[TheForge] Inverters & MIG Welders

[Kathy]

Washington, Aubrey O. wrote:
> Thanks, Terry.  But, I need something easier to use than my AC tombstone, not
harder.  I'm not a great welder.

I have always had lousy "hand-eye" coordination, and vision problems to boot,
but I was Top Gun in my welding class. There is a popular saying: "It's a poor
workman who blames his tools." The truth of the matter is quite different; a
workman is no better than his tools--and his understanding of them. Being a top
flight welder is about knowledge, and not about being Superman. Anyone can be a
great welder if he or she is given proper directions. To get those directions,
we simply need to ask the right questions AND KEEP ON ASKING THEM UNTIL WE
RECEIVE AN H-O-N-E-S-T ANSWER instead of the standard self congratulating BS.
:-))) My personal favorite example of misdirection was a guy who tried to tell
me that I couldn't learn to weld because my eyes were green, and "everyone knows
that only brown eyes are dark enough to protect you from the glare," leaving no
question in my mind as to why his eyes were brown.  Welding is not rocket
science; it's more like ditch digging. Of course, after mastering it, we should
be sure to maintain the lies about "hand-eye" coordination, etc. when a boss is
trying to evaluate our worth.
 
For instance, what are the two first stumbling points a welding student
encounters?
(1) They don't take the mere ten minuets practice holding the rod 1/4" from a
target, while repeatedly flipping their hood down, which would insure that they
do well when they try actually tap starting the rod on a work piece. And so, all
further efforts are hampered. Even rods that are usually scratch started must be
tap started in some situations--ask any pipe welder just how important absolute
control when starting a weld is. Today, we have auto-darkening welding hoods,
which make knowing how to "flip the hood" unnecessary. However, if you use
auto-darkening welding hoods to replace that knowledge, you had better also
install an ADC (auto-darken cartridge) in your sock hood too.

(2) Novice welders have considerable trouble holding the rod steady while
building up endurance. However, most of their troubles come from the unconscious
habit of gripping the rod holder tighter in response to nervousness generated
during the learning curve. A heavy rubber band (the kind used as a marker on
your local welding supply dealer's gas cylinders, hint, hint), or the
installation of two snap buttons on the welding glove (try Harbor Freight for a
cheap set of installation tools), will help remind the student to grip the rod
holder lightly, using the wrist to control movement NOT THE FINGERS. This little
trick can take months off your learning curve. On the down side, you will not be
able to explode an egg all over the walls and ceiling when someone sets it in
you hand and says "squeeze it closed if you can" (your choice as to which is the
more important goal). As to building arm strength, professional welders use aids
like whips (light weight lengths of welding lead about 12 Ft. long with their
own rod holder and end connector) when doing lots of overhead or vertical work.
They also bend welding rods into an "S" shape, and suspend the last few feet of
lead from them, or if no better opportunity presents itself, the lead is draped
over a shoulder, so that only a small part of its weight must be born by the
crafty, lazy, welder type person :-)

Everything else about welding has an easy and a hard way, including how well you
can see what you're doing. This one is a real biggy, yet it seems to be almost
completely ignored by novice and professional alike.
Mikey    
> 
> ________________________________
> 
> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net on behalf of Terry
> Sent: Fri 5/25/2007 2:48 PM
> To: Sponsored by ABANA
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] Inverters & MIG Welders
> 
> 
> 
> And then there's a third option - buy another welder!  In this case,
> it would be the ReadyWelder.  It is designed to run off 1, 2, or 3
> batteries depending on the thickness of the metal.  It's popular with
> the off-road crowd.  And judging from the web site, it's used by NATO
> troops.  I've got one, and am still trying to get the hang of
> it.  (I'm running mine off a stick / TIG machine and the voltages are
> rather high.)
> 
> Terry
> 
> At 12:12 PM 5/25/2007, you wrote:
>> There are a couple routes to portable welding that are a lot less
>> likely to damage your vehicle. Buy a generator with the capacity to
>> run your welder would be my first choice. Second (by quite a ways)
>> is buy a welder alternator for the truck It's a replacement
>> alternator that will double as a welder. They're expensive to buy
>> and repair though.
>>
>> Come to think of it I'd rent a portable welder before having one of
>> the welder alternators installed.
>>
>> Frosty
>> -------------------------------
>> If it ain't forged
>> it ain't real.
>> Wrought iron is.
>> The FrostWorks
>>
>> Meadow Lakes, AK.
> 
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