Prepare to be impressed

[Cuppa]

Or not!

In the past I learned how to gas weld with Oxy acetylene, & although slow, could produce quite reasonable work, but several years ago I decided I couldn't justify the cost of having the bottles sitting around year in, year out, just in case.
I have a big old CIG stick welder, a 140amp jobbie on wheels, but it needs a 15amp power supply which I don't have, besides which my past attempts to arc weld have been pathetic at best, a total mess, with big holes & pieces that don't hold together the norm.

Well things have changed ...... A bit at least.
I bought one of these (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/130636967510?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p398 4.m1497.l2649#ht_3873wt_984) for $150 including 2 kg of 2.5mm rods, & 50 1.6mm rods. Arrived in the mail yesterday.

I also bought one of these (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/271132176869?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p398 4.m1497.l2648#ht_3891wt_1139) which has made an enormous difference. I can now see what I am welding. Chalk & cheese compared to the old 'hold in the hand' face mask, which had , I now realise too dark a lens.

Here, presented with pride for all you welder types to giggle over is my first piece of reasonably successful stick welding. 8 separate pieces of metal welded together in a practice piece.

Ta Daaa :)

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2013/02/115.jpg

[threedogs]

I will giggle, having now pml thats not too bad , just remember strike the rod like a match to start,
weave rod easier if you drink [shakes] get amps right if blowing holes amps too high or your lifting rod instead of feeding more weld onto job.
Slag should peel off in one long length if all boxes ticked, and get comfortable, etc

[BigRAWesty]

Not a bad job mate.. grab a pack of 16 tc rods. The flux is like glass and doesn't tend to get in the weld as much,

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

[macca86]

You won't need the 1.6 rods unless you're Weldon .9 or 1.2 sheet then a mig would be better. Your 2.5 rods I'd use from 1.5mm to 5mm plate then 5mm to 20 mm I'd. Use a 3.2 mm rod. As said a 16tc rod low hydrogen is the go. Harder to start but smoother stronger less slag and great for vertical Ups and overheads. Also with your blue shs and rhs you don't have to grind the blue off unless you really want too. The black heavy sections and pipe you do that's thick compare to the blue

[Maxhead]

...so Cuppa, when do we start putting our orders in..LOLOLOL

Looks good mate...not that I know anything about welding..hahahah

[my third 256]

love my welding helmet had it for 10 years couldnt go back to old type

[AB]

I'll take a rear bar, sliders and roof rack thanks cuppa...done well mate!!

[DX grunt]

More shelving, more weight!!!

Fess up to how much your truck now weighs fully loaded? Better still - don't. lol.

Your newly acquired skills are fantastic. I know nothing about welding, but it looks impressive. lol.

[Cuppa]

More shelving, more weight!!!

Fess up to how much your truck now weighs fully loaded? Better still - don't. lol.

Your newly acquired skills are fantastic. I know nothing about welding, but it looks impressive. lol.

Definitely no more shelving!
Now here's a promise for your goodself & TD Rossco - when I finally get around to taking the truck in to get weighed I will 'fess up' as to the result. :)
Keeping my fingers crossed - it wont be a lightweight, but hoping it will be within or close to the GVM but for now I'll keep my head in the sand!
Reason I haven't weighed it yet is because me being me, I want to have the whole shooting match complete before doing so. That means collecting all of the bits & pieces needed for travelling first. We are still in the collecting stage, gathering stuff as we work out where it might fit & with least amount of weight. We want the vehicle set up with it's own kit so we can just take off for a weekend or whatever, without having to pack it with stuff from the house or the bus each time. Think we have the 'kitchen & food storage stuff' pretty much sorted & am now looking at the toolkit.

Can someone 'translate 16tc' (rods) please?

Cuppa

[trekster]

Buy a tig kit and some argon and your doing all the fancy schmancy stuff too then!

Looks good, I'm good with the oxy-acetylene and silver soldering at work, but when I get on the welder all hell breaks loose hahaha.

One day I will get a bit better at it, Its hard welding at home as my old cig stick welder has 2 settings 2.5 and 3.2mm :smileyvault-cute-bi

So I'm well and truly screwed in that respect!

[Cuppa]

Can someone 'translate 16tc' (rods) please?

Cuppa

It's ok, I sussed it.
http://www.welding.com.au/df52-58/austarc-16tc/

[mudski]

Buy a tig kit and some argon and your doing all the fancy schmancy stuff too then!

Looks good, I'm good with the oxy-acetylene and silver soldering at work, but when I get on the welder all hell breaks loose hahaha.

One day I will get a bit better at it, Its hard welding at home as my old cig stick welder has 2 settings 2.5 and 3.2mm :smileyvault-cute-bi

So I'm well and truly screwed in that respect!
Yeah I have the same welder. A little blue box with only 2.5 and 3.2mm settings. Been wondering if one of these welders would be a better choice.
For all the welders out there. Whats the difference with an inverter arc welder and say my old CIG blue box?

[Alitis007]

Thats pretty good mate. I was shown how to weld at a young age with Arc ( which looked chicken scat at the time lol) and i self taught myself Mig Oxy/acetylene and tig after watching a couple of people weld. What i learnt is while welding with the arc and mic is try and make the "arc" sound like crackling bacon! The best practice you will get is running fillets on a flat piece of steel, trying to keep the fillet of weld even with a round top. Watch some youtube videos they will help with learning about "Penetration" and speed. Just remember with Arc if your right handed start from the left and run it to your right and opposite if your left handed, mainly so you can see where your going lol

[Cuppa]

Whats the difference with an inverter arc welder and say my old CIG blue box?

