How difficult is MIG welding?

[BradKW]

I was looking at some inexpensive MIG welders that run off of 110v and wondered how difficult it is to pick up. Fair to say I've seen many examples of really pretty welding and not-so-pretty, and for what I'm wanting to accomplish looks mean nothing.

Here's one I was looking at...the videos make it look pretty easy  

MIG Welder 110VAC/ 135A Output

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I have a similar small MIG welder (a Sears made by Lincoln).  It is good for welding thinner material; says up to 1/4", which might be pushing it.  For anything thicker than 1/8" I use a 220V stick welder.  20% duty cycle is OK for home use.

The key to a good weld is a steady hand and lots of practice.  A good looking weld usually means a stronger weld (more consistent heating, better penetration).  I get much better welds using inert gas.

 -- Spiff

 

[highdesertranger]

mig welding is supper easy. watch some youtube vids and practice. there are some accredited courses on youtube. I have never used an Eastwood. but those Lincolns they sell at Home Depot work just fine and can weld 1/4 inch with multiple passes. highdesertranger

 

[BradKW]

When you weld, are you melting the two pieces together so they become one, or are you more gluing them together with the melted wire? Or does it depend on the type of welder you're using..

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Welding is fusing two pieces of metal together, usually along with adding filler material of the same metal.  Brazing and soldering are 'glueing' two pieces of metal together with a second different metal.  The difference is the temperature of the process.  Welding is done above the melting temperature of the metal, brazing and soldering below the melting temperature of the two metals being bonded and above the melting temperature of the 'glue' metal.  Welding can also be done on some thermoplastics.

 -- Spiff

 

[Reducto]

I taught myself and it was fairly easy to get a reasonable weld. For starting off and simple projects you could probably get by with flux core welding. It's the same as MIG and uses that same welder only you don't need to get the air canister. It's a little messy is all.

Wire, replacement tips, and all the other basic components can be found at any big hardware store or harbor freight.

Just make sure there is no flammable material anywhere nearby! Have a fire extinguisher handy.

 

[DannyB1954]

The way to set power and feed is by the sound. It should sound like frying eggs. With a 120 volt welder unless you are working sheet metal, the power will be set near max. Adjust the feed to get a nice even sound. When first starting a weld I will often go for the first inch fairly quick so as not to leave much metal. Then I will backtrack and start the run over. With a low power welder getting the start of the weld hot enough is a challenge. by preheating the metal with the false start the weld comes out much nicer.
Lots of Youtube videos on welding.

I use flux core more often than not. These are portable welders, and there is nothing portable about dragging a gas cylinder around. Just make sure the liner for the welding hose and nozzle are the right size. Also the polarity will be different between flux core and MIG. The wires are easily switched near the beginning of the welding hose. Using the wrong polarity will give an ugly weld.

 

[highdesertranger]

flux core is for outdoor welding. if you are welding outside and there is any kind of breeze or wind you can not use shielding gas you must use flux core. flux core leaves more residue. so if you can use shielding gas it's much cleaner. most of my welding is done with flux core wire because I am outside most of the time. but shielding gas leaves a much cleaner weld. highdesertranger

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I use flux core more often than not. These are portable welders, and there is nothing portable about dragging a gas cylinder around.

The tank for my welder is 12" X 5".  It fits in a holder attached to the welder.  Other than adding some weight and changing the balance of the welder, it is just as portable with the tank as without.  That small tank lasts a long time.  And Home Depot exchanges full tanks.

I tried the flux core wire once; got a crappy weld.  Haven't tried it again.

Thanks for the tip on preheating, DannyB1954.

 -- Spiff

 

[BradKW]

So where is all this "cheap Chinese steel" I heard about for decades growing up in Pittsburgh? There seems to be many types of steel, so perhaps I'm looking at the wrong things...

Found what appears to be a comprehensive online supplier...god knows what shipping might be for enough to make a 32" x 18" x 12" box with flange, but need to know if I'm even looking at the right product:

1/4" A-36 Hot Rolled Steel Plate

Full site list

I was also looking at the pre-made underbody truck boxes with thought of modifying one. They're reasonable, $200+ ish, but couldn't find any specs that say material thickness...probably 1/8" steel? Maybe 1/8" is plenty for my purposes?

 

[DannyB1954]

With flux core, if the weld is good, the flux pops right off. As I said before, if you switch from gas to flux, change the polarity.

Here is a good guide for flux core Starting about 8:30 he talks about polarity.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

I always wanted to learn how to weld for some sculpture ideas I had. Don't think I'm going to have that big art studio at retirement now though. Reading about it is interesting.

So if someone were to need a small welding job done---part of a bedframe for example---where might be a place that would handle it? I'm stuck in the midwest and have a bedframe that needs fixed to support the headboard.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Great thread, thanks for starting it Brad. Welding is something i've wanted to learn how to do for years. My cousin is a union Iron worker in Local 7 and I always just have him weld what I need welded, but really need to get him to spend a few hours with me going over the ABC's of it and start to play with some of it on my own.

