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Spartacus777 t1_j0x7gk7 wrote

Reply to comment by richriggins in I made a honeycomb firewood rack by richriggins

This makes me want to learn to weld. Nice job!

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NuclearWasteland t1_j0x8bnf wrote

welding is fun, but annoying to set up and do casually. For similar fun that also comes with toxic fumes, try stain glass lead work or plastic welding. All of these are basically just melting like materials together. it's mostly just different heat sources and materials.

Plastic welding is remarkably fun and can be done with a soldering or wood burning iron. Lots of plastics can be had for free if you learn the plastic names and materials usually printed somewhere on most plastic objects for recycling purposes.

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BloobityBloobity t1_j0y0jic wrote

> annoying to set up and do casually

I disagree. I was gifted a very compact stick welder this spring. I think it cost maybe $80 on Amazon and it plugs into a 110V outlet. Welding rods are cheap as hell, and using 6013s doesn't require much metal prep. It's been indescribably handy and takes less than a minute to set up.

I wouldn't be so quick to discourage someone from trying it. Stick welding is the best way to learn and extremely simple.

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[deleted] t1_j0y5u7q wrote

Professional metalworker here: 1000% this! A stick welder is the simplest thing. No movíng parts, low barrier to entry.

A hobbyist should keep the following rod on hand: 6011: Deeply penetrating, high tolerance for rust/paint/etc. 6013: Great for sheet metal! Anything 14ga and under. 7014: Nice bead appearance, simple to use "drag rod", better shelf life and easier arc starts than 7018.

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Lampshader t1_j0yhnr4 wrote

The annoying part is setting up a work space with ventilation, screens, no flammable materials, etc.

It's quite a bit more involved than, say, drilling a hole or using a hot glue gun.

But yeah, if you have the suitable garage space, it's not rocket science!

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NuclearWasteland t1_j12dur1 wrote

This is the "annoying" part I was referring to. Eventually I'd like to have a space just for welding, grinding, anything that will spark, all of it ventilated and away from explody stuff. That's a luxury for me, and an impossibility for many people so yeah, stick is simple, and a GREAT way to learn, but to be safe about it there's other steps involved, and with it raining most of the year and the stuff that sparks would damage in the limited indoor space, it's a hassle and checking the weather report for a good portion of the year. Summer, yeah, that's easy, just keep it away from the grass and hydrate, every other part of the year, pain in the bits.

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richriggins OP t1_j0xav4q wrote

Do it! You can get started for about $300

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c1e2477816dee6b5c882 t1_j0ywdrx wrote

The metal itself is so expensive!

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Tableau t1_j0z8rdt wrote

If you buy it at the hardware store. They mark that shit up crazy high. If you go to an actual metal supplier it’s much more reasonable

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reddof t1_j0zwtks wrote

This is incredibly important, but so easy for hobbyists to overlook. I had been buying metal at hardware stores and online for a while (I wasn't using much thankfully). I wanted to build a nicer welding table and needed thicker metal than I could find at usual sources. I tracked down an metal supplier locally. They cut some of the pieces to size for me and then helped load the plate into my truck. I went to pay and was bracing myself for the total. It was about 1/5 of what I was expecting. I was amazed at how much I had been overpaying. They get all my business now.

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Flimsy-Statistician3 t1_j0zizhq wrote

My dad also made a forge for relatively cheap. From there collecting scrap metal that people throw away or that you salvage from broken things becomes a hobby in and of it’s self.

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outflow t1_j0z15wr wrote

You got that right. I have many welding projects I want to get started on but I might as well just make it out of pure silver or gold, the way steel prices are lately!

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fkn51 t1_j1eivg9 wrote

You can generally find mostly free scrap metal from farmers or even check with scrap yards

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FactoryBuilder t1_j0yen5v wrote

That cheap? I know how to weld, took a class in high school, but didn’t realize the equipment was so cheap

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reddof t1_j0zx49w wrote

There are some exceptionally good hobbyist grade welders available for dirt cheap.

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nagi603 t1_j10suxi wrote

Check on youtube for videos cheap kits. Prices have plummeted quite a lot contrary to popular belief, and the cheap ones are not all bad, not by a long shot.

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randomvictum t1_j0xxknt wrote

Did you get your machine for $300? I've debated getting into this and would be open to suggestions.

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marsrover001 t1_j0yt91c wrote

Harbor freight, get the $150 flux core wire feed welder. $80 auto darkening helmet (the one that comes with the welder is garbage) $22 spool of flux core wire. $8 gloves. $free some old long sleeved shirt.

Have at it. Yeah your welds aren't gonna look great. But by the 2nd spool you should have the hang of it.

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captain_carrot t1_j0yy0n5 wrote

I'd recommend getting an actual welding jacket with a protective snap collar and made out of actual fire resistant material. I think I got mine off Amazon for like $20, it doesn't need to be anything fancybut after the first couple hot pieces of slag got down my collar I learned my lesson lol

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randomvictum t1_j19c5go wrote

I had been looking at a Forney MIG welder for about $300 but yeah that Harbour Freight is hard to beat. You have and use that exact machine?

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marsrover001 t1_j19p1j0 wrote

I do. Still have yet to upgrade as despite some spatter it still handles fine. Gone all the way to 1/4in and still got acceptable strong welds.

I'm about to do some frame rails and I don't think I'll get enough penetration, so I'll be borrowing the neighbors stick welder that runs on 220v. But other than that I've not needed anything different.

Grinder and paint, hides it fine.

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rewardsthroway t1_j0xtuow wrote

I have a dumb question because I don't weld. If the stitch welds are so close together why not just do the full way across in the first place? Is it a difficulty thing, expensive, or something else I'm not thinking of? I'd just like to understand is all.

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rdmille t1_j0xul41 wrote

To do it all the way across, you do it in one pass, and the metal gets really hot and warps as you weld (unless you are very good at welding). The best way around it is to do a short weld, move to a different area far away, do a short weld, move, do a short weld...

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Shovelfuckurforehead t1_j0xxvfh wrote

I mean, the best way around it is to just Tig weld it and you can move around from spot to spot and nothing gets to hot. If you did want to weld it all in one go, just do your proper tack welds and then clamp everything down so it doesn't move. U/rewardsthroway

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[deleted] t1_j0xv5xe wrote

[deleted]

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richriggins OP t1_j0xwjz6 wrote

Well, the reason they gave isn't the reason I had. Warping wasn't a concern as these are big pieces of 1/8" steel. Time and effort were the bigger concerns.

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[deleted] t1_j0xyhpd wrote

[deleted]

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N_Inquisitive t1_j0ysti1 wrote

They weren't responding to you at all there. You're also not owed an answer.

Try not being rude, and try looking things up. You would do well to save your comments and think before you post.

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richriggins OP t1_j0xuci9 wrote

There outside of each joint is welded fully. The inside has a handful of long stitch welds. Reason: see above, not going to space.

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object109 t1_j0y95zh wrote

All the answers you got so far are correct but another reason is that welds are strong, a proper weld is stronger than the material around it. Most stuff doesn’t need all seems welded.

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