Just got my first welder.

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[ame]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002PS7SA[/ame]Im still learning a good bit here by browsing around and lurking, but I got a few questions. As of now, the only scrap steel I have is 2x21/8, would this be a good metal to learn on?Is it worth it to go ahead and gas to the setup? Any other tips or links to some good threads would be nice. I have welded with a lincon 125 before, with ugly welds, but they held so I guess thats the important part, I also did a good bit of stick welding at my old job.
Reply:Enjoy your welder in good health.  You have not told us what size machine you have; this is important. The advice you are looking for will be tailored to your situation.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 welder did you get, how about some pictures??Lincoln pro mig 180Lincoln Square Wave Tig 300/wp 20/home built water cooler Victor, Purox, Harris, O/A welding/cutting setupsVintage Craftsman drill pressVintage Craftsman/Atlas 12"x 36'' lathe7''x 12'' w/c band saw Everlast 140 st
Reply:its a handler 140  yes 1/8 is good metal do you plan on working indoors or out doors ?Lincoln Power Arc 4000 Thermal Arc Fabricator 252 iThermal arc 186Thermal Arc 26 tigTweeko 200 amp spool gunHobart AirForce 400WP-17V-12R
Reply:1/8" is the maximum practical thickness on that machine under real world conditions. The gas setup is worth it if you want to do thin metal like auto body work. It will also work to do 1/8" as well. Gas mig is cleaner than FC mig with less smoke and clean up prior to paint.There are a ton of threads on helping people learn mig. If nothing else post up some picts of how you are doing along with all the info you can. Machine, voltage tap used, wire speed, what gas if used and flow, wire type (FC or solid wire), material thickness and so on. With the picts and that info we can tell you some of what you need to work on. If you haven't gotten it, go to Millers site and order their student pack. It's like $25 and has a ton of good info. Also you might look into a night class at a local tech school or Comunity college. When you sit down and add up what the material, gas, wire, electric and so on costs, not to mention the instruction, a class is usually stupid cheap. Since you have  machine, you can spend class time working on issues, or learning new stuff rather than doing repetitive welds, and get the most for your money. You can then practice at home and get ahead faster..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:Yea its a Handler 140. Ill be working in the Garage. TBH, I bought it to fix this Its 1/2x1/2 welded together to stop roof flex, needless to say its not holding up and the roof is still flexing and tearing apart, so I need to get this cage up there. Welds dont have to be pretty, just have to hold, HOWEVER welding is something I would like to get good at. What gas would you recommend for 1/8th steel?
Reply:Usual gas for mig is 75/25 ( C25) but some places have slightly different mixes in stock, 80/20 is another popular one I believe. 100% CO2 would give you the most penetration with that machine, but you will need an adapter to use your current reg and it's not the best mix to do sheet metal with because of it's high penetration quality. It also has more spatter than "mig mix" does, but is a bit cheaper price wise. I've always used mix. I don't have a need for more penetration with my larger mig, and the inability to do thinner steel is a big down side for me. Price also isn't a huge factor when it comes to having the right gas to do the job. It simply costs what it costs.As far as your frame, it's no big surprise 1/2" sq tube had issues. If you want something stiffer, you need to go to taller sections not thicker material. 1" tube would be significantly stronger in bending than say 1/2" solid, and 2" would be even stiffer even with very thin wall thickness. the down side would be loss of head room. I'm wondering why you are having issues with the roof to begin with. Sounds like there's some other issue that needs to be addressed. Either rot some where, or you made some structural changes that have significantly altered the strength of the body/frame that needs to be addressed..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:Like I said in my earlier post, I have 2x2x1/8th steel going up there, no bending needed, just welds joining the 2x2 together. This is in our "toy truck" if you will....[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rI2bVOaiUg[/ame]Its in a 2004 F150, the roof material thats up there is 16 or 18ga sheet metal, it flexed,kinked, then cracked 9in. Its all been down hill from there.Last edited by rival904; 09-04-2011 at 10:25 PM.
Reply:Ok I didn't put the 2x2 and the project together. I was thinking 2x2 flat chunks of scrap for practice rather than tube.I am guessing the removed back wall is your flex issue though. I'd probaly go with a full roll cage to stiffen things up rather than just a roof support.Last edited by DSW; 09-04-2011 at 10:32 PM..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:We actually broke the back wall out of the truck with the old system, was able to see the driveshaft and gas tank after the factory weld snapped at the bottom. The roof by itself is weak for what we do, I am doing the 2x2 in a different grid and this time not welding to the actual sheet metal of the roof but to the thicker 1/8th supports that run along the outside of the roof as now the sheet metal tears around the old welds leaving quarter sized holes in my roof.
Reply:congrats on the welder and nice dd speakers. im runnig 2 older re audio sx's and currently shopping for some sundown power - nothing quite like what youve got going on though.
Reply:will a 25a breaker do alright for what I am needing? I guess I am going to have to use the full 140a setting to do what I need?I keep reading a few post about there being a decent mask at HF,anyone got any other info about that?
Reply:UPS dropped her off this morning.... isnt she pretty?
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWGas mig is cleaner than FC mig with less smoke and clean up prior to paint.
Reply:you have a lot of paint removal in store to get to bare metal inside the cabin.I think you will find that to do this adequately you will have to refinish the roof exterior as well.miller syncrowave 250hobart handler 140home made 400 amp engine driven in progress...