couple of first time welder questions

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well im picking up an new mig/tig machine from a local on monday and have a few questions i was hoping i could get some answers on.-first, im a very visual learner, and wondered if any of you folks have run across any good books that i should pick up with basic strategy and technic, nothing fancy-second, it doesnt come with a torch/pedal setup so im looking to purchase one pretty soon.  From the what i have gathered, i want a flex head torch that is air cooled, as i want to learn before i think about a cooler.-also, any good place to pick up a 6 pin (i think) foot pedal used? ebay doesnt have much surprisingly.thanks alot, and i did as much searching as i could, but their really want to much info on picking out the right size torch for your welder. thanksalso its 300Amp but mostly i will just be welding 16 gauge ss and ms. maybe some schd 10 and 40 ss
Reply:the book i learned from was "welders handbook" written by Richard Finch. i bought it at home depot about three years ago. i still read it from time to time.why would you want to buy a used pedal for a brand new machine? why not just have the place you are buying it from order you one?as far as the torche goes, ill let the more experiance chime in.Millermatic 211weldpack 3200 squirtgunsquare wave 200victory journeyman kitHypertherm 30xptoo much other crap to listtinkerer extraordinaire
Reply:its a used machine from a local... there is an airgas around here but they dont carry any tig stuff...Last edited by TQMB5; 06-08-2008 at 06:54 PM.
Reply:have you asked if they can order it? they should be able to and if not point you in the right directionyou might try welding depot and other welding suppliers. btw where are you located? it would be helpful if you put it in your sig.Millermatic 211weldpack 3200 squirtgunsquare wave 200victory journeyman kitHypertherm 30xptoo much other crap to listtinkerer extraordinaire
Reply:I'll toss out the basic generic answer first. Try and see if you can find a local CC or votec that has a night class you can take. It will help you more than any 5 books you could buy. The cost of the class is offset by the consumables that you will use and the steel that's provided.That said Miller has some good reference materials that you can down load for free. Hobart may also, We had some hobart materials in my votec class that were quite good. Haven't looked but they should be available either for free or for a small fee. "welder's Handbook" is a good starter book covering all welding methods.I have an air cooled WP17 torch. Seems to be the generic air cooled torch that comes with most starter tigs. Think seriously about air cooled vs water cooled. The water cooled torches are much more compact. The parts for the WP20 water cooled torches are different from the WP17, so if you go that route you may have to buy everything new. You can get water cooled torches that use the 17 parts but you loose the compactness of a water cooled torch. If you feel that you need a water cooled torch just get one to start. If not just get the air cooled torch, especially if you will not do alum or heavy steel.
Reply:thanks for the replysi am going to take a welding class at the local cc in a month when i have more time, just wanted a little advice to get started with. i found the miller site and the pdf tig welding guide and am working my way through it as well, seems to be some good basics in there. i have used a mig before, and will probably use that unless i want it to look good not just function, hence why i wanted to get started right away as from what i gathered tig takes alot of practice to perfect.i guess what i was asking for in a book would be how to set up the machine for the different materials and peices i would be welding.  i think i ran across a conversion/calculator on lincolns site that did it for  you, but wasnt sure if it was universal for each machine.the last questions i guess, is their a nice hood for around 100 bucks? i have seen some really nice one for around 250-300, and im sure they are worth every penny, but i am just starting and dont need to go crazy spending money when i just am learning.again your input is greatly appreciated.
Reply:i have a cobra 40  radnor/airgas--about $150..I dont havemuch to compare it to but it gets dark when i strike an arc ..i wear glasses, sometimes i get welding and cant see shnit.. i have to get up real close, and get  the cover plate all messed up.. i replaced the front cover plate when it got crappy and i could see a lot better right away..
Reply:Generic tig settings for steel to start out. DC tig, about 1 amp per thousandth of an inch so 1/8" set the max to 125 amps and use the pedal to adjust up to that. 3/32 tungsten, try red to start, inexpensive and good for steel on all machines. #8 cup, 100% Argon at 15 cfh. Some 1/16" and  3/32" tig filler to play with.You haven't given the exact machine yet so detailed info is a bit tough.This should get you started. Start your practice on 1/8" or thicker plain mild steel. It will be simpler. Grind the surface clean of all mill scale/rust. I used 3" wide x 5" long pieces and run welds on 4-6 different plate to let the welds cool between beads. If you run up the temp on the plate the amps needed will decrease as the plate heats up and give you a skewed idea of what you are doing.As for a good helmet, my LWS offers the Miller hobbyist AD units for around $125ish for basic black. It's adjustable 9-13 if I remember.
Reply:also check out the lincoln vista 1000. i belive its also around 100 to 125Millermatic 211weldpack 3200 squirtgunsquare wave 200victory journeyman kitHypertherm 30xptoo much other crap to listtinkerer extraordinaire
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWGeneric tig settings for steel to start out. DC tig, about 1 amp per thousandth of an inch so 1/8" set the max to 125 amps and use the pedal to adjust up to that. 3/32 tungsten, try red to start, inexpensive and good for steel on all machines. #8 cup, 100% Argon at 15 cfh. Some 1/16" and  3/32" tig filler to play with.You haven't given the exact machine yet so detailed info is a bit tough.This should get you started. Start your practice on 1/8" or thicker plain mild steel. It will be simpler. Grind the surface clean of all mill scale/rust. I used 3" wide x 5" long pieces and run welds on 4-6 different plate to let the welds cool between beads. If you run up the temp on the plate the amps needed will decrease as the plate heats up and give you a skewed idea of what you are doing.As for a good helmet, my LWS offers the Miller hobbyist AD units for around $125ish for basic black. It's adjustable 9-13 if I remember.
