Not your Typical Noob Question ;)

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Aloha everyone!OK. after doing a search of the site, I feel safe in saying that this probably isn't a common topic.I'm a total noob. Here are my concerns and questions.I would like to lern to weld to make some training equipment such as for martial arts and general physical training as well. i'm just doing this to help with my main hobby (martial arts) and I do not plan to make this a profession or do this professionally. I am thinking about possibly making things for gyms and individuals should the need arise.I live in Hawaii so the all the salt in the air makes rust a very common problem.keeping the above situation in mind, here are my questions:What type of welding style would be most appropriate?What type of material would be best for my climate and use in terms of structural material and filler? (I'm thinking Stainless Steel for the structure)Where can i find good educational material to help with my pursuit?Thank you very much for your time. I'm sorry for the rather short tone that the message sends. I simply want to make helping easier. Mahalo and Aloha!Last edited by TheHobbyist; 10-10-2010 at 11:02 PM.
Reply:There have been a number of posts in the past from people who have made exercise equipment. Weight benches, push sleds, inclined situp benches, chin up bars and a couple of other items I vaugely remember looking over. There was one member who did a bunch of this stuff, but I can't remember who right now.Stainless would be great, but sit down before you start pricing materials. Plain steel powder coated will be less expensive and probably work well. There's always paint if you are on a buget. Most material will be thin tube, probably 1/8" and less for most of it, though you may have heavier parts as well. Mig or tig would be good choices. I'd go tig if you are serious about doing stainless, but mig stainless could be done also. Mig would be the easiest to learn and get up to speed on. You will want a decent 220v mig, the little 110v ones won't have the power to do the heavier steel. There are any number of good entry level 220v migs from Miller, Hobart and lincoln in the 180-200 amp class.Miller has a good student pack you can buy and read as far as learning materials..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:I'd say aluminum if you weren't a noob but...If you use regular steel. Rub oil all over it and when you go to use it clean the oil off with gas or carb cleaner. You would benefit from a mig welder.not a 110. since your just starting out.To cut the metal you can use a torch or if you don't have the time to learn how to use it or you don't have the cash for it. Go buy a grinder and some cutting disks for it.your going to need a grinder either way to take the slag off the metal after you use the torch.
Reply:Hey DSW!Thank you very much for your help. I will definitely look for the Miller student pack. I was thinking that 1/8" was going to be the thickest that i would go, but I wanted to get the opinion of people who have actually had experience with the different materials and their strengths and weaknesses. So, thank you.
Reply:I'm not sure exactly what sort of equipment you are thinking about. I just walk by most of that stuff on the way to the pool. I get enough heavy lifting at work. I could see metal as heavy as 3/8" used for any number of things. I'm thinking the top bar support on a bench press, mounting pads/ feet and probably other heavy use parts, especially if you get fancy with moving parts like leg lifts and so on.Here's the link to Millers stuff.http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/tools/#books.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:What were you planning on building?