My old CIG welder has infinite adjustment up to 140 amps is too heavy for me to lift (hence being on wheels). Thus it is an old technology welder. The difference, as a novice stick welder, that I've found just today, is that with the little inverter welder it is just so much easier to strike an arc & keep it going. In the past i spent more time trying to strike the arc without the rod sticking & when I did get it going, would often 'lose' the arc before finishing the bit I was trying to weld. In combination with a self darkening helmet the whole process is just so much easier & more satisfying. The welds I've done today may not be the best, but they are the best I've ever done. The helmet means no more guessing as to where the arc is being struck.
I also successfully welded some 5 or 6mm plate with 3.2mm rods that I've had for years (kept indoors in the linen cupboard) with the little welder set on it's highest setting - 110amps - I was expecting it to struggle, but if anything it was even easier than the thinner tube I did earlier with the 2.5mm rods. For someone who just needs to make an occasional bracket or repair stuff around the home/farm I reckon it's a pretty good litte jigger, & the biggest you can go on a 10amp household mains plug. That all said, I'll be interested to see what the welders among us reckon the differences are between inverter & 'pre-inverter' machines.

Cuppa

[Alitis007]

Yeah I have the same welder. A little blue box with only 2.5 and 3.2mm settings. Been wondering if one of these welders would be a better choice.
For all the welders out there. Whats the difference with an inverter arc welder and say my old CIG blue box?

I think with the inverter you can add a "strike" type tig attachment but i'm no pro welding is one of my hobbies lol

[Cuppa]

I think with the inverter you can add a "strike" type tig attachment but i'm no pro welding is one of my hobbies lol

I think you are right, but I have no idea what a 'strike' type tig attachment is, or why I'd want one?

Cuppa

[Alitis007]

I think you are right, but I have no idea what a 'strike' type tig attachment is, or why I'd want one?

Cuppa

Tig welding is alot neater welding and is my favorite so far (except tig welding alloy) but normally the Tig has a trigger to start the arc to heat the gas that creates the "key hole" (liquified steel to add you filler rod) but the "strike type Tig you need to touch the tungsten (thats the electrode in the Tig handle) on the steel to creat the arc to make the key hole for your add the filler rod.

Thats as far as i know but correct me if i'm wrong i'm just a mechanic and like i said welding is my hobby lol

[mudski]

Hmm I need to do my trailer soon and am a bit dubious of using my current welder I have on the draw bar. Maybe I should get a better mask first and have a few shots.

Also with what cuppa has done in his pic I reckon I would have blown a hole in that with my welder. Or would it just be me.

[Alitis007]

Hmm I need to do my trailer soon and am a bit dubious of using my current welder I have on the draw bar. Maybe I should get a better mask first and have a few shots.

Also with what cuppa has done in his pic I reckon I would have blown a hole in that with my welder. Or would it just be me.

Can't you lower your amperage??? Or maybe your speed is too slow??

[Alitis007]

And i always used to put the rod in the handle then bend it down 45degrees and before i started the fillet of weld i used to swipe it on the earth alligator clip to get the tip of the rod to glow / heat up so that it creates the arc and not bite onto the material.

[the godfather]

Good to see people out there can actually use a stick welder. It is a dying art unfortunately. So keep up the practice I say.
Just as a note of caution: If you need welding on your vehicle that is on the primary structure, i.e. chassis or draw bars. Get a professional. There are rules and regulations, and procedures to follow. Doing it wrong can cause a failure, for which the person welding it is liable.

[Cuppa]

Good to see people out there can actually use a stick welder. It is a dying art unfortunately. So keep up the practice I say.
Just as a note of caution: If you need welding on your vehicle that is on the primary structure, i.e. chassis or draw bars. Get a professional. There are rules and regulations, and procedures to follow. Doing it wrong can cause a failure, for which the person welding it is liable.

Thanks. Have no worry, I know my limitations & have absolutely no intention of attempting to weld anything which could be considered 'critical'. ie. anything which could cause injury or major damage if the weld failed. Just small bits & pieces, the odd 'special tool' when required & repairs to stuff around the home/farm.

Cuppa

[Woof]

Very impressed there Cuppa, can I order one of those mate????

Oh, what do you call it and what is it used for?

[Cuppa]

Very impressed there Cuppa, can I order one of those mate????

Oh, what do you call it and what is it used for?

This one has your name on it. Uses only limited by your imagination
http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2013/02/120.jpg

[Woof]

Thanks heaps Cuppa, "The Woof All Purpose Tool" something that every Patrol owner should have...lol

[TPC]

Make sure you patent it or someone will make them in China and sell them for a 1/4 of the price.

[Maxhead]

Just post it on TDs whats this tool thread and someone will give it a name, market it and sell you thousand of these mate...you better start welding...LOL

[mudski]

Its only got the two settings, 2.5mm and 3.2mm. I have always used the 2.5mm setting with the 2.5 rods of course...16tc's too.

[threedogs]

@ Cuppa can you prove another theory for me please
When I was learning how to weld they said dont worry a coat of paint hides 1000 sins
so can you spray it all one colour,
you'll have to name it just to confuse the heck out every one

@ Nisshead certainly qualifies for my WTF section
So WTF is it,????

A "WOOF" thingy
@ mudski those small dual welders that are as heavy as all get out are ideal for welding box section, RHS
IMO mig welding is not welding, my dog can mig weld

[Alitis007]

Try welding a rusted muffler with oxy and acetylene above your head on a 30 degree day!! Or Mig weld 304 SS with argo shield with mild steel wire and then tell me if your dog can still weld it TD???!!
lol

And try weld a boat trailer thats been galvanized with an Arc welder, now thats FUN!!

[Alitis007]

Its only got the two settings, 2.5mm and 3.2mm. I have always used the 2.5mm setting with the 2.5 rods of course...16tc's too.

Probably your welding too slow if you keep blowing holes mate