Just bought a welder, rite of passage first project (1 Viewer)

[Rusto]

Ah,.... another MUD forum to suck up my time.

I bought a 40. yada, yada yada, I bought a welder. A Hobart Handler 140. I have almost no experience. But I'm super excited.

First project is
a cart for said welder.

Went by the local steel and sheet metal shop and picked up some 3/4" angle iron, 1/8" thick, a little flat iron and a piece of round stock for about $20.
And the guy threw in some 16 gauge squares for practice.

Anywho.. tomorrow I start working on the cart. First by cutting all the angle iron. Hope to get some welding in on Sunday.

 

[e9999]

Enjoy! It's great fun!

 

[hotdiggitydamn]

Awesome! Have fun! I’ve had the same welder for years. If your not yet familiar look up “welding tips and tricks” on YouTube for lots of great videos.

 

[Waorani]

Gas or flux core? I never could get the hang of flux core.

 

[e9999]

^ my 140 is gas ready, so it can do both. I like flux core actually. I think it gets a bad rap.

 

[Rusto]

It has both MIG and Flux Core functionality. I have it setup for MIG right now.
I cut all the metal for my cart, got the welder all setup. just need to prep the metal a bit and expect to be welding soon.

And I've been watching copious amounts of Youtube videos. Ready to get after it!

Flux Core looks a little messier, but I could see myself using it too. In fact, I planned using flux core for my second project (using an old metal porch railing to make a rack for firewood storage.)

 

[FJ60Seth]

One of my early projects was a welding table. It should have been my first.

 

[e9999]

If you want to try flux core, remember to switch the polarity and you may want to use a spatter anti stick spray to limit the cleanup. In a pinch PAM will work for that.
If you want to use MIG, don't overlook pure CO2. Much cheaper (here) and good penetration.
If you have not welded before, you may want to think about wearing plastic safety glasses under the hood and ear plugs. Can save the day.
If you will push the 140, try to plug into a 20A circuit and limit the length of any extension cord.

 

[kirvesmies]

practice is your bestest friend. my dad taught me to weld using scrap drops of what he was fabbin' with. i'd lay down a bead n he'd tell me to chuck it up in the vice, then wail on it with a 2lb hammer till it broke. he'd examine it then ask me where or what the defect was, give me 2 more pcs n tell me to try again. that was 50 yrs ago n i still test my welds in the same fashion. especially if i've got a batch of new material.
n no shame in cutting stuff apart to tweak for square, level, flat.
have at it man

 

[Rusto]

@e9999 yep, wearing earplugs and glasses underneath my hood. Great advice from everyone - keep it coming.

Married with two young children gives me less time to do things, but they are much better thought out than they used to be and I'm a lot safer than I would have been 20 years ago. That's for sure

Great idea about the wedding table.

I'm mostly off for 10 days straight here soon. Looking forward to really getting after it.

 

[MrMikeyG]

Check back at your metal supplier and see if they have a scrap or "cut-offs" bin. Some do and sell the stuff by the pound. Great source of practice materials unless you're already friends with a fabricator or two.

 

[kirvesmies]

@e9999 Great idea about the wedding table

you said you got two kids, what fawk do you need a wedding table for?

 

[Rusto]

Right! I did get them goggles ( with MIG level glass) so they can lend a hand