Dimensions?

[Mister Towed]

Originally Posted by jonesey

Tell me more about these "instructions" of which you speak...

I bought a 'stick' welder (aka, manual metal arc or mma) for about £60 from Amazon (other websites are available).

It came with gauntlets and a face shield with a flip down 'flash' filter, but I spent another thirty quid on an arc activated one as I couldn't see diddly squat through the flip down one.

It also came with a small instruction pamphlet which focussed primarily on safety and outlined the basic principles of welding with the stick welder. I then just got on with it and found it wasn't too difficult at all. A stick welder isn't the best choice for welding thin sheet metal (apparently mig is best for that) but most of what I needed to do was effectively welding girders together on the chassis. The best advice I can give is to make sure all the metal parts are absolutely clean and shiny or you won't be able to strike the arc.

Good luck!

[oxford1360]

Originally Posted by Mister Towed

The best advice I can give is to make sure all the metal parts are absolutely clean and shiny or you won't be able to strike the arc.

Too right. It's like spraying, so much is in the preparation. Probably ten minutes of prep for each minute that you weld. But, it's worth it.

More importantly. impurities make the weld weaker, so get rid of all paint and rust first.

Go on, buy that welder. You know you want to.

[davecymru]

Originally Posted by oxford1360

Whilst there is no substitute for being taught by somebody that can, this site is brilliant with lots of video tutorials -
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/

And, the forum members couldn't be more helpful. There are also useful sections on blasting and spraying.

I bought a Clarke MIG and lots of offcuts from a local engineering firm and practised until my welds looked like the videos. If they don't look right, and you are not getting penetration, then you scratch your head, read a bit more, and then adjust what you are doing.

It's rewarding........but I should still have spent more on the donor. It saves money in the long run, and loads and loads of time, which in Sammio-world is very very valuable.

Snap!

I did loads of reading over on the mig-welding forum and also bought the Haynes welding manual, which is quite a good read.
I then talked to loads of people who already weld before i opted for the Clarke (151 or 161 - i can never remember) as it was best quality mig welder for the money and over the last 2 years it's done me proud!

I also got a shed-load of metal offcuts and scrap bits (e-bay has some great companies doing bundles of offcuts!) and I went bonkers sticking different shapes and sizes and thickness's together and then cutting them apart to check penetration and also comparing them to the instructions.

Now while my welds aren't the prettiest i know that they have good penetration and are more than able to pass an MOT inspection, although i can't comment on how they'd fare on the German test <cough><cough>

As long as you do your research and get a "decent" welder then you can't go far wrong. Although from my experiences i would highly recommend getting a flip-up auto-dimming helmet as it's invaluable for while you're learning and they don't cost that much nowadays. Also get some good gauntlets as it's amazing how quickly your skin will tan/burn!

Oh... and have fun