Welding Advice...

[Goblin Graber]

A couple things about shielding gas. You can MiG with 100% CO2 but myself and most people will tell you to get an Argon/CO2 blend.

My recommendation is to NOT BUY a gas cylinder. All your local welding shops will lease you a tank for a couple bucks a month. That makes it easy to just go swap it for a full one instead of waiting for them to fill it. Plus you have the added bonus of not having to worry about the date code on your tank.

The gas cylinder in my pic is a “K” tank when they ask you what size you want.

 

[PaulPerger]

I decided to go with a "Metal Man" from Home Depot. I received a gift card for HD and a friend of mine uses this unit and he said it has served him well. I managed to find it on sale, I had a coupon, plus the gift card. I wound up spending $120 out of pocket for the welder, hood, gloves, a bunch of tools and a cart.

 

[Goblin Graber]

Congrats man! Go get you some cheap scrap metal at your local steel recycler and practice practice practice. You’ll have it down in no time.

 

[PaulPerger]

My Granddaughter and I just put together the cart, and unpacked all the goodies that will ride on it.

Here, Zelda has sorted all the parts and is currently putting one washer on each bolt. She was very focused on her "job" and wouldn't look up "till the work is done". (You can see one of my first welding projects there in the background.... New exhaust for my 2016 Abarth.)

She ultimately got them all matched up, handed the pieces to me and now she knows what "Bolts, Washers, Nuts and Split Washers" are.

The finished rack. We put the helmet in the sunshine while we put together the cart to charge it up, and Z got to try it out (I don't know why I didn't take a picture as it was too cute! But there is always next time.)

Now I can go get some scrap metal and start learning to weld!! (I have to wait until next week though as I am on Rona QT right now...)

 

[Desert Sasqwatch]

That's the best thing in the world spending time with your granddaughter and letting her help grandpa with his project.

 

[PaulPerger]

That's the best thing in the world spending time with your granddaughter and letting her help grandpa with his project.

She is Papa's little girl. That is for sure. She LOVES all things cars. Once every year I go on a trip with other car guy buddies and she insists she is going to go with us one day. She goes to every show with me, and I guarantee she will be a huge part of this build. She helps with the Fiat all the time...

 

[Goblin Graber]

I’ve got a few years to wait til I can get my kids behind a welder, but I definitely wouldn’t let them wear an auto helmet for a long time. Fixed #12 lense all the way!

If you’re starting with exhaust your going to be better off with .025 wire than .030 or .035. You’ll have a lot less chance of burning holes through.

A good trick with exhaust is keep some TIG rods around. You can tack them into bigger gaps like this if your fit up isn’t perfect.

 

[PaulPerger]

I’ve got a few years to wait til I can get my kids behind a welder, but I definitely wouldn’t let them wear an auto helmet for a long time. Fixed #12 lense all the way!

If you’re starting with exhaust your going to be better off with .025 wire than .030 or .035. You’ll have a lot less chance of burning holes through.

A good trick with exhaust is keep some TIG rods around. You can tack them into bigger gaps like this if your fit up isn’t perfect.View attachment 18446

I have looked for a small size helmet for her with a large viewing area. She won't be allowed in the garage when I'm welding until I can be sure she is safe. She is very good about following rules, but since the cost of not following them is so high in this instance (i.e. severe burn or even blindness), her participation will be very limited. In fact, She will only be present if my wife also agrees to be present as well since I will not be able to monitor what she is doing while I'm under a hood with a welder in my hands.

What precautions should one take with an auto helmet? Why would an auto helmet not necessarily be a good fit for a little one? (Serious questions here... I got an auto darkening helmet, as I figured it would be easier to see while preparing rather than trying to "flip" a helmet right before welding...

 

[Goblin Graber]

I have looked for a small size helmet for her with a large viewing area. She won't be allowed in the garage when I'm welding until I can be sure she is safe. She is very good about following rules, but since the cost of not following them is so high in this instance (i.e. severe burn or even blindness), her participation will be very limited. In fact, She will only be present if my wife also agrees to be present as well since I will not be able to monitor what she is doing while I'm under a hood with a welder in my hands.

What precautions should one take with an auto helmet? Why would an auto helmet not necessarily be a good fit for a little one? (Serious questions here... I got an auto darkening helmet, as I figured it would be easier to see while preparing rather than trying to "flip" a helmet right before welding...