 

[johnny b]

:exclamation:   FYI

A little note on safety for any welding newbies.....NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES USE "BRAKE KLEEN" (or similar product) TO CLEAN MATERIAL BEFORE WELDING IT. Check label for TETRACHLOROETHYLENE.
Your metal should be free of all contaminates and use of any degreasers should be followed by thorough drying and wiping.
A single drop of brake kleen in a pit nearly killed a man and left him with permanent health issues.
The problem was the intense heat of the welder vaporized the drop of liquid which instantly mixed with the Argon Gas from the welding gun and formed a litlle puff of white smoke. This little puff was PHOSGENE GAS (WW I GAS WEAPON)....4 PARTS PER MILLION CAN BE FATAL.
Here's the story from 2009:
www.brewracingframes.com/safety-alert-brake-cleaner--phosgene-gas.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosgene

Not meant to scare anyone, but welding can be dangerous enough...heat, electricity, brightness to eyes....the gas poisoning is not so well known.

:exclamation:

 

[steamjam1]

Mig welding is fairly easy. Just takes a little practice and learning how to set it up for whatever material thickness your working with. For a beginner you don't really need anything fancy. I just bought one of these:

Cheap Ebay welder for $180 to use in my office at work. Its the cheapest 110V welder I can find that can do DCEN. (Direct Current Electrode Negative) It's an OK welder. Its no match for my Lincoln 140C or my Miller 180, but for a welder I don't care about that sits in the corner of my office most of the time, it performs well. I've been able to weld 3/16 with .035 flux core, and if I add a regulator, some CO2/argon with .023 or .030 I can weld down to 22/24ga sheet. I don't think much of the stepped voltage, and its only capable of 10% duty cycle (bad). It does a good job on common automotive 16Ga through 20Ga on gas, and is perfect for 1/8 angle when on DCEN flux core.

The advice I strongly emphasize, is if you get one of these EBay specials that include the face shield, and hammer, THROW THOSE AWAY right out of the box and get a proper helmet, thick gloves, and proper slag hammer. My MINIMUM for safety is Forney brand gloves, helmet, and wire. They are cheap money wise, available at most Napa Auto parts stores welding isle. Oh and junk the weld wire they come with too.. Lincoln, Forney, or Mathesons wire is the way to go.

I think for my office welding set up including safety, I spent a grand total of $350. I think I'm the only I.T. manager in the western hemisphere who has to weld repair his own office once in a while.

Are you gonna build bridges and sky scrapers, or patch holes in battleships with one of these 110V jobs? NO.
Are you gonna be able to patch rust holes in van bodies, or make roof racks, van bumpers, spare tire or bike carriers, and the such? YES.

 

[BC Guy]

So if someone were to need a small welding job done---part of a bedframe for example---where might be a place that would handle it? I'm stuck in the midwest and have a bedframe that needs fixed to support the headboard.

Try a place that works on exhaust systems or any versatile mechanic.

 

[Mobilesport]

So where is all this "cheap Chinese steel" I heard about for decades growing up in Pittsburgh? There seems to be many types of steel, so perhaps I'm looking at the wrong things...

Found what appears to be a comprehensive online supplier...god knows what shipping might be for enough to make a 32" x 18" x 12" box with flange, but need to know if I'm even looking at the right product:

1/4" A-36 Hot Rolled Steel Plate

Full site list

I was also looking at the pre-made underbody truck boxes with thought of modifying one. They're reasonable, $200+ ish, but couldn't find any specs that say material thickness...probably 1/8" steel? Maybe 1/8" is plenty for my purposes?

You can get free sheet metal from off the curb from old appliances , use a carpenter square and a sharpee to get your sheets square , i ussually cut em out with a jigsaw.
Old refridgerators , washers , dryers etc...

 

[djkeev]

MIG or wire welding is "easy".
Some skill is required for bead penetration and appearance.

Shy away from the flux core wire, it spatters horribly and in general produces an "iffy" quality bead.

Spring a little extra for a unit that accepts the shielding gas bottles and use the gas. You won't regret it.

I have a Hobart Handler which has worked wonderfully for years!

Dave

 

[steamjam1]

MIG or wire welding is "easy".
Some skill is required for bead penetration and appearance.

Shy away from the flux core wire, it spatters horribly and in general produces an "iffy" quality bead.

Spring a little extra for a unit that accepts the shielding gas bottles and use the gas. You won't regret it.

I have a Hobart Handler which has worked wonderfully for years!

Dave

If you set a welder to DCEN, use good wire, and set the wire speed and voltage right, the splatter will be minimal. FCAW is ideal for outdoor welding in windy conditions. NEVER flux core indoors, even in a garage with the door open. When used correctly FCAW (on DC.. AC is BS) has better penetration in thicker steel then gas shield. I hate BB grinding as much as the next guy.

 

[steamjam1]

So where is all this "cheap Chinese steel" I heard about for decades growing up in Pittsburgh? There seems to be many types of steel, so perhaps I'm looking at the wrong things...

Found what appears to be a comprehensive online supplier...god knows what shipping might be for enough to make a 32" x 18" x 12" box with flange, but need to know if I'm even looking at the right product:

1/4" A-36 Hot Rolled Steel Plate

Full site list

I was also looking at the pre-made underbody truck boxes with thought of modifying one. They're reasonable, $200+ ish, but couldn't find any specs that say material thickness...probably 1/8" steel? Maybe 1/8" is plenty for my purposes?

1/8 plate is WAY overkill for a under body box unless your using it as a skid plate. I use 1/8" for transfer case bash plates! 99% of the time 16ga (1/16") is plenty thick and heavy for boxes and the such unless it doubles as rock sliders, bash plates, etc etc. For 16ga I'd use gas shield, not flux core.