Welding....

I'm not quite sure if I should post this here, or in General Discussion, and I searched for a thread specifically about welding, without any luck, so here goes:

Before being forced into early retirement, I worked in factories as an Industrial Electrician/Maintenance. I did everything from repair to rebuild to completely new build and installation of machines, automated equipment and even a couple of factories. In that time I picked up a lot of skills, so you could almost call me a Jack of All Trades, master of none. One of my skills that never got enough practice, in my opinion, was welding. Now, I've had to weld structural parts of a machine together, and they held. But the welds weren't what anyone would every call "good looking" and they all required a ton of grinding to make them acceptable. I once had a company actually inspect one of my welds (destruction testing, cut/polish/etch) and found that I was getting good penetration, but again, they just looked nasty.

Since I'm still in the planning phase of building my trike, my current area of investigation is....duh....welding.

I would like to know what other members have done. What style of welding have you used? Why did you choose one style over the other?

Which would you consider most appropriate for frame work?

Any and all responses are welcome (even the ones that say "SD...put the welder down and take 3 steps back")

Thanks in advance for all the input.

~SD

Hello! Welding, ahhhhhhhh, one of my favorite topics. In a nutshell the there are 3 types of welding gear available to the average guy. Stick (arc) welding, wire feed (MIG or metal inert gas), tungsten inert gas (TIG or heli arc for the old farts). There are a few other names for the same thing but you get the idea. Stick is very versatile but requires practice to get a pretty weld. You can weld steel, stainless, cast, and even patch aluminum. Even most cheap machines will allow for welding of heavy steel. Wire feed is the easiest to get a pretty weld with. No Flux to chop when using gas mix.

Machines are more complex and expensive.

Not nearly as versatile. Aluminum welding requires a spool gun (my miller 252 uses a spool gun that costs over $800). TIG is kinds like stick as it is very versatile. The skill set required is much higher. TIG is usually used for thinner steel and alloys. It's not a "let's weld that I beam" kinda thing. The TIG machines that can weld big heavy steel are $$$$$$$$$$... So, for a trike build I say go with stick or wire feed. If your budget is less than $1,500 go stick.

My miller 252 sells for over $2,500 new. Cheap wire feeds have horrible duty cycle (can't weld fr long before the machine has to cool down) and cheap parts.

You done need a heavy duty machine but you don't want junk either. I love Miller but Lincoln is really good as well. That's my miller behind the ugly bastard in the with the welding hood. :)[ATTACH=CONFIG]37049[/ATTACH]

Which one is going to offer the best strength and flexibility? I'm asking because I'm sure I'm not the only guy to ask this question, and I'm sure there are going to be other noobs out there that are going to be in the same boat. I mean, I know, if I ask 10 welders, I'll get 3 different opinions...lol...but asking here, others are going to have (like you already mentioned BMB Guns) different experiences with each, at least I hope so!

~SD

Oh... I own a Miller Diversion 180 TIG, Miller 252 MIG, Miller Dialarc stick.

I have 2 Lincoln welders.

1 (don't use much anymore) is a 110 volt version

The 1 I use the most is my Pro MIG 175. I have welded thick and thin with it.
I have had it for years and the only thing I have had to do to it was replace the feed roller.

If I remember correctly my 175 ran me around $500 ( I could be wrong about that it was a long time ago)

Anyway it has worked great for me. I even had a friend of my that is a welder by profession barrow it a couple years ago and he said it worked well

I used to have a Lincoln stick welder many years ago, I don't remember the model but it did work well also. The chick I was dating back then sold it while I was deployed. When I got back both her and my welder were gone (along with all my other stuff)

When it comes to stick machines, which is better. DC or AC? I ask because I have AC but I've seen some sweet welds that folks did with DC. So I always thought DC must be the bee's knees. Anyone care to chime in on this question. I can get a pretty good looking weld but I admit most of mine would best be categorized as clob welding. I do get penetration, though. Pretty isn't a requirement on farm equipment. Which is what I do mostly.

[url]http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/fabrication-cnc-laser-waterjet-plasma-welding-and-fab/stick-any-stronger-than-mig-131465/[/url]

This thread on practical machinist might answer your strength questions.

If you are building a trike frame and other widgets for it, a MIG will be very nice to use and will give you consistently pretty and strong welds without burning through thin tubing. MIG is fast and easier to learn. Keep the wire lubed, nozzle clean, use nozzle jel.

For thick steel (let's say 1/2 and over) it's hard to beat the penetration and versatility of a stick machine. If I could only own one welding machine it would be an AC/DC stick machine.

If I had to choose only one type of weld it would be gas weld. Gas welding heats the metal slower and that reduces the chance of a crack in the area later on. I have welded 1/2 inch steel with gas but it took a while. I have welded soup cans together with gas. I learned to weld with a torch and coat hanger over 60 years ago. I have a wire feed and a stick welder but if I am welding on something that has to hold and is going to be exposed to a lot of vibration I want my torch and a good steel wire. <br />
The reason this method of welding is not used much is because it is slow but that is what makes it better. The heat has a chance to dissipate.

Most school district vo-tech schools offer adult classes at very low cost. Call your local vo-tech school and ask if they offer a adult welding class. Since you can lay a bead of weld already you have the basics. A gas feed mig welder if set right will give you good penetration. Your experience (speed you weld at) is what leads to a good looking weld. Main thing with a mig welder is the steel has to be clean. I would think for 500. to 700. would buy you a good welder for what your looking to do with it. Call your local welding supply stores to see what size welder they suggest and for pricing.

there are rods made specifically for ac or dc welders. a dc machine can burn rods meant for ac but usually not vise/versa. ac machines don't have enough voltage for dc rods. and ac is more suited for burning high deposition rate rods in flat position, cheaper to build and operate.

Check out these: [url]http://www.eastwood.com/welders.html[/url]
When I triked ours, I was looking for a lift table to do the conversion on. Being over 70, my knees will still let me get down, but getting back up is another matter. With the Eastman, I was able to build a table that was better than what I could buy. It never shut down, even during humid days in the 90's. It made welds far better than my limited abilities. A $1000+ welder would not make a better weld. With it's 3 year warranty, it will out last me.

well this is like ask'n what's the best oil to use :xzqxz:

I have welded since the early 60's I guess I would buy 2,,,- a ac/dc stick welder and a mig that would do up to 3/8 steel. you can do a with just the mig but welders are like pistols to me can't have too many!!;) I use a old miller 200 machine a lot but use gas for brazing and silver soldering-hey I brazed the chrome moly tube's on front end of current trike build. I use a small mig for sheet metal and have tig that I use for small work and aluminum etc.

as I said it a builders choice if I could only start with one I would start with a small 220 mig if I had the power for it if not a 140 amp or so-120 volt machine if I did not have 220..

you need to start some where and mig is fine tool for trike build- what ever u start with best of luck and I will be watching for your progress !!

magoo

The only thing I ever used was an AC stick welder commonly referred to as a cracker box. Until about 2 years ago when I needed a blade put on my frontend loader I asked my neighbor if he could do it. He has a DC unit. So he let me try it. Man, what a difference. :AGGHH: I finally understood why his welds looked so good. Mine did too with his rig.:clapping: