What do I need to begin?

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Besides a safety helmet, weld gun, and stuff like that, what other things do I need to start? Are there any better types of clothing made specifically for welders which are fire proof? If I missed anything let me know, or if you want to make a list for me that would be great, I am a true noob in this field.Thanks, Shredder111
Reply:Hey Shredder111,You would best indicate what you want to do, equipment, if any, you have, and the type of welding that is your primary interest or career choice. Do you want to open your own shop? Work for a fab shop? Work in the pipeline/rig arena? Work in a structural environment? Go mobile? You have to provide specifics to get an accurate response. There are many items of clothing that are fireproof that are available for welders that are woven with kevlar and provide protection from sparks & flame. Hope that helps a bit.....DennyComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:A good 4-5"grinder will help...and some clamps.
Reply:yup, 4 1/2" angle grinder, welder, and a hood will get ya going.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:I would like to learn how to primarily weld steel and aluminum in all styles so the machine I invest in has all the options I will need. I want something flexible just in case I would choose to weld in different styles or on different metals. I would like to weld mountain bike frames for manufacturers for 5-10 years before I get rolling. On the side, I would slowly begin assembling my own frames. It is my dream to create my own mountain bike frame company and that is something I can see myself doing until I get rolling on my own. Later I would hire welders to work for me, but for the time being I would do my own work. I guess you could call this a "shop" or "fab shop" operation. If you guys need any more information from me just let me know. I will try to be as specific as possible. Thank you, Shredder111
Reply:Good luck finding work welding bike frames, there are very few framebuilders in America anymore and most of them only employ 1 or 2 welders anyway. That said you'll most likely need to know tig and Oxy-Ace welding and be good at tube fitting. Some framebuilders in America may use mig, but more than likley not, it's a far more comon practice in Taiwan and China where production is on a larger scale.
Reply:And, robotic welders come into play in that arena.  Its ok, if you want to give it a go, have at it!  You can allways take pride in your own projects.  You have to jig up a bike frame for welding.You need to come up with a design, make a jig for the frame to sit in to hold it rigid, then use your preferred welding technique to put it together.  Bike frames used to be brazed together (little too heavy for trick mountain bikes).  Epoxy resin is used for carbon frames (alot like fiberglassing).  So my man, pick your poison.  You probably should look at tig for something like that.  If I were you, Id sign up for a welding class (community school) that teaches the basics of stick, mig and tig (O/A would be great).  That way, youll know what your in for, what You need and are comfortable with.  Good Luck and keep us posted.Various GrindersVictor Journeyman torch200cf Acet. 250cf oxygenLincoln 175 plus/alpha2 gunLincoln v205t tigLincoln 350mpEsab 650 plasmaWhen you can get up in the morning, Its a good day.Live each day like its your last.
Reply:wow, you got big plans.  You should concentrate on learning how to weld first.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:Allright Allright..Back to things you need..Mig Tig Stick.. You need a machine..Hood or Mask..dont have to be fancy shmancy..just functional..Grinders like stated above..A Sawzall with some good blades..Good set of gloves that will put up with some heat..Wire brushes..Stainless preferd..A vice and sturdy bench...Saftey glasses..2 or 3 pr..Hard wheels..."Flapper" wheels..A couple of files..Flat..Half round are always handy..Canning wax for the grinders and the blades..A real drill..Drill bits..Good ones..Air compressor and various attachments..Then eventually..Lathe..Bridgeport..Blanchard grinders..Drill presses... ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Hey Shredder111,I would say zapster & Doolittle provided sound information on starting to evaluate your needs in equipment. The primary focus right now is some serious research regarding your intention to fabricate bicycle frames. There is a major issue with the liability aspect in the manufacture & sale of these as there is in the motorcycle frame manufacture. I would not hesitate to say you will get a real education talking to an insurance pro to find out what is entailed to do this kind of manufacturing. Many welders like myself, will not weld on another persons' motorcycle because of the liability. The bicycle and motorcycle manufacturers have specific parameters regarding any kind of work or repairs on their frames. They have industry established guidelines that have to be met regarding the type of metal, type of welding, stress testing, and frame flex requirements. As in the auto racing world, MIG is not accepted...only TIG. If you have a failure of one weld that results in an accident....you're going to get sued....quite expensively. Do some homework.....it will benefit you in the long run. Don't let this discourage your dreams....just investigate every aspect of your chosen endeavor....Good Luck...DennyComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:Back to the original questioin.  Cotton doesn't burn like polyester.  good Luck DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:For the type of welding you're considering a long sleeve cotton shirt or jean jacket and blue jeans will do fine. If the occasional burn hole in your shirt bothers you get one of those grren or blue fire resistant treated cotton jackets. If you're going to gas welding you don't need much, I'd gas weld all day long in a Tee shirt, blue jeans and a nice thin pair of leather gloves. Of course this assumes you'll be using a welding helmet or googles as required.
