I spent my whole working life as a Boilermaker Welder in an Oil Refinery. We spent 3 years learning how to weld and were still learning from experience for years after. Buy a good buzz box and don't try to do too much.
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I spent my whole working life as a Boilermaker Welder in an Oil Refinery. We spent 3 years learning how to weld and were still learning from experience for years after. Buy a good buzz box and don't try to do too much.
I did it on the job for 11 years modifying, repairing, or restoring safes.
I never really stopped learning something the whole time I was there.
I always figured it was one of those deals like racing motorcycles or flying an airplane: The more you do it, the better you get.
In school: We learn lessons, and are given tests.
In life: We are given tests, and learn lessons.
OK People. Enough of this idle chit-chat.
This ain't your Grandma's sewing circle.
EVERYONE!
Back to your oars. The Captain wants to waterski.
When I started in the trade in 1969, my dad gave me the best advice I ever heard; He said "listen to the old hands". I did exactly that. I was eager to learn and soaked up all instruction and details like a sponge. I started at General Trailer building machinery trailers. From 50 ton to 100 ton low-boys. Built completely out of T-1 steel. I found the best Low-Hi man in the shop, and stuck to that guy like glue. When I left there 4 years later, to a better paying job, there wasn't anyone in the shop that could out weld me. Men with confidence in their work, are willing to teach if you ask. Those without confidence, and are afraid of being outdone, not so much. And a definate "yes" on listening to what your weld is saying. It talks.
Last edited by littlejack; 12-31-2022 at 03:31 AM.
If a 41 won't stop it, I wouldn't bet my life on a 44.
That is an amazing machine for the price!Originally Posted by lancem
Haha we started about the same time. I lied about my age in 1970 and got into the steel shipbuilding and welding school at the Ingalls West Bank shipyard, by the time they caught me I was 18 and they let me stay. I worked for a little while in the shell shop building sections of ship's hull, then we got USN contracts and I moved to the flats and we started the first innerbottoms of DD963 the first Spruance Class destroyer. It was a GREAT place to learn, there were plenty of old guys most of which made leadman and they ran the crews, they were always there to help with questions about blueprints, and as expected there were plenty of snafu's with starting up a new shipyard. That was my start. I left there as a burner and with a hand torch had already built a skillset and a reputation in the yard for being one of the best they had. At age 19.
Back then a lot of yards had craft jurisdiction and the fitters and welders didn't touch a torch, this was a specialty trade where only those good enough and/or gifted with a torch could be burners. That was my meal ticket, and my ticket to ride all in one. I traveled for many years worked many different places and learned a LOT about steel fabrication and welding that I would not have gotten exposed to had I stayed at one job. Shipyards, oil rigs, offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, pressure vessel shops, custom truck shops, refineries, chemical plants, paper mills, power plants, trailer shops, finally got smart and moved into pharmaceutical fitting and welding stainless pipe and tubing, clean, light weight work, then came cancer and retirement....
These days I enjoy rebuilding equipment buckets, they require the heavy thick metal welding skills like pressure vessels, and we use a lot of T1 in these as well. Good stuff!
This is my work about 2yrs ago with a torch I bought many moons ago at a pawn shop for $25, still got the touch..
Attachment 308657
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For a production shop I agree with you. But this is a guy that wants to build one trailer...
45_Colt
After recent events here when you builf your trailer get it up on jack stands and BACK THEM UP WITH SOLID BLOCKING. Be safe any thing mechanical can fail have a back up there in place. A solid pedestal of heavy timbers with each stand may save you.
Yes I think so. I was doing my end of year looking at things and through the 6 machines I have we have put over 200# of .035 flux core wire through them this year. That's a lot of welding.
DougGuy
My biggest regret was not taking pictures of what I had built during my career. I also was very good with a torch. So much so that when one of the shops I worked in wanted to start a burning department, I got the job. At first, everything was cut by hand, then they bought a Linde PC 750 six head burning machine. I could burn up a 8' x 20' sheet of half inch plate into screw flites for augers, in just a few hours.
That machine also had an attachment for a single plasma torch for burning stainless steel flites or whatever else was needed. Great memories. It was a very rewarding trade, I enjoyed it very much. Learned something most every day.
Oh, by the way. Nice torch job.
Last edited by littlejack; 12-31-2022 at 01:59 PM.
If a 41 won't stop it, I wouldn't bet my life on a 44.
There MANY uses for a welder for a homeowner who has any property to maintain... lawn equipment repairs, fences, car repairs if it is a hobby... I learned to weld aluminum last year, now getting requests from other ham radio operators to have antenna stuff welded for them. I make a little cash on the side doing it...
It looks like everything that could be said had basically already been said here. There is nothing wrong with a stick welder for the proposed use. Like others, I prefer MIG. Mine is a Hobart 210. I use .035" wire for heavier metal and Co2 as shielding gas. It's been a long time since I stick welded but I could probably do the job just fine with that if I had to.