Reply:Hey Hobbyist,Just some mental fodder for you to contemplate.Last summer, one of my customers came to my shop with a drawing to make a special bench rest for him. He is a lifelong bodybuilder & has a nice gym at his home. I made the unit & he really liked it a lot & took it to the gym he goes to on occasion to show others the unit. The gym owner also liked it & said the only way he could buy one from me is if I have a commercial license, & $5 million liability insurance policy. Needless to say, I did not make any for that gym. I did have a few of their fellows get one from me to use at their homes. I also had them sign a waiver of liability prior to making them as I don't know what they are going to be subject to after they leave my premises. I never had any doubts of the structural integrity of these units because of the design.Anyway, be careful when accepting a job to make anything that is a potential risk to any persons' physical well being. You never know when someone does something inadvertently or just plain dumb......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:The first thing I was planning on making was a Heavybag Stand. Just as someone mentioned in a thread here, hitting the bag with any sort of real power behind your punches causes the stuf fto move. Added to this the fact that i am a big guy and I hit pretty hard, makes the traditional style of bagstand better suited as a coathanger. At least that way it isn't a liability.  I have some ideas on the stabilization that i will surely be coming here to share and get help with.I was also thinking of making a grip training device and squat rack (similar to those found at ironmind.com).A weighted sled would be helpful too, but further down the list. Basicallly, there are a lot of things that are hard to come by here on kauai. I know  alot of folks that would be glad to be able to get their hands on that kind of equipment.which leads me to Yorkie's post. Thank you very much for sharing bro. From my training as a Martial Art coach, those kinds of liability waivers are the first thing on my mind. My first concern is the safety of the user, but i do recall training with some people that were just plain stupid. This may sound selfish, but in order for me to be able to continue helping anyone, i have to protect myself first.Thansk again guys. I will be on here a lot if you don't mind. everyone seems to knowledgable and supportive. It isa great atmosphere and i am honored to be a part of it. Hopefully someday I can be a contributing member rather than a leeching one. :P
Reply:The Miller Student Training Package is at the bottom of this page: http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/tools/Burt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 12010FtDrillBit.com
Reply:Galvanized steel is a good material for corrosion resistance that doesn't cost too much and is easily welded.  Coat the welds with cold galvanized spray and then prime and paint or powder coat when finished.   Fluxcore wire feed is a good process to weld galvanized steel with, is also easy to learn and the equipment is not too expensive.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:It sounds to me like you don't want to get too involved, you just want to build a couple of things..What type of welding style would be most appropriate? - I would say it depends on the welding enviornment. Do you have a shop to weld in? if so I would say GMAW. A Simpler Handler with .023 or maybe even .035 hard wire would probably suite your needs, it doesn't sound like you're going to get too extrememe and need the bigger processes for Higher end strength. If you are outside or don;t want to bother with buying gas every so often, I would recomend self shield. Its not hard to learn either.What type of material would be best for my climate and use in terms of structural material and filler? (I'm thinking Stainless Steel for the structure) -I would say that perhaps the easiest (and cheapest) material for you to use would be A36 Mild Steel with a coat of primer and paint on it when it's complete. Stainless is hard to learn, and very expensive in realtionship to mild steel.Where can i find good educational material to help with my pursuit? -I'm not sure how much you are looking to dish out for welding education. You may be able to find someone locally that will teach you the basics, or, depending on what process you choose to use, you may just be able to ask simple questions here. I would say if you do any of the wire processes you could learn it simply over the internet, but if you do want to elarn to TIG and do stainless, I would recommend finding a teacher.Hope this helps.-Also, out of curiousity, what kinds of 'equipment' are you wanting to make? Originally Posted by DesertRider33Galvanized steel is a good material for corrosion resistance that doesn't cost too much and is easily welded.  Coat the welds with cold galvanized spray and then prime and paint or powder coat when finished.   Fluxcore wire feed is a good process to weld galvanized steel with, is also easy to learn and the equipment is not too expensive.
Reply:Cold galvanized spray is very much like common grey spray primer in application.  Go to your local Home Depot spray paint aisle and you will see it there, Rustoleum brand.  It is an anti-corrosion coating meant to be sprayed on in place of primer to help protect the metal from rusting.  When pre-galvanized metal is welded, the galvanized coating burns off.  The cold galvanized spray goes on in place of the burned off galvanizing before the part goes to paint.I'm not going to argue here about the merits of welding galvanized metal, except to say that it is indeed welded every day in various industries without health risk, when appropriate PPE are used.  I weld quite a bit of it myself, whenever building fence, gates, railings, or anything steel that will be used outdoors.  Customers like it when their stuff doesn't rust away quickly.Last edited by DesertRider33; 10-11-2010 at 09:33 PM.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Originally Posted by wb4rtThe Miller Student Training Package is at the bottom of this page: http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/tools/
Reply:Originally Posted by DesertRider33Galvanized steel is a good material for corrosion resistance that doesn't cost too much and is easily welded.  Coat the welds with cold galvanized spray and then prime and paint or powder coat when finished.   Fluxcore wire feed is a good process to weld galvanized steel with, is also easy to learn and the equipment is not too expensive.
Reply:Originally Posted by JuddIt sounds to me like you don't want to get too involved, you just want to build a couple of things..
