Help a noob welder get his rig up and running

[Heckraiser]

I recently bought a Lincoln weld-pack 175 MIG off craigslist for pretty cheap. It came with a good auto-darkening helmet, a spool of flux core wire and a gas regulator, but no gas.

I have never welded anything before and reading any FAQ's or welding forums, I quickly find myself in over my head.

My intended use for the welder is to build sliders & bumpers, as well as doing sheet metal work on my rustbucket FJ60.

My question is what tools & supplies do I need to get started? What kind of gas should I buy? Tips? Wire? Other stuff?

Any other general tips would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Redeye69]

I have the same welder. I bought 75% Argon, 25% CO as per weldshop advise. It should have a chart on the inner cover for wire suggestion and polarity. Flux core wire splatters but will do the trick for bumpers and sliders. If chart is missing go to Lincoln's site and they will have the manual. Youtube has a lot of how-to videos. Lincoln might also. Practice on some scrap until you are satisfied with your bead and penetration. Get good gloves from a welding supplier, not those ones from Lowes or Home Depot. I got Tillman 50L gloves for $15. Auto darkening helmets are a good investment. Get a welding jacket, welders hammer with wire brush to clean the slag, and an assortment of Visegrips, clamps or magnets. Which ones depends on your welding needs. Buy them as you go, no need to buy the farm up front. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[Pin_Head]

The main thing you need to acquire is skill. Take a course at your community college and you will be up to speed in no time. If you try to practice on your own, you will be practicing bad habbits. This is especially important with MIG, as you can lay a bead that looks good that really isn't. Don't work on anything that could hurt anyone until you get skilled.

 

[donkayroo]

The best place to get free scrap metal is from community colleges. They usually have bins where they toss scrap metal. Grab all variations from thick to thin sheet metal. Burn through the thing stuff intentionally so you can quickly learn to avoid doing it on a real job. Play with the settings and work on the hot side. Since you're practicing on scrap you'll get the opportunity to see how a flat piece of metal can warp.

Go to Harbor Freight if there's one available in your area and get a cut-off saw or a horizontal/vertical metal cutting bandsaw. The bandsaws are about $230 but well worth the investment. You might have to order online.

Practice, read, watch tutorials (before you even plug in and strike an arc) if you don't have time to take classes. As pin_head mentioned, without the proper guidance you will obtain bad habits. Doing a little practice everyday even for only 20 minutes per day will help you learn quickly. The most important bits of info you'll need to understand and engrain into your head...metal types, the type of wire you'll need for particular metals and how heat settings can severely weaken the metal if not used properly.

If you're going to practice with flux-core wire, there is an aerosol spray you can get that reduces the amount of splatter that sticks to the surrounding metal.

Get a variety of wire brushes to prep and clean.

Don't skimp on the gloves. Not all leather welding gloves are created equal.

Happy fabbing!