welder

[edward ericson]

Went and grabbed this Lincoln stick welder from a V-dub guy on Craig’s list. 

Now I need a helmet. Dude suggested one in which the face shield instantly darkens when you strike the stick. I believe they start around $100. And can cost $600.

What do I need, by way of equipment & clues, to get my butt capable of welding my e-brake handle into the spot it belongs before Carlisle?

As a noob I’m psyched to hear advice from any and all y’all welders out there.

[newkitman]

I got my welder from Sears. It’s wa MIG wire feed welder. The helmet I bought an auto-darkening one from Harbor Freight. Works great.

Never used a stick welder. As for what you need, I’d get a sheet of sheet metal from Lowes, Home Depot etc and cut strips and squares and such and then drill some holes thropugh one edge and clamp the pieces together and practice, practice, practice. Weam welds, butt welds, plug welds. Then get a small piece of Dexion or inexpensive angle iron and practice welding thin to thiock as if you were welding the floor panm to the chassis. That’ll help tons.

Good luck and keep us posted. OH! Almost forgot. Try the bugme video on floor pans. It covers welding the pans in with different type welders.

Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The Shack

[Dennis Brock]

Harbor Freight has the darkening masks that start at $59.  They are often on sale for $39.

[Mark Hendrickson]

Want to learn the basics of welding? Does you county have a Community College or other “Adult Education” Service?

Most of these offer courses in welding from beginner to advanced…well worth the time and $$.

Good luck!

[Dan Rosa]

 Welding is a good thing to learn my father was GOOD I’m a poor welder  but i keep trying . I just use a grinder to cover and remove my mistakes   Have fun with it        Dan 

[edward ericson]

Thanks, guys. Found that Harbor Freight mask & am looking up community college courses now. Also need an electrician to come by and drop a 220/240 outlet in the corner of the garage. Lotta stuff around this house that a good certified electrician ought to look at, so the welder gives me extra incentive to hire someone in and pay the price.

[Russell Boulanger]

I have the same welder works great not to easy to use on thin sheet metal when you start you will understand why they call it stick welding. I bought a 110 volt MIG just for body panel sheet metal

get a 1/8th or thicker scrap and start laying down some beads

cut your first few rods in half you will have a little more control to start

 

[Steve Crites]

Best advice,  be sure to practice a lot on thicker metal before you even think about sheet metal.  The stick is good for frames and brackets and heavy type stuff but you will blow hundreds of holes in sheet metal before you get a good weld unless you have practiced so much that you can do the thicker stuff with your eyes closed.  Even with MIG, you will blow a lot of holes in the thin stuff unless you’ve done your home work. Good Luck and congrats on getting the welder at a good price.

Also, make sure the self darkening helmet you get, (and I definetly recommend one) has adjustable darkness levels and reaction speeds,  the cheaper ones that don’t adjust will shut off too quick and take too long to turn on.  Either one will mess up your welds and one will give you eye burn.

[edward ericson]

Roger that, Ringo. I’m hoping to get good enough to weld in my e-brake handle between the seats. That tunnel sheet seems thick enough that a duffer like me might manage it, no? I figure it’s 2 or 3 times as thick as a fender or door panel.

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