Thinking about getting a welder
 

Can't decide if I want a gas or electric but I JUST NEED TO DO SOME DAMN WELDING!!!! I was so good in High School shop class at welding that Coach Vicnair used to bring me things from football practice to fix.

Help me decide

How big of a space have you cleared for it?

lol - there's your motivation to clean!

HEY I'M WORKING ON THAT!!!

I want a welder too. First I need to build a barn to keep it in... Definitely get a welder, you'll end up with more friends than you can shake a stick at.

Yes, get one. It's one of many great tools that may be helpful in the coming months, years.

Another might be a reflux still for fuel.

Savage. That is no way to refer to a fellow human being. Keep him in a conditioned area, he'll be more productive.

I was thinking about getting a welder too, but they tend to want to have the boys over all though sports season, and follow all the sports, and place incredible demands on any females around, continually screaming for more beer and more chips, doing unspeakable things to the Victoria's Secret Catalog, and continually forgetting to mow the lawn, and you know, they never do any welding around the house no matter how much you need it, so I shot him.

I found a nice software tester, instead.

lol @ wolf!

I want to learn to weld and get one of those electric welding machines that use rods. I always seem to have a few odd jobs that come up every year that I could use the skill but I usually end up throwing the items away.

[Simon]Nah, makes 'em surly.[/Legree]

Need more information.

Reflux Distilling Device

When the gas prices went sky high over the summer a radio program had a guest ( David Blume ) on that I thought certainly was crazy or lying.

After testing out a few of the suggestions from the radio show it seemed clear that he was absolutely accurate with his claims.

When the excrement hits the fan, it may be helpful for a rural independant man like you to have the ability to "make gas". If only for running a generator it would give you a huge advantage.

On the other hand if life became completely fubar, you could drink your sorrows away as well. :)

Mr Bloom's book is the most complete single collection of every aspect of alcohol as a motor fuel.

He's a liberal hillbilly ( if that is possible ) from San Fran and the book is a fascinating read with all the technical information and commentary.

There are many that are critical of the book on Amazon, mostly for the economics of making your own alco-fuel, but not so much of the technical instructions of how to and the explainations of what is.

When gas becomes unavailable, the economics of alternatives will change dramatically.

As important as a welder might be in troubled times, having Blume's book or even a reflux still would be just as important.

The dilema for me is whether to get a gas welder so I can weld, braze and cut metal or to get an arc welder which would mean I would have to cut bits of metal with a cut off saw or metal band saw, neither of which I have. I never learned MIG or TIG welding and don't really need to weld aluminum.

I'm leaning towards the gas torch but the main hassle is most commercial gas supply places want to lease you the tanks. I think I'll go down to the local welding supply shop and look around.

Chris, I've been in welding game around 40 yrs. I got a new Lincoln last year as replacement for old one. BTW most places will sell the small & mid-size tanks, not cheap. Nor is getting them refilled.
I bought this ONE for $150. This ONE might meet your needs?
I really want one with ac/dc output, around $500, but my TIG regulator, other shit needed repair, so I got the cheaper one.

Buster, if money wasn't the deciding factor, wouldn't a TIG, or at least a MIG, be a lot more useful than either an arc or gas setup?

Well gas is good for cutting, brazing, and silver soldering, but on thin steel it distorts from the heat. IMHO, perhaps a like of skill? MIG around the house and not used much, wire gets rusty, jams cable, and you need gas unless you use fluxcore wire. Plus the cheaper ones I've tried suck. I hate MIG!! When fab shops first got them, Some assholes thought you never needed a break. 40 lbs. of wire is a long time between breaks.
TIG I'm not good at, because I'm nervous, shaky. I can build SS beltbuckles, rings and such. But would never call myself a TIG welder.
Tig you can weld more alloys, better with, but you might need to change the gas, rods. TIG DC won't weld aluminum, TMK.
Around here the companys get a better price on bottle refills than me. Some folks come around for work, I just tell them, sorrry no gas. SOBs to cheap to pay. Sorry for TMI:right:
BTW AC welding current will bite your butt, big time. DC you just taste and turn your fingernails blue.

I was looking at the Lincolns and wondered if they were any good. We had Millermatics in school and I liked them a lot. They are out of my price range. Actually everything is out of my price range right now, but you know.

Chris. Regaurdless of what welding process you choose, you still need a few things for weld joint prep. For small home jobs a portaband saw is great for cutting angle iron and such. A grinder, buffer. As much construction as goes on around Houston, might find some buys at pawn shops?
Anything my portaband will cut I use. Cheaper the gas. BTW dealer will pickup and drop off your tanks for a small fee. NOT. They drop off next door to me, at dentist office and then charged me $6 buck saftey handling fee, by ICC regs. For a flappin 100 feet?

Buster, do you have any background with acetylene generators? Are they useful for gas welding? I don't know the first thing about them so any information you have would be useful. thanks g

Griff. I worked at shop that had one, back in 63. Only thing I remember, is having to clean it out once. And they use carbide, just like old miners lights. Sorry.

Thanks b, I'll just keep poking around.

bb, other than taking a formal course to learn welding, can I learn some basic welding from a book or some kind of a short course online?

Try youtube, they've got everything else. :confused:

I like wolf's post best. :D

If you have good hand-eye coordination and patience should be no problem.
Maye a book w/photos to show good from bad.
I haven't looked at any of these at Instructables Might be some help there. HTH bb