Rookie welder with question

[Hhino]

Attended a very short welding workshop a few weeks ago and thought welding was pretty cool. Just bought a Hobart 140 mig/fluxcore welder, helmet, gloves, pliers, wire brush. Expensive venture. I’m 75 years old, live in very rural Wisconsin. I know absolutely nothing about welding. I set the welder up in my metal pole shed (gravel floor, unheated) and thought I’d just start learning by practice welding on the ground. Dumb idea......getting up and down up and down is not easy for an old guy and neither is kneeling and bending to weld. We have had very mild weather for late November and I’m finding that it’s still too cold for comfort by the shed, so I’m wondering about moving to the garage, which is tucked under my house. Question: can I safely make a few mig welds in the garage with the doors closed and then open the doors for a couple minutes to air it out, then repeat? Any other safety issues besides the heat and sparks involved in working in the attached garage?

By the way, this is a great site. I read and enjoyed quite a bit yesterday, although much of it made me feel like I’m in over my head.

I’m gonna have lots more questions.......

 

[zmotorsports]

Attended a very short welding workshop a few weeks ago and thought welding was pretty cool. Just bought a Hobart 140 mig/fluxcore welder, helmet, gloves, pliers, wire brush. Expensive venture. I’m 75 years old, live in very rural Wisconsin. I know absolutely nothing about welding. I set the welder up in my metal pole shed (gravel floor, unheated) and thought I’d just start learning by practice welding on the ground. Dumb idea......getting up and down up and down is not easy for an old guy and neither is kneeling and bending to weld. We have had very mild weather for late November and I’m finding that it’s still too cold for comfort by the shed, so I’m wondering about moving to the garage, which is tucked under my house. Question: can I safely make a few mig welds in the garage with the doors closed and then open the doors for a couple minutes to air it out, then repeat? Any other safety issues besides the heat and sparks involved in working in the attached garage?

By the way, this is a great site. I read and enjoyed quite a bit yesterday, although much of it made me feel like I’m in over my head.

I’m gonna have lots more questions.......

Hhino, first off welcome to the forum.

There are a LOT of extremely talented and friendly people here who will be willing to assist you.

Second, congrats on wanting to learn to weld, you're never too old to learn something new.

Lastly, you will be fine welding in your attached garage as for many forum members that is their one and only place to work and weld/fabricate.

Safety precautions should be no different whether out in the detached shed or in your attached garage. I recommend ALWAYS having at least one fire extinguisher nearby when welding, or hell at anytime for that matter. Move all flammable materials away from where you will be welding. As for ventilation I weld with doors closed in my shop during the cold months and many times even in the warm months to avoid the shielding gasses getting blown around when welding. Just be sure to open them once in a while on larger projects to exchange the air in the garage/shop. Also, I never weld something as the last thing I am doing before locking up and going inside. I always like to conduct my welding operations either earlier in the time in the shop or at least when I will be remaining in the shop for at least an hour or so before quitting for the day. This is to be sure nothing starts to smolder or burn and you are not there to witness or detect it.

Lastly when cleaning parts to be welded do NOT use any chlorinated brake cleaner. This is pretty common knowledge but I figured as how you are new to welding I thought it worth mentioning. The chlorinated brake cleaner when heated from the welding process can produce phosgene gas which is a nerve agent and can cause drastic health issues up to an including death. When people are cleaning materials for welding I always recommend using acetone for the final cleaning process.

I am sure you will have more questions come up so don't hesitate to ask, again, there are a lot of talented weldors and fabricators on this forum.

Good luck.

 

[larry_g]

Welcome to the group. In addition to the above realize that welding spatters and throws out little steel balls. These can act as ball bearing between the shoe and the floor putting you, or the wife, on your backside quickly. So be careful of family if they have to walk in the same area. Also this spatter will burn into paint so the cars have to go and take care with other things in the area.

A part of welding is grinding so you have to keep that mess out of the house also. I'd suggest a good vacuum to clean the floor during the fire watch time Mike spoke of.

Good luck and have fun.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Lelandwelds]

Attended a very short welding workshop a few weeks ago and thought welding was pretty cool. Just bought a Hobart 140 mig/fluxcore welder, helmet, gloves, pliers, wire brush. Expensive venture.


I’m gonna have lots more questions.......

Welding can be fun. Hobart is a nice machine.

I recommend forgetting about acetone and vacuums. Thats what the wire brush and a push broom are for. Put the brakes on buying a bunch of new stuff. You will get a bunch of preferences depending on what sort of welding and projects you like.

First projects are easy! You need some metal saw horses or metal work tables or a mix. Make them all the same convenient height. Start thinking of cheap/free sources of steel and project components. What are your current interests? (Cars? BBQ? Equipment fab? Structural? Blacksmithing? )

When ready to spend again, you need a way to cut steel. Solid wire is a bit more pleasant to use

 

[Hhino]

Mike, Larry, and Leland, thanks for the good input. I guess I should buy a fire extinguisher, that’s something I don’t have and thanks for the warning on the spatter possibly being slippery on a concrete floor......something else I wasn’t aware of.

