Help choosing a welding process for beginner working outdoors

admin

Hello all,I'm looking to get into some welding and metal working. I've worked in a boatyard for many years and it's something I've always wanted to take up. It would be as a hobby, and the suck part of it is that I'd be welding in my backyard, as I don't have a garage or shop, so I'm going to have to keep stuff small and minimal. But I just want to weld, damnit!So after doing a lot of research and question talking to my father in law who does a lot of MIG, I'd still to get some advice before I get all set up and buy a welder. - I plan on welding some small stuff for now. Say 1/8th square tubing, Maybe some repairs, small fab, furniture, tables, art etc..- I'd really like to be able to weld aluminum because it's cheaper than steel, light, and easy to cut etc. I do realize it poses other issues compared to steel when welding.- my backyard is small with privacy, I'm mostly concerned about shielding gas and wind. Breeze might be 0 to 5mph. Father in law said he MIGs out on farm and its ok in light breeze. What about TIG?So, I'm considering oxy/fuel, MiG with spool gun, or TIG. I'm most interested in TIG, but I'm not sure if I want to invest in an AC TIG unit when I don't know how setup and breeze might come I to play. I'm not interested in running flux core or stick and dealing with a lot of slag flying everywhere. And stick seems to big for my purpose. Edit: I'm thinking oxy/fuel may satisfy my needs best.I have an 80 cubic foot cylinder of Argon that I could trade for oxygen and buy a welding torch and acetylene. I have hoses, Harris regulators (gauges need replacing) and a 1 piece cutting torch. But is torch welding tedious and hard to do? Folks I talk to say it's not that great, but maybe for my needs?Mig seems more affordable than TIG if I were to get say the Longevity 140 with spool gun... But is precision possible? Is TIG possible in light breeze conditions? I'm so interested in TIG I'd consider ditching aluminum and getting a DC inverter...Sorry for the long winded post. Thanks folks! ,JasonLast edited by Seawalker; 08-15-2014 at 02:25 PM.
Reply:Your wanting a lot out of one machine!..  If it were me I would ditch the idea of buying a tig outfit that can weld alluminun, they are quite pricey. Outdoors is also not the most desireable when using tig, yes it will be susceptible to wind, it requires all parts to be very clean and unless you buy an inverter type setup they are heavy as all hell. However it's the best rout for precision work.Mig machines are nice all around machines, most are light, fairly compact, a little more tolerant to wind, and much quicker for most things than tig, the material dosent need to be spotless clean most times (except aluminum) and it's pretty easy to learn. With the addition of a spool gun you can make nice alluminum welds with some practice and is less expensive than tig usually (consumables,wire,gas).Your other option is a buzz box or arc welder. They are easy to use, have very few electronic parts that will be affected by outdoor use (unlike mig and tig), are not affected by wind, requires substantially less prep work for good results, can be used with a tig torch (scratch start tig),can weld thicker materials than most smaller mig machines, and they last forever. However you can't use scratch start tig on alluminum without a hi freq box ($500-900), and it is extremely hard to stick weld alluminum.Whatever you decide I would hang on to your torch setup, a good set of torches is worth it weight in gold! A/O welding is fun but takes a lot of practice and set up time. Even if you only use them to cut and heat things it's a good investment to have.I hope this will help you decide! I'm with pops, mig is a good choice for your application in my opinion but a nice $200 buzz box is always a nice bonus to go with it!Real welders know how to penetrate!(Equipment)Whatever can be used to beat my opponent into submission!
