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jpmtx
10-27-2004, 09:56 PM
Some of you guys may remember that I won a discount certificate on a Premium Power Welder at the GSW 2004 raffle. So I now have one installed in The Geezer. And I am half way through an introductory welding course at my local community college so I can learn how to use it. The package I purchased includes a 195 amp alternator and a stinger for stick welding. It can also provide power for a MIG gun and whatever power tools I care to bring with me.

So far, we have covered oxyfuel gas cutting and shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) in my welding class. And we have just been introduced to gas metal arc welding (GMAW), often referred to as MIG welding.

I'm taking the course on a continuing education (non-credit) basis, and it is virtually 100% hands-on welding in the welding shop. Since I won't be getting any credit for the class, I can basically pick and choose what type of welding I concentrate on. The instructor knows about my planned welding usage, and will let me go in any direction I want.

My purpose in taking the course is to simply learn enough to weld on the trial so I can get back to town. I really do not plan on doing any welding in my garage. Seems to me that GMAW is good for garage or production environments, but requires too much prep work and equipment maintenance to be really useful on the trail. So I'm thinking about just concentrating on building up my SMAW skills for the rest of the class.

Right now I'm working with 6010 and 7018 electrodes, and the 195 amp alternator I bought with the Power Welder package will give me more than enough power to use either or both on the trail.

So I would appreciate any advice and/or pointers that Bob, Brentt, and any other trail welders can give me.

Am I right in concentrating on SMAW?

And if that is the way to go for trail welding, how do you keep the electrodes stabilized until you use them? I've seen some small portable ovens and electrode storage containers advertised on the Internet. Does anyone have any experience with them? Are they really necessary?

Any need to use some sort of a wind shield or other type of screen to keep the flux gas from dispersing too quickly?

Any other advice for this noobie welder?

Jim

MaineZJ
10-27-2004, 10:04 PM
you don't need any shields or anything when stick welding. any welding supply place should have some nice welding rod storage container. basically try to keep the rod sealed to prevent them from oxidizing.

Cody
10-27-2004, 10:20 PM
I have nothing substititve to add, except you deffinately don't let life pass you by.

Cody

bigrubbers4x4
10-27-2004, 10:33 PM
if you have room under your hood you should build a little storage place for your rod that is sealed so no water can get in, and the heat fromt he engine keeps all your rod nice and warm. i am a state certified all position welder, and weld for a living. dry rods are good rods, gives you nice welds, damp ones really make your welds suck. i use both mig and stick. when using stick i run 6010 for the root then 7018 for the cover and fill in. those are a really nice combination, we use them to build all the power plants. oh yeah i am a union pipefitter.

jpmtx
10-27-2004, 10:37 PM
... you deffinately don't let life pass you by.

Cody

:D :D :D

JeepinHank
10-28-2004, 10:23 AM
First off-You're definately right in picking SMAW over GMAW/MIG. I don't know anyone that carries a tank of shielding gas on the trail with them. Also, mig welding can get messed up if there's anything more than just a breeze. The prep work is more important with MIG, but you know better than to think that no prep is required with Stick. Keep a wire brush with you as a minimum. Whenever you start messing with self shielded flux-cored wires (FCAW), you might as well be working with a stick welder anyway. Stick welding is like poker, you can learn it quickly, but it will take a lifetime to master. The best part is, what you learn stick welding will carry over to the other processes. Good weld characteristics for stick are good characteristics for MIG or TIG.

In really windy conditions, it probably wouldn't hurt to have some sort of shield. I've used a lot of things for shields, but, on the trail, all it needs to do is break the wind. I always keep a 5 foot tarp in the back of the jeep just in case I have to make a repair on wet or muddy ground. Tie it up to your roof rack and drape it down. If the wind is really bad, put a couple of shovel-fulls of dirt on it at the bottom.

A cool trick I have seen in storing rods for the trail is to use one of those little vaccum sealers. Throw 3 or 4 rods into a bag, suck out all of the air, and seal it up. Make up 4 or 5 packs so that you don't open up all of your rods for one trail repair. Its air tight, and waterproof.

I second the 7018 rods, very user friendly, and pretty forgiving when you don't prep like you should.

You were wise in signing up for a class. Even if the instructor is marginal, you'll learn a lot through experience and trial & error. Practice welding out of position, you'll almost never be able to sit comfortably with your work right in front of you for a trail repair. Keep a cheap denim shirt in in your welding bag (got one from Wally World the other day for 13 bucks). You WILL set yourself on fire at some point.

That's all I can think of right now. I am by no means an expert trail welder - Most of my trail repair experiences involve a couple of batteries, some jumper cables, and busted u-joints. But, if I'm misleading you, I'm sure one of the more seasoned pros will correct me. :P

Hank

Alaska ZJ
10-28-2004, 10:25 AM
The only thing I am "Certified" in is GYAH (Get Your Ass Home).

But I have a few years experience in the field.

6010 rods are good. I like 6018 and it seems to be that I don't have to Prep nearly as much.

Don't sweat the "super" intracasies of welding while out on the trail. Get things as clean as you can. Burn hot and use lots of rod.....lol (your old ass might need a Viagra for that one).

Rod Storage. Go to your local welding supply. They have holders that are waterproof and dust proof. Here is a bit of advice though. Put a couple rags (clean) inside the storage contaner. It will keep the rods for banging into eachoter and busting the flux apart.

Carry a few Nickle Alloy rods. These can be used to weld up differential cracks, broken knuckles, Motormounts and a miriad of other things.

As for MIG (Metal Into Gas) welding on the trail.....Readywelder. Mine was in North Dakota sitting anxiously to be loaded and used in Moab.....Or you would have gotten to see it in action.

