Take a look at my project today. After I sat back and looked at the completed job, I'm starting to think I have no business welding anything...

I got the job done, and I could dance on the pass-side floor, but does anyone have tips for welding?

I'm using a Lincoln-Electric Pro-Core 100 welder. It's served me well, but I'm not sure I'm using the right settings.

Before


After


Before


After

(Forgot to take a pic before I primed it)

I'm using 16ga on the floor, and 18ga on the back firewall. I've got to replace the piece where the seat-belt connects to the long, but that'll have to wait till I can find a drillpress that will work on the 10ga piece I have for there. (Interestingly enough, the long was REAL nice inside...the belt-bolt area was the only part that was hosed.)

Am I as bad as I think?

Hey, if its functional, what the hell. Although maybe I'm jsut saying that because my welds look bad too

I noticed something that you may want to look into while I was welding recently. I live in an apartment and the wiring for the garage seems to be shared with a large floodlight and other garages in our complex. If I try to weld at night, it seems like I don't get enough current to the welder to do a good job. During the day it works great, so check to see that you have a big enough extension cord (if you are using one) and that the outlet is in good shape.

I'm using a MIG welder I'm borrowing from Andrew (phantom914). I started out using flux core with it and then bought a tank of argon/CO2 gas and it works a LOT better (also using mig wire)...

-Tony

QUOTE (TonyAKAVW @ Jan 20 2005, 09:39 PM)

I'm using a MIG welder I'm borrowing from Andrew (phantom914). I started out using flux core with it and then bought a tank of argon/CO2 gas and it works a LOT better (also using mig wire)...

I wish I'd bought one that I could upgrade to use regular mig wire. I'm told it is a lot nicer, but I don't know why. Care to explain?

I think I'm going to tear out the back of the drivers-side tomorrow. While I'm in the 'welding mood' I may as well take care of everything I can see...right?

slow down the wire speed and slow down your hand movement...it should be like a bead of caulking coming out of a tube.

there should be an adjustment inside the cover to change the rate of the wire.

Mine is a knob that applies more pressure for faster and less for slower...

DECAF

Rich

if you want you could rig your welder to up to work like a mig. run solid wire ( non flux core ) , then get an argon bottle and reg. take a tube from the reg to the tip of the welder, then you just turn on the bottle manually.

you would need to run a higher flow than a true mig, unless to tap the argon tube in to the welder tip ( the one that can be pulled off. you could drill a hole in the tip and solder in a brass tube to hook up to the argon line, you would have a mig that you turn on the gas manually.

and then to get fancy you could tap in to the relay that feeds the wire to hook up a small seloind valve for the gas

also you welding is not bad, try gas one day. i think it is easier, but not near as fast

Where do you go to get an argon tank? Argon too for that matter?

Not to sound like a smartass, but get these at your local welding supply company. Check the phone book for welding supplies. They'll have the tanks and the gas. Chances are, they wouldn't fill tanks that weren't theirs anyway.

And in my book if you're not a professional welder, then you should be proud of what you've accomplished. It is solid and doesn't look bad.

-Matt

QUOTE (mharrison @ Jan 20 2005, 08:30 PM)

Not to sound like a smartass, but get these at your local welding supply company. Check the phone book for welding supplies. They'll have the tanks and the gas. Chances are, they wouldn't fill tanks that weren't theirs anyway. And in my book if you're not a professional welder, then you should be proud of what you've accomplished. It is solid and doesn't look bad. -Matt

or harbour frieght

and every welding supply place i have ever been to will fill any tank as long as the DOT date is good, but not many have the ablitiy to fill on site

with Matt

Rusty metal isn't easy to weld to. I've seen lots worse

A gas kit should be available for your welder. It's a worthwhile investment. Use CO2/Argon mix, not straight argon.

I'm not familiar with the flux cored stuff, but with the gas kit you can run .023 wire, and it's less likely to burn through.

I wouldn't make beads any longer than 1" or you'll be warping the metal alot.

Another thing, practice alot before touching the thing to your car. Although, you've done decent so far. Obviously not a concours job, but you are saving it to get back on the road, which is cool.

Replacement floorpans aren't that expensive, for what you get. I'd have gone with the real deal, which would have made your job a little easier too, and a better finished product. Just my .02 though.

The argon/C02 gas is expensive compared to straight CO2. Doesn't last as long either.

