Welding Lessons?

[Chaznsc]

Another dumb post from the king of dumb posts so bear with me.

I picked up a Lincoln stick welder a few months ago, wired in a 50 amp circuit, picked up a helmet this weekend, creeping towards setting it all up.

I have never touched a welder before. Watched it done several times, but never actually touched it. I don't know any welders and wouldn't want to blow myself up. Whats the best way for me to pick this up?

What would you do?

 

[fflintstone]

my buddy jody at
weldingtipsandtricks.com

or go to lincoln electric and take there one week class.

 

[aka Larry]

Take a course at your local CC. It is possibly to teach yourself, but there is no substitute for having a pro teach you how.

 

[fflintstone]

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/arc-welding-videos.html

 

[Angelfire]

Get lots of scrap, read up on how it's done, visit welding forums, ask questions, practice, practice, practice. I'm far from being a good weldor (and don't weld anything that would kill someone if it broke!) but have done ok being self taught. There are no courses around here without signing up for a full 2 year program at the local CC (which by the way, have all their classes during the daytime when I'm at work ).

 

[EOC_Jason]

That's one thing I need to do is go to my local CC and take a welding class...

I've only had to stick weld a couple things myself out of necessity. I use the good old hammer test to make sure my welds are solid. (i.e. if you can beat the **** out of it with a hammer and it holds, then it's good enough for me.)

 

[ratdoggy]

Don't poke. Strike it like a match and turn the juice up until you can reliably strike an arc. I weld like a farmer (not that that is a bad thing), I can fix it but it ain't pretty at all.

 

[ratdoggy]

I think 6013 is easier to strike an arc than 7018 rod but that's my opinion.

 

[Sureshot]

I think 6013 is easier to strike an arc than 7018 rod but that's my opinion.

If it is an AC welder stay away from the 7018. Get some 7014 and have at it. If you feel the need for deep penetration get some 6011.

 

[38Chevy454]

I assume your welder is AC. If so, get some 6013 rod to learn with. 6011 is also OK. Clean metal surface is vital for best results. Wire brush and grinder. If your machine can do DC, that is good as it can produce a more stable arc. On AC the arc atually has start and restart the opposite direction, at 60 Hz. DC does not do this so it is smoother and easier. Most lower cost "tombstone" welders like you showed are AC only. 7018 will not run on AC unless you get special 7018-AC rod. Start with 1/8 or less diam rod, so you can run at lower amp settings until you learn better.

As the rest said, some watching videos and even a person to give some initial advice will get you going. You can do without a full-on course, but a course is the best way. I self-taught with a bit of help from a friend. Biggest issue most beginners have is moving too fast. Slow down and learn to control speed and arc length. Starting and restarting will seem hard, but practice.

Start out making welds on pieces, just running beads until you get the feel. Then start welding scraps together. Practice is the best teacher.

 

[Kny21]

read and then read some more. next practice and then practice some more.

in addition to the above link from FFS I found this one to be good too.

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/arc-tutorial.htm

 

[KinzeMech]

If it is an AC welder stay away from the 7018. Get some 7014 and have at it. If you feel the need for deep penetration get some 6011.

^^This^^ is worth repeating. 7018, and other DC rods, can be a PITA if you try to use them on AC and don't realize what is happening.

 

[Chaznsc]

^^This^^ is worth repeating. 7018, and other DC rods, can be a PITA if you try to use them on AC and don't realize what is happening.

can you give me a readers digest version why this is?

 

[Iron Cat]

http://www.rodovens.com/welding_articles/welding_rods_application.htm

this should help you out a little.

 

[Journaler]

This video is really good.
http://www.weldingvideos.com/arcwelding2.html
Sometimes, they go on sale at Northern Tool.

 

[D rock]

Wear welding gloves. I took a welding class at the local communtiy college. I didn't have gloves so I mig welded bare handed. Yeah, it was pretty damn hot. After class I saw everybody else putting the gloves they had used back in the cabinet. I didn't realize that if you didn't have any the class had some. If your gonna be dumb, you better be tough...

 

[KinzeMech]

can you give me a readers digest version why this is?

No. I'd like to know, and I would bet surely someone who does know will post an explanation.

All I know is I tried to use that one time when I ran out of 7014 rod. It was one of those, oops I used the last rod 5 minutes before the local welding supply closed for the weekend on a saturday morning kind of days...Had a horrible time maintaining an arc, and just could not produce a decent weld. The guy working the counter monday morning when I bought a box of rods said, "no wonder, that 7018 is a DC rod."

I don't think it works both ways, I think you can use an AC rod for anything, but whatever it is, having the proper rod is probably best.

 

[Iron Cat]

7018 is a DC only rod,however they make a 7018 AC rod which works decent on an AC welder. The issue with 7018 rods are, they are required to be stored in a rod oven.With that said ive used 7018 rods that have been laying in an opened box in the garage for a year with no issues. 7024 "jet rods" rods are awesome for an AC welder and leave a fantastic bead,however theyre a "flat weld' only rod.

