Welding

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Tomtanner

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After much deliberation about how to get myself a brew stand (hiring a welder, buying a new one, buying slotted prefab peaces etc.). I have decided to just learn to weld myself and possibly spend less while acquiring a new skill.

I need some advice however...obviously. My goal is to number one purchase only what I need and nothing more at this time to save money. Then obviously learn to weld. I have no idea where to start accept that I see several options for pretty cheap on craigslist. I will be building something alongnthe lines of a Brutus first.... Dumbed down of course due to my limited knowledge. For the time I have no intentions of building anything larger. What is the most cost effective welder I should consider for such a project? I have not decided on what materials to use yet so flexibility is probably necessary.

Can you guys give me some input on what kind of welder will meet the requirements? Space and power supply rare nonissue.

Also before you guys lose your hair about safety precautions and all, I have a friend who will teach me how to weld and intend to take every single step towards safety that I can...... I am a natural worrier.

Thanks for all the help fellas a, I'm actually really excited to learn something new!
 
This thread help me when I had a similar question: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/welding-question-242846/

I have a cheapo 220v 120amp harbor freight mig/flux welder, it throws a bit of slag but does everything I ask it to. A lot of guys want you to spend a couple thousand dollars on a welder and associated equipment....for what you and I are doing, I really don't think all that is necessary. Whatever welder you chose, do yourself a big favor and get an auto-darkening helmet! Good luck, welding is a blast!
 
Thanks for the tip! Can the welder referenced also weld stainless steel later on if needed?
 
you have to decide what type of welding you want to do. mig,stick,tig? each has its advantages and disadvantages.
 
110v buzz box. You're not building a bridge.

MIG is the easiest to pick up, and it'll do what's needed for a steel stand. Possibly aluminum too depending on how thick you want it.
 
just get a basic 110V mig that is set up for flux core. Miller & Lincoln both make a decent one. They call them the "great electric caulk gun" for good reason.

Couple of really basic tips:

1) clip the ball off of the end of the wire with a pair of snips between welds. Makes it much easier to start your next weld.

2) never under-estimate the connection of your ground clamp to your work piece. Clean the metal good, and try to keep the ground close to your point of work.
 
+1 on the cheap Harbor Freight Flux Core welder. Some of the true Iron workers will turn their nose up to that welder but its been great for me, an amateur. $99 at Harbor freight. Like was said, get an auto-darkening hood, it will make you happy to not hold that stupid shield. Get some decent welding gloves from a farm supply store on the cheap as well. An angle grinder is indespensible for cleaning off the welds. If you can afford it, a rot-zip is another cool little tool you will get endless use of and the wire brides make everything look pretty as well as easily cleaning off the slag &I any surface material prior to paint. All said & done I think I paid a total of $300 or maybe a little more for all the toolsand no w I have them &I can learn to use them better on new projects! A man can never have too many tools. One note, throw the wire that comes with the flux corr AWAY. Its cheap shoddy material &I it sucks. Pick yourself up some Lincoln.35 wire. For the win! !!
 
Keep in mind all the other consumables you'll need as well. Angle grinder, grinding wheels, flap wheels, Helmet, Gloves, Chop Saw, Chop Saw blades, zip discs, C-clamps, etc. All of this will add up too.
 
I got the harbor freight mig flux core with the optional gas connection. I tried flux core for a bit but man is it splattery/smoky. I hooked up my extra CO2 tank and put some solid core in the machine and it was a lot more enjoyable to work with.

Don't skimp on safety gear. I got the cheap HF welding gloves and the seam at the thumb opened up just big enough for a sparkler to jump in and burn me good right on the thumb web.

I would NEVER discourage someone from buying a MIG and learning how to stick metal together whether it's slightly less cost effective than hiring out or not.
 
I would NEVER discourage someone from buying a MIG and learning how to stick metal together whether it's slightly less cost effective than hiring out or not.

that wasn't my intent at all. But if you don't already have any of that stuff, then it's more than just "lets go buy a welder". That's all that I was implying. Just like any hobby (take woodworking) people don't tend to include the consumables in the "it takes me X to make that" in the final price.
 
I love MIG welding with my Hobart Handler 140. I suggest buying the HH140 because, after a lot of research, I found it to be the best bang for the buck. I built a brewstand with it, a couple conical stands, and used it on many other non-brewing-related projects.
 
that wasn't my intent at all. But if you don't already have any of that stuff, then it's more than just "lets go buy a welder". That's all that I was implying. Just like any hobby (take woodworking) people don't tend to include the consumables in the "it takes me X to make that" in the final price.

