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My Mig welder just arrived,its damn massive and the parcel blokey struggled to bring it out the van.
I'm double struggling to lift it outta the bladdy box :eek: ooh me back! ow.
Didn't think they were this big and heavy.
Post a pic later ifI manage to get it out,thank goodness its on wheels.
Just a note George... when welding up stuff you want to be straight/square afterwards you need to keep the weld time short to avoid distortion through thermal stress. Lots of practice needed before attempting the 'big one'!
For future reference, if it's heavy, open the bottom of the box then lift the box off.
When you said "Bladdy hell" I thought you might be having prostrate trouble :naughty:
I'm ahead of you,Iving.....:whistling:
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Powe.../sd2666/p30774
You still have tip the box on its side first though,Robin.
Putting it onits side wasn't easy neither,because the hallway is narrow.
Yes I have some of them too... helps but doesnt stop box section warping if you pump too much heat into it... as I discovered...Quote:
Originally Posted by GeorgeD
What mm wall thickness? and was you using gasless or gas?
3.2mmQuote:
Originally Posted by GeorgeD
Wasn't MIG, just a straight 85A stick welder... I'm not too bad at welding plate and sills on cars but this caught me out by the amount of warp on a 2m length of 100 x 50 x 3.2..
What size is it? My little mig is easy to lift, its the bottle that was a pain, down sized now as I don't do so much welding.Quote:
My Mig welder just arrived,its damn massive and the parcel blokey struggled to bring it out the van.
I don't think much will if it gets to hot, when I made the front wishbones for my buggy I made a steel jig and then really cooked the welds because I wanted to make damm sure it didn't come apart. even after cooling I couldn't get it out.:whistling:Quote:
Yes I have some of them too... helps but doesnt stop box section warping if you pump too much heat into it... as I discovered...
Those mag jigs are only really for tacking, like Irving said you have to control it with reduced weld time, and moving around the workpiece, like torquing a cylinder Head. :smile:
Have you done any welding before?
Size?erm let me see now...its 13x17x24 inches and weighs a ton :-)
Yeah I know the mags are specifically a temp fo tack weld until you have a secure piece and then you take it away to continue the job.
Thing is they save a lot of bother making a jig and are a god send for getting a start weld on an upright box section.
Done a little bit of arc welding in the past,that didn't rock me boat. :-(
Was talking to guy today about mig welding and reckons there's a spray that you spray on the metal near the weld area,this helps to protect the shroud from the metal and stop the wire fromwelding to the copper tip.
Was he talking a load of cobblers?
Hi George,
I don't know the answer to the above question, but when I MIG welded many years ago I seem to remember a spray to reduce splatter - maybe it's that?
Anyway, I wanted to also suggest that if you weld outside (to stop the garage catching fire for example!), and are using a gas MIG, watch out for the wind blowing the shroud away. It makes the weld splatter, and gives a visually, and probably mechanically, worse weld. Even a light breeze is enough to do it. A non-flammable shield might help, or wait until there is no wind.
Anti-spatter spray :smile:Quote:
Was talking to guy today about mig welding and reckons there's a spray that you spray on the metal near the weld area,this helps to protect the shroud from the metal and stop the wire fromwelding to the copper tip.
Was he talking a load of cobblers?
I can also vouch for box section warping, I made my machine from 60mm 2mm wall and it still warped a little even though I was ultra careful not to put too much heat into it.
Andy
Andy
Maybe thats what the guy was on about in my post#11,Chip
Auto dakening helmet off ebay came yesteday,seems to work? not tried it out against the arc of welding yet though but I will replace the outer plastic protection lense from splatter with a glass insert.
The mains cable is too heavy for a standard plug on this welder and I for the life of me cannot remember the name of the circuit breaker that appliances of this ilk used.
I used to have one and it flipped up to isolate the mains,can anyone shed light on the name of the isolater I need? :question:
Don't bother, the plastic will outlast glass by a long way, splatter sticks to glass, it doesn't stick to this new plastic.Quote:
Originally Posted by GeorgeD
.
Gonna attempt some welding when the weather perks up a bit?
I was mooching around for something in my den earlier on and came across some fire resistant plate,this plate looks looks like asbestos but its not,its used to seal off the inside of the chimney around the flue.
Was thinking about making a jig to protect the shroud of the mig welder fom hitting the sides of the metal box section where I'm welding a joint,the jig will attach to the square box section about 3/8" to an 1" up from the welding area maybe.
I don't think I can watch the shroud and keep an eye on the weld at the same time? so do ya reckon this jig might work for stopping the contact with the metal and at the same time its fire resistant material ie it should take the heat from the arc?
Why ?
The shroud should be insulated from the wire and earth. if it shorts out when the shroud touches the work then that's usually a pointer that it's all clogged up inside and needs a quick clean and a spray with splatter spray.
You've lost me?
I'm protecting the shroud from hitting the metal when I side weave,basically I'll be corner welding and that is tricky trying get the weld in the corner and at the same time stop the shroud hitting the sides of the eathed metal.
It is the wire that creates the arc isn't it?
Bet you couldn't lift it Lee,depite you size.:whistling:
Yes it is the wire that creates the arc, the shroud doesn't matter if it touches the metal as it's insulated from the end of the torch.Quote:
Originally Posted by GeorgeD
Pull the shroud off, slight clockwise twist and you will see it has a smaller diameter sleeve inside that is insulated from the outer shroud by a ring of asbestos type insulation.
What model welder is it ?
Maybe I'm confusin the tip hitting the the earth and clogging thetip to the point it welds the wire to the copper tip?
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/30030/...IG-Welder-150A
I guess the only way to find out is to use the thing.:eek:
Just goes to show that ebay is not all that cheap in some respects.
Was lookin at the cheapest mild steel box section 25mmx25mmx3mm at £14 for 3mtrs plus £12 P&P so 6mtrs plus £12 =£40.
My local welders shop will do it at £25.60 includin VAT....sheeesh,its got to be a locality thing?
Good idea.Quote:
Originally Posted by GeorgeD
One thing with these cheap welder they never tell you is about a thing called duty cycle.
Duty Cycle is how long you can use it at what setting. Look on the plate at the rear and it should give you some figures as a percentage.
The adverts says 150 amps but Screwflicks blurb says 140 amps for this model ?
So just guessing it will say something like 70 A @ 100%
90A at 80%
110A @ 60%
120A @ 40%
140A @20%
What this means is that the % figure is based on 10 minutes, so at 70A you can weld all day and at 140A it's weld 2 minutes, rest for 8.
For obvious reasons they don't make a big fuss of this. The more you pay the higher the figures.
.
Hi George,
Which part(s) of the machine are you thinking of using the 25mm box for? Might be a bit small, unless the machine is a little'un, or it is a space frame idea.
It is only a small version ie 850x600, the gantry height about 300mm to 350mm?