With an auto helmet that split second reaction time is hard for a child’s eyes and most inexpensive auto helmets are a #10 shade. High end helmets will let you adjust to a darker shade like a 12 and they have adjustable reaction time to shorten the time from arc to dark. A fixed #12 shade will be inexpensive and would provide the best protection for a child.

You will have no problems with that helmet yourself. It will actually make it way easier to learn than flipping a hood like I did. I made the switch to an auto hood years ago and wouldn’t switch back for nothing.

 

[PaulPerger]

With an auto helmet that split second reaction time is hard for a child’s eyes and most inexpensive auto helmets are a #10 shade. High end helmets will let you adjust to a darker shade like a 12 and they have adjustable reaction time to shorten the time from arc to dark. A fixed #12 shade will be inexpensive and would provide the best protection for a child.

You will have no problems with that helmet yourself. It will actually make it way easier to learn than flipping a hood like I did. I made the switch to an auto hood years ago and wouldn’t switch back for nothing.

Thanks. That makes sense. And "no flipping" is exactly why I bought that one for myself.

 

[Goblin Graber]

Thanks. That makes sense. And "no flipping" is exactly why I bought that one for myself.

One precaution...that reminds me of my old helmet and you might have to push on the front of that helmet to get it to turn on. Get in that habit everytime you put it on to turn it on. The first time you blast your eyes from not having it on will have you seeing spots.

 

[PaulPerger]

The friend who recommended the Metal Man said he always looks away at first just to make sure it is on, or he looks up at the sun if it's daytime. He never mentioned pushing of the front of the helmet. Either way, I'll be sure to do something!

 

[Goblin Graber]

Pushing by the solar panel is what used to turn on my Lincoln helmet. Yours might be different but they usually time out after so long. Just take a look at the manual it came with.

Do you have a good 4.5” grinder yet? It’s the one tool you won’t be able to live without now.

 

[PaulPerger]

Pushing by the solar panel is what used to turn on my Lincoln helmet. Yours might be different but they usually time out after so long. Just take a look at the manual it came with.

Do you have a good 4.5” grinder yet? It’s the one tool you won’t be able to live without now.

Got it. I will read all the literature before first use. I'm a nerd that way. I believe my adjuster knob actually pushes in. That must be the "on/off" switch.

I do have a good grinder. I think it's a Pittsburgh from Harbor Freight. I've had it for several years and it works perfectly.

 

[Lonny]

I always wondered if the auto darkening fails would burn my eyes.
This is what I read.

Helmets are designed with several layers of lenses placed upon each other. The UV/IR Filter, the polarization filter and the LC (Liquid Crystal) cells that prevent the eyes from harmful effects of the arc light. The helmets are designed in a way that even when the auto-darkening lens is switched off, the harmful UV/IR rays are blocked by the filters that are in place.

 

[Desert Sasqwatch]

Good info Lonny. What is not told is if the auto dark feature fails you'll be seeing spots for at least a 1/2 hour - speaking from experience.

 

[Moark Willy]

I always wondered if the auto darkening fails would burn my eyes.
This is what I read.

Helmets are designed with several layers of lenses placed upon each other. The UV/IR Filter, the polarization filter and the LC (Liquid Crystal) cells that prevent the eyes from harmful effects of the arc light. The helmets are designed in a way that even when the auto-darkening lens is switched off, the harmful UV/IR rays are blocked by the filters that are in place.

 

[Moark Willy]

Metalman is based out of Appleton Wisconsin.....just as Miller and Hobart are.
I suspect there may be some connection. That likens the chance that it iw a good product.
In fact, Miller and Hobart are manufactured in the same building.
No real competition there.

 

[PaulPerger]

Metalman is based out of Appleton Wisconsin.....just as Miller and Hobart are.
I suspect there may be some connection. That likens the chance that it iw a good product.
In fact, Miller and Hobart are manufactured in the same building.
No real competition there.

My buddy who owns the Metal Man has the same suspicion.
I didn't want to make a claim, but it wouldn't surprise me...

 

[Brian74]

Congrats. Looks like a decent welder.

Where is the power switch?

Reason I ask is, on both of my welders the power switch is in close proximity to my wire feed knob (my biggest complaint).

More than once I’ve accidentally brushed against the wire feed dial when reaching over to turn the welder on with a gloved hand without realizing it. Talk about frustrating, lol.

On the tanks, check your local supplier. Some will rent tanks. Ours will just swap out your empty exchange on the spot with a refilled tank. I found a local guy on Craigslist selling full tanks for less than 1/2 of what the Airgas store sold them for empty.