New to welding looking for help to learn please.

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First and formeost hi to all and its a privelage to post on this site in my opinion. so i want to say thank you to all that reply back to my post. Any and all constructive criticism is highly welcome and appreciated for I am hear to learn from all the wise and respectable welders. Also if this is in the wrong section I'm sorry and please let me know. Hi, my an,e is Anthony B. and I am new to welding. I am a 22yr old tattoo artist and mechanic. I recently purchased a cheap-o ebay electric only mig 130. It only has 4 power ranges low high 1 2. I was hoping it would be enough to do little fabrication work for my 95 dsm drag car, but I guess I made the mistake and purchased something ican only use for minor things. So, yesterday I ordered a longevity AC DC Longevity Tig/Arc welder. I know I know another e bay unit, but I already spent close or more to 20k in 6 months on this car (2 seperate builds) and this is just a hobby that I'm hoping to get good at. It is the longevity 160sx. I have heard and seen both good and bad feedback on it and I only payed 623.17 total with next day shipping. It comes with the pedal, tig torch, and all the accesorries. Plus I need to weld aluminum and ss for making a intake manifold and a ss turbo manifold for a forward facing turbo set up. And I want to make a ss turbo back exhaust, maybe side exit? So I think this was a good buy in my opinion. So, my question now is do you think this was a good buy for what I'm looking for?Is this unit good for welding sheet metal intake manifolds for hi boost applications? (30-40 psi)Is this a good unit for ss manifolds? Like will it make strong enough welds to hold 700+ fwhp?And my last question is what kind of bottle do I buy? I am searching the local Craigslist and there is a lot of different bottles for 40-350 bucks. I know I need a argon tank for aluminum and my question for that is, can you only use a certain kind of tank for argon/certain kinds of shielding gas? Also if anyone wants to let me know what things should I be buying to accommodate my mig welder and new tig welder. I have so far 3 helmets: one cheap one that came with the mig welder, a 10 helmet I got from Home Depot and a 9-13/grinding auto tinting helmet from harbor freight. I have some Lincoln welding gloves from Home Depot (don't really like how they fit they are really big around my fingers). I have four wire brushes I purchased, a 3" welding magnet, and thats about it. I will be getting the tig tomorrow. I'm looking for advice on things I should get to make it a clean and safe welding area in my garage. (Not very big btw, my car barely fit in there and I have little space with it in there right now while I'm building it, should be done next week hopefully)I know I'm asking a lot but I really want to Learn so bad. So I would also like to know what rods will weld what. Like stuff like the following:Aluminum: thickness 1/2", 3/8", 1/4", 1/16", 14 gauge .12x, etcSs 304 321 same as aboveMild steel.      "Cast iron.      "Thank you to all that help me out on my journey to welding.Anthony B.
Reply:welcome Anthony. where u from?Nothing Ever Got Done By Quitting, Never Give Up.
Reply:the unit is only as good as the skill of the user.  Forget welding any aluminum over 3/16" or so.  160A is very little power for the thermal conductivty that is aluminum.  Intake/exhaust manifold fabrication is more fitment/pre-welding skill than anything.  The "strength" for an intake to hold high-boost, or SS turbo manifolds to withstand high power has more to do with welding skill/material selection/pre-welding prep/fitup/cleaning than the actual welding equipment.  You won't me making any quality stuff like that if you've never TIG welded before, sorry but it's the truth----it will take a lot of time to make the things that the pro's make.  There is no substitute for "hood time", actual time spend welding and cutting up your welds to inspect them for proper fusion/penetration/bend tests/etc.For shielding gas, argon is all you need for now while you get started.  First go to local welding supply stores and see what they will exchange/fill for you.  A lot of times, you will be restricted as to what you can exchange/fill unless you have an account with them.  Check first before you buy any bottle.  Do not get any mixed gases--just straight 100% argon.The first thing you need to purchase (aside from argon) is some 2% lanthanated tungstens;  it is a great overall electrode for steels and aluminum AC welding.  Grab some 1/16" and 3/32" diameter.  They will handle pretty much anything you need for now.  Make sure you have a clean fine grit wheel on your bench grinder (if that is what you're using) to sharpen the tungstens on.Then watch all the TIG welding videos on Youtube by Jody from WeldingTipsAndTricks.com.  Then go out and practice practice practice as much as you can....If you can go through twenty-five 125 ft³ bottles of argon relatively quickly, then you are getting good hood-time. Last edited by Oscar; 07-31-2013 at 02:35 AM. 1st on WeldingWeb to have a scrolling sig! HTP Invertig 400HTP Invertig 221HTP ProPulse 300HTP ProPulse 200 x2HTP ProPulse 220MTSHTP Inverarc 200TLP HTP Microcut 875SC
