Mig Welding Technique, and welding Helmet?
#21
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: detroit rock city
Posts: 1,162
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
![](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/ranks/ls1tech10year.png)
![Default](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
![Bang Head](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/smilies/LS1Tech/gr_banghead.gif)
I'm trying to figure out my career direction right now....I'd love to get into doing more "specialized" tig welding, but we will see. We are trying to stick it out in Detroit,but not much is going on right now! Brown Dog Welding(mostly the art stuff, a few fab jobs) is keeping me busy( and sane) right now, I may just make a push to see how far I can take it.
Lacking the time to put up pics due to being too busy building stuff to take pics of is NOT a bad thing!!!
![Grin](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/smilies/LS1Tech/gr_grin.gif)
#24
TECH Addict
iTrader: (16)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Nevada, TX
Posts: 2,218
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
![](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/ranks/ls1tech10year.png)
![Default](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
**** that. No disrespect man, but that helmet is junk. You can spend $50 more and get something nice with atleast 2x the response. That kind of helmet is why people think AD helmets suck.
#25
![Default](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Jdustu, you have a pretty good hand with the mig welder. Ive been welding for about 5 years now, including school. I dont have much mig welding experience, but I usually stick to the circle pattern unless doing verticle. That is what they taught in tech school.
I have done specialized TIG work for Eaton Aeroquip where we manufactured parts for aerospace, boeing, pratt-whitney, and many other companies. I learned a whole lot there about welding exotic metals such as inconel, stainless, titanium and aluminum. Most of the stuff there was very very thin. There are 12 tests in all to become an x-ray tig welder with their company and they are very very tough. 2 alloys of inconel, 2 alloys of stainless, titanium and aluminum. One open butt and one fillet weld of each alloy. All test coupons are 6" long and .032 thick material. They are also cut, bent and x-ray inspected for flaws.
From there I went to being a pipe welder in the nuclear power industry. That was a very interesting job and the pay was excellent. There is a lot to learn about welding pipe that is different than welding on a test stand. You cant always walk the cup, learn to weld out of a mirror, bend stick rods to get around and between obsticles, and many others.
Now I am at my dream job. Building one off high end hotrods. I am mostly welding exhaust and sheetmetal now and I love it. No more pain in the *** welding inspectors making you fix things that arn't even flaws.
Oh yeah, dont bother with that damn HF helmet. If you want something cheap buy a non auto darkening big window jackson like I posted earlier. YOU DONT NEED AUTO DARKENING. I actually prefer to weld without auto darkening most of the time, unless I am in a bind and cant get to my hood to flip it down.
I have done specialized TIG work for Eaton Aeroquip where we manufactured parts for aerospace, boeing, pratt-whitney, and many other companies. I learned a whole lot there about welding exotic metals such as inconel, stainless, titanium and aluminum. Most of the stuff there was very very thin. There are 12 tests in all to become an x-ray tig welder with their company and they are very very tough. 2 alloys of inconel, 2 alloys of stainless, titanium and aluminum. One open butt and one fillet weld of each alloy. All test coupons are 6" long and .032 thick material. They are also cut, bent and x-ray inspected for flaws.
From there I went to being a pipe welder in the nuclear power industry. That was a very interesting job and the pay was excellent. There is a lot to learn about welding pipe that is different than welding on a test stand. You cant always walk the cup, learn to weld out of a mirror, bend stick rods to get around and between obsticles, and many others.
Now I am at my dream job. Building one off high end hotrods. I am mostly welding exhaust and sheetmetal now and I love it. No more pain in the *** welding inspectors making you fix things that arn't even flaws.
Oh yeah, dont bother with that damn HF helmet. If you want something cheap buy a non auto darkening big window jackson like I posted earlier. YOU DONT NEED AUTO DARKENING. I actually prefer to weld without auto darkening most of the time, unless I am in a bind and cant get to my hood to flip it down.