I have two gas cylinders. One bi-mix and one CO2.

The CO2 works very well. Burns a little hotter.
Costs a little less than bi-mix but lasts up to four times as long.

When you switch to solid wire you also switch the polarity of the machine.

If your machine doesn't have a mig kit upgrade, i would not try to rig up a home made kit. Too scary for me.
( insert smiley with skeleton showing, due to fatal shock )

Be careful. looks good.

KT

QUOTE (CptTripps @ Jan 20 2005, 06:23 PM)

After I sat back and looked at the completed job, I'm starting to think I have no business welding anything...

naaa, we all started out just like that. thank god for grinding wheels!

welding, just like any other skill, takes practice to be perfected.
don't be discouraged by the initial results. practice on some scrap metal.
get some good books on the topic.
take welding classes ...

you'll be a pro in no time!
Andy

Yep, what they said.....practice on some scrap, then beat the sh*t out of it with a hammer to see how well it held (kind of fun too!).

I too have to make the "10 ga seatbelt mount" repair , so I thought I'd see how well the 10ga (doubler) would weld to the 18ga repair patch.......man was I suprised! I mounted a scrap piece of 10ga in the vise, clamped a piece of the 18ga with holes for rosette welds (everything vertical, like it would be in the car), and proceeded to make the prettiest welds I ever made . Let it cool awhile and tapped it with a hammer.....ping ...popped right off! Tried bigger holes in the 18ga, same results . Fudged with settings, grinding the metal better.......still sucked. I eventually found that drilling a divot in the 10ga (3/16") about halfway through the material, and going with a 1/4" hole in the 18ga did the trick. I used a high power setting (amp), a low feed speed, and made an outward spiral starting in the center of the divot.............never got it to break loose with the hammer before it started tearing the metal.

Oh yeah, flux core POS Century 80 welder.

I did Prettty bad when I started...

Now im not bad. Did my seat rail mount (woops, need to take some pics of that for the racing seat people...) recently and was very successful.

Heres a thread I did when I started to weld... As you can see, it wasnt very pretty...

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?act...hl=welding&st=0

Some cool pics in it though..

Thanks for the encouragement. I bought the welder to build my fence this summer. The extent of my welding there was just tacks. This is the first I've had to do anything 'fancy'.



After seeing other peoples work I guess I'm not all that far off. I'm not going for concours, so if it's structuraly sound, I think I'll be in good shape.

The floorpans would have been a better idea. If I had more confidence in my welding abilities, I'd have gone that route. I didn't want to ruin them. Maybe I 'll do that next winter, along with the other stuff I'm already thinking of for the interior.

QUOTE

If your machine doesn't have a mig kit upgrade, i would not try to rig up a home made kit. Too scary for me.

I agree. I'll call Lowes today and see if they have one.

BTW: I JUST discovered Harbor Freight....that place is amazing.

Borrow or rent a mig using Argon gas then sell yours. Ps you can use brass braising rod's to fill in the small welding holes. Grind it all and use self etching primer as base coat.

One thing that really helped me was getting your face really down into the weld area so you can see the weld puddle forming on the metal. I have to weld without my glasses so I can see better up close.

And before a wise ass comments, yes I do wear my hood.

I agree with Perry and others. Your welds don't look bad for just beginning. You've done a respectable job.

The problem with welding on rusted metal is that you can blow holes through the thin spots. Pruning the rust back to really solid metal is key.

Be proud of what you've done!

-Lawrence

QUOTE (Lawrence @ Jan 21 2005, 11:03 AM)

The problem with welding on rusted metal is that you can blow holes through the thin spots. Pruning the rust back to really solid metal is key.

Yeah, I figured that. That's the main reason I took out as much as I did. I probably could have just done 5-6 smaller patches, but wanted to MAKE SURE I wasn't going to need more patches later.

Thanks for the vote of confidence from everyone. I'm starting to feel better about this whole process!

You are making a 914 solid again, looks good to me!

I started welding on the inside of my car and by the time I got thru my first roll of wire and tank of gas I was good enough to do the outside.

Make sure you buy easygrind wire...

QUOTE (CptTripps @ Jan 21 2005, 05:06 AM)

BTW: I JUST discovered Harbor Freight....that place is amazing.

Yes....but also the origin of the phrase "You get what you pay for"!