Reply:Hey Doug, I am from richmond ca.Thanks Oscar for all the advice. It is much appreciated and you have been very informative about things I have asked and am looking to do. I know I need a lot of hood time and a lot of prcatice. I know it's not like mig welding, but I learned that in less than a week. I have all the time in the world for a few months while my wife is pregnant and I'm building the car that all I do is wake and practice welding, watch hours of welding tig/mig videos, work on my car, port and polishing the head, and spend time with my wife. I'm not looking to try and build the manifolds for this build, I already got a nice hafe exhaust manifold, and a very nice venom sheet metal intake manifold. I just want to learn to do it that way I can try it out to see if I can do it right and get gains from it. As well as be able to help out the dsm community on saving some money on the higher priced units and make some good quality ones that will fit said applications needs. Again, thank you so much for the quick response and good quality advice. Ill be sure to remember you and ask for advice when I need some. Oh, so for the tanks, any tank will do? The ones I'm looking at are all empty, but say co2 or acet, or just argon. Some are less expensive, but same size? Do I buy any tank and fill it with whatever I need? There is a welding supply store right next to the e85 gas station I get my gas from for my dsm about 5 miles away. How much does the stuff usually cost to fill up? What size tank should I be looking into getting? And any other equipment you think I should be looking at to make it a safe and reliable work place?Thanks again,Anthony B.
Reply:Originally Posted by 95DsManiacHey Doug, I am from richmond ca.Thanks Oscar for all the advice. It is much appreciated and you have been very informative about things I have asked and am looking to do. I know I need a lot of hood time and a lot of prcatice. I know it's not like mig welding, but I learned that in less than a week. I have all the time in the world for a few months while my wife is pregnant and I'm building the car that all I do is wake and practice welding, watch hours of welding tig/mig videos, work on my car, port and polishing the head, and spend time with my wife. I'm not looking to try and build the manifolds for this build, I already got a nice hafe exhaust manifold, and a very nice venom sheet metal intake manifold. I just want to learn to do it that way I can try it out to see if I can do it right and get gains from it. As well as be able to help out the dsm community on saving some money on the higher priced units and make some good quality ones that will fit said applications needs. Again, thank you so much for the quick response and good quality advice. Ill be sure to remember you and ask for advice when I need some. Oh, so for the tanks, any tank will do? The ones I'm looking at are all empty, but say co2 or acet, or just argon. Some are less expensive, but same size? Do I buy any tank and fill it with whatever I need? There is a welding supply store right next to the e85 gas station I get my gas from for my dsm about 5 miles away. How much does the stuff usually cost to fill up? What size tank should I be looking into getting? And any other equipment you think I should be looking at to make it a safe and reliable work place?Thanks again,Anthony B.
Reply:Anthony,Welcome to welding and this forum.TIG is a lot of fun, but takes a lot of practice time, especially on aluminum. You won't be good in a week, I promise.I'll try to answer some of your questions that have not be addressed.Oscar gave you good information on tanks and tungstens. You can find tanks on Craigs List, but ask your LWS before you buy if they will exchange. Buy the biggest tank you can exchange, usually 125 cf. You can usually exchange an argon for a C25 mix tank or vice versa so look for a used tank. Once you make your first exchange, your shiny new tank will be theirs and you will have an old one anyway.Other things you need that I did not see on your list are filler rods, good TIG gloves, some diagonal cutters to cut your filler when it balls up, and finally some way to cut steel/aluminum. For filler rods get some 1/16" and 3/32" in both 4043 aluminum and ER70S for steel. I like Tillman TIG gloves. You will need 2-3 each 4 1/2" grinders with cut-off wheel, flap disc, and grinding disc. The cut-off will cut aluminum and steel but be careful. Guys have said the most dangerous equipment in the shop is a grinder. You can also cut aluminum on a table saw or with a sabre saw (jig saw). A chop saw is great for some items to do quick cuts but loud, messy, and usually inaccurate. A 4x6 horizontal bandsaw is a great little saw and you can get them at Harbor Freight or Northern Tools or CL. They are slow but more accurate and better cut.Finally buy a clear face shield and eye protection before you even start! You will want to wear both when cutting aluminum on a table saw!Post questions and pictures and you will find a lot of help from everyone on here, well almost everyone.Burt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 12010FtDrillBit.com
Reply:Oscar: thanks again for the pointers. That's cool your into welding for your race car as well. If you don't mind me asking what kind and what for? What are your goals?  For the car. Burt: thanks a lot. So far I am greeted with nice people on a forum, and that is wonderful. Thank you for all tips and pointers. I will defenetely get a shopping list together and go out and get the things you mentioned. Anthony B.
