On Wed, 05 Nov 2003 02:10:44 +0000, Andy Dingley
wrote:

On Wed, 05 Nov 2003 01:09:13 GMT, "Mark Jerde"
wrote:

The metal of the seat frame is kinda "light."

Sounds like a job for a MIG welder (wire feed).

Don't buy one. Cheap ones aren't so good, good ones aren't so cheap
(the one I use is around $750). It's an easy process to learn, but
you _do_ need some practice (start on 1/4" plate with the dials
turned right up, then learn to go thinner and turn them down)

So find yourself a course. Doesn't need to be much, maybe just a loan
of a machine. But get some hands-on time welding 1/4" scrap plate on a
well set-up good quality machine. Then start thinking about what to
buy, when you have a better idea of what's involved.

Read sci.engr.joining.welding

Get hold of an automatic hat

Good suggestions, particularly the autodarkening helmet. But I'd
challenge the "start with 1/4" steel" advice. A lot of useful stuff
can be made out of 3/16" and thinner steel.

I've made many rawstock racks, carts for tablesaw and bandsaw, etc
out of 11-gage (1/8") angleiron and square tubing. I stick-welded
them in early days but I've found that the little Linc box works very
well on such jobs. It'll do 1/4" steel with fluxcore wire but it
really works best with 1/8"' thickness and below.

I have 300 amp TIG and stick capability at hand, but I'm using that
little Linc 120-volt wirefeed box more and more as time goes on. I
originally bought it for doing bodywork with thin steel (which it did
very welll indeed), have discovered that it's a much more versatile
machine than I'd thought it might be.

Note: it does want a robust 20-amp circuit.