I actually wasn't specifically replying to you but there have been a lot of threads where people suggest that it may end up being cheaper to just hiring the welding out when the OP is considering buying a welder.

Buying a welder to make a brewstand is no more economical than brewing is a cheaper way of getting beer. It doesn't stop us from brewing.
 
Don't know what part of the country you are in but I have a full metal shop with a couple dozen welding machines and metal saws grinders etc. Would be happy to give you a crash course and help u out in my shop in exchange for some home brew to try. I'm a pipefitter and a welding teacher at the local union hall, In the Fort Wayne IN area let me know.
 
+++ on the Hobart 140, 110 volts, can do stainless (I can't), solid and flux wire.

+++ on the auto helmet, a must buy

"Hot glue gun for metal"
 
Welderbydaybrewerbynight said:
Don't know what part of the country you are in but I have a full metal shop with a couple dozen welding machines and metal saws grinders etc. Would be happy to give you a crash course and help u out in my shop in exchange for some home brew to try. I'm a pipefitter and a welding teacher at the local union hall, In the Fort Wayne IN area let me know.

I live on Tampa .... that would be awesome!
 
EarthBound said:
I love MIG welding with my Hobart Handler 140. I suggest buying the HH140 because, after a lot of research, I found it to be the best bang for the buck. I built a brewstand with it, a couple conical stands, and used it on many other non-brewing-related projects.

Ill look into this, thank you!
 
Yeah, another vote for getting a machine with the capability to do MIG. Flux-core will do the job fine, but welding with MIG is a lot cleaner and nicer. Even if you start out doing nothing but Flux-core, it's always good to have the option. The shielding gas will make welding with MIG more expensive, but the wire is cheaper so it does off-set the extra cost a bit. If you want to do stainless, you probably want to go with MIG (or TIG, but that's a whole other thread); I did a quick search and found that you can get self-shielded SS FC wire, but I'm guessing it's more for industrial applications, and (as with mild steel) MIG will give you a nicer weld. Someone also mentioned Stick, which is fine but I like MIG for hobby-stuff. Stick really isn't that hard once you get the hang of it and there are no moving parts, but welding a 2.5" exhaust pipe (just to pick an example) will be a lot easier with wire feed. Wire feed (FC or MIG) also makes filling gaps easier if your fit-up isn't perfect.

And as much as I would like to agree on getting something like a Hobart or Miler (I have a Millermatic 135), you have to look at the costs and decide for yourself. Are you the kind of guy who'll probably end up doing a lot of welding once you learn, or will it just be the occasional job here and there ? How about power ? Do you have, or mind installing, a 220V input nearby or do you just want something that you can plug in just about anywhere ? I went with a 110V machine so I didn't have to worry about unplugging the dryer or stove, but 220V is nice if it's possible. Again, I want to tell you to buy the best machine you can afford, but you might be better off getting a cheaper machine and spending the extra cash on a night or weekend course teaching the basics of welding. Check some of the schools in your area.

The auto-darkening helmets are nice, especially with MIG, but they're not the be-all end-all. I would actually recommend starting out with a cheapie standard helmet at least to learn on. It'll help you develop a steady hand and if you're ever in a situation where you don't have an auto-darkener, at least you'll have had some practice. And you can get them cheap enough that when you do go to an auto-darkener, you can keep the standard one as a spare without having wasted a bunch of money.
 
I've built a few brewing related things with my dads little mig welder. I got some stainless wire on sale and iv managed to weld a few couplers into my brew kettles. Its well worth it in my opinion, and alot of fun. Oh and if i get a spot im taking a level C welding course in january, so weld on :D
 
Another vote for the Hobart Handler 140. Unless you think you'll be welding thicker stuff, this machine will do most things for around your house. My brother had bought the HF machine and what a POS it turned out to be. The HH140 is in every way superior. We bought used on Craigslist, have welded about 15 pounds of wire and no issues at all. Get yourself a bottle of mixed gas and an auto dark helmet (the cheap HF one is working great for me) and you will have a lot of fun. BTW, we had never welded before and are doing just fine.
 
I have the Hobart Handler 140. It's a brilliant machine. Made in the US. It's essentially a Miller so it uses Miller parts. Shielding gas is so much cleaner than flux core. But... I bought it cause I want to weld all kinds of stuff. Remember any 110v machine will only be good for materials less than 1/4". Duty cycle is important. But again you're not production welding so a 10% duty cycle is completely workable for home/hobby use.

I have heard of some people liking their Harbor Freight and other Chinese machines. The consensus is to not use their consumables. Buy good wire.

I do like me Harbor Freight auto darkening helmet. The suspension is the weak link. But it holds good enough for my work.