 

[brownbagg]

get you a box of 6011 or 6013 and sit there till you burn the whole box. catch yourself of fire couple times. shock yourself, and then after you burn the whole box, you are really to start learning. only way to learn welding is seat time, you dont need no college class.

Oh it would help but 90% of welding is seat time. after you learn the basic hand on, then you can fine tune it with a class, but no since taking a class that is advance and you have no idea what they are talking about

 

[Sureshot]

AC rods have a metallic content in the coating to assist the arc in restarting. The 7018 have an organic coating that needs to be kept dry, hence the oven. Notice the amount of smoke from 7018 and 6010. Also notice the slag from a 7014 and 7024. The slag is very easy to chip and the arc easy to maintain because of the coating content.

I have tried the AC 7018 rods and found them a PITA.

Get some 7014 in 3/32" and 1/8" and go nuts playing around. The whole point is to melt the metal on both sides and have some filler. You really can't go wrong just welding scrap together. Then come up with a small project and carry on as you get better.

 

[where2]

Thanks for the website links gusy, been wondering about this topic myself. Yet another educational opportunity I missed by not hanging out with my uncles more as I was growing up. One owned a welding shop, the other traveled around the mid-atlantic states when there were welding jobs to be found.

In HS, I was taught all the basics by the book in metal shop, but never actually put a stick in my hand and a helmet on to try it. I should see when the next classes are offered at the local community education facility. My current job is going nowhere fast, and I could use another useful life skill.

 

[vssjim]

If you go to the Lincoln web site they sell books and DVD's about all types of welding and instructions about anything related and they are sold very cheaply for the info you get.They have stuff directed right at the getting started people all the way up to designers and such. Below is the link for the education materials page.

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/education-center/jfl-foundation/Pages/jfl-foundation.aspx

 

[Jagmandave]

Another dumb post from the king of dumb posts so bear with me.

I picked up a Lincoln stick welder a few months ago, wired in a 50 amp circuit, picked up a helmet this weekend, creeping towards setting it all up.

I have never touched a welder before. Watched it done several times, but never actually touched it. I don't know any welders and wouldn't want to blow myself up. Whats the best way for me to pick this up?

What would you do?

what do you plan to do with it?

That will help direct you to the right rods and techniques

 

[Allgonquin]

I just finished Welding 101 at a local community college. IMHO after this 16 week course which was 9:00 - 12:30 on Saturdays, this is the best thing you can do. As others have said, you need to burn some rods, period. There is no substitute for "seat time" with you and the welding machine and a bunch of electrodes and a bunch of scrap stock with which you can practice, practice, practice. I shudder to think of trying to learn what I learned by myself by just reading and looking and viewing videos.

Lest we forget a good instructor, and good machines. I'm not dissing the Lincoln tombstone welder, but IMHO again it's easier to learn on a good new machine under the watchful eye of an experienced teacher, so you can learn the basics and what a good welding machine "feels" like, and learn how the different electrode types handle, etc. This type of class is quality time, so to speak, and you will get much more out of an hour there than an hour fiddling with your machine and not knowing what you are doing right or wrong. Once you get this experience you can better judge what your tombstone is doing.

I feel like I just scratched the surface, but I can lay some decent beads and do some ugly but structurally sound welds after many hours of seat time. Will go for Welding 102 next, and graduate to GMAW (mig) and get some GTAW (tig) seat time as well. I know it's not easy to schedule a class, I waited many years to take my class (kids now in college) and it was worth the wait.

Rgds,
Allgonquin, first post after lurking quite a while

PS, for a beginner using DC Electrode Positive, 6013 is easier to weld than 6010, and 7018 welds nicely as well, but the arc is harder to start on 7018 as the flux covers the core every time you stop

 

[ratdoggy]

Your first project should be a simple welder cart. All nice easy horizontal welds.

 

[Chaznsc]

Where's a good place to pick up some scrap material?

 

[Chaznsc]

what do you plan to do with it?

That will help direct you to the right rods and techniques

Maybe build a tool holder for my trailer. Build a rolling grill. Repai the local bridges LOL.

 

[LutzTD]

I just finished Welding 101 at a local community college. IMHO after this 16 week course which was 9:00 - 12:30 on Saturdays, this is the best thing you can do. As others have said, you need to burn some rods, period. There is no substitute for "seat time" with you and the welding machine and a bunch of electrodes and a bunch of scrap stock with which you can practice, practice, practice. I shudder to think of trying to learn what I learned by myself by just reading and looking and viewing videos.

Lest we forget a good instructor, and good machines. I'm not dissing the Lincoln tombstone welder, but IMHO again it's easier to learn on a good new machine under the watchful eye of an experienced teacher, so you can learn the basics and what a good welding machine "feels" like, and learn how the different electrode types handle, etc. This type of class is quality time, so to speak, and you will get much more out of an hour there than an hour fiddling with your machine and not knowing what you are doing right or wrong. Once you get this experience you can better judge what your tombstone is doing.

I feel like I just scratched the surface, but I can lay some decent beads and do some ugly but structurally sound welds after many hours of seat time. Will go for Welding 102 next, and graduate to GMAW (mig) and get some GTAW (tig) seat time as well. I know it's not easy to schedule a class, I waited many years to take my class (kids now in college) and it was worth the wait.