Leland, you asked about my current interests. I’m not sure, I just thought it was way cool that I could actually manipulate metal. The workshop I went to with my wife was put on by a couple of artsy folks and we just welded together some metal we got at the junk yard—yard art. I’m not artsy at all,but, I thought it was a lot of fun and thought it would be fun to do some more. I can’t imagine getting good enough at welding to ever do anything useful. I look at all the projects on these pages and I am amazed.

So, in an effort to stop spending money, we went to the junkyard today and I bought a 3foot by 2 foot sheet of rusty 3/16 inch steel. It was cut from a larger sheet by a torch so I spent some time this afternoon using an angle grinder to try to smooth down that rough edge. On the way home we stopped at the township dump(just a couple dumpsters) where I found a bed frame that I thought I might be able to cut up for legs. Uh, I guess making straight and accurate cuts with the angle grinder isn’t the answer. Are there metal cutting blades you can put in a miter saw? Anyway, can’t make a table until I get quite a bit better at welding. I also got some small pieces at the junkyard so I can practice.

 

[Farmall450]

Mike, Larry, and Leland, thanks for the good input. I guess I should buy a fire extinguisher, that’s something I don’t have and thanks for the warning on the spatter possibly being slippery on a concrete floor......something else I wasn’t aware of.

Leland, you asked about my current interests. I’m not sure, I just thought it was way cool that I could actually manipulate metal. The workshop I went to with my wife was put on by a couple of artsy folks and we just welded together some metal we got at the junk yard—yard art. I’m not artsy at all,but, I thought it was a lot of fun and thought it would be fun to do some more. I can’t imagine getting good enough at welding to ever do anything useful. I look at all the projects on these pages and I am amazed.

So, in an effort to stop spending money, we went to the junkyard today and I bought a 3foot by 2 foot sheet of rusty 3/16 inch steel. It was cut from a larger sheet by a torch so I spent some time this afternoon using an angle grinder to try to smooth down that rough edge. On the way home we stopped at the township dump(just a couple dumpsters) where I found a bed frame that I thought I might be able to cut up for legs. Uh, I guess making straight and accurate cuts with the angle grinder isn’t the answer. Are there metal cutting blades you can put in a miter saw? Anyway, can’t make a table until I get quite a bit better at welding. I also got some small pieces at the junkyard so I can practice.

Not really. They spin too fast for the cold cut saws and too slow for an abrasive wheel. Also they aren't as heavily built/the clamps aren't set up for steel.

Best cheap option is probably a used chopsaw, I'd guess an el cheapo could be found on craigslist for sub $50. Slow, dirty, but they do the job.

 

[Thumper68]

You can make nice accurate cuts with a cut off disk in an angle grinder. I have been using the Lennox MetalMax blades for most of my angle grinder cuts lately, it just takes some practice.

Made a bunch of cuts today with one and they came out great.


No worries about welding in the attached if you make sure to clean up afterward.

 

[Doug Arthurs]

Try to avoid bringing home galvanized steel. Welding it will cause harmful fumes. Bedframes are good. Sometimes they can cause problems when welding due to the material they are made from. I have had welds break away from the material and had to reweld but it can be done.

 

[Lelandwelds]

Try to avoid bringing home galvanized steel. Welding it will cause harmful fumes. Bedframes are good. Sometimes they can cause problems when welding due to the material they are made from. I have had welds break away from the material and had to reweld but it can be done.

Bed frames and boat exhaust manifolds are infamous for bad temperamental metal. The trick with galvanized (and stainless, manganese, cadmium, all metals and fluxing agents) is to keep your head out of the fume path. (Simple but effective.) (Your exposure will probably be so limited a respirator is unnecessary. YMMV.)

I have lots of ways to cut stuff. I often use a Sawsall and 14" chopsaw. Both were finds on the used market. The Sawsall is an older one. Abrasive saws are not ****. Pretty easy price negotiation. New stuff is pretty reasonable, too. A 4.5 inch grinder with a .045 thick disc cuts like the proverbial hot knife but is fairly expensive per cut.

Found art is a good starting point. The classics are disc brake cactus, man made from mufflers, and desk lamps from tin cans. I like the little men from cut nails and bolts/nuts. I make a pretty cool cross necklace from cut nails, brass, and gun bluing. (Current version uses copper wire and moly resin).

Learn your welder inside and out. Correct weld settings sound like bacon frying or water on hot stove. You dont need to see before welding starts. (Your nozzle is insulated. Rest it on work with wire pointing toward the weld joint. Squeeze trigger. Lift and move when you can see.) Make one small change at a time. Be safe. Have fun.

 

[Lelandwelds]

I just thought it was way cool that I could actually manipulate metal.

...I thought it was a lot of fun and thought it would be fun to do some more...I am amazed...

Well, if you just think it is really cool to melt stuff, the hobby has room for you too. Casting aluminum , lead, or brass is easy. Forging iron is not that hard (after a while).

I have known people who cast up toy soldier chess pieces and motorcycle engines. Making knives or medieval armour is possible. ( Start with chain mail bikinis first. It is easier and more entertaining.)

A simple square tube frame and your piece of plate could be your first table. (Trust me. It wont be your last. And, you will modify it at least a couple of times.)