Finally got a welder!

i finally got a welder.. im gonna build a gokart or work on my nower i havent decides yet

Tell us what it is or pics

I Would work on the mower frist but it up to you.
What kind of welder?

truckin42 wrote:

I Would work on the mower frist but it up to you.
What kind of welder?

yea me and truckin are master welders like you don't even know

redlinemotorsportts wrote:

truckin42 wrote:

I Would work on the mower frist but it up to you.
What kind of welder?

yea me and truckin are master welders like you don't even know

Yeah lol.

Congratulations! You gonna tell us what you got, or leave us guessing until we end up in a corner, curled up in the fetal position, crying ourselves to sleep?

its a Clarke Weld 130 Mig welder. I traded a junk truck for it

Thats a great welder i own the same one

Good deal! You going GMAW or FCAW with it?

im new to welding so im not sure what that means. and thats good to know greener i was a little worried

i hope to get this one http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200577737_200577737

if you got someone who has welded that's a bonus. I kinda learned by someone, and the rest was self practice. I think I weld pretty good.

i was really really suprised at how heavy this things is for its size. I have friends who have been welding for 50 odd years and were willing to teach me some tricks of the trade

dylansrockinrigs wrote:

its a Clarke Weld 130 Mig welder. I traded a junk truck for it

From what i heard them are good welders.

Good that you got help. GMAW aka MIG- Gas Metal Arc Welding, or Metal Inert Gas- You weld with solid wire, and a cylinder of shielding gas like C02 or an Argon/C02 blend. FCAW is Flux Core Arc Welding. Wire is hollow with a fluxing agant inside- like a welding rod turned inside out. No gas required.

okay thats what i thought it was im going FCAW

I love my 130, but its not a name brand though. Hopefully yours has mre heat settings than mine. All I got is hot or really hot lol.

it has quite a few i think. i need to run electricity out to my shop before i can use it.. unless you can use them on drop cords witch i doubt is a good idea.

You need at least a 20 amp breaker dedicated to it alone. Mine runs off the wiring I put right by my bench, I actually upgraded the breaker to a 30a cause I kept popping the 20.

FCAW is an excellent process to learn on, and makes maximum use of the machine's potential for steel thinkness and penetration. For hobby work, it keeps the costs controllable, as a bottle of sheilding gas can really set you back. ( I just laid out about $250 for a cylinder of Ar/C02).

Extension cords (drops, to some of you) should be avoided. As far as switching breakers goes, be cautios. Putting a 20 where a 15 was is generally pretty safe. Putting a 30 in where a 15 was, is generally not. The rest of the components in the circuit may not be up to the task, and have now lost the protection. Electrical fires ain't cool... Play safe!

For something like a welder, air conditioner, or other high draw tool/appliance, it is a really good idea (and code in some juristictions) to have a dedicated circuit for it.

redlinemotorsportts wrote:

if you got someone who has welded that's a bonus. I kinda learned by someone, and the rest was self practice. I think I weld pretty good.

Seems that's how everyone REALLY learns, I was apprenticing at a metal shop when I first started, the guy was like...Here...point this at the metal, pull the trigger. Youre welding. Now keep that going until it looks good.

I didn't get much instruction either. The one tip that I SHOULD have gotten-

Watch the PUDDLE, not the arc.

I still need a welder, lol

xxXMowerdudeXxx wrote:

I still need a welder, lol

What size are you looking for?