Beginner welders common problem

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It seems like there's more and more newbies getting into welding and asking for opinions on their progress and how to set their machine, etc., etc. One big problem I see with about 90% of these posts is that they're trying to get good results on the worst possible pieces of unknown (s)crap metal they can find. Aside from paying a little more to get a better machine, spend $20 or $30 and get some decent flat bar to learn on. Don't make it harder on yourself.
Reply:Perfect example.http://forum.weldingtipsandtricks.co...vanized#p51599Just a couple welders, big hammers, grinders, and torches.Work will free you.Men in dirty jeans built this country, while men in clean suits have destroyed it. Trump/Carson 2016-2024
Reply:As one of these "newbies" I would like to recommend Angle 1.5 or 2.0" for welding practice.  Cut it into 2-3" pieces and you end up with all sorts of possibilities, from just running a few beads to practicing your fillets, butts, lap, etc...  Bonus, they clamp together real easy and you get inside and outside corners that you can mess with also.Hell just grab a couple of lengths from Lowes or Home Depot, cut em' into 2-3" pieces and you've got a few days worth of practice material with a known hot rolled mild steel.  FWIW
Reply:Originally Posted by RevlisHell just grab a couple of lengths from Lowes or Home Depot, cut em' into 2-3" pieces and you've got a few days worth of practice material with a known hot rolled mild steel.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWBox store stel is just about as expensive as you can get. If you are getting into this, you'll find a good steel supplier is dirt cheap compared to what you would pay at Depot/Lowes.2-3" in length is a bit short in my opinion. 3" of weld is the minimum I want to see from students. Anything shorter and it's tough to tell if they are being consistent.  When I started learning years ago, we learned on 12" lengths of angle with stick. That forced at least one restart on each pass down that 12" length. On short stuff you never have to learn to do restarts when you need to change a rod. That length is a bit long for mig/tig. At the tech school all our coupons are 3" wide and 6" long and that seems to work well for joints.
Reply:I would guess the steel would cost 1/2 to a 1/3 less at a steel yard then at Home Depot.The difference is insane.Just a couple welders, big hammers, grinders, and torches.Work will free you.Men in dirty jeans built this country, while men in clean suits have destroyed it. Trump/Carson 2016-2024
Reply:Hey Dave if you want something to really complain about I suggest you read the gas cylinder threads. Really hard to give correct advice on that kind of stuff since regulations and policies vary in so many locations.
Reply:I wasn't complaining. I was making an observation that will make a huge difference in someone's progress. Safe practices for torches and cylinders is universal. The thread about people lifting cylinders by the cap and/or modifying the cap for lifting was scary to say the least.
Reply:Go here and get some of the project kits. Nice clean new cold rolled steel for not a lot of money, and it is already cut into coupon sizes for TIG or MIG. Might be a tad small for running stick. You get 2 pieces of 3x3 1/4 inch plate and 6 pieces of 2x6 1/8th inch plate, all cold rolled steel, for $5, shipped. Just freaking awesome for TIG or MIG coupons for practice. I bought 10 "kits" and it arrived in two fairly large boxes. They have a small amount of oxidation on them that comes right off with a light sanding, but no mill scale. http://www.jflfoundation.com/Product...ductCode=METALMiller Multimatic 255
Reply:I pay .040 cents a pound for new scrap steel
Reply:Go to a local welding shop and dig through their bone pile.  My LWS gives me a ton of scraps for free.  They are too small for them to mess with, but are great for some of my smaller projects, gussets, and practice pieces.  Most of it is headed to the recycler anyway.Miller Dynasty 200DXMiller 252 Miller 250xMiller Syncrowave 250Miller AEAD200 LegendMiller 375 Xtreme plasmaLincoln WeldPak 100Victor O/A
Reply:Ask if you can get some scrap from a welding shop. Don't just help yourself. They're getting paid for their scrap.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWBox store stel is just about as expensive as you can get. If you are getting into this, you'll find a good steel supplier is dirt cheap compared to what you would pay at Depot/Lowes.
Reply:As a hobbyist I get all my aluminum and Steel from onlinemetals.com. Shipping is superfast. For me this is more convenient than a steel yard. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply:Originally Posted by Welder DaveI wasn't complaining. I was making an observation that will make a huge difference in someone's progress. Safe practices for torches and cylinders is universal. The thread about people lifting cylinders by the cap and/or modifying the cap for lifting was scary to say the least.
Reply:didn't know what anyone though about these 7018 welds. Any good?
Reply:Originally Posted by motolife313I pay .040 cents a pound for new scrap steel
Reply:Originally Posted by jrportermotolife313, what area are you in?  I live between Seattle and Everett WA and the best place I have found that lets me go through the scrap bin and rummage around the saw charges 70 cents a pound.  Pretty much any length of material I can find under 4' is charged as scrap.  I've been OK with 70 but 40 cents sounds better.