On Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 9:43:12 AM UTC-5, Jim Wilkins wrote:
wrote in message
...
On Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 8:04:01 AM UTC-5, Jim Wilkins
wrote:
"Steve W." wrote in message
...
wrote:
On Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 1:39:42 PM UTC-5, Bob La Londe
wrote:
wrote in message
...
Hi all, I'm thinking of getting one or two welding helmets for
X-mas.
I've got a Dayton welder in the barn that I've used a little,
with an old flip style helmet. My son (age 14) has gotten
into
metal working
and would like to try welding. There are a huge number of
options.
Here's one review.
http://www.mrwelderreviews.com/revie...lding-helmets/
From which I'm thinking of the Antra for ~$50, or perhaps the
classic Miller for a bit more.
Your thoughts?
TIA
George H.
I've had two HF automatic hoods. The cheaper one did not
easily
have a way to change the batteries and I destroyed it trying to
cut the compartment open. The more expensive one ($10 or 15
difference) was easy to change batteries, but I managed to
break
it after a couple years it was quick enough to go dark, but was
slow to go light when you shut off the arc. I liked the
cheaper
one better for that because there are some thin metal welding
methods that really benefit from being able to see the weld
bead/spot very quickly ater the arc shuts off. I bought a
Miller
automatic and I like it fairly well, but I bumped something
with
it welding under a trailer, and broke the adjustment knob off.
I
still use it all the time, but I can't lighten the shade easily
anymore. LOL. Your mileage may vary.
Regardless of what you decide to use I truly believe an
automatic
wedling helmet improved my welding more than anything else
except
maybe learning what duty cycle means and that I just need to
stop
welding and let my machine cool down when it starts throwing a
bad
bead whether it has shut down or not.
That's great, Thanks Bob, (and Gunner, Rex, Paul, Steve.) I'm
pretty much a welding idiot. My house came with a Dayton buzz
box,
(with a mis-wired plug.)
I made a few bad welds, and then two that are ugly,
but still holding, and haven't used it since. (I guess I better
make sure it's still working and mice haven't made nests
everywhere
inside.)
Any other essential piece of kit I need? George H.
Welding gauntlets (I buy 2-3 pairs of the HF ones a year, they
hold
up just as good as the more expensive ones I've used)
Long sleeve treated cotton or leather shirt/jacket to keep you
from
getting a burn from the UV and sparks. (I actually use wildland
firefighting shirts, they are either a treated cotton or Nomex
type
material, and they are usually much cheaper than the same thing
sold
at a welding supply.
Scrap steel and a solid table with a vice for practicing and
testing
your welds.
Grinder w/flap wheels (the great equalizer for the beginning
welder)
--
Steve W.
For completeness, a chipping hammer and wire brush are essential
for
stick and flux core welding. A cotton cap and leather shoes help
protect you from hot sparks. When I sit down to weld small delicate
stuff I wear a long leather apron and shoe spats.
Since I can't dedicate a space only for welding I use firebricks to
set up a temporary one shaped like a small barbecue pit. The sides
deflect the wind, conceal the arc flash from neighbors and help
hold
pieces in place.
Magnetic angles and C-shaped Vise Grips are often very useful.
Clamps
made for welding have copper-plated screws to keep molten spatter
from
sticking.
I got by with one 4-1/2" angle grinder until taking on larger
projects. Then I added a 7" one with dish wheels to remove metal
fast
and a couple of cheapo 4" grinders permanently set up with a cup
brush
for rust and a cutoff wheel to erase small mistakes. The original
4-1/2" grinder has a fairly fine disk for smoothing anything that
could snag skin or clothing. I don't use flap wheels much only
because
the edge of a solid disk smoothes inside corners better.
Unless you are only repairing cracks the steel has to be cut to
size
first. Either a chop saw or a 4" x 6" bandsaw will serve for that.
I
prefer the bandsaw because it's more versatile and accurate. I use
mine a lot for woodworking, with a 6 TPI blade it will smoothly and
accurately cut 6x6 posts and landscaping timbers.
-jsw
Got it, thanks. We've got a small angle grinder,
I've mostly been using a reciprocating saw for slicing metal.
If things get serious a chop saw would be nice.
George H.
My tool collection grew as projects demanded. The ones I listed were
enough to fabricate a sawmill, a log splitter, and a bucket loader for
my tractor.
I bought my house from a very private man. He didn't want people
pawing through his stuff, so he left it all behind. My tool collection grew
by a factor of 10 or more. Lotsa wood working stuff, but all sorts of other
goodies too. (A list would only make you jealous.) I've been giving or
trading it away to friends and neighbors, but I still have more "toys"
than I have time to play with.
George H.
The chop saw's advantage is that it will cut thinner or harder steel
better, though both of those are tricky to weld. Its disadvantage is
the shower of glowing sparks that may force you to use it outdoors.
Fortunately my biker neighbors don't mind its loud noise.
-jsw