Reply:Originally Posted by 95DsManiacOscar: thanks again for the pointers. That's cool your into welding for your race car as well. If you don't mind me asking what kind and what for? What are your goals?  For the car. Burt: thanks a lot. So far I am greeted with nice people on a forum, and that is wonderful. Thank you for all tips and pointers. I will defenetely get a shopping list together and go out and get the things you mentioned. Anthony B.
Reply:That things a beauty. I was into muscle for a couple years then went away to prison for 3 1/2 years for some very stupid stuff as a kid. 18-21. I then met my wife and got married and she got me a 1995 mitsubishi eclipse GST for a wedding gift bone stock I mean completely stock with 133,000 miles on it. Since then I have did a stock block build with only cams in the head and made 443fwhp on a 20g mhi turbo at 24ish pounds of boost on 91 oct and meth injection tuned by me via dsmlink v3 full speed density. I thought I blew the engine on the way to the track a month ago and started ordering everything for a fully forged internal 700+hp engine. I mean I have replaced everything down to the fasteners all with ARP of course. And am going to run a Holset H1E/Hx40 8 blade turbo. A quick list of some go fast parts would be:Blue printed 6 bolt blockWiseco 9.0:1 85.5mm forged pistons Eagle H beam Rods w ARP rod boltsACL race series main and rod bearingsExtreme psi balance shaft eliminator kitARP main studs and ARP head studs Oem 4 layer MLS head gasketGates racing blue Kevlar timing belt Polished oem crank 6 boltManley performance SS racing valves Manley performance Single valve springs on oem retainers (looking to get TI ones)Ported and polished 2g head by yours truly HKS grind 264/272 street/strip race camsHolset H1E turbo 8 blade in .55ar dsm housing RC 1200cc injectors looking for bigger as we speakE853" turbo backPunishment racing FMiC kit w/ greddy type rs BOV Punishment racing o2 housing 40mm vband EWG set upHafe exhaust manifold w/ tial 38mm external wastegate Venom sheet metal intake manifold race version (freakin huge)Dsmlink v3 full SD omni power 4 bar map sensor, GM Iat sensorForced performance 255 hp pump w/ stm rewire kitFel lab 818 series fuel filter w/ stm tank to rail ss line kit -6ANStock transmission lolStock axlesAem wideband, boost gauge yada yada yada gauges Hoosier Drag RadialsFull wire tuck and fuse box relocation. And a bunch of other little stuff hear and there you know how it is lol Hoping to run 10s fwd style What are you looking for? Hp? Et? Oh and a update about the welder I was suppose to be getting. I missed it today so I had to wait all day to go get it from fed ex about 10 miles away, but in rush hour of all times lol. And trust me time goes so slow when your waiting for something you really want. While I was waiting I received a carbide burr from ebay seller and went to use it and it destroyed one of my heads. The thing broke right when It came into contact with the head and the head is aluminum.Well I get the welder, drive home and open it. To my surprise they send me the wrong one. The better one lol. I ordered a longevity 160sx open box, and what do I get? A longevity 200sx brand spankin new in the box and everything. But you know there is always a twist to things like that. They forgot to put in the dam adapter plug so I can plug it into my dam outlet. I don't have any 220v ones. I was happy and mad at the same time lol. Plus I need to get a argon tank. About the tanks. I have found two tanks for $100 bucks. One is a 4' green oxygen tank and the other a two foot yellow map gas tank. Would I be able to use argon in the green one? That's the one I really want but two can never hurt either. Because I called atlas welding supplies down the street and they want about $100 for a 20 cf one. And 180 for the 60cf one. I don't know what to do but I want to weld dam it. I have spent so much money in the last week with my wife's b day and all. I think about 6k. And that isn't even including parts for my car lol. I just want to start welding already. So please correct me if I'm wrong but I should have the following things to get started:Welder.... Got itHelmet..... Got itGloves..... Got week onesTungsten...... Getting tomorrowFiller rod..... Getting tomorrow Grinder...... Getting tomorrow Brushes..... Got itMagnet..... Got itArgon tank..... Need advice to get the right oneRegulator..... I think it came with the welder What else do I need?Thanks guys....Anthony B.