Reply:I really love stick (SMAW or MMA) welding. it is sort of the gold standard for outdoors, in the wind, etc. Is it harder to learn than MIG, sure. But is it hard to learn, no. Plus I think it makes a great base for going to MIG or TIG. It will for sure teach you how to read a weld puddle, and it is such a versatile process.Miller Multimatic 255
Reply:Amen, Louie 1961, my sentiments exactly.  Stick welding is, in my opinion, extremely versatile and easy to get into.I offer three choices: Good, Fast, & Cheap. You may pick two.Hobart AC/DC StikMate LXHarbor Freight AD HoodHarbor Freight Industrial Chop SawDeVilbis 20 Gallon, 5 HP Compressor
Reply:What is your power situation in the back yard?  Do you have 240 volts available?  What kind of current capacity? Something like the TWECO (Thermal Arc) 141i might be useful if you only have 120v and could use the multi-process capability. Do consider a small sheet metal shed to make your life a bit easier."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Recommended processes to learn in order;1. oxyacetylene2. stick3. tig & mig (or vice versa)City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Thank you all for the advice and welcome. Some good advice. If I go with SMAW won't that limit me to thicker steel? I'd probably buy one of those scratch start TIG inverters with STICK anyway.O/A welding - from what I've been reading on this forum it seems like welding AL is not that common and takes a special flux and some knowledge not easily found do to skill involved.Funny The Guy welding shop suggested that TWECO multiprocess machine the other day when I went in to price stuff.I could run 220v 2 phase outside I believe if if necissary.
Reply:Originally Posted by SeawalkerThank you all for the advice and welcome. Some good advice. If I go with SMAW won't that limit me to thicker steel? I'd probably buy one of those scratch start TIG inverters with STICK anyway.O/A welding - from what I've been reading on this forum it seems like welding AL is not that common and takes a special flux and some knowledge not easily found do to skill involved.Funny The Guy welding shop suggested that TWECO multiprocess machine the other day when I went in to price stuff.I could run 220v 2 phase outside I believe if if necissary.
Reply:I just reread your original post. Aluminum is 5-7 times MORE EXPENSIVE than steel, and if you are set on welding aluminum, your initial investment is going way up as well. You aren't going to be able to weld Aluminum with a stick welder. it is technically possible, but practically speaking, it is very hard to do and does not yield satisfactory results. I would highly recommend you start out welding steel. I am not sure you will find any process that will be suitable to welding aluminum outdoors. But I could be wrong.Miller Multimatic 255
Reply:Originally Posted by Louie1961I just reread your original post. Aluminum is 5-7 times MORE EXPENSIVE than steel, and if you are set on welding aluminum, your initial investment is going way up as well. You aren't going to be able to weld Aluminum with a stick welder. it is technically possible, but practically speaking, it is very hard to do and does not yield satisfactory results. I would highly recommend you start out welding steel. I am not sure you will find any process that will be suitable to welding aluminum outdoors. But I could be wrong.
Reply:Metal shed was a great idea, if you don't mind a permanent structure, but you will want a bench and welding table. I have been considering one of those tents the phone guys use as a wind break. I live in a villa, and only have a Rubbermaid shed, it's great for storage, not much else. I started with the very unpopular harbor freight inverter welder, no aluminum except stick, and I didn't have a good experience with that. Then I found a really good deal on a Lincoln 110v wire welder and mig setup. I did flux cored wire at first, then I found a few cheap tanks on Craigslist and I stalked the mig kit, man I love it, and lastly tried co2 instead of tri mix, and I liked it even more. Last week I picked up the 220v Lincoln 180 HD and I'm lucky enough to have a plug from my old spa on the patio. So I'll be trying out all kinds  of projects.  it's like a bug, once you catch it, you never stop learning and growing. My advice is start with a used unit, try some stuff, see what you like and then spend your money on something you know you will like and enjoy using. There's a lot of real pros on this board, I'm certainly not one of them. But I surely would not have come so far without them. One parting note, if your half way there and can oxy weld, I would force myself to do it and learn, you can braze, weld, and cut with gas torches with out the 110v 20amp where's the outlet issues, and even more so with with 220v. Basically, you can bring the heat anyplace you need it, make a repair on the tractor in the field and drive it out, when you get to the shop, then make a more permanent repair for example. Oh and there are some low temp aluminum brazing rods available. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Reply:@ Seawalker - option for you, http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/m...626809192.html.  Stick AC + DC, plus the ability to scratch TIG DC.TIG ref:  http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtal...m-a-arc-welderLast edited by ManoKai; 08-19-2014 at 01:13 PM.Reason: 2nd link added"Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi