[TheForge] Welding, soldering and anvil questions

[Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer]

Saint Phlip wrote:
> Well, guys, my local flea market came through for me ;-) I picked up
> an almost brand-new Lincoln AC-225 welder for $150 last week,
Good deal..those are good honest, enduring , easy to repair and get 
parts for etc. A very versatile tool.
Is it the click stop amp adjustment or the crank adjustment type?
  but
> there's a bit of a problem- I haven't a clue about stick welding. As
> it happens, I picked it up because I'm tired of all the offers I've
> had to teach me to weld, that have never come through, so I got it so
> I can teach MYSELF to weld.
I did...not so hard Phlip. It's frustrating at first until you master 
starting the arc without sticking.
2 basic ways to start an arc, both require a bare ( bright) steel 
surface and a solid ground connection.
1 is to strike the end of the rod like you were striking a match, 
keeping the rod end close to the steel at the end of the stroke.
2 is to use a little pecking or tapping movement...lifting the tip just 
barely clear at the end.
  However, not being totally nuts, I thought
> I'd ask you guys if you've come across a website that can teach me
> what I need to know to get started without electrocuting myself
Do not put the ground clamp in your armpit and lick the electrode.
Wear dry, rubber soled lace up boots...and good leather welding gloves.
  or
> burning the barn down,
Never do that...sparks fly far!
  or making pretty but useless welds,
Joint preparation and good penetration for that.
  or burning
> my material to a crisp. It would also be nice if it could tell me what
> sort of rod I need for various projects.
Rod selection is the key to making that machine as versatile as it can 
be. The vendors will happily push all the info you can stomach on you.

Lincoln sells good welding books at cost, but the basic technology has 
been about the same since before WW2, so any decent 2nd hand arc welding 
book applies. Try the Miller or Lincoln sites for beginning.
Competition between the different companies has been fierce for a long 
time and most of them will shower you with informative  booklets listing 
what they wanna push and how to use it.
Buy a decent quality, adjustable shade ,auto darkening welding 
shield/helmet...It's a few more bucks but will make it a lot easier to 
learn.
Take care to protect your eyes and skin from the arc rays. They can hurt 
you badly.
  Wear a welding rated, good sealing/fitting fume filter under the 
shield ( most welders don't, and it's a mistake.
Start with 6011 or 6013 rod and run a whole lot of it. Keep arc rod very 
dry, preferably sealed and warm.
Get a comfy chipping hammer. If you have an air compressor, a cheapie 
air hammer/chipping hammer is a wonderful, time saving, companion to an 
arc welder.
Listen to the arc, it'll tell you a lot. Keep the arc length to a minimum .
Choosing the right rod for the job and good joint preparation are 
critical to getting the most functional versatility from that machine..
> 
> Second, I picked up a butane soldering iron for $2, and I'm wondering
> if anyone can tell me how soldering with a solid tip is different from
> soldering with oxy-acet, that being the only equipment I've ever used
> for soldering up until now. I picked up the iron, figuring it would be
> a small but useful item for our events, which tend to be held in the
> middle of hayfields, and having electricity available is usually not
> an option, and throwing a small bit of something into my forge to heat
> up would likely be rather counter-productive.
> 
> And, third, the guy I got the Lincoln from has recently acquired what
> he describes as a matched set of anvils (small, medium, and large).
>>From his description, I'd guess one is in the 70 lb range, one in the
> 150 lb range, and one in the 200+ range, but I won't know until I see
> them this weekend. With them, he says there's a turntable, and he
> seems to think that what he has is a matched set. Anyone have any idea
> of what he might be talking about? He thinks they're maybe 50 to 100
> years old- he got them from his uncle's estate, and knows very little
> about smithing or metalwork. I'll look them over, and see if I can
> figure out what he has, but, as I'd never heard of anvils and
> turntables coming in matched sets, particularly that old, I thought
> I'd ask you guys if you might have a glimmer of a clue.
No clue here.
> 
> Thanks,
>