#27
#28
TECH Addict
iTrader: (24)
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Webb City, MO...out in the garage
Posts: 2,610
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
![](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/ranks/ls1tech10year.png)
![Default](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
i weld/fab all day long, i've done just about everything...started off doing sheet metal fab, like the stuff you see hanging off of semi's goin down the highway. i did a few parts that went on a couple trucks for 'trick my truck.' Then i got my apprenticeship with the boilermakers, but never actually went to work for them. Now i work in a shop making high pressure heat exchangers for powerplants. we don't run stick too much at all. Most everything is hardwire, flux-core, tig, or sub-arc....
my point is, after all that **** i've done, i wouldn't trade my NexGen for ANYTHING, except MAYBE a speedglass hood. a local Airgas rep is trying to sell me a speedglass hood, but i'm being pretty stubborn...
my point is, after all that **** i've done, i wouldn't trade my NexGen for ANYTHING, except MAYBE a speedglass hood. a local Airgas rep is trying to sell me a speedglass hood, but i'm being pretty stubborn...
#29
TECH Addict
iTrader: (16)
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Nevada, TX
Posts: 2,218
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
![](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/ranks/ls1tech10year.png)
![Default](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
i weld/fab all day long, i've done just about everything...started off doing sheet metal fab, like the stuff you see hanging off of semi's goin down the highway. i did a few parts that went on a couple trucks for 'trick my truck.' Then i got my apprenticeship with the boilermakers, but never actually went to work for them. Now i work in a shop making high pressure heat exchangers for powerplants. we don't run stick too much at all. Most everything is hardwire, flux-core, tig, or sub-arc....
my point is, after all that **** i've done, i wouldn't trade my NexGen for ANYTHING, except MAYBE a speedglass hood. a local Airgas rep is trying to sell me a speedglass hood, but i'm being pretty stubborn...
my point is, after all that **** i've done, i wouldn't trade my NexGen for ANYTHING, except MAYBE a speedglass hood. a local Airgas rep is trying to sell me a speedglass hood, but i'm being pretty stubborn...
#31
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (17)
![Default](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Im usually a moon or "C" shape guy. Depending what Im doing and if I have enough room to sweep the torch. Ide really like to step up to a 220v MIG though. Im running a 130A Clarke, and it does great for what it is. But Ide like something with some more grunt, so welding 1/4" is as easy as welding 1/8".
Im not real familiar with the circle pattern. I pretty much know what it is, but never looked into how to actually do it, and Ive never tried it. Im thinking I will next time I have something to weld.
As for helmets. Im a HUGE fan of Miller equiptment. I have one of those american flag painted helmets. With the big window. WOW what a difference over the cheap one that I had. It wasnt from harbor freight, but it was the same thing. You can fine tune the Miller, and it works so much nicer.
I used to weld with the good old non auto darkening helmets, and its so nice to not have to flip up all the time. ESPECIALLY when you are crammed under the car welding something in place like exhaust.
I got my helmet on ebay brand new for hundreds less than retail. In fact, I just replaced my inner and outer lenses as well as the batteries this past weekend. I havent replaced them since I got it like 4 years ago.
J.
Im not real familiar with the circle pattern. I pretty much know what it is, but never looked into how to actually do it, and Ive never tried it. Im thinking I will next time I have something to weld.
As for helmets. Im a HUGE fan of Miller equiptment. I have one of those american flag painted helmets. With the big window. WOW what a difference over the cheap one that I had. It wasnt from harbor freight, but it was the same thing. You can fine tune the Miller, and it works so much nicer.
I used to weld with the good old non auto darkening helmets, and its so nice to not have to flip up all the time. ESPECIALLY when you are crammed under the car welding something in place like exhaust.
I got my helmet on ebay brand new for hundreds less than retail. In fact, I just replaced my inner and outer lenses as well as the batteries this past weekend. I havent replaced them since I got it like 4 years ago.
J.