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BEGINNING WELDING FOR nOOBs

Fwiw a new Hobart 140 is $650

Yea I know a stick welder is more useful, but if OP is looking to Unfuck his bumper assembled out of hitch pins, u bolts and 2x4s it will easily do that and more.
 
Anyone got a trick for auto dark helmet?

I've got a 20 yr old Lincoln auto dark helmet with tiny ~2"x4" non-adjustable lens. First time welding in my new shop with led halo lights the stupid thing is stuck on dark unless i put my hand in front of it..
 
Throw it out and get a chinesium replacement.

It's 20yr old. No amount of dumbass boomer screeching about "muh american made quality" is gonna make up for 20yr of progress.
 
arse_sidewards said:
Throw it out and get a chinesium replacement.

It's 20yr old. No amount of dumbass boomer screeching about "muh american made quality" is gonna make up for 20yr of progress.
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Where is the cheap hack in you, i was hoping i could pour some goat piss on it or something to get desired result
 
CDA 455 II said:
What's the difference between AC, and AC/DC unit?
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The addition of DC allows you to run a larger variety of welding rods and also cobble together a basic scratch start tig if you were so inclined.

A lot of modern rods are made to work on AC or DC but some perform better on DC. Also with DC it matters if the electrode (rod) is connected to the positive or negative output. The electrodes behave differently on AC, DCEP (DC Electrode Positive), and DCEN (DC Electrode Negative)
 
Levigarrett76 said:
Anyone got a trick for auto dark helmet?

I've got a 20 yr old Lincoln auto dark helmet with tiny ~2"x4" non-adjustable lens. First time welding in my new shop with led halo lights the stupid thing is stuck on dark unless i put my hand in front of it..
Click to expand...
Battery must be in backwards
 
crazy4ih said:
Decent hood for $59.99 when you use the code YESWELDERLOVE

yeswelder.com

LYG-M800HP True Color View Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet

Auto-darkening welding helmet with large viewing area, True Color clarity and UV protection. Automatic solar powered battery for effortless MIG, TIG and plasma welding.
yeswelder.com yeswelder.com
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I just bought a similar one ($49.99) and it came today, it’s great! Better than the YesWelder one that I had previously (not the same one you posted.)


I really like that this one has a “grind” switch that turns off the auto-dark, my previous YesWelder helmet, I couldn’t use as a grinding mask because I couldn’t turn off the auto-darkening.

The only problem I had was when I had forgotten that I switched it to grind, and then went to weld something. :) Now that I can actually see, I am here to report that I will not make that mistake again.
 
So, I have been told to post here, as I am very much a welding noob. Started about 3 months ago, had never welded anything or taken any classes. I’ve just been watching YouTube videos and building shit to learn.

I have a 1990 XJ that I bought about 9 months ago, so, that’s what got me started welding.

I bought a $250 YesWeldsr machine off of Amazon, it maxes out at 160A (It does both 110v and 220v, and I finally ran a 220v drop out to my garage so for the last month or so I have been using 220v.). It does flux core, MIG, TIG, and stick. I started with gasless flux core, and built myself a welding/fab table:



IMG_2546.jpeg IMG_2545.jpeg IMG_2544.jpeg

I wanted to do the whole thing as a fixture table, but it was just expensive as shit. So, I got one of the Fab Wings from CertiFlat, and their 10” Vise mount, (scored this on eBay from some guy who I don’t think realized that these are like $160 MSRP, I paid $25 shipped. 😏) and used rivnuts to make the mounts modular. I can move the fabwing/vise to either side of the table, add more later, etc.

Since then, I bought a couple small 5lb bottles and moved to CO2 and 75/25 MIG. (This was also when I switched to 220v, holy shit what a difference.) I have done front and rear frame stiffeners, made a few random brackets, modified a Dirtbound bumper (bigger shackle mounts, Replaced and extended the hitch receiver out a little farther.)

F6473AB1-7425-4B5B-9265-67AAB869DD82.jpeg D65D7279-6542-479A-9F21-A69F31D6C715.jpeg IMG_2947.jpeg IMG_2946.jpeg IMG_2875.jpeg IMG_2901.jpeg

I’m currently in the middle of swapping a WJ front axle that I bought from another Irate member locally, into my XJ. (Long story, but, I have a very active build thread about it…)

Hit the image limit, will make another post.
 
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Here are some of my first welds on it, before other members in my build thread told me that they were too cold (makes sense, some of them were very “wormy”) and to crank my settings up. As well as some frame stiffener pics from the other day, where I had the same problem. That was more so because I had blown through the unibody “frame” a few times while I was doing the rear ones, so I was trying to be very cautious of that up front. Also, frame stiffeners staying attached aren’t nearly as important as steering/suspension/axle bracketry staying attached…


IMG_5448.jpeg IMG_5366.jpeg D16E75E1-0C84-47B4-828E-916D67C4D8B3.jpeg IMG_4910.jpeg

Once I cranked it up to about 150A, they started looking much better (at least I think so?)

IMG_5472.jpeg IMG_5471.jpeg

So, I am grinding out the cold/shitty welds (where I can) and re-doing them.

Since now I am at a point where the lives of my passengers and other innocent bystanders depend on my welds, and I have basically no idea what I’m doing, I figured I would run these by you guys. Thoughts? Suggestions? Is there anything I’m doing RIGHT?
 

