I got a new Welding setup... (Page 1 of 2)

Awesome. One of our guys swears by Lincoln equipment because they pay their workers by the piece rather than on an hourly rate and they keep close track of which worker built which box by S/N. If/when a piece comes back for factory repair, the same worker has to fix it -- for free. Or something like that. So their rate of failure/repair is exceptionally low.

Look into trying to take a community college welding class if you can. I'm in one right now (well, on Sunday afternoons) and it's awesome. For me, I could watch all the videos in the world, but having an instructor there to show me in person and then help me correct the mistakes is a world of difference. And far less frustrating. Have fun!

Agree re. Lincoln equipment. Never had an issue, including some demanding in-plant use....built lots of cages before MIG with my AC225 "cathedral" stick welder. Great unit.

Yeah...  I'm surprised that some of that stuff was standing on it's own and hadn't fallen apart on it's way to tech.

Yeah. I jumped in Head-Long to get the welding equipment. My dad's a certified Arc Welder from about 40 years ago, so he's good to tap for pointers. Also a Friend's brother is certified pipe all position/all technique, and I'm trying to get him on a free night for some cage work/practice help. I learn best by doing, and I wanted to buy something better than a cheapo Harbor Frieght deal that I could keep using as i grew in experience. It's a very nice setup, and more than i need in many respects. I went ahead and bought a used 125CF cylinder from an equipment service shop. Originally i was going to get an 80 but the guy told me he could get me the 125 for $25 more. Someone was asking for a price-out list, so here goes:

Used 125CF tank = $175
Lincoln PM180C = $764[currently has a $75 rebate] (actually was looking at a HH187 for $650 but the Lincoln had all Tweco connectors so it left open more upgradability like a spool gun w/o an extra controller or a nicer gun)
11lb spool of 0.030" wire = $27
Gloves = $8
Lincoln Vista1000 Auto-darkening helmet = $95 (does 9-12 shade adjust plus brackets for the larger auto-dark lenses.)
Chintzy ugly green Welding jacket = $22

after taxes this all came in @ under $1200. If i rented the tank, got the Hobart starter pack (gloves & helmet for $35) and went with the Hobart Handler 187 I could have saved around $300-$350 up front, but then if i wanted to goto the auto-dark helmet and try my hand with aluminum in, oh, a year or so? I'd spend more than the upfront cost difference to make it happen. owning a used tank just gives me one les bill to think about.

Classes are on the agenda but for now I've been camping Youtube for instructional videos.  It's kinda funny because most of the stuff I already knew before youtube even exsisted.

Thanks dad.

Sounds like a decnt price for what you have.  FYI, everyone learns to weld by 'doing', but you can learn to do it wrong as well.

I did a lot of looking on welding forums about output and different features and duty cycles. I was really vying for an MM212 and was going to be getting a screaming deal on one...until that deal disappeared. still kicking myself on that one!

From what I've read, a 180A unit should be right in their rated duty cycle range for 1/8" thick tubing (.125") since our cage is .120" thick I don't see any problem welding on it with a unit rated for 3/16" (.375") material in a single pass. I actually cracked open the electric box in the garage, and ran a 6Ga. lead to a welding socket on the wall with a 40A dual-pole breaker. Right now I'm wishing i had an extension cable but no time now. maybe sometime after we get back from Gingerman...or Chicago...

The output is great. I have some scrap .120 tubing to tinker with and I actually started melting the tube steel. I'm probably moving too slow but I want to move slower and more methodically than the "recommended" settings the chart provides for (at least for my skill level)

I know Serj and nothing is better than his math skills.

Well you have already said (IIRC) you have your Dad and another qualified welder, so I'll just say this.  Generally speaking (IMO, but Rob may disagree) the the thinner the metal (i.e. unibody car) the more difficult the welding.  Throw in welding a 3/16" (that's 0.1875" for you Serj ) to a thin gauge sheet metal and you have even greater difficulty.  That said, of course it can be done, but it takes practice to weld thick-to-thin.  The machine has to be set to penetrate the thicker metal, but the trick is to focus the right amout of heat on the thick rather than the thin otherwise you'll blow right through the thinner stuff.  I'll wager nobody got it right on their first attempt.

I do have one other tip though...get rid of ALL the sealer, primer, paint, undercoating, etc. in the area you are going to weld.  Grind it off until you see shiny metal.  Ask anyone who's struck and arc on the infamous BMW primer and they will tell you it burns like gasoline.  The undercoating (opposite of where you are welding) will catch fire too and give off some toxic fumes.

There are several other things to avoid you won't know unless you are taught as well.  I'm not pulling your chain about your real need to attend a class.  Rob is pretty knowledgeable so I'll let him tell you about dangers such as phosgene gas and other stuff that can KILL YOU when welding.

Seriously man, be careful and make sure you know what you are doing.

-Sincerly
  Dad

i also highly recommend a welding class at a local tech school.

I was mostly self-taught, and have been mig and tig welding for 15+ years. (personal projects only, nothing professionally)  I just recently took a class.   After taking it, i realized i should have done that 15 years ago.

Zombie thread! Moar brains!

I took a welding class all last fall at a local community college. It was  called "Oxy-Flue and Gas Metal Arc Welding Techniques for the Craftsman" and was technically part of the Fine Arts curriculum, which led to some amusing interactions. Most of the folks in there were working on sculptural or arty projects whereas I was always working on building a new lower radiator mount or a replacement rear bumper. But it was the best 3 hours of my week every week and I learned a ton. Not that my endorsement means much, but if you're going to weld and you haven't received any hands-on instruction, doing so makes a world of difference in your welding quality. Plus it's just a hoot, especially when you get to weld with bigger machines that will just turn even .120 wall DOM to mush if you're not careful. That's when you start to feel like a master of the universe.

Home Depot sells a welders handbook or something like that. they keep it near the welders and consumables. it is worth it. it's got lots of illustrations for us dumb ones.

jeff; that sounds interesting, i 'd like to see those links. most of my current experience and thoughts come from a blend of my dad (he was a certified arc welder about 30 years ago; he said he was awesome at TIG and wishes he had some of his old work to show me) and youtube vids. a lot seem to be by students at a trade school or something where there's like 100 comments of telling him what he's doing wrong. The only other ones i could find easily were "instructional" vids that had 3minutes of talking about safety or what the types of welding there is, then 10seconds of them showing how to hold the gun etc, but NO WELDING...it's like, gee, i've heard all that before... I wanted to see techniques "IN PROCESS" and what to look out/look for.

Bottom line i think is that Doing > watching someone else.

EDIT: we're close enough that if you wanna come by and tinker on my 180 I wouldn't mind having ya by, I don't have much of any kinda bench setup though, my practice welds used a brake caliper on the hood of my lemon as a bench, heh.