I think I got an 80cf tank filled with argon/co2 for 38 bux (Can't remember a huge spool of .023 of 70-6 wire and the gas fill was around $80 total). Haven't ran my tank out yet and I am welding anything in sight for the past month or so. Kinda feel bad about the neighbors car doors, but he gets to act like Bo and Luke everymorning...

I bought a new tank for about $80

Ok, got a new welder last night that'll let me add a tank. Now the question comes up....how big of a tank?

I don;t want to just walk into the welding supply store and say "Hey, I need a tank!" and have them sell me something I don't need.

I'll be welding new floorpans in the car initially, and I'm sure I'll want to do a BUNCH of practicing first. I don't want to be running out to re-fill this thing every day either.

Anything else I should look for?

80 cubic feet oughta do just fine.

I'll have to look when I get home, but the tank I have is about 36" tall and 6" in diameter, and a full tank of the argon/co2 mixture lasted me about 7 lbs. of welding wire (about 3-1/2 rolls). The tank is relatively small and easy to handle, and doesn't take up too much space. I cut up an old shopping cart for a welding cart, works nice...

I have a 125gal tank on mine and it will last me a few months unless I am doing a BIG project, like welding a set of stairs (I think I went through 2 125 tanks in a two week period) Anyway, the tank cost me ~150 bucks and I pay ~25 bucks to refill it...not to bad...

happy welding ...

Most all welding shops require that you have an account with them for bottles over 90 cf. I would go with that size to minimize trips to the shop, and it is actually a little cheaper in the long run than going with a smaller bottle. PLEASE only use .023 on body panels, I have seen to many people ruin a panels trying to use .030-.035. Good luck

Bought an 80cf tank yesterday. and a LOT of .23 wire.

I'm off to see what kind of trouble I can get into here.

Wish me luck!

So the HF deal isn't so great. The welder has a REAL small hose out of the back that NOBODY could find a fitting for. So back it went. I was searching pawn shops for welders that went unclaimed when one of the local dealers that I trust gave me a great idea....Call repair places to see what hasn't been picked up.

I called a guy in Akron (Welding Diversified) and he got me the DEAL OF THE CENTURY. I picked up a Miller 130MX with a reg for $325. Needed a new circuit board, and the kid never came back to pick it up. It has a 20ft wand on it, and he threw in a large spool of .23, 5 tips, and a mess of replacement parts for the wand in case they went bad. That would have been enough, but when I went to pay for it he stopped me and said "You aren't allowed to buy it yet...We're going to weld together first."

He spent the next 2hrs with me giving me all kinds of instruction on welding, maintinance, and 'best practices'. We did about a small spool worth of tacks, spots, plugs, butts and anything else he could think to show me. I'd have paid $300 just for that! To say that I feel WAY more confident is an understatement. I'm still going to practice a lot more, but I'm SO excited to jump back into the garage and do my floors now.

I think I'll re-do the firewall now too.

(Pics to follow)

BIG FAT congrats on that deal!!!!
BTW no deal at HarborFreight is good, Those type places do not carry quality machinery in my experience,good for trailer parts....BAD for tools.

Nice goin.




BTW - Put your first name in your sig?

QUOTE (scotty b @ Jan 27 2005, 08:17 PM)

BTW no deal at HarborFreight is good, Those type places do not carry quality machinery in my experience,good for trailer parts....BAD for tools.

I've been buying thigs there that I may rent for the weekend. It's usually about the same, and if it lasts longer than the weekend, I'm ahead.

I would have 'upgraded' to their Hobart 135 welder, but they were out of stock. I was about ready to go to Lowes and get a Lincoln Electric MIG. For $200 LESS I got this...

Here's what getting rid of the Flux-Core stuff can do...

Along with a lesson...
(Not perfect, but WAY better!)

QUOTE

CptTripps Posted on Jan 27 2005, 08:06 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUOTE (scotty b @ Jan 27 2005, 08:17 PM) BTW no deal at HarborFreight is good, Those type places do not carry quality machinery in my experience,good for trailer parts....BAD for tools.   I've been buying thigs there that I may rent for the weekend. It's usually about the same, and if it lasts longer than the weekend, I'm ahead. I would have 'upgraded' to their Hobart 135 welder, but they were out of stock. I was about ready to go to Lowes and get a Lincoln Electric MIG. For $200 LESS I got this...

Sooo, you got the Miller welder from Harbor Freights?? for how much? can you add a tank to it later?