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Mittnz said:
Here are some of my first welds on it, before other members in my build thread told me that they were too cold (makes sense, some of them were very “wormy”) and to crank my settings up. As well as some frame stiffener pics from the other day, where I had the same problem. That was more so because I had blown through the unibody “frame” a few times while I was doing the rear ones, so I was trying to be very cautious of that up front. Also, frame stiffeners staying attached aren’t nearly as important as steering/suspension/axle bracketry staying attached…


IMG_5448.jpeg IMG_5366.jpeg D16E75E1-0C84-47B4-828E-916D67C4D8B3.jpeg IMG_4910.jpeg

Once I cranked it up to about 150A, they started looking much better (at least I think so?)

IMG_5472.jpeg IMG_5471.jpeg

So, I am grinding out the cold/shitty welds (where I can) and re-doing them.

Since now I am at a point where the lives of my passengers and other innocent bystanders depend on my welds, and I have basically no idea what I’m doing, I figured I would run these by you guys. Thoughts? Suggestions? Is there anything I’m doing RIGHT?
Click to expand...

Have you put any of your welds to the test yet? Another good way to see is weld two pieces of steel together and cut it in half. It will let you see your penetration. My biggest concern would be that tow hook. If your welds are too cold, that is going to potentially tear off and most likely kill a bus load of nuns.

I personally burn hot and weld relatively quick. As hot as I can before blowing holes. But I don’t over heat my metal either. I usually weld around 2-2.5 inch beads at a time depending on what I’m welding.

You can also see your heat around the steel right after you’re done.

1715247220019.jpeg
 
FleshEater said:
Have you put any of your welds to the test yet? Another good way to see is weld two pieces of steel together and cut it in half. It will let you see your penetration. My biggest concern would be that tow hook. If your welds are too cold, that is going to potentially tear off and most likely kill a bus load of nuns.

I personally burn hot and weld relatively quick. As hot as I can before blowing holes. But I don’t over heat my metal either. I usually weld around 2-2.5 inch beads at a time depending on what I’m welding.

You can also see your heat around the steel right after you’re done.

1715247220019.jpeg
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That is a sexy bead.

By "tow hook" do you mean the hitch receiver itself? If so, this bumper will never tow anything, so I'm not super worried about it. My spare tire mount just sits in it. (This is why I had to modify the receiver. When Dirtbound made the bumper, some idiot welded the receiver so far in there that it was flush with the bumper face, so I couldn't really use any anti-rattle clamps, and the tongue weight alone of a 35x12.15x15 and steel wheel was enough to make the whole bumper flex by just applying light pressure to it. I figured that thing bouncing around on the trail over time would probably be not good, so was trying to make it a little stronger.)

As far as "testing welds" I've done a few different things, I bought a bunch of welding coupons off of Amazon (before I knew where to get cheap scrap steel locally) and did a bunch of T joints, then cut those and looked at them for penetration. I also put a few in the vice and whacked the shit out of them with a BFH. They didn't break, so, I assumed that the welds were alright (although ugly af.) I also feel like I can see the filler metal penetrating the things that I'm welding, in that it becomes molten as fuck, and I am no expert, but it sure SEEMS like I'm getting penetration?

I would be interested to run some acid etch tests, but I'm not sure which acid is easiest to buy, use, and not super expensive?

The above posts I guess were sort of a, "Here's where I'm at." I'll take some better pictures of the welds on this axle, and see if anyone has any technique tips.
 
Mittnz said:
That is a sexy bead.

By "tow hook" do you mean the hitch receiver itself? If so, this bumper will never tow anything, so I'm not super worried about it. My spare tire mount just sits in it. (This is why I had to modify the receiver. When Dirtbound made the bumper, some idiot welded the receiver so far in there that it was flush with the bumper face, so I couldn't really use any anti-rattle clamps, and the tongue weight alone of a 35x12.15x15 and steel wheel was enough to make the whole bumper flex by just applying light pressure to it. I figured that thing bouncing around on the trail over time would probably be not good, so was trying to make it a little stronger.)

As far as "testing welds" I've done a few different things, I bought a bunch of welding coupons off of Amazon (before I knew where to get cheap scrap steel locally) and did a bunch of T joints, then cut those and looked at them for penetration. I also put a few in the vice and whacked the shit out of them with a BFH. They didn't break, so, I assumed that the welds were alright (although ugly af.) I also feel like I can see the filler metal penetrating the things that I'm welding, in that it becomes molten as fuck, and I am no expert, but it sure SEEMS like I'm getting penetration?

I would be interested to run some acid etch tests, but I'm not sure which acid is easiest to buy, use, and not super expensive?

The above posts I guess were sort of a, "Here's where I'm at." I'll take some better pictures of the welds on this axle, and see if anyone has any technique tips.
Click to expand...

I guess I shouldn’t have said tow hook. But this:

1715280736036.jpeg


If tugging on this, I would want to be certain it’s going to hold.

Have you built anything that you have used in the field yet? That’s a good test to see how your welds are holding.

I put a tree dragger to the test last year that made me feel better about my welds. All the metal bent and none of my welds tore off, and that was forcing it with a pile of hydraulic force and yanking force. A couple trees were well over 1,800lbs.

Build something for a tractor or something around the shop and put some force to it. Unless you’re not as nervous as your posts kind of felt. If you’re confident disregard all of this. :flipoff2:
 
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