Rgds,
Allgonquin, first post after lurking quite a while

PS, for a beginner using DC Electrode Positive, 6013 is easier to weld than 6010, and 7018 welds nicely as well, but the arc is harder to start on 7018 as the flux covers the core every time you stop

I agree, go take a class and save yourself a lot of wasted time learning to do it wrong on your own. I thought I could weld, till I saw real welders at a CC class. now I know enough to know I am adaquate, but I also know whats right and now practice will bring me closer to right and better rather than spedning time money and effort making poor welds consistently poor every time.

 

[Chaznsc]

I found a local class consisting of 6 four-hour Saturdays for mig and stick welding by a local well known artist. He has a background in industry and is a retired airframe mechanic.

Class cost was $385 which seemed reasonable to learn how to do it right.

 

[Clik]

You guys should school him on safety before he blinds himself, electrocutes himself or ends up with lung cancer or skin cancer.

 

[Chaznsc]

You guys should school him on safety before he blinds himself, electrocutes himself or ends up with lung cancer or skin cancer.

What in the hell are you talking about?

 

[JJThrasher]

What in the hell are you talking about?

He's just...... nevermind....


Wear a helmet and gloves. Cover exposed skin. Avoid zinc.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[brownbagg]

the reason an 7018 has to be kept oven dry is because the flux will absorbed moisture, hydrogen is a gas by product of moisture cooking off the flux which would created cracking in the weld itself. a 7018 is a low hydrogen rod till they get moisture.

rods need be cook at over 220 degrees for four hours and then they only have a shelf life of two hour till need to be replaced in the ovens

but hell, learning how the weld, 7018 is a difficult rod to play with

now a 6011 has a paper coating flux and its need moisture to retain the flux to the rod, so they can lay out in the air, forever

 

[stingry]

I found a local class consisting of 6 four-hour Saturdays for mig and stick welding by a local well known artist. He has a background in industry and is a retired airframe mechanic.

Class cost was $385 which seemed reasonable to learn how to do it right.

Be careful here, once you are exposed to MIG welding, you will want to dump that antique and buy a MIG welder. MIG welding is sooo much easier and much more versatile than stick welding!

Cheers
Steve

 

[Chaznsc]

Be careful here, once you are exposed to MIG welding, you will want to dump that antique and buy a MIG welder. MIG welding is sooo much easier and much more versatile than stick welding!

Cheers
Steve

Excellent, Christmas is right around the corner!

 

[KEH]

I have that welder, 40+ years old, works fine. I've built trailers and made many repairs.

1/8 6011 rod at 75 amps works for most things, reduce power if welding thin metal. 6013 rod works fine, starts easier, makes smoother welds, has more slag to chip off than 6011.
6011 works better on rusty or dirty metal.
Hold rod at slight angle toward you, watch the puddle ahead of the rod. Move on when pieces are joined together. Try not to burn through or you will have a hole to patch. OTOH, try to have enough penetration to get all the way to the edge of the pieces. A lot of work will require welding on one side only so penetration is important.

Sources of scrap metal? Maybe find one of these scrappers and buy some from him. Keep your eyes open. You will find yourself picking up pieces of steel you run across. Don't reccommend stopping on the side of I 26 or I 95 for scrap, too much traffic.

Rule #1 for building a small trailer which is a favorite project: Don't do it unless you have most of the material free or cheap, or you will be paying new price for making a factory trailer(well, better than a factory trailer) A good project would be to get a used trailer that needs repairs.

Have fun.

KEH

 

[litljay]

I learned/was taught 2 different ways. First I learned the farmer way. Grab some 6011 and turn the heat up and go to town. It doesn't have to look good, just get it to stick.

Then, in college, I took some classes in the Industrial Technology department. Learned from a professor that spent a couple years welding on the ****************. Boy, was he a character. We spent time with many different rods learning the different techniques, but he stressed the use of 7018 the most as it's the strongest, easiest, and prettiest rod to use in all positions (his words).

 

[ford33]

I was in the same situation as the OP. I suggest you take a local community college course like I did. I saved a lot of time by learning how to weld correctly and safely the first time. The instructor watched over us and corrected my mistakes right away. I didn't learn bad habits. I have a higher level of confidence that my welds are good.

BTW, MIG was easier for me to learn than stick.

 

[crewchief888]

You guys should school him on safety before he blinds himself, electrocutes himself or ends up with lung cancer or skin cancer.

what fun would welding be if you avoid all that?

 

[lotsoftools]

I found a local class consisting of 6 four-hour Saturdays for mig and stick welding by a local well known artist. He has a background in industry and is a retired airframe mechanic.

Class cost was $385 which seemed reasonable to learn how to do it right.

Honestly, I'd check with the community college before I signed up for this. Classes at my CC were about $300 for 8 hours a week and 16 weeks, and taught by a certified welding inspector. Welding art is nice, but it doesn't necessarily mean he is going to teach you how to make structural welds.