OT-taking a welding class this fall

[repoe3]

so after my intial exposure to the art of welding from swartzy, i finally got off my butt and signed up for a welding class through the local community college. figure it will be more MIG and TIG, but at least i will get classroom and lab time to learn more. ultimately, i hope to get small TIG welder. picked up a book in the Motorbooks Workshop series about performance welding. Learned a bit about equipment choice, materials, etc. From what I can tell there are two types of TIG welders that would suit but not sure I understand which one woudl be better for me. And this is all preliminary research to budget, etc. The smaller ones I see less that $2000 and then the inverter type is over $3000 and then i see some with water-cooling. Even the book I picked up doesnt really help differentiate them, at least in a means that I understand.

Basically want to be able to weld steel and aluminum. anything from small racks for bikes or even an aluminum rear subframe when I feel really adventurous.

Any input would be great, thanks in advance.

repoe3

[tomn]

Good judgement for you Repoe; I've been thinking about welding class also for the last 10 years, but can't seem to deal with all the projects and gadgets I already have, so I keep putting off. Let us know how the class goes,

[Bob Hancock]

good on ya, repoe....I've been thinking the same thing. Us welding chickens will be cluckin' around the barnyard seeing how it goes. Please keep us informed with how yer schoolin' goes and what you buy.

[JonyRR]

I took several semesters of welding at a community college in fairbanks when I lived there....definitely a big plus in the hobby dept.
Instead of a $2500.00 TIG machine (which, I admit, IS still the ideal) I bought a henrob 2000 http://www.henrobwelder.com
For about 500.00 it does almost everything a tig machine will do and is awesome on thin stainless.
as with all good things in life, it also takes prective.
my next shop tool will be a multipurpose machine (vertical mill/drill/lathe).

[Bob Hancock]

Originally posted by JonyRR
my next shop tool will be a multipurpose machine (vertical mill/drill/lathe).

Jony you can get a knee mill and a lathe for about what a decent mill/drill would cost ya. The extra expense is in the attachments. Ebay is FULL of this stuff. Look for Bridgeport and South Bend.

[repoe3]

speaking of Bridgeport, i was talking with my buddy that restores old bikes and he may be scoring a mill and lathe for a song. with his wrenching ability, milling ability, and my soon to be welding ability...we can take over the world...hahahahahaha...

er...or just have a lot of fun in the shop.

repoe3

[repoe3]

wow, its amazing what you can find for reading resources...even on ebay. now i understand the two types of welding machine mentioned in the book. so knowing i will pretty much always be on normal home shop power, just have to get a gauge on how think the material to be welded. oh and learn to weld worth a schit.

anyone have recommendations for a welding helmet? i see the auto-darken type are pricey, and vary depending on the size of the actual viewing window. is that the way to go?

http://reviews.ebay.com/BUYING-A-TIG-WELDER_W0QQugidZ10000000001234217

repoe3

[wswartzwel]

Buy a cheapy for now... If you become a pro then you will know what you want.... You would hate to have a helmet that looked better than your welds...

[ErricZ]

Awesome! I took a good class a couple years back and learned a lot ... wish I had more time to practice Al TIG since it's really an art of the puddle.

You need AC/DC to weld Al, something like this little Hobart will do the trick: http://store.cyberweld.com/milec230vol.html

[JonyRR]

I differ on the helmet.
as the henrob site says 'you only have one set of eyes'.
Since I bought an autodarkener, I have yet to accidentally blind myself, but then, I'm doing TIG type work with gas (It CAN be done, and quite nicely, too, with that henrob). Many, many hotrodders swear by it and that's where I found out about it. If one is good enough for Art Morrison, it's good enough for me.
The other good thing is I'm not pulling huge amperage

[Bob Hancock]

Is the only downside to auto-darkening money?

[repoe3]

Originally posted by Bob Hancock
Is the only downside to auto-darkening money?

if you call that a down side...they run about $150-$400 depending on make and most importantly, the size of the window itself. a $150 helmet gets you just over an inch by 3+ inches where as a $200+ helmet gets you more of a square window.

jony, not sure i follow what you mean about TIG with gas...isnt that what the G in TIG stands for?

also, as for power, the lincoln invertec models are the ones i am most interested in. they draw wa y less power, from what i understand. of course, they draw a lot more cash too.

repoe3

[AndrewA]

Although I long for the days where I could even contemplate such a diversion as a welding class, I wouldn't change much!

Have fun with your class repoe3! Your "free" time is limited. Enjoy!

[repoe3]

Originally posted by AndrewA
Although I long for the days where I could even contemplate such a diversion as a welding class, I wouldn't change much!

Have fun with your class repoe3! Your "free" time is limited. Enjoy!

one night a week for 4+ months, not much time...as i learn repeatedly, if you really want something, some sacrifices are required to make it happen. the level of of which reflects one's sincerity.

repoe3

[anotheroldrider]

My 2 cents worth:

I would be hard pressed to give up my Speedglas auto-darken hood, it's extremely convenient and worth every penny in my book - mine's several years old and still performs flawlessly on the original (arc-light rechargeable) battery with adjustable sensitivity and adjustable shade.

As an "old guy", I learned to weld originally with oxy-acetylene and still do so once in a while, but prefer TIG for almost everything except really basic structural stuff (which I stick weld). Although I've got a MIG machine, I really don't use it much - maybe an unfair prejiduce, but I just enjoy using TIG more.

If you shop around, there are some good deals - go for hi-freq square wave with a foot pedal, and a water cooled torch. I use mine for everything.

[repoe3]

i was thinking something like this...and i will preface that with i dont know squat about TIG machines other than what i have read so far...AC/DC, inverter technology, etc.
http://www.weldingmart.com/Qstore/p003448.htm

once i get used to welding and if i am even semi-competent, then i will considering outlaying the cash. knowing and doing vs. knowing and doing well will be the deciding factor.

repoe3

[wswartzwel]

Originally posted by JonyRR

my next shop tool will be a multipurpose machine (vertical mill/drill/lathe).

Here you go Jony..... Think of the fun you could have with one of these...

http://www.tormach.com/Product_PCNC_main.html

[JonyRR]

repoe:
TIG means 'tungsten inert gas'
the tungsten is the torch tip, the 'inert gas' is an argon gas shield.
the henrob is oxyacetelene, but uses a very special, proprietary torch and mixing chamber to approach the utility of TIG. A shielding gas may or may not be used. (I DO use argon, thus another regulator). NOTHING will DUPLICATE a GOOD tig, but I can come pretty close, and more importantly, this thing WILL do aluminum and stainless as well.
swartzy...that thing is cool. my budget is more like a harbor freight combo machine at like $1500.00 or so...

[repoe3]

Originally posted by JonyRR
repoe:
TIG means 'tungsten inert gas'
the tungsten is the torch tip, the 'inert gas' is an argon gas shield.
the henrob is oxyacetelene, but uses a very special, proprietary torch and mixing chamber to approach the utility of TIG. A shielding gas may or may not be used. (I DO use argon, thus another regulator). NOTHING will DUPLICATE a GOOD tig, but I can come pretty close, and more importantly, this thing WILL do aluminum and stainless as well.
swartzy...that thing is cool. my budget is more like a harbor freight combo machine at like $1500.00 or so...

knew the meaning, just realized when you say "gas" you mean fuel, versus "gas" meaning argon. got it. thanks.

repoe3

[Guest24]

Now I've started thinking and as Bob knows that means money. I'm going to check in with my local technical college and see what they offer. They are big into metal working because of the demand generated by the large USAF maintenance facility here in Middle Georgia.