[AT] Welding Advice

[Indiana Robinson]

There was some discussion of some of my welding on another thread recently.
This is the welder I have been using for maybe 30 years:
http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/Equipment/Pages/product.aspx?product=K1297(LincolnElectric)
In fact I used to keep 2 of them because at one time I had 2 shops 4 miles
apart. The farm shop here and the business shop in a little village out on
Indiana state highway 44.
One small caution... Mine has a built in cooling fan. I saw no mention of a
fan in the spec page for this one. If I bought a welder without a cooling
fan I would add a small fan to it. It will increase the duty cycle and
extend the life of the welder.
Note also that I only paid maybe $250 or so 30 years ago...
:-)
I don't use the AC / DC / Reverse Polarity switch a huge amount but when
you need it you need it.

Son Scott and I bought a Century MIG welder (model 117-078) before my
health went in the dumper and it has been sitting silently in the corner
ever since. I think it has maybe 20 minutes run time. (shrug)
Scott learned to use one at work and if he wants to weld something with one
he just takes the job to work with him. I have vowed that as the weather
warms and I am still recovering from some things that I "will" practice
with it a little. I will want to do it with a good exhaust system and just
won't mention it to my Pulmonologist...  :-)
I just don't reach for the MIG due to old habits. The arc does well on most
light stuff especially on reverse polarity and I have some sheet metal
specific 1/16" rod. I also have a very good neighbor in the custom boat
propeller repair business that is quite good at specialty stuff and I take
him a little project now and then. He can make a big hole in an
aluminum small engine block just disappear. I also often use a torch on
light stuff. Kind of a funny thing, I only use LP for my torches. People
keep telling me that I can't use LP for welding and brazing, just for
cutting. Being a little too dumb to understand that I have used LP for
welding and brazing happily for many many years. Sure glad I didn't know it
doesn't work.
:-)
BTW, When Diana asked me when I got a MIG welder I said maybe about 6 years
ago. Then she pulled the manual out of the file so I could look up the
model # and as usual we had put the purchase date on the front... OK, so it
was 2001.  (shrug)

As far as learning goes, I always felt that one "easy" way to learn is to
buy a supply of a good quality rod usually referred to as a "drag rod". If
you use a little higher heat than normal for what you are welding you can
get quite satisfactory welds with a drag rod without having to maintain a
gap between the work and the rod. That is the hard part for most folks.
Then as you weld you can start learning how to maintain the gap since drag
rods will work both ways. A good drag rod can be "very" forgiving for a
beginner.
Don't over look the importance of a good clean ground connection. Check the
...
:-)


-- 

Francis Robinson
aka "farmer"
Central Indiana USA
robinson46176 at gmail.com