Get a good grinder and order some flap discs. Even if you're able to make perfect welds you'll need it to prep your joints.

Find a good source for metal. Avoid galvanized anything. Welding galvanized will make you sick. (happened to me a couple weeks ago- was in a hurry had some in the metal bin - doh!). I have Metal Supermarkets near me. They aren't bad and have locations all over. The local Home store charges way too much for steel.

Have fun! Welding rules. I've since bought a plasma cutter and a powder coating rig. It's a lot of fun making art, fixtures, whatnot.
 
Yeah I agree on avoiding galvanized if you can, unless you're doing q-deck or chain-link fences. Get uncoated steel and paint it after welding. Just to elaborate, it doesn't just make you sick, the zinc fumes are actually poisonous. Like just about everything, a little bit won't kill you, but over time it's not good stuff.

I want to make that point because I've heard old guys say "Drink milk before you weld galvanized and you won't get sick." While that may (or may not) be true, but it is also asinine because it completely ignores the real problem, which is the fact that you're breathing in toxic zinc fumes.

Plus galvanized gives you ****ty welds unless you grind off the coating where you're welding.
 
Yeah I agree on avoiding galvanized if you can, unless you're doing q-deck or chain-link fences. Get uncoated steel and paint it after welding. Just to elaborate, it doesn't just make you sick, the zinc fumes are actually poisonous. Like just about everything, a little bit won't kill you, but over time it's not good stuff.

I want to make that point because I've heard old guys say "Drink milk before you weld galvanized and you won't get sick." While that may (or may not) be true, but it is also asinine because it completely ignores the real problem, which is the fact that you're breathing in toxic zinc fumes.

Plus galvanized gives you ****ty welds unless you grind off the coating where you're welding.

bingo, always grind off galvanizing before welding, there is no reason to inhale those fumes if ya don't have to.
 
bingo, always grind off galvanizing before welding, there is no reason to inhale those fumesperiod.

Fixed.

Google "metal fume fever" aka heavy metal intoxication. Not something you want to have.

-Steve
 
I went ahead and did it guys. I'm on s budget so I went with the harbor freight.

ForumRunner_20111112_144631.jpg
 
^let me us know how you make out. Been thinking of getting one of these myself. I'm really curious how you make out on your first welds.
 
Since you got the HF, I would recommend using .125 wall instead of anything thinner. That machine likes to blow through anything thin. Get some metal to practice on for sure.
 
Finally just got started with this practicing done straight weld lines etc....... Man I'm not good!
 
I've got that same HF welder. Been using it for years. It is harder to make clean welds with than more expensive ones. It demands almost perfect technique, but with a little practice and the right steel you can make good welds. As mentioned get a good grinder and plenty of disks to clean those ugly bastards up. I sure you can find some videos on Utube that will let you see good technique. Cheers and Good Luck
 
Stevo2569 said:
I've got that same HF welder. Been using it for years. It is harder to make clean welds with than more expensive ones. It demands almost perfect technique, but with a little practice and the right steel you can make good welds. As mentioned get a good grinder and plenty of disks to clean those ugly bastards up. I sure you can find some videos on Utube that will let you see good technique. Cheers and Good Luck

Ha. Thank you for the advice kind sir ! I will probably take several weeks to just practice before I go slagging up what will be my first real DIY anything. I gotta tell you though I am getting very excited to tell the guys at the office I spent weekend welding while they sat around watching tv!
 
a little advice on the work area and conditions. weld on a non combustible table a steel table is ideal. look around your weld area make sure there is nothing that can catch on fire, the weld sparks will go farther than you think, you would not want to burn down your work shop. you will want to have ventilation, there is no reason to breath in the heavy metal fumes. good luck with your welding you will have a blast.
 
I got a hobart 140 for xmas and just finished building a welding table. If anyone who spends time reading a blog on how to brew there own beer is thinking about getting a welder, I say go for it. chance are your a hobbiest/do it your selfer and will find other project to use if for. Not to mention a couple hours of watching youtube videos and practicing on some scrap metal you'll be good to go.
One thing i found is that its kinda hard to find a place that will sell you scrap metal at a good price. A lot of place i called would take scarp steel and pay you for it but would not sell you anything. I finally found a place that will sell me steel for .50cents a lb. Not really sure if that is a good price but its way better that buying from HD or lowes.
 
Well here's my progress. It's pretty ugly but they stick together!

image-3619642983.jpg

This was my first attempt. The steel was a little thicker than I need it to be and was a little tricky to work with
 

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That looks pretty good- at least from my phone. How thick is the metal? Can you give some overall impressions of the unit and your experience?
 

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