Going to try my hand at welding

[TerryMason]

I need a custom bracket for the exhaust on my Jeep and had thought to take my current bracket to the machine shop as I've done in the past. I decided to go ahead and spring the 260 bucks it cost at harbor freight to get set up with a flux welder.

Wish me luck guys.



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[JPNinPA]

Good luck!



Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

 

[Gennybro]

oh boy, I wish you well with this welder. What you want to look for on a good weld is indentations on the edge of the weld. a good weld, called a hot weld. Well have indentations on the edge where as it has burned and penetrated the metal. That is a good weld with penetration. Now the cold weld, you well see no indentations on the edge of the weld,{ no penetration] The welding bead may look nice and pretty but the metal is just laying on top of the material you are welding, absolutley useless , may as well use duct tape, good luck.

 

[Gennybro]

takeing for granted you are right handed, holding your stinger in your right hand, place your right forearm on top of your left forearm, this gives you solid firm control of your welding . Focus on the puddle of molten metal. thats the key puddle control.

 

[Gennybro]

ok ! I have to regroup on helping you out. Take that piece of shit back for a refund. Take that money into a votac class. Like rideing a bicycle, once ya got it, you got it.

 

[Gennybro]

Brazeing is also an avenue you should look at, requiring oxy acetaline torch. But they well show you that at votec. As well as welding aluminum. It well get your feet wet.

 

[superj]

man, that welder is so light! i looked it up just to see how they have changed since i got mine, ha ha ha

i took welding in a&p school and it was awesome. i had not known anything about welding and we had to actually make stuff in the class to show you learned. it was totally worth it.

i use the heck out of my harbor freight welder. i had a lincoln big red 220v welder but never had anything big enough to need such a heavy duty welder. the little 110v from harbor freight has done all the exhaust i have needed to do for the last 20 years, or so. we built all our own exhaust for the autocross cars and most of the trucks and jeeps we have had.

i have a new muffler for the ranger and my oldest son's car needs a resonator put on so it will be used for those things

 

[superj]

i have one like this, but mine also has hook ups for gas

Flux 125 Welder (harborfreight.com)

 

[TerryMason]

i have one like this, but mine also has hook ups for gas

Flux 125 Welder (harborfreight.com)

I was on the fence with that one. Most of the reviews I saw on youtube said that they are both good welders for the price, and yours is about $40 cheaper. In the end I'm a victim of marketing, and went with the newer style one.

I'll have to practice with it a bit this week before trying my had at any real work.

 

[Gennybro]

Maybe those welders are good on light work. I used one once and was disappointed in it. But then again I am used to useing industrial grade welders with the argon gas

 

[TerryMason]

Maybe those welders are good on light work. I used one once and was disappointed in it. But then again I am used to useing industrial grade welders with the argon gas

Luckily, my standards are very low!

 

[superj]

i never bought the gas tank or the fluxless wire because i don't want to get spoiled and be bummed out when i went back to flux core

 

[Gennybro]

i never bought the gas tank or the fluxless wire because i don't want to get spoiled and be bummed out when i went back to flux core

I dont think you would have any desire to go back to flux core.

 

[superj]

Not desire but run out od gas or wire. Its way easier to get flux core for me than fill a tank. Aoc, or whatever the gas place is named, is all the way across town by the airport where lowes is about 5 miles down the road

 

[Gennybro]

It all boils down to quality and price. My self from having experience in the recent past. It is worth the extra ummmfff out of your pocket to get quality.

 

[superj]

I think having my welder for almost 20 years means it a quality tool. It never has gicen me trouble. It might not be a brand name but a name doesnt automatically mean quality.

Look at toyota with their tundra frame recall or the drive by wire issues. Toyota used to be a really quality vehicle. Now, if you have a tundra from the first year till 2019 or 2018, your frame could have failed out of no where because they had no corrosion inhibitor inside the frames. All rusted out right below the firewall
Lots of people had to take their truck and trust the dealer mechanic would properly swap all their parts to a new frame without forgetting or missing something.

An the driveby wire issue getting people in accidents.

 

[Jeepergeo]

You have the HF welder, give it a try. It might be just what you need and good enough.

If you don't get the welds you want after some practice, take a class, then look into a MillerMatic or something similar. I got one for my son and he can weld Arizona Iced Tea cans together with the Al welding attachments. He had a year of welding in Junior College shop, so he has a lot of training and fair amount of practice.

 

[TerryMason]

Welded for the very first time today on some 1/8 inch metal. Just putting down some practice welds. I think I need to turn the voltage up some but I know for sure I need more practice.









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[superj]

And maybe try the speed down too. But power up, for sure. You need to get the puddle hot and lead it slowly back and forth so you get a smooth seam at the edges. Some people lead by pulling the wire and some people lead by pushing, you just have to decide which one works best for you. Also, wire brushing the metal first to get rid of impurities or surface rust will help it go down smoother. In case your metal was a little dirty

 

[Gennybro]

So hows it going with the welding ?