Reply:Aww hell, if he's just gonna learn, and make something for himself, I dont see why he cant mig it up if thats what he wants to do.  If you get into a business doing it, then explore the other stuff.  Believe me, your gonna have your hands full just coming up with a design, bearing races, tube lengths and copes, angles and whatnot.  Just dont let anyone else ride your first go   If you go chrome moly (4130), you will have to weld and not braze it together.  Brooks had a nice post on a bike his buddy at work put together.Various GrindersVictor Journeyman torch200cf Acet. 250cf oxygenLincoln 175 plus/alpha2 gunLincoln v205t tigLincoln 350mpEsab 650 plasmaWhen you can get up in the morning, Its a good day.Live each day like its your last.
Reply:I posted about clothing now let me say something about equipment. If you're going to do mountain bikes sooner or later you're going to need to TIG them. Now you don't need to go out and buy a TIG set up right away. If I were you I'd buy a mid price range oxy-acetylene set up and start practicing on thin mild steel tubing. Once you learn to cut and fit tubing joints and gas weld them up the rest will be much easier. Just make some rough mock ups of frames. There's a lot to be learned from playing around on rough mock ups that will never be ridden.  this really won't be wasted money. Once you start welding you'll want to have the torch around any way. Every time you heat something up or cut up some junk for scrap you'll wonder how you ever got by without a torch set up.
Reply:The main problem with migging a bike together is heat. If you're doing cro-mo tubes they will be extreemly thin, so you need a mig that will go down low, hence tig and oxy are the prefered weld methods. You could also braze it, but usually you need to lug it too, and lugs are hard to make, but very cool. As for protection, natural fibers are your freind, for tig low amp mig and oxy I like cotton t-shirts and thick cotton shorts and thin deer skin gloves, high amp mig and stick I'll wear a heavy leather welder's jacket and thick leather gloves. Also get yourself an auto-dark mask, it will make life so much simpler.
Reply:Originally Posted by maxyedorThe main problem with migging a bike together is heat. If you're doing cro-mo tubes they will be extreemly thin, so you need a mig that will go down low, hence tig and oxy are the prefered weld methods. You could also braze it, but usually you need to lug it too, and lugs are hard to make, but very cool. As for protection, natural fibers are your freind, for tig low amp mig and oxy I like cotton t-shirts and thick cotton shorts and thin deer skin gloves, high amp mig and stick I'll wear a heavy leather welder's jacket and thick leather gloves. Also get yourself an auto-dark mask, it will make life so much simpler.
Reply:Originally Posted by DoolittleI read that braze will cause the chrome moly to crack and weaken.  I could be misinformed..
Reply:There's a book out there called "The Bicycle builders Bonanza" by Brad GrahamHe does it for fun and builds them out of electricial conduit. The book has plans for a lot of different bikes and tells the equipment he uses and stuff like that. But it would be a good start to try to see if it's something you want to do!!!!! Check out his web site:http://www.atomiczombie.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by DoolittleI read that braze will cause the chrome moly to crack and weaken.  I could be misinformed..
Reply:dont wear an old greasy shirt while grinding off some old welds on a set of trailer legs, they can catch on fire........dont ask me how i know.