Just wondering what type of welder evreyone is using. Give details and comments. good price? too big/small? what welder would you have if money was no option?
What Are You Welding With??
- Thread starter kustomkool
- Start date
Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:
I bought a $100 Harbor Freight "flux feed" welder and I can tell you what I'm not getting any welding done with. Won't even feed the wire, right out of the box. I wanted something to get my feet wet with, maybe make some attachments and goof around with. Now I have a $100 paperweight. Get what you pay for, or less.
:x
:x
it doesnt feed at all skoda? if thats the case your wire might be the wrong gauge(too fat) and thats why or you might need to loosen the spool or tighten the roller for the feed(assuming you havent already tried those things)
I have a "half share" of a Hobart Handler 140 MIG (shared the purchase with a friend,) and a cheap old Craftsman arc welder. The Hobart always works well, but the Craftsman buzz box is rubbish - hard to strike an arc, and no penetration. Also had an old Lincoln arc that was great for heavy work, but it would burn through most bike tubing in a flash :shock:
I've had the opportunity to use lots of different gear including some nice TIG units, and that's what I'd probably buy if money were no object (which it always is...) - a nice Miller probably. Flexible, very controllable, and great for aluminum.
I've had the opportunity to use lots of different gear including some nice TIG units, and that's what I'd probably buy if money were no object (which it always is...) - a nice Miller probably. Flexible, very controllable, and great for aluminum.
I have a Miller Challenger wirefeed. I use .023 solid core wire for thin stuff and have been using a 75/25 mix gas for shielding. Works really well on everytring up to about 5/16" thick, after that not enough juice.
ok i can already hear the comments
however myself i'm using a oxy acetylene torch
i do brass brazing and some gas welding
i'd love a mig but can't afford the cost right now
if you think about it though most of the old schwinn
and about every other bike from mid 50's back was brass fillet braized
i have yet to have a failure(although i'm waiting)
if i could still get steel coat hangers i'd be using them
(i know about as back yard as you can get)
worked as good if not better than current steel rod
i've done heating and cooling work for years
did a lot of copper to copper and copper to steel joints
guess it just caried over to brass fillet brazing
ponytailmike
mike
however myself i'm using a oxy acetylene torch
i do brass brazing and some gas welding
i'd love a mig but can't afford the cost right now
if you think about it though most of the old schwinn
and about every other bike from mid 50's back was brass fillet braized
i have yet to have a failure(although i'm waiting)
if i could still get steel coat hangers i'd be using them
(i know about as back yard as you can get)
worked as good if not better than current steel rod
i've done heating and cooling work for years
did a lot of copper to copper and copper to steel joints
guess it just caried over to brass fillet brazing
ponytailmike
mike
sensor said:
The stuff that came with it (in the box) won't feed under any conditions and I've tried, belive me. I came to the conculsion I would need to cut "teeth" into the POS roller with a dremmel wheel or put something on it to give it more grip. It won't even feed if I give it little nudges manually.
(the quality rivals a big "toy"...it's worse than a "BFK" of the welder world. At least you can actually ride a BFK)
Mike, I commend you on using brass brazing. I have thought more than once about going with bailing wire and a torch. (what we used to fix trucks on a ranch I worked on)
Rivets and bolts are also appealing, maybe used alongside brazing. I'm not kidding (for once).
:wink:
Lincoln Pro Core 100. Plugs in to 110 outlet. I think it works pretty good. Especially on bikes.
The first welder I bought was a Craftsman and the trigger broke the first time I used it. I took it back, spent a little more and got the Lincoln.
The first welder I bought was a Craftsman and the trigger broke the first time I used it. I took it back, spent a little more and got the Lincoln.
ponytailmike said:
If anyone tells you that gas is an inferior method, they don't know what they're talking about. Anyone can squeeze a trigger, but it takes real skill to work with a flame. You learn the subtleties of controlling a pool of molten metal, and it really pays off when you can apply that knowledge to the other techniques.
I took a welding course a few years ago, and one of the introductory projects involved assembling a steel cube out of six square steel plates. The catch was, you couldn't turn it over to do the bottom or sides, so you had to learn to braze horizontal (easy,) vertical (harder,) and inverted (much harder.) A good learning exercise...
I also have an old Monkey Ward's (made by someone decent, can't recall what brand) 220v ARC that just uses rods. I haven't ever used it for fear of my wiring exploding in my house, or frying the dryer outlet and having to explain why "I was goofing around with bike stuff and now we can't do laundry"
:roll:
:roll:
why not just change out the "blocks" in yer breaker box from 110v to 220v? just the outlets in the garage.skoda said:
skoda well as the old saying goes 'ya get what ya pay for'(not trying to be offensive at all!or add insult to injury)
i think the best welder that you can get for the money is the lincoln hd3200.i have one at home and another at work(great for sheet metal if youre going to be welding anything over 3/16" youre gonna have to triple pass it though) and i actually prefer it to the high end snap on one the shop has :shock:
i think the best welder that you can get for the money is the lincoln hd3200.i have one at home and another at work(great for sheet metal if youre going to be welding anything over 3/16" youre gonna have to triple pass it though) and i actually prefer it to the high end snap on one the shop has :shock:
Bunbury said:
Apparently you haven't seen some of the welds i've seen. I could hold steel together better with bubble gum. You at least need to know a little about setting up a machine and cleaning your material.
I'm not dogging the flame work, that definitely takes skill and it's a fading trade.
I myself use a Lincoln 3200HD that I picked up from Home Depot. 110v, says it will do 5/16 with flux core. I use .030 solid wire with 75/25 mix. The smaller wire and smaller mig works great for bike tubing. I've done a couple 1/4 welds with it that look strong, haven't actually tested them.
If money was no object I would definitely have a Miller TIG setup.
off the "what are you welding with"
what wire are you using??? i use miller wire seems to lay down better then others
do you use flux even with flux core wire? a little extra flux seems to help
and do you use a earthground on your welder? i take a pair of jumper cables and ground welder to earthground and part i'm welding also.
what wire are you using??? i use miller wire seems to lay down better then others
do you use flux even with flux core wire? a little extra flux seems to help
and do you use a earthground on your welder? i take a pair of jumper cables and ground welder to earthground and part i'm welding also.
alright guys... i need some help. i've been thinking about getting a welder. my budget is low, so i thinking craigslist is my best bet.
these are some of the current listings. tell me if you think these would work well enough for moderate bike work. thanx.
220 Volt Arc Stick Welder Single Phase 45-100 Amp $79
WELDER MIG flux wirefeed 110Volt VGC - $100
130 amp mig welder - $100
these are some of the current listings. tell me if you think these would work well enough for moderate bike work. thanx.
220 Volt Arc Stick Welder Single Phase 45-100 Amp $79
WELDER MIG flux wirefeed 110Volt VGC - $100
130 amp mig welder - $100