Reply:Before you spend any money on cylinders, make sure you're going to be able to fill and exchange them. Most welding supplies will exchange one type of gas cylinder for another. Since you're paying for the contents anyway, they don't care. I think that may not hold with, for example, acetylene, since those cylinders are different. I don't know about oxygen. But for inert gasses anyway, you can usually exchange them. If you buy a cylinder, and it has a gas supplier's mark on the neck ring, then the gas supplier may treat it as leased and take it from you when you bring it in for a fill. Also, most gas suppliers won't fill bottles from other suppliers. If the bottle is marked "Customer Owned" you're probably fine. The larger the cylinder, the cheaper the gas. 60 cf will last four hours at a typical flow rate of 15 cfh. My advice is to find out the largest cylinder your supplier will exchange and try to buy one of those. The up front cost will be made up by cheaper refills and fewer trips to the supplier over the life of the cylinder.Everlast PA160-STH... and that's about it!
Reply:Josh: thanks for the tips. Ill definitely check to see if the tank is stamped. I also watched some videos on how to check for up to date ones. Like it would say the year and a + and a star for ten years? If not then only 5? I really only want to buy a tank once, that's why I'm doing a lot of asking and research before I make the purchase. Anthony B.
Reply:You are going to find 110v power extremely limiting. You can rule out alum except very thin stuff. Steel and stainless, you are probably limited to 90-100 amps max on 110v power and that will do say 16ga. Even the best machines out there like Millers Dynasty are fairly limited on 110v power. You need to look at getting access to 230v power. If you have an electric dryer, you can fab up an extension cord and run off that no problem.As far as using the green O2 cylinder for argon, my local supplier will allow me to swap any gas for another in a similar size cylinder. I regularly swap a spare O2 for mig gas or my spare mig gas one for argon and so on. 4' would make me think it's roughly an 80-100 cf cylinder. That's not a bad price for something that size, and you don't often find owner cylinders much larger for sale. Bigger cylinders are often lease or rentals and many places won't exchange them unless they are from their place, hence the comments to make sure you can swap them before you buy them.Last edited by DSW; 08-01-2013 at 03:50 AM..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Dsw: thank you for the advice. How would I go about getting a 230v outlet in my garage? How much does it cost and how much more would my bills go up lol. Not really worried about it but it would be nice to let the wife know so I don't get my head showed off when the bill is through the roof and something I told her cost 623 turned into $1100 on the welder and assecories. Anthony B.
Reply:Stop now. You are a hop, skip, and a jump from one the best tig weldors in California. B_C is his name. You should PM him and offer to pay him for some tig and lessons. It would be money well spent.Last edited by shovelon; 08-01-2013 at 01:36 PM.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:Originally Posted by 95DsManiacDsw: thank you for the advice. How would I go about getting a 230v outlet in my garage?
Reply:Originally Posted by shovelonStop now. You are a hop, skip, and a jump from one the best tig weldor in California. B_C is his name. You should PM him and offer to pay him for some tig and lessons. It would be money well spent.
Reply:Originally Posted by joshuabardwellBills won't go up very much. Electricity is pretty cheap, all things considered. Unless you are a professional shop, running a big honking three-phase machine all day long, you're not going to spend more than a few cents a day, or perhaps a dollar or two at most. Think about it: a typical inverter style TIG welder in the 150-200 amp range might pull 30 amps at max output. That's 7.2 kW at 240 volts. Electricity is about 10-20 cents per kWh in the U.S., depending on where you live, so running that welder flat-out for a solid hour is going to cost you between $0.72 and $1.44. But of course you're not running it flat-out, and you're not running it non-stop for an hour (duty cycle!). So actual numbers are much lower.If you are reasonably handy, you can wire up a new 230 volt outlet yourself, but do make sure you know what you are doing, because if you do something dumb and burn your house down, your insurance won't like you very much. I have a neighbor who used to be a licensed electrician, and he walked me through the steps. We got it done in under an hour, and for about $50 in parts. Hiring it done would have cost me about $150. The real question will be how long the run is between your service panel and the place you want the receptacle. The longer the run, the more you're going to spend on wire and labor.
