gas welder

[lannielover]

hi all. in need of a gas welder, ive tried migs and i cant do it to save my life. so if you have one collecting dust then let me know.
cheers. bob.

[CCKW353A1]

Just a thought, mig outside and wind/breeze = oh b@gger whats going wrong.
Gas is good but you will get a lot of expansion issues in the item you are welding and gas is definitely a skilled job that is harder than MIG to do correctly. Also welding into or out of a corner is a no go as it will overheat the nozzle and the gas will ignite in the nozzle or in extreem blow back to the cylinder,BOOM.

[cadfael]

Believe me Lanny,you do not want gas!! I did a lot of gas stuff on cars as a wee paying hobby for a while in the 80s and it is so easy to set fire to things!!:(
Surely theres a college nearby which does classes? Or an experienced welder who will show you how to use your set-up effectively?
Mig is the easiest thing going when set for the job, I was that fabricator/welder for many years after leaving the army:D
Mike.

[BigJim]

The other prob with gas welders for the occassional (non professional) user is the cost of the gas/rent of the bottles. the only adavatage for me is gas cutting of big materials, but I get by with citocut rods on the arc welder.

I had problems with MIG at first, try to get somebody to show you how, and to show you, and even for you to take photos, of what it looks like when wrong, i.e. feed too fast and too slow, current too high too low etc. Then you can look at the 'weld' you are making and adjust accordingly. Also make a note of the settings he uses, so if things go pearshaped for you in future you can reset to what he used for thick or thin etc.
As has been said, wind is a no no, so practice in a draught free place, I find a darkish place helps so you can more easily see what you are doing (sunlight on the arc and weld is very difficult for me) and
cleanliness is next to godliness for mig work.

Get a piece of scrap metal, grind/powersand it to sparky clean, make sure your earth contact is good, and practice until you can put the right amount of metal you want where you want it, just try laying a straight uniform bead along a line for starters.

[Alf Tupper]

The other prob with gas welders for the occassional (non professional) user is the cost of the gas/rent of the bottles. the only adavatage for me is gas cutting of big materials, but I get by with citocut rods on the arc welder.



Years ago i used gas but the cost or rental went though the roof, plus unless you have a trade premises & commerical insurance its a no no. You'll find your house hold insurance comapany won't cover you if things go wrong.

I don't do much cutting but i've heard of these "citocut" rods is that the trade name ?

[Rage Rover]

Everything said is certainly true , however for sheer all round versatility you really can't beat gas :rolleyes: . You can heat , bend , cut and do some very nice welds - you don't even have to clean the workpiece up :).
I have a nice TIG as well which is great for nice shiney bits of metal - get it under the manky old landy to patch an outrigger and a 1/2 hour job turns into 2 hours of prep and cleaning tungstens for a weld that's nowhere near as good :(.

Yes a lot of guys tell me the MIG is good - i've tried them but can't get very good results . I think the secret here is to get a good one - the wee hobby ones are really not up to the job - maybe this is the problem ?

[Richie_asg1]

I use a SIP MMA - arc welder with sticks, and have done for years.

90% of your welding will be on chassis, and standard 3.25 rods are excellent at this.
Wind and rust are not a problem wih this type- unlike migs.
They are cheap, convenient, and compact.
Use an "easyweld" rod which should have a pictures showing angles of use - These rods will allow welding in all angles - upside down is realatively easy with these rods.
True, you have to stop to chip off the rutile coating, but the benefits outweigh the problems.

Get a 150A + one and a heavy duty STRAIGHT extension lead - do not use with wire reels as they melt!

It is an excellent way to learn welding :)

With practice, you can chop out rusted chassis parts, and let in new steel, with the appropriate weld form all round. -
64573

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64575

[lannielover]

thanks guys,

[BigJim]

. You can heat , bend , cut


I have an attchment with two carbon rods that produces a 'flame' from an arc welder, so you can heat, and braze with it'
Citocuts for cutting, too.

[BigJim]

I don't do much cutting but i've heard of these "citocut" rods is that the trade name ?

Citocut is oerlikon
reptec is Lincoln electric.

there may be others, search for cutting rods or gouging rods.

They need a welder with some umph, 180 amp or so.