[TheForge] Drifting toward the dark side

[Paul N]

Well, I did it, I bought myself a small wirefeed welder. Picked up a 
used Lincoln 170T on craigslist for a couple hundred bucks, including 2 
full 8" spools of flux cored .035 wire. I figured even if I used it and 
didn't like it, I could re-sell it for about what I paid for it. I had 
to replace the contact tip, and realign the drive roller, but I really 
feel like I got a bargain.

I justified it because my lawn tractor mower deck had cracked, mostly 
due to corrosion in it's advanced age. The local welding shop told me it 
was unrepairable because it was too thin. Having been looking at welders 
on and off over the past couple of years, I saw JUSTIFICATION!  I know 
the local welding shop was busy, so I assume he either just didn't want 
to screw around with it, or thought maybe  I wanted it to look like new. 
Not where I was coming from. I was in damage control mode, and forge 
welding didn't seem practical :-)

Anyway, having no arc welding experience, I quickly put a couple of 
holes in the deck, just like the pro had told me would happen if I tried 
to weld it. But, having a substantial amount of "scrap" steel, I added 
some 3/16" pieces above and below the holes, tacked them in place, and 
after a few tries, was able to weld the mounting bracket onto the "new" 
steel, and get myself back in business. Sure beats replacing the tractor 
or paying the $350 for what the local dealer wanted for a salvaged mower 
deck that wasn't in much better shape than mine. Besides, with 3/8" of 
steel on my deck, that'll last awhile, or at least until the next rust 
through. One of the welds even looked respectable. So it just looks like 
a battleship after damage control.

Things I learned:
You get really dirty, really fast arc welding with flux core wire. I 
don't think I get that dirty in front of a coal forge. I don't know how 
those guys on American Chopper stay so clean. Is using MIG that much 
cleaner?

Learning to weld is also a lesson in gaining finesse with an angle grinder.

I'm glad I didn't buy anything smalller. The 170 amp output will likely 
be plenty for anything I'll be doing in the short term. I figure if I 
can burn through 3/8" mild steel round stock (oops) while practicing, 
it'll be more than good enough for what I'll need it for. I'm not sure 
if I'll bother with with adding the gas setup. It came with a regulator, 
but the weld spatter isn't all that bad, so I may just stay on the cheap.

Now I have all those things I used to just "not do" suddenly became 
"Ooh, when can I start on that" like maybe that treadle hammer project. 
But first I need some more practice.

I've got the bug. I don't feel guilty. But I'm excited about what I can 
add to my hobbyist skillset and toolset.

**paul