Reply:Originally Posted by joshuabardwellTake. This. Advice. Every dollar you spend on instruction will more than make up for itself in steel, filler, and argon that you don't waste muddling around on your own. You will get better ten times as fast with a skilled instructor looking over your shoulder. Even an hour or two of instruction will get you off on the right foot, and then you can muddle around for a while if you like. I wish to heck I lived closer to somebody who could give me lessons, but I don't think that I do.
Reply:One is a 4' green oxygen tank and the other a two foot yellow map gas tank. Would I be able to use argon in the green one?
Reply:I'm hoping for 10s too but I'm fwd. and only 4 banger lol. But man what a day today was. I went it and got a 80cf argon tank filled for 150 he gave me 25 off. And it's mine yay!! Then I told him I needed some filler rod and tungsten. He starts walking me around the back of his shop where they keep everything and starts grabbing some very small 1/16 I think or 1/32 and then the next above that of ss, aluminum, and something called food steel. He also grabbed one green and one red tungsten and said "here, that's yours." I was like to have? He said yea. I guess I'm an easy to get along with person and we talked cars and stuff so I think he might of thought I was like him at my age. Anyhow he also hooked me up with basically some welding classes, for free!! Then my day turned to **** when I can't for the life of me find a dam adapter plug for this fuxxin welder. I ended up calling longevity which come to find out is about 35 minutes from my house and they sold me one for 24.99 which was $5 bucks off originally and I get to pick it up tomorrow. I then had a electrician come to the house (well, it's a 4plex) and he quoted me $640 to run a dam 3/4" wire, 50a, and 220v socket to the garage. I don't have that type of money to put out for something like that for a house that isn't mine. The guy at the welder shop told me what he did at his house for his kids to have a ice creek machine at home was ran two 110v from seperate breakers and made one 220v. Can you do this? Anthony B.
Reply:Originally Posted by shovelonHe is in California. The land of endless taxes, and energy price gouging. But you gotta pay the man no matter what.
Reply:Originally Posted by joshuabardwellSeriously? Around here, all work must be to code, but it doesn't actually have to be inspected if you're willing to take the risk of your insurance not paying out if you screwed up. For something like adding a receptacle, no license, permit, or inspection required, whatsoever, as long as you are the homeowner, and you are doing the work for yourself (vs. a landlord doing work for a rental unit).At least, that's my understanding.
Reply:Originally Posted by 95DsManiacIThe guy at the welder shop told me what he did at his house for his kids to have a ice creek machine at home was ran two 110v from seperate breakers and made one 220v. Can you do this? Anthony B.
Reply:Originally Posted by shovelonRunning a recepticle means upgrading service to 220volts.
Reply:Originally Posted by 95DsManiacThe guy at the welder shop told me what he did at his house for his kids to have a ice creek machine at home was ran two 110v from seperate breakers and made one 220v. Can you do this?And this is where I back away slowly.
Reply:If you are operating on 110, you will max out around 90 amps or so. Unfortunately, that's not exactly a recipe for success when starting out with TIG. It's usually recommended for beginners to start on 1/8" thick material, and 85-120 amps is the recommended output range for that. So, maybe you can do okay, but likely you'll wish you had a little more heat. Dropping down to 3/32" material puts your recommended output at 80-110. If you can consistently run 90 amps, you'll be right in the middle of the range. I doubt I'd suggest you go much thinner, though, until you get a better feel for it.I'm shocked at the price you were quoted for 220. Your machine probably maxes out around 30 amps at 240 volts, so if you were to put $200 or so into an extension cord, you could probably run your welder off your dryer receptacle. You'd need to make the cord yourself, probably, since you'd need something like a 10-30 plug on one end and a 6-50 receptacle on the other end. Look for a 10-gauge extension cord at the hardware store and then cut the ends off it and wire it up to a plug and receptacle. If, some day, you get a proper welding outlet put in, or move somewhere else, you can swap the plug from 10-30 to 6-50.Everlast PA160-STH... and that's about it!
