Hobby farm welding projects5/10/2023 Imagine a dime laid on its side at a very slight angle with the trailing edge slightly elevated. Stacking dimes is a term coined to describe a good weld. Welding is all about the pool and how it is formed and maintained by the welder. Generally speaking, the pool should be fairly round. Concentrate on the pool, which is the small molten pool of metal at the base of the arc. Spend some time in the beginning simply laying beads on top of a single piece of thicker steel. Being able to interact with another individual by asking questions specific to your understanding, will help you learn much quicker.īut there are other ways to learn the fundamentals if you don’t have a mentor.Ī great set of beginner training DVDs starting out with the stick welding process, are the Steve Bleile Arc Welding I and II videos.Įven if you have a mentor, being able to reference back to fundamentals introduced by a seasoned welder like Steve might keep you from picking up bad habits that you will have to unlearn later. That could be a friend or acquaintance with experience in the type of welding you would like to learn first.Īs previously stated, I suggest you learn either electrode, a.k.a., “Stick,” welding, or MIG welding first. If that is not an option for you, a good mentor could prove invaluable. If available, plan on taking welding courses. On the other hand, too dark and you won't be able to see where you are going with the weld. NOTE: You don't want the adjustment to be too light to the point the arc blinds you. Your weld quality should improve quicker by having the ability to see what you are doing with more clarity. This gives you the opportunity to adjust the shade on your helmet under fire without being distracted. A great way to familiarize yourself with its effectiveness is to watch someone else weld. Or read my complete post and check my selection of the 10 best welding helmets currently available.Īs a new welder, your experience will be enhanced with the adjustable shade feature. Image Title Buy Top TOP QUALITY Lincoln Electric K3034-4 VIKING 3350 Auto Darkening Welding Helmet Check price BEST VALUE FOR MONEY Antra AH Auto Darkening Welding Helmet Check Price BEST ON BUDGET YESWELDER True Color Solar Powered Auto Darkening Welding Helmet Check Price The modern equivalent of my 30-year-old AC/DC shop welder, which I still use regularly, is Lincoln Electric Stick welder seen on picture below. Thus, narrowing down your choice of welding methods to the Electrode or MIG methods. Working with thinner steel and being indoors with almost no breeze to speak of, then it’s probably best to learn MIG weld first.ĭon’t be intimidated by the choices as hobby welders work with steel almost exclusively.If you plan on welding up to 1/4″ to 5/16″ thick metals outside or in the barn with the doors open at the farm or ranch, you will probably be happier stick welding.If you are welding outside or in drafty areas you won’t want to MIG weld steel unless you switch over to a flux-core wire first.Just bear in mind that it will take you considerably longer to weld steel with a TIG welder than a MIG or stick welder. You can pick from all three methods if you choose to weld steel or stainless steel.But, you will need a stick welder to weld cast iron. The welding of aluminum requires either the MIG or TIG method. TIG welding is the choice for welding Chromoly, brass, copper, magnesium and titanium.There is no single method of welding that is best for all applications.Ĭonsidering the top three welding methods, there is some crossover between them, but there are also specific things that each one does better than the other two. One thing you need to consider, however, is what kind of projects you plan to work on. It’s a personal preference but I believe learning to arc weld with an electrode is a great place to start. Decide which welding method to learn first TIP: Check my post about few basic welding terms. A good weld will also have penetrated through to the bottom of the base metals and completely fused them together. These filler metals will either be electrodes, filler rods, or continuously fed wire depending on the welding process chosen.ĭone correctly, a weld will have no imperfections such as pinholes and will tie in nicely with the base metals on its outer edges. The third source of metal also known as filler is usually introduced and melted together with the two base metals to add to the total mass of the weld. The molten liquids then combine in the weld pool and will become one when the molten metals solidify. It consists of heating two pieces of metal to the point at which they melt. they are written from my own experience and I hoper you will find them useful. If you have a passion to learn how to weld, you might find it helpful and read my 7 tips for first-time welders.
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