QUOTE (Lou W @ Jan 27 2005, 11:12 PM)

Sooo, you got the Miller welder from Harbor Freights?? for how much? can you add a tank to it later?

er...no. Read backwards.

QUOTE

CptTripps Posted on Jan 27 2005, 05:07 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So the HF deal isn't so great. The welder has a REAL small hose out of the back that NOBODY could find a fitting for. So back it went. I was searching pawn shops for welders that went unclaimed when one of the local dealers that I trust gave me a great idea....Call repair places to see what hasn't been picked up. I called a guy in Akron (Welding Diversified) and he got me the DEAL OF THE CENTURY. I picked up a Miller 130MX with a reg for $325. Needed a new circuit board, and the kid never came back to pick it up. It has a 20ft wand on it, and he threw in a large spool of .23, 5 tips, and a mess of replacement parts for the wand in case they went bad. That would have been enough, but when I went to pay for it he stopped me and said "You aren't allowed to buy it yet...We're going to weld together first." He spent the next 2hrs with me giving me all kinds of instruction on welding, maintinance, and 'best practices'. We did about a small spool worth of tacks, spots, plugs, butts and anything else he could think to show me. I'd have paid $300 just for that! To say that I feel WAY more confident is an understatement. I'm still going to practice a lot more, but I'm SO excited to jump back into the garage and do my floors now. I think I'll re-do the firewall now too.

Gotcha, it's been a long day

DOUG!!! Those look alot better! You could probably turn down the wire speed or turn up the heat just a touch. Once you get to meltn' stuff on the car though you'll probably go with a slower wire speed. Sounds like you got some good training that will make the learning curve a little faster. After you cut some of the metal off the car, practice welding new metal to that. Make some notes regarding your wire speed and heat settings. You'll probably find that you need different settings for doing the rosette welding than you will just joining panels. Do lots of practice on the rosettes, you'll be doing lots of those

Welding, good...

Nice deal, too.

KT

QUOTE (9146986 @ Jan 27 2005, 11:26 PM)

DOUG!!! Those look alot better! You could probably turn down the wire speed or turn up the heat just a touch. Once you get to meltn' stuff on the car though you'll probably go with a slower wire speed. Sounds like you got some good training that will make the learning curve a little faster. After you cut some of the metal off the car, practice welding new metal to that. Make some notes regarding your wire speed and heat settings. You'll probably find that you need different settings for doing the rosette welding than you will just joining panels. Do lots of practice on the rosettes, you'll be doing lots of those

Thanks PK. Yeah, I was looking for a little notepad to start noting this kind of stuff. Also things like 'which bolt goes where'.

I bought a hole punch, so I'm going to practice a lot of that tomorrow...upside down no less. It won't do me too much good to do too many off of a bench or something, if I have 500 to do on my back.

That leads me to another question I'll ask on the Floor Pan topic....

As far as welding without yer glasses,my wife gave me a set of magnifying lenses out of a sewing kit I believe, flat so I could put them in my hood . Man , What a difference those made. Seeing the puddle makes all the differwnce in the world!!! Especially using a stick welder.

Several companies make magnifying lenses for the welding helmets...for you old farts!! I'll be needing them someday too

QUOTE (scotty b @ Jan 28 2005, 11:17 AM)

...for you old farts!!

Hey...I just turned 30 last week, and I'm getting called an old-fart already?

::: I don't wear glasses BTW :::

Sorry to re-up an old thread, but here's some inspiration for those that thing they are bad welders too. =)

Here's me filling the side-marker lights and antenna hole...

Practice makes perfect... (Not that I'm perfect...but getting MUCH better!)

nice going there tripps, ive been doing some final touch welding lately trying to make sure everything is strong. Someone brought to my attention that welding the tops of the fenders to the cowl is going to make it crack..not sure... but the way the guy explained it sounded like he had just brazed it together.

anyway, while looking at my miller 135 welder, it explained that when running flux core wire, reversing the polarity was necessary. I looked and even my old cheapy welder had a way to reverse polarity. This makes the ground wire positive and the flux negative. I dont use flux core, i alway use solid w/ 75/25 argon. This may come in handy for someone who does though.

QUOTE (URY914 @ Jan 21 2005, 07:51 AM)

I have to weld without my glasses so I can see better up close.

Heh... I thought I was the only one.