Reply:I wish it would be that easy but unfortunately for me and these old *** houses, it doesn't even have an electrical output for a dryer. Only gas dryer. Man now I'm all upset about this because I really want to weld with this thing and weld to its specs. What should I do?????????Anthony B.ARKSEN MIG 130 NON GAS LONGEVITY AC DC TIG/STICK 200sx
Reply:Originally Posted by 95DsManiacI wish it would be that easy but unfortunately for me and these old *** houses, it doesn't even have an electrical output for a dryer. Only gas dryer. Man now I'm all upset about this because I really want to weld with this thing and weld to its specs. What should I do?????????Anthony B.
Reply:Originally Posted by 95DsManiacI wish it would be that easy but unfortunately for me and these old *** houses, it doesn't even have an electrical output for a dryer. Only gas dryer. Man now I'm all upset about this because I really want to weld with this thing and weld to its specs. What should I do?????????
Reply:Originally Posted by OscarIn this case, you have no choice but to get 220V wired into your house.  110V simply just flat out SUCKS.   Or buy a massive gasoline-powered generator that supplies 220V @ 30A, which is 6,600W.  So you'll need at least 8kW generator if you go that route.
Reply:Originally Posted by 95DsManiacI wish it would be that easy but unfortunately for me and these old *** houses, it doesn't even have an electrical output for a dryer. Only gas dryer. Man now I'm all upset about this because I really want to weld with this thing and weld to its specs. What should I do?????????Anthony B.
Reply:Very true.  Just get some appropriately sized steel and start learning how to form a bead, then pushing the bead 1/8" at a time, etc, etc.  Gotta crawl before you walk, and walk before you run. 1st on WeldingWeb to have a scrolling sig! HTP Invertig 400HTP Invertig 221HTP ProPulse 300HTP ProPulse 200 x2HTP ProPulse 220MTSHTP Inverarc 200TLP HTP Microcut 875SC
Reply:Originally Posted by MinnesotaDaveThin metal requires more practice than thick anyway.  Just practice to the machine specs on 110volt.You've got bigger problems to tackle anyway - like saving up for better housing where you don't have a crack whore neighbor living next to your wife.  More important than welding or race cars...Dave J.
Reply:Thin metal requires more practice than thick anyway. Just practice to the machine specs on 110volt.You've got bigger problems to tackle anyway - like saving up for better housing where you don't have a crack whore neighbor living next to your wife. More important than welding or race cars...Dave J.
Reply:Most I ever heard of on 110v is around 125, and I'm not sure if that was on a 30-amp circuit, which you're not going to find too many of. IMO, 90-100 is more realistic. I just checked on my welder, plugged into 110v and set to TIG mode, and the front panel display went up to 96 amps. But looking at the manual, it gives a running draw of 25 amps at 110v, so that says to me that I'm going to blow a typical 20 amp residential breaker if I try to actually weld at 96 amps output. I dunno what would be an expected output at 20 amps draw, without popping the breaker... maybe 80? 75?Everlast PA160-STH... and that's about it!
Reply:It could be possible?The miller maxstar 150stl claims 100 amps tig on a 20 amp 115 volt circuit.They claim 150 amps tig with an input of 28 amps on 115 volts.  So it would give you big amps, but briefly - breaker will blow soon on 20 amps.Dave J.Last edited by MinnesotaDave; 08-02-2013 at 08:33 PM.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:yup, give it a shot.  Plug it in and see how long it lasts @ 150A.   That will tell you if that guy was blowing smoke.   1st on WeldingWeb to have a scrolling sig! HTP Invertig 400HTP Invertig 221HTP ProPulse 300HTP ProPulse 200 x2HTP ProPulse 220MTSHTP Inverarc 200TLP HTP Microcut 875SC
Reply:Haha thanks guys. Well just to let you all know, I SUUUUUCK LOL. but we knew that was coming. I couldn't even get a puddle or bead for some reason. I think my regulator is broke because I smell a lot of gas and I was blowing holes through stuff. I would use the pedal and start off low and work my way up and no matter what I wouldn't see a puddle and before I know it im got a hole in my matal. I only messed around 30 minutes tonight. Ill try tomorrow more. I ordered a jacket and will check out regulators tomorrow too. I watched about 2 1/2hrs videos of mr.tig 3 series videos with Kevin Caron and a lot of other videos. I noticed they say in a Eastwood video to run DC-? Do you just switch it to DC or what's up with the negative sign?Anthony B.ARKSEN MIG 130 NON GAS LONGEVITY AC DC TIG/STICK 200sx
Reply:Originally Posted by 95DsManiacHaha thanks guys. Well just to let you all know, I SUUUUUCK LOL. but we knew that was coming. I couldn't even get a puddle or bead for some reason. I think my regulator is broke because I smell a lot of gas and I was blowing holes through stuff. I would use the pedal and start off low and work my way up and no matter what I wouldn't see a puddle and before I know it im got a hole in my matal. I only messed around 30 minutes tonight. Ill try tomorrow more. I ordered a jacket and will check out regulators tomorrow too. I watched about 2 1/2hrs videos of mr.tig 3 series videos with Kevin Caron and a lot of other videos. I noticed they say in a Eastwood video to run DC-? Do you just switch it to DC or what's up with the negative sign?Anthony B.
