OK so I guess I'm going to learn the hard way. The directions were very clear not to let go of the spool and let the wire unwind. Well it slipped from my hand and it unwound. How big a deal is that?

I rewound it as best I could and fed it into the machine. It seemed to feed OK and the wire was not slipping.

I'm going to watch a few YOU Tube videos before I actually try it out.

Here's general question for those who know what their doing. I don't have a welding bench. And I don't see myself getting one. I picture most of my welding repairs to be "in the field" so to speak. So what is the best set-up? I mean how would you attach the ground clamp (how close to the actual welding section) and what about securing the parts? I can picture myself using a set of concrete building blocks as a base to set the material on.

Here's an example. My son just asked if it would be possible to add a clip or small extension on to a grill grate that will span the new fire pit he built.

By the way I'm going to use my generator as the power source if that makes any difference.

 

Ground is ground so location isnt an issue.

Spool wire, just throw it away, contaminated wire is not good, you will only do that once!

Just need everything to be secure dont want pieces falling/shifting during a weld. A collection of various welding clamps, vise grips, and pieces of angle and square pipe that serve as anchoring points.

I just did some welding today, flat stock, these magnets work great! Also if you do weld indoors, a small fan helps to move that smoke away, hate that smell for the next few days!

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Lincoln-...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

OK Thanks Marq. Yes I will gather various tools as I go along. I already have duplicates of vise grips and clamps.

Gee I hate to sound stupid, but exactly how do those weld magnets work? The shape of those always intrigued me but I never saw them in use.

Oh I do have a 3/16 piece of steel plate about 10 x 14 inches I can use as a "bench" of sorts.

 

They work for flat, 45 and 90 degrees which doesn't always work but they are strong.

I was welding flat stock butt welds so used 4 of them down to the table to place the tack welds, no claming required!

 

IMO just wipe off the wire. The worst that will happen is it will jam up the feeder or the wire will get stuck in the gun. Might make the weld spit and spatter but you are not welding nuclear reactors.

The ground clamp only has to be attached to a clean piece of steel than is continuous to the material you are welding. Example: You are welding on a rear bumper of a truck. You can attach the ground clamp to the front bumper and it will still work. Just remember you will be running current through the entire steel frame and anything between those two points.

 

OK Marq, Got it.

Think I'll take a run down to HF and look at their selection of wire. Do you think their quality is satisfactory? It's Vulcan brand.

 

I have never had any issues with HF wire. Not that you asked me.

 

I've heard advice to place the ground as close as practical to the weld site as possible. The Bernard website tells why at bullet #3: https://www.bernardwelds.com/7-mig-w...5#.Xssdvx4pA0M

One grounding trick i learned at the WT&T website is to strip the insulation off a length of copper cable, and wrap the bare copper around a pipe, for instance, and clamp the ground to the bare copper.

 

Excuse my Faux Pas

But seriously, I consider Marq the purest and you the more practical side.
I can rely on Marq for exact information that will be right (if not expensive , ie...throw the sprung coil of wire away) vs your suggest to wipe it clean and take a calculated chance.

By the way I bought a set of those magnets.

All I have available right now is thin sheet metal to practice on. Which is OK since I see myself doing that a lot. So I think I want a low voltage and a low to medium feed?

 

Here was my welding yesterday, making some signs for my VW buddies.

Very curious to see how your welds come out with the flux wire, as noted I've never personally attempted!

https://imgur.com/undefined

https://imgur.com/SCYTjUF

 

Don't expect much. It will take some time for me to get use to it.

 

Well today I at least turned on the machine and struck a spark. Needleless to say my attempt was less than stellar. All I had was very thin sheet metal and I burned through those in no time. So my challenge is to find some scrap pieces of steel to practice on. Wonder if a welding shop might be willing to give me some junk metal to work with?

 

Just look around the neighborhood, I was out running yesterday and one house was throwing away a portable fire pit with some nice scrolled legs and an old basketball hoop.

I've had to stop trash picking, I have a life time of metal stashed away in the bonus room.

You will never look at discarded material the same from now on!

 

I have a scrap metal pile on the other side of the barn. Wife isn't crazy about it and thinks I ought to haul it off but since it can't be seen from the house/yard she doesn't say too much.
IMO it's easier to weld thicker metal. You want it hot enough to get good penetration but when thin metal it's easy to burn thru or warp the metal. With thin metal you'll want to turn the unit down and tack well, going back to fill in as it cools.

disclaimer - while I have a torch and an arc welder, I've never used a wire welder.

 

After I got a MIG, I never used the Arc Welder again. I would not use flux coated wire, shielding gas was easy, just had to be sure to turn off the valves. Using an arc welder is an art, and I won't begrudge anyone who can use one well. It just wasn't for me.

 

When I was in high school we had auto mechanics, wood shop, small metals, brazing & welding. I took them all. I learned to stick weld there and still do pretty well today but there is nothing like a MIG/TIG welder for precision work. As with anything else..... practice does make perfect...... or at least better.

Today..... all those classes are gone except for a few in county schools. So unfortunate.

 

I have a torch and an arc welder. I doubt I'll get a MIG as what I have will normally do the job. If I was younger I probably would get a MIG welder. I have heard that they are easier to learn how to use.

Very true. I don't do a lot of welding and I often find I have to kind of relearn as I go. I generally get fairly good about the time I'm done with the project at hand

 

Oddly, one thing I don't have is a stick welder. There are times on really heavy steel where it would be handy.