Basic Welding Questions...

[strandedhuman]

Hi everyone. Great Forum! First post...

I want to learn to weld. I want to start off by welding a simple bench. I have all the steel I need. Plain 1/8 thick. Angled and square tube. I have a Clarke 130EN welder. I plan to cut the steel with my Chicago 7" 7800rpm angle grinder.

I have loads of questions... Here are a few!

1. I bought my welder used. It did not come with gas or wire. What gas and wire would I need to buy to weld 1/8 thick steel?

2. Is it safe to cut the steel with the angle grinder?

3. I'm pretty much copying this simple design http://www.radfurniture.com/assets/products/579/large/IMG_9820.jpg?1287422440. Not going to paint mine. Going to keep it raw steel. Are these butt joints?

4. I have not welded anything ever in my life. Is starting a project like this too advanced?

Any comments would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks so much!

 

[cumbriasteve]

Hi and welcome
1. o08 wire would be fine but if you intend to do any car work then I would get 0.6 and use for both. Argon/Co2 mix is best, Co2 is ok and cheaper.

2. it's never safe using an angle grinder, but you eliminate the risk as much as possible, a good full face visor is best, gloves and an awareness of what is around you and where the sparks are going, there are cutting and grinding blades, cutting blades are thinner and should not be used for grinding.
3, The joints can be whatever you want really, butt or overlap.
4. Probably any project is too advanced until you have had some practice and can lay down a weld with penetration.

 

[Coo]

Get some scrap and practice welds on that first.

Follow the guides on here and you should do okay.
One key thing to remember is clean the metal up first (with a flap wheel on your grinder).

Have a go, post pics of your attempts, ask questions !

 

[strandedhuman]

Great! Thank you so much!

I was going to wear a leather jacket, leather gloves, and my welding helmet when cutting the steel with the angle grinder. good enough protection? Not sure if the welding helmet can withstand a hit from blade shrapnel.

I've read a lot about safety. I do plan to wear all the above and some leather boots When welding. I haven't read anything regarding to what pants to wear. One person mentioned jeans sprayed with starch. Is that good?

I will practice welding penetration sometime this weekend and will post pictures.

Thanks again!

 

[shenion]

Wire, use 0.025" (0.23) for very thin metal. Use 0.030" for anything over 1/16". Use ER70S-6 wire. The Lincoln SupraMIG sold at HomerD is the best. Hobart is good also. I use either.

Stay away from cheap Chinese wire. It feeds terribly, corrodes and varies wildly in quality.

The 1/8" is the limit for the 130EN on gas. Leave a small gap and it will penetrate fully.

You want 75/25% argon/CO2 mix. Sometimes called C25. If the 130EN did not come with a regulator, you will need one with an adapter to fit the 4mm hose on the Clarke.

I learned on a 130EN; nice machine. Follow the tutorials here and you should get up to speed quickly.

Welcome to the forums

Edit: you will also want a dedicated 20A outlet (like a washing machine has.) If you need an extension cord, it must be 12gauge or heavier and preferably short.

 

[cumbriasteve]

I think normal jeans will suffice but well done for thinking safely.

Before I retired I was a safety trainer and one of the course I ran was on grinding wheels, two examples I showed of fatal accidents was a wheel that shattered and sliced the main neck artery and another that did the same on the upper leg, both died from blood loss, one was only 23, just married and wife expecting.

The main thing is to support and secure the work well and let the wheel run freely without exerting too much pressure, be comfortable in your stance so you don't lose balance and snag the wheel, if possible let someone know what you are doing or be able to contact them in the event of an accident.

I know it seems a bit OTT but as I have said, I was provided with UK and worldwide accident reports on a weekly basis and many were horrific.

 

[strandedhuman]

Wow! That's frightening... Well what would be the safest option for cutting steel besides getting an expensive plasma torch?

 

[shenion]

I picked up a horizontal metal band saw off ebay ($100.) Cuts great.

7" is quit big for cutting. I have a 4" (4.5" would be better.) I have had the cutting disks explode (Horror (Harbor) freight brand ones.) Had a bruise in my stomach where it was hit by a large piece. I'd be afraid of a 7". Note, mine has a guard, I was hit by a ricochet off the metal.