Reply:Dono: thank you for your advice. I actually removed him from my youtube subscriptions lol. I watched and copied down a lot of Jody's tips. He makes a lot of sense and isn't holding back on the tricks part. I like his videos. I really appreciate you letting me in on that. Update for today. I made it 2 mins before the WS store closed and the guy was a *******. I ended up walking out because he wasn't trying to help me one bit. I was in there looking for something and he barely spoke English, then two guys walked in, he put back what I was asking about and started helping them, I was like excuse me? Excuse me sir? He ignored me. I was pissed and left. Drove to another store 20 mins away and they too were closed, but he atleast looked at my regulator, took some small tools out, took it apart, put it back together, and told me it should work now. So that was a plus. I then drove 1hr to harbor freight just to buy a bench grinder because I thought it would be cheaper then Home Depot which is right down the street and it wasn't. My mistake. But I did get 25% off so i guess it was cheaper, also got some sleeves (my jacket is on its way but I'm not patient), more magnents, and a regulator just in case mine don't work. So I should be giving it another try tonight after I watch more videos and take more notes. I'm really dedicated to learn now and I am real into it. I also got backin contact with amazons customer service about the things missing and the broke regulator. They told me to make a shopping list, and buy the things I needed and send the, my list after I buy the stuff. I did just that and guess what????? They refunded me another 143.17 and the $8 shipping it cost me to get the stuff. So that's 221.13 total I was refunded. Talk about good customer service and making the customer happy. They got good customer service feedback. Well anyhow, wish me luck on my practice tonight. Anthony B.ARKSEN MIG 130 NON GAS LONGEVITY AC DC TIG/STICK 200sx
Reply:I practiced yesterday and today. I finally got a puddle and made some beads. I'm still the hand of the pedal and increasing/decreasing amperage as needed for the weld. I went to homedepot and got 5 pieces of little skinny pieces of metal for $45. I got steel and aluminum. Today I flipped the switch to AC and without filler rod tried to lay a puddle just to see what it looks like and what to look for and when I pressed the peddle and the arch started it scared the **** out of me lol. It was hella loud so I stopped and looked up to see if it was suppose to be like that because I saw my life flash before my eyes. Well for some reason I'm way better at aluminum. I can get a perfect stack of dimes/bead whichever it's called.Oh and on 110v I turned to peddle all the way up and hit the peddle. It went to 185 then back down and was stable at 160A. So I guess the guy was right. Anyway, I'm practicing an hour or two in the AM and in the PM. Hopefully I can get my hands on some stainless and some cast iron to try on that. Anthony B.ARKSEN MIG 130 NON GAS LONGEVITY AC DC TIG/STICK 200sx
Reply:Originally Posted by 95DsManiac Hopefully I can get my hands on some stainless and some cast iron to try on that. Anthony B.
Reply:Quit buying metal at Home Depot as soon as you can. Much, much better prices at salvage yards or metal suppliers.Everlast PA160-STH... and that's about it!
Reply:Haha I know I learned that because I spent a lot of metal and it is crappy aluminum because some of it would weld nice and some it would just burn really easy no matter the amperage. Only reason I ask about cast iron is because my dad wanted me to try it out. He has some cast iron manifolds that have cracks. I know about the preheating part, but do I need to purge it too?Anthony B.ARKSEN MIG 130 NON GAS LONGEVITY AC DC TIG/STICK 200sx
Reply:thing with any cast, iron steel or luminum is.... you'll see after you do it , some welds beautiful some not so much and some will drive you nutsyou don't need to purge it, but you need the best prep you can have... groove, clean, no oils-contaminants--------------------------------------------------------------www.becmotors.nlyup, I quit welding.. joined welder anonymous