One item that is very important, is to throw away, get rid of, don't allow on the property: any chlorinated solvents. The most common is BrakeKleen in the red can. They are also used in MAF cleaners and so on.
The reason is that the vapors in the presence of UV light from welding will at the minimum created phosgene gas. Same stuff used during WW1 in warfare.
At the worst, a chlorinated solvent in the presence of argon (a shielding gas) and UV from welding creates hydrogen cyanide. You won't even know what hit you.
BrakeKleen in the green can is OK, and is one of the few solvents I have here in the shop and garage.
45_Colt
One of my sons and I built this carport over the last four days, starting with bare ground Tuesday morning. We drilled holes and set the posts, then I welded the purlins and we finished the sheet metal yesterday evening (my son is a great worker but never liked to weld). I started welding with a portable DC machine but the engine died Wednesday morning so we rigged an extension cord and finished the rest of it with the Lincoln crackerbox show in the pic. Everything was stuck using E6011 3/32 and 1/8 rod - beads were run in all positions, which is what these rods are rated for.
I prefer DC for most work but AC saved the project and prevented me from having to rent a rig. I have built four pole barns with this same little machine, which I bought sometime in the early 1980's. Stick works fine for this type of fabrication - don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
I told one of my co-workers one time to get me some eleven o nine 1109 rod. He looked at me with a funny look, and said, "We don't have any of that". I picked up a rod of 6011 and turned it end for end, and said, "Oh yes we do". Lol
If a 41 won't stop it, I wouldn't bet my life on a 44.
Just a few thoughts about what welder you may actually "need".
I'm a home hobby shop "handy-man" who repairs and fabricates a lot of things in wood and metal. I'm not a professional repair shop or welder; don't want to be and never will be.
About 15 years ago I finally decided to get a modest welder and, for several reasons, including ease of use, I knew it should be MIG. I knew I'd rarely need to weld anything thicker than 1/4". I also wanted to be able to easily use my smallish welder on aluminum (with gas) and do it all in places where 220 VAC would not always be available. With all that in mind I chose the biggest 110 VAC Lincoln carried by H'Depot and have never looked back.
For the two occasions I have actually needed heavier welds than my machine could handle I first wire brushed rust off the surrounding steel joints. Then I tacked the parts together the way I wanted them and took the prepared assembly to a pro welding shop where, for a very modest price, they stick welded my thick parts perfectly.
I have a Lincoln 120volt MIG that can also do flux core (though I got a mig to get away from flyx core). A long lease on the bottle is way cheaper than year to year. I wish I had bought at 220v so may trade up.
For stuff more than 1/4", I have a stick and only use 6011 rods which are very forgiving.
Here, if you don't need gas very often, there is what I call 'owner size'.
They're smaller than rental or lease tanks, but when it's empty, you just swap it out.
You don't get it refilled and don't have to pay for the test when it comes due.
In school: We learn lessons, and are given tests.
In life: We are given tests, and learn lessons.
OK People. Enough of this idle chit-chat.
This ain't your Grandma's sewing circle.
EVERYONE!
Back to your oars. The Captain wants to waterski.
The welder I use the most these days is a TIG welder, but I don't recommend it for building things like trailers.
A good stick welder is best for that, or a good MIG, I would still lean towards the stick as it is what I grew up with.
With a stick, you can both weld and cut metal, although it may not be the most cleanest cut in the world.
These days I use a plasma cutter or metal bandsaw, but then I am almost 72 years old and had a lot of time to accumulate my tools which I am still adding to.
An AC/DC TIG welder is a joy to use, I started with a little red HF scratch start that worked very well until a lightning strike fried it.
I got an Eastwood 200-watt AC/DC TIG for Christmas from my wife (told her what I wanted) a few years ago.
It even welds aluminum! success on the first try! Funny thing is I have not welded anything aluminum for myself yet.
Welders are addictive, I have six that I can think of at the moment, seven if you want to count the plasm cutter.
Funny thing is I am no welder, just a hobbyist. Go figure.
I did not know that. Thank you.
welding and collecting welding gear is addictive. Ive also got a collection, 2 miller trailblazer 250's, a Lincoln ranger 8,a miller hf251, a millermatic 200, an airco mig tig stick welder, an old craftsman ac stick welder, a Lincoln power mig 250, a cobramatic king cobra, and 3 prince xl spool guns. I used to have a spool gun welder that ran off of a pair of car batteries but a relative of mine made it disappear. this is what happens when an influential grandfather tells his grandson to learn a trade and makes him go to summer welding school at a very young age.
speaking about dangers I had a friend who died a terrible death of lung cancer supposedly caused by his daily use of a plasma cutter cutting up aluminum sheets with no breathing protection.
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