning your head...also ear plugs...both for noise and in case your working undersomething and you get a spark in the ear...

safety glasses, maybe a mask

I'll never be under any thing..only ever on motorcycles that have been stripped down...possible in a jig

 

[Dodge20]

Just
Brought a leopard auto darkening mask..

I'm relatively new to this welding malarkey and I have a leopard helmet, it's OK for what I'm doing at the moment but in time I'll be upgrading for sure. I don't know if it's my eyes or the helmet but sometimes I find it hard to see what's going on.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I'm relatively new to this welding malarkey and I have a leopard helmet, it's OK for what I'm doing at the moment but in time I'll be upgrading for sure. I don't know if it's my eyes or the helmet but sometimes I find it hard to see what's going on.

You have removed the plastic [mostly blue afaik] protective sheet from both sides of the viewing area? Sorry if it sounds too basic a thing....

 

[cocker]

I had a leopard helmet , didn't last long .

 

[Screwdriver]

Doh! Too late. As a bike modder myself I was going to suggest TIG is a much better option for general bike welding.

Don't be fooled by all these "experts" telling you TIG is much more difficult than MIG.

To do either process properly is equally "more difficult". More than you can even imagine...

My last project. XR650R engine transplant into RS250 frame. Most of the hard work was done when I bought it but there's a ton of fiddly bits in jobs like this.

Last picture of it before I lobbed it into the scenery on a trackday...

 

[dobbslc]

Ahh the Sound Of Singles! What a great class of race bike.

 

[Screwdriver]

Ahh the Sound Of Singles! What a great class of race bike.

Best skip 3 minutes in....

 

[Dodge20]

You have removed the plastic [mostly blue afaik] protective sheet from both sides of the viewing area? Sorry if it sounds too basic a thing....

Yes I have, I may be daft but I'm not stupid .

 

[addjunkie]

Yes I have, I may be daft but I'm not stupid .

We can all be stupid some times....but

Try additional light pointed at what your welding or blocking out the light getting into the back of your mask, aslo if you getting on a bit and need reading glasses use them

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Try additional light pointed at what your welding

I found the same as @Dodge20 when trying TIG [must get back to practising, now that Summer's almost gone ] and came up with this, frankly ridiculous-looking, solution. Makes you look like a member of the Borg Collective, but it helps for me.

 

[Richard.]

Screwdriver is dead right
It's too late now but motor bike frame work and tanks etc just screams tig welding
Why no one has mentioned this up to now is beyond me but a 160amp mig welder isn't a great weapon of choice imo.
If you can return it. Use the cash to get yourself a nice little DC inverter with hf start and begin to learn to tig weld.
For the work you describe is far superior than an underpowered spattery mig.
Be aware though neither are going to be particularly good with aluminium especially a dc tig just in case this was on the cards.
If your wanting to make changes to any Alu frames or tanks for £250............ well that really is a

my "dream" is

 

[addjunkie]

Screwdriver is dead right
It's too late now but motor bike frame work and tanks etc just screams tig welding
Why no one has mentioned this up to now is beyond me but a 160amp mig welder isn't a great weapon of choice imo.
If you can return it. Use the cash to get yourself a nice little DC inverter with hf start and begin to learn to tig weld.
For the work you describe is far superior than an underpowered spattery mig.
Be aware though neither are going to be particularly good with aluminium especially a dc tig just in case this was on the cards.
If your wanting to make changes to any Alu frames or tanks for £250............ well that really is a

While I dont disagree, many bikes are modded with a lot less, rightly or wrongly so, first one I ever did was done with an old clarke buzz box, it was horrendous, but was still on the road 10 years later. Ive seen a few done with small migs, 130 etc. For steel frames his 160 amp mig will work assuming he can use it. Most new steel frames are mig welded.

Though tig looks better, and is more fashionable, any weld done properly will be fine on a bike frame.

Beginers should be encouraged and assisted. Im looking forward to see his progress pictures.