I use my angle grinder/cutoff wheel all the time. I use eye protection (full face shield would be best.) I also try and stay out of the line of rotation.

I did pick up a plasma cheap. Real nice, but a real fire hazard

 

[strandedhuman]

I just noticed that the person I bought the mig left a roll of L56 lincoln wire .030 superarc wire. Will that work or should I buy the one you mentioned above Shenion?

 

[shenion]

That is the wire (Also goes as SupraMIG). L56 is Lincoln's name for ER70S-6.l It will work fine as long a sit is not rusted. Mine has never rusted even in my wet garage. The cheap Chinese roll rusted in just a few days.

ER70S-6 is the AWS classification for gas wire. That roll of L56 will have that marked on it somewhere.

 

[strandedhuman]

It does! Great thanks so much!

Should I go out and buy a 4.5" angle grinder then? I can return the 7". It's still been less than 30 days. Do amps and RPM matter in terms of power to cut the steel? I know I need to buy discs that are rated at or exceed the max rpm of the grinder.

 

[shenion]

Amps is a scam. It started with vacuum cleaners, moved on to power saws now is on everything.

There are lots of high-efficient, smaller motors out there. But manufactures would rather put an old, inefficient motor just so they can claim more amps.

Horsepower ratings would tell, but now they are no longer advertised.

I'd love a 7" for heavy grinding as it would make quick work. However, it would be harder to get into tight places. Also, sanding, cutting and grinding disks along with wire brushes are more expensive. I have flap disks, cutting disks and grinding disks for my small one.

You will find smaller will have a larger RPM. Comes sown to a similar speed the outer edge moves.

 

[strandedhuman]

Amazing info. Thank you!

Few more questions... So I obviously need to go out and get the gas. I found these gas cylinders on craigslist http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/tls/2322731884.html. Would these work for me?

I know it's a silly question but where the hell do I get it filled?! Does home depot or lowes fill them?

Thanks again!

 

[shenion]

Check around for a welding gas supplier. Look for Linde, Holox, Air Products (all the same) and BOC.

Those tanks may work, you will have to check the expiration date on when it was tested. they will be stamped on the tank.

Those look a bit small, some may be CO2. Look for one marked for argon or argon mixed gasses (the green ones may do.)

You can buy tanks in several places, Northern tools sells them, Horror Freight sells a real small one.

I bought my CO2 tank off ebay. My argon tank (TIG) i bought from the gas supplier. I brought my brand new CO2 tank in to be filled and the gave me an old one that was filled.

My big tank (4' tall) i bought from Linde. The price was not bad as you are buying a used tank. Buying anew one is a waste as you will end up with a used tank when you exchange it.

Those tanks won't be bad, but check you supplier first. I brought in my 80CF tank and upgraded to a 125CF tank for something like $18. Those look like maybe 40CF.

A small CO2 tank will be cheap (mine, new was $50) and least years as it is liquid. Welding gas suppliers can fill them as can fire extinguisher places and soft drink servicing places. CO2 is not as nice to use, but works well and is dirt cheap.

The gas supplier will first ask if you want a contract. Say no as you don't want to pay rental. Contract/rental is only good if you use a lot of gas.

 

[strandedhuman]

Is this welding jacket ok or is it over kill? Sorry for all the questions!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1DH1QG0A1VG9M2PVMGKN

 

[shenion]

Hobart is a leading supplier of welding equipment. Should be good.

 

[strandedhuman]

So I want a tank that's able to hold argon and co2 mix?

 

[shenion]

Yes, hard to see in the CL picts, some look like CO2 tanks. May even be acetylene or oxygen. They look old, definitely check the date. They are not worth it if you have to have them retested.

 

[strandedhuman]

Ok thanks. It's about an hours drive away so I will email the guy and ask him those questions. Thanks again!

 

[strandedhuman]

So the guy with the cylinders got back to me.

My email:

Hi there. I'd like to purchase one of your gas tanks. Can any hold argon/c02 mix? If so, when was the tank last tested? I guess there should be a dated stamp on it.

His response:

I have 2 Al Co (05 & 06 yr) and 4 steel Co (05 95+* 04 01).

Are any of his tanks of any use to me? If not, I'm just gonna have to buy one from some website. I can't find anything here in brooklyn, NY.