Recent content by hackwelder

I'm only familiar with California (like it a lot but the cost of living is very high anywhere that jobs are not really hard to find)...but FWIW citydata is a good resource for info on an area you are considering and in the forums you can get a sense of what is like to actually live in a given...

I've bought from mill suppliers, industrial hardware vendors, etc. and as was said the price will be a fraction of what you will pay elsewhere. Square stock comes in 20 foot "sticks" but in my experience the supplier will cut them in half for a small charge so they are easier to haul. If you...

Good to know and from what I've seen on Amazon their tools get good reviews, is does look like they enforce a minimum standard for quality unlike HF (and I've bought a fair amount of stuff from HF, the quality has ranged from very good to absolute ****) Incidentally just today I read elsewhere...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005AN6GTQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20 FWIW two sizes are sold, #1 and #2

I also bought a Milwaukee screwdriver recently that has that bit, they call it a ECXbit...

The Hobart 140 gets great reviews here and elsewhere...it might be worth considering the Miller 211 and Lincoln 180 machines too, they are dual voltage 120/230V, and what I'd buy if I didn't already have a 230V Miller 172. FWIW I've been running my 230V machine from 30 amp dryer outlets for...

FWIW the Santa Rosa, Calif. store had a pallet full today....

If the access to the clamps is poor the cable type is well worth the $40 or so they cost, recently changed the radiator hoses on my GF's Focus and the worst of the clamps would have required SERIOUS disassembly to get to with pliers and the tool was a big help even on the easier ones...

Sunex makes good quality 4 pt. square plug sockets, bought one recently and it easily broke loose a very stubborn and damaged (by PO's) fill plug on my TR-6. per Sunex: Forged from the finest chrome molybdenum alloy steel-the best choice for strength and durability Radius corner design-to...

Changed a radiator hose...should be a very simple job but the car uses spring clamps with very poor access. Had a really hard time last time I dealt with this so I bought a specialty tool I'd seen recommended here, made a job that would have been a royal PITA relatively easy...without the tool...

+1 on the demand for custom built gates, made one for a friend and she got a lot of inquiries as to whether I'd build more, was working full time and had plenty of my own projects then so I didn't pursue more work.... Anyway they serve as their own advertising, just one could have lead to half a...

A DMM can DEFINITELY lead you astray in 12V troubleshooting since it pulls so little current, they will sometimes read good voltage through bad connections, damaged wiring, etc. Reading wiring and connection resistance can also be unreliable...so sometimes a power probe or a simple 12V...

Post #5 claims that straight CO2 is NOT liquid in the bottle and the bottles can be used horizontally...not the case, I looked into this when building a MIG cart recently. Many use straight CO2 for MIG welding (rather than a blend), myself included, and the bottle does need to be more or less...

I retired at 55 and looked for a part time job for about a year, turned down two that were not a good fit, but then got hired building machinery for a small manufacturing company...and part of what got me an interview was a photo of a MIG welding project I emailed along with my resume and cover...

Learned communications electronics in the Navy, attended "Beep" school and Electronics Technician "A" school, also got some really good experience in the fleet. Those skills were in demand when I got out (in 1978) and had no trouble finding work, made a decent living for 35 years and retired...