Reply:alright guys, i went out their and wow.  Their showroom was HUGE!  i was approched by a guy and i told him i didnt know a whole lot, but told him what i wanted to do, and he was very helpful.  he was in the process of setting me up with a tank and tourch, but then we realized we needed to order  a dinse and run a two-piece torch.  He said he is going to put together a package price and give me a call today. from looking around, sounds like a fair deal to me, but here is what i am thinking.-120cf tank with first fill-  $225   -he said to fill would be $50 but would split it with me everytime so it would be costing me $25-weldmark (i think) torch- 85ish-hood-100not sure how much the dinse will be though so i will post up the qoute he gives me when he calls me back-he said it would probably last me almost a year unless i tig weld alot, true?lastly, the welder has a 50' = (8/3 i think) cord with a three phase plug.  My question is, i only need the cord to be about 40 feet, should i cut it when i switch the plug over to my 230v dry plug or wont it hurt since its 8/3 to run the full 50 feet?- when wiring the plug, i have to insulate the red wire with electrical tape, im just wondering where i should "store" this wire, in the plug ok or shold i fold it back and tape it to the cord, im not sure if it nees to be away from the other two power wires.thanks you guys have been great, ill get pics up later tonight after i get it all set up.
Reply:I think the deals you have seem very decent. The 120 CF tank should last around 16 hours of continuous welding. Again that should be plenty for the home user. You might go thru it moderately fast as you practice and weld a lot ( I managed to blow an 80 in 2 days of straight tig, playing with my new toy, but haven't felt the need to sit and practice for 3-4 hours straight since) but once you get down to just projects it should be just fine.I would leave the full 50' of cord if it won't get in your way. You never know when you might need to get just a bit more cord if you want to reposition the machine. I would cut the red wire so no copper is exposed and fold it back and tape it up real good. Check your machine, you may need to swap the wires in the machine to the correct voltage. Some machines will do this automatically, others must be changed manually. You still haven't listed the machine that I see, so I can not make any suggestions on that. Good luck.
Reply:its a lincoln invertec v300 pro.  i have the wire switch already in the machine and flipped the breaker down  from 3~ to 1~.  here is my question.  i insulate the red, ground the green, how do i know which prong to hook the black to and which prong the white goes to. thanks im antsy to fire this thing up. thanks
Reply:For 220Volt it will not matter which lug you put the back to and which you put the white to. As long as the green is on ground the other two don't matter. -Dan
Reply:Originally Posted by engnerdanFor 220Volt it will not matter which lug you put the back to and which you put the white to. As long as the green is on ground the other two don't matter. -Dan
Reply:Get a copy of "The Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding" from Lincoln. It is commonly known as the bible in the welding world and for good reason. I've been at this for quite a while now and I still refer to mine regularly. It covers all the processes and even has suggestions for more information on different areas should you need it.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:couple more questions.i have a dinse plug that is about two feet long and then ends with a lc-10 female plug. what do i use this for?where would you guys start looking for scrap metal.  i did a local google search and didnt see any scrap yards.  I want to pick up some 1/4 plate to practice laying some bead on and welding some joints
Reply:Post up what city you live in and mabe some one can give a suggestion as to where to look. Did you look under "recycling" as opposed to scrap. I keep my eye out when I am driving around and look for businesses that do metal fabrications. There is a place not to far from me that does bent glass and frequently uses steel for forms and shipping supports. I can some times get the guy in the shop to sell me some steel out of thier shorts pile or scrap. I got some pipe to practice welding on from a well drilling company. It's the cut offs after they cap the well. My local small steel supplier will let me scrounge in their scrap dumpster. The chunks are all super short 2-8" in length and frequently rusty, but they made good peices to practice running beads and joints.Building demo jobs some times have some scrap steel. Brick ledges and beams and columns. If there is a lot of steel they usually have a dumpster and sell it as scrap. If it's just a few pieces they may just set them asside and get rid of them later when the have enough to justify the load. As and they may let you take some. Be prepared to have to cut it up to take it away however.
Reply:It sounds like your LWS guys is going to help you a lot.DSW said TIG rod and he means it. You can't use O/A rod. And they look the same.ER70S-2 or ER70S-6 are what you want. the -6 has more deoxidizers and is somewhat more tolerant of dirty metal. TIG won't tolerate mill scale at lower amps, it will contaminate the weld and fill it full of holes. Even a powered wire brush won't get the mill scale off mild steel. Either use a flap disk or grinding wheel. Your arc should be almost pure white, once it turns green; quit. Regrind your tungsten and try again. Whether you dip the tungsten in the puddle or dip the filler in the tungsten, quit, you're done. Regrind, try again. And it doesn't help that TIG works best with a 'short arc length'. The shorter the better, try for 1/8".Last edited by Craig in Denver; 06-25-2008 at 03:13 PM.Reason: you're, not your9-11-2001......We Will Never ForgetRetired desk jockey. Hobby weldor with a little training. Craftsman O/A---Flat, Vert, Ovhd, Horz. Miller Syncrowave 250