Reply:A real good source of direction and help might be the local Jr. College.  Enroll in a 101 semester class, probably MIG.  Talk to the Prof, and then while in this training... which UR gonna' need,  U will see tools and techniques and  get a bonus, physical SAFETY for you will become a priority. Then build for yourself first stealing designs from quality gear.  Plenty of time later to offer gear to others.   Finally, this forum is chock full of sincere very knowledgeable guys who (for some reason unknown to me  are willing to share that info with greenhorns like U and me. We're the lucky ones.  So stick around, this is as much fun as Karate.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Pretty much what some of the other folks already posted.Some thoughts in pretty random order:Stainless steel is -much- more expensive than plain steel.  Sometimes stainless steel is called for, sometimes it is not.Galvanized steel is more RESISTANT to rusting then plain steel, but remember that Rust Never Sleeps.You do not want to breath in the vaporized zinc if you weld a piece of galvanized steel, and you also really don't want to breath in flux fumes or metal vapors (like chromium in stainless steel) either.  Take the proper safety precations and things are fine, if not you can get sick or die.  No laughing on that one.Training?  Not too many businesses I know of that can take on an unskilled apprentice just to train them for 'fun'.  Maybe if you can find an artist/sculptor who welds you could try the offer of grunt-work in exchange for knowledge, but you have to find the right 'teacher'.  Usually a better choice is the vo-tech school or adult courses or community college for the Welding-101 class to start with.  Then maybe do the Welding-201 after that.  Or whatever the school calls the course(s).    Just so you don't get caught up on looking for -that- actual course name!    And FYI PapaLion, at least around here the Welding-101 aka Into-To-Welding courses usually start off with SMAW aka stick welding.If you just have a few things you want to get welded, then  maybe you can just have a welder put it together for you.  To get started with a halfway decent 240V MIG (aka GMAW) machine able to comfortably weld 1/8 steel or so plus all the 'other' stuff that goes along with welding like helmet, grinders (yes plural   ), gloves, some sort of cutting tool(s), extension cord and/or having an outlet wired up for the welder, shielding gas and cylinder, some electrode wire, and so forth you are probably looking at around $1k to get all set up.  TIG aka GTAW would usually run more than that just because the GTAW machines are usually more expensive than a comparably powered GMAW machine.  Then you have to practice and learn before you can get to working on your actual projects.This coming from a guy who kind of bought a welder because he didn't want to pay $30 for skidshoes for a snowblower anymore!      But you should see the replacement skidshoes I ended up making!    (search the forum if you are curious)  I have used the welder for more than just the skidshoes though.  If you are not an experience or knowledgable 'designer' or 'fabricator', then making things beefy and STRONG is the way to go.  It doesn't have to fly or race, so make it strong!For your own use, you don't have to worry too much about making and designing something.  If it is made for someone else, then you have to consider or worry about liability.  As well as business licenses and business taxes and so forth.As said, "cold galvanizing spray" is a variant of cans of spray paint.  It is mostly zinc dust/powder with a bit of 'paint' (usually an acrylic binder with no pigment) to make it stick to the item you are painting.  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Originally Posted by MoonRise  To get started with a halfway decent 240V MIG (aka GMAW) machine able to comfortably weld 1/8 steel or so plus all the 'other' stuff that goes along with welding like helmet, grinders (yes plural   ), gloves, some sort of cutting tool(s), extension cord and/or having an outlet wired up for the welder, shielding gas and cylinder, some electrode wire, and so forth you are probably looking at around $1k to get all set up.
Reply:MoonRise, thanks for the post bro. There are far too many helpful tips to begin to respond individually.Thank you all for your input. I'm not hard set on having to have a machine of my own right away. I am however set on gaining as much skill as I possibly can.I did look at our local community college (the only one on the entire island...) and they do have a course that they offer. I think it may be a good idea to get hooked up on that course first. then see where that leads me. then i don't have to outlay $2k for something that I may find simply doesn't fit my interest. I doubt that, as I am interested in almost everything, but its still a safer option.Thanks again everyone!