Cody- You are damn straight about Jim. He is DEFINETLY not letting life pass him by. I wish everyone was like Jim (other than mistakenly Joining the USMC), this world would be a better place.

jpmtx
10-29-2004, 12:19 AM
...other than mistakenly joining the USMC ...

Oh well, we all make mistakes. And I really learned a lot from that one. :D :D :D

Thanks to everyone for their trail welding input. It adds a lot to what I am learning in school. See y'all on the trails.

Jim

Krash80
11-09-2004, 02:18 AM
Besides all the basic stuff already mentioned, here's a piece of advice you may easily overlook: when chipping off slag, ALWAYS wear safety glasses!!! (or get an auto-darkening welding helmet). I do all sorts of stupid stuff without glasses (like grinding and wire wheeling etc), but i've had more bad eye injuries from chipping slag than from anything else. Not only do you get a little sharp chip of metal in your eye, but it's also usually about 1000*F! Just a few months ago i had a piece go in my eye that scraped my cornea so bad that for 3 days all i could see was a blur out of that eye and i couldn't stop it from tearing...and everytime i blinked it felt like someone was rubbing sandpaper on my eye. That one was just too painful so I've actually been real good about covering my eyes lately...so please don't learn the hard way...slag is bad for your eyes!

Oh...and i know this sounds funny, but...don't weld in a tanktop....i got really bad sunburn (weldburn?) on my upper arms and chest cause i welded all the brackets onto my 14b in a tanktop. The little sparks shooting onto my arms didn't bother me all that much, but i never even thought about the fact that i'd get sunburned!

learn from my retardedness.
-Ron-

OverkillZJ
11-09-2004, 02:24 AM
learn from my retardedness.
-Ron-

:lol:

JeepinHank
11-09-2004, 08:54 AM
Oh...and i know this sounds funny, but...don't weld in a tanktop....i got really bad sunburn (weldburn?) on my upper arms and chest cause i welded all the brackets onto my 14b in a tanktop. The little sparks shooting onto my arms didn't bother me all that much, but i never even thought about the fact that i'd get sunburned!

You can say that again! If you're going to be doing anything more than a couple of tacks here and there, wear something with sleeves. I got one of the worst burns I had ever experienced (sun or otherwise) when I built my first welding table.

jpmtx
11-10-2004, 01:29 PM
Thanks, guys, for the safety pointers.

Good thing about taking an introductory welding course at your local community college is that they are normally geared towards industry certification. So they usually cover safety real well before letting you anywhere near any welding or cutting equipment. And they emphasize safe practices throughout the course. I recommend this "community college" approach to anyone wanting to learn how to weld. Otherwise, you can hurt yourself real bad.

Your "real life" experiences have reinforced some of the safety principles and practices that I recently learned in class. Now all I have to do is remember and apply them. :D

FYI, I've gone to using a full-face shield instead of goggles or safety glasses. It is only way I can keep my glasses from fogging up, even with that "miracle" spray, in Texas in August. I use a clear shield for grinding, and a #5 for oxy-acetylene cutting. I'm using a #10 lens in my "flip-up" welding helmet. (Not sure the automatic-darkening helmet is worth the price for me until I really get into welding more than I am right now.) And I have already learned how important a good welding cap, shirt and gloves can be.

Damn, those sparks just LOVE exposed ear lobes!!! And when you feel heat through your welding gloves, you know that stuff is hot!!!


Jim.

JeepinHank
11-10-2004, 04:42 PM
Before I started welding, I had never noticed that weldors seemed to always be bald. :lol:

The full face shield is a must if you wear glasses. Its a little more cumbersome than a pair of safety glasses, but try finding safety glasses that fit over your specs.

Were you able to actually find a #5 face shield? That'd be cool.

jpmtx
11-10-2004, 09:56 PM
... Were you able to actually find a #5 face shield? That'd be cool.


Found one at my local welding supply outfit. Here is an on-line source.

http://www.school-safety.net/4178-IRUV5-SM||Eye_Protection||Headgear_and_Faceshields||Face shield_Only_-_Shade_5_Faceshield||4178-IRUV5-SM.htm

Jim

JeepinHank
11-11-2004, 09:42 AM
... Were you able to actually find a #5 face shield? That'd be cool.


Found one at my local welding supply outfit. Here is an on-line source.

http://www.school-safety.net/4178-IRUV5-SM||Eye_Protection||Headgear_and_Faceshields||Face shield_Only_-_Shade_5_Faceshield||4178-IRUV5-SM.htm

Jim

Thanks!!

Mtn WJ
11-15-2004, 09:18 PM
I thought I would Chime in and tell you about my trail welder set up.

I just bought a Ready Welder II with the adapter to use as a spool gun on my Lincoln Mig. It can run FCAW or I can use my C02 tank and go GMAW. Even though an Argon mix would be better than Co2 it can be done. I really just plan on using flux cored wire because as Alaska said it is to just get me home. The only reason I considered the idea of using a shield gas is for aluminum. Not sure I will ever need to weld aluminum on the trail but you never know.

I was going to buy a Mobi Arc until a great deal came along on the Ready Welder. It came complete with the cable for my Mig and I always wanted a spool gun to experiment with welding Aluminum. I have a separate bottle at home to fill with any gas I need.

In reality an Arc Welder (stick type) will do a better weld on heavy duty high strength steel than a wirefeed Mig or Flux Core. When true certified structural welds are needed the better choice is a Stick Welder.

For a face shield I have been carrying the Lincoln hand held shield that came with my welder. They sell them at HD for about 15bucks and they fit under your rear seat.