phil200tdi Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Hey guys Have just bought a 200tdi disco and found rust in the usual places which will need sorting in the future. I am interested in learning to weld and was wondering if anyone was interested in tudoring in the Oxford area (willing to travel)?? If anyone is interested I would be willing to pay for the training and any other costs. Thought I could learn whilst fixing my own car and thus not pay for a night school course... The areas I would like to do are the rear floor (Badly rusted), Sills Not bad but would like rock/tree sliders. Can be flexible as to when and where (evenings and weekends). If anyone is interested, let me know... cheers Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smo Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 If you have your own mig, the best thing to do (othe than being shown) is to research on the internet, and get out there and start doing it - i am totally self taught, and seem to be doing ok as there is no substitute for practice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiall Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Best way i was shown was to learn with the welder fully up with this clean steel then get used to the speeds then work your way down youll seen get the hang of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuntman Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Phil, try to buy a good secondhand Mig welder and gas bottle, it's what I did, and either do the night course (mine was £95 for 15 weeks once a week) or have a look on youtube, there are some good demo's, but it's true, practice is the way to go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil200tdi Posted December 29, 2007 Author Share Posted December 29, 2007 Yep, looked at night courses but the only one I found in Oxon was £300 for 10 weeks 1 evening per week (OX and Cherwell College)... Pretty steep!! Have looked at Mig welders on ebay but as they are quite dangerous (in inexperienced hands) would like some basic instruction first - do's and don'ts etc... Will have a look on youtube... cheers all Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 This is an excellent site/forum: http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roguevogue Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Have looked at Mig welders on ebay but as they are quite dangerous (in inexperienced hands) would like some basic instruction first - do's and don'ts etc... You would have to try quite hard to do any serious damage to yourself, as long as you appreciate that holding the contact tip (where the wire comes from) and the earth lead, whilst pressing the trigger (which is some feat in it self), might give you a tickle, then you will be fine. Bear in mind that the weld will be hot, for quite some time. I have never had a shock from a mig welder, tig with HF, now thats a different story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 UV burns are what you want to be careful of - they can be extremely painful as I found out. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roguevogue Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 UV burns are what you want to be careful of - they can be extremely painful as I found out.Les. Spot on, I tend to take it for granted really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mortus Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 cant believe nobody has mentioned eye protection yet ive got a mask thats UV reactive so it changes to black when you start the weld, this is great as you dont need goggles when your anglegrinding and you never forget to put your welding mask back on. As its been said before, practising at home is the only way to go, in all honesty i cant see what they can teach you on one of these courses that you cant learn off the internet, and trial and error. get yourself some scrap steel and have fun, challenge yourself to making something. just make sure you can weld good before you go welding any chassis parts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roguevogue Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 ive got a mask thats UV reactive so it changes to black when you start the weld, B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paintman Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 The linked site is excellent. The disposable gas bottles are a waste of time. I use CO2 (BOC contract) but will change to Argoshield at the end of this bottle. I cannot recommend the autodarkening mask enough. They make life sooooo much easier. I have the Speedglas Utility. And DO wear suitable clothing. UV burns are not pleasant. Neither are bits of spatter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LandyManLuke Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Another vote for mig-welding.co.uk, It's a good forum. plenty of good advice available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil200tdi Posted January 27, 2008 Author Share Posted January 27, 2008 Cheers guys, now got a Clarke 151 TE off ebay for £100. also got an auto dimming mask. Just need wire now!! oh and somewhere to weld!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 A few things I've picked up: - Don't use CO2, Argoshield is sooo much nicer, just get a decent sized bottle from BOC - Remember to turn the gas off when you've finished or it gets expensive - solenoids are not 100% gas-tight when off. - Keep your tip clean - A self-darkening hemlet is a million times better than an normal one - Clean the surface to be welded, that means a grinding disc or abrasive flap wheel in the grinder and take it back to clean shiny metal - An easy guide for setting the current is to wind it up till you're blowing holes and then back off just a little. - 0.8mm wire will feed through easier than 0.6 and is less prone to forming a bird's nest if the tip gets clogged. I'm sure if you have a go and post pictures of your welds people will offer help & advice as others have done previously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bull Bar Cowboy Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 A few things I've picked up:- Don't use CO2, Argoshield is sooo much nicer, just get a decent sized bottle from BOC - 0.8mm wire will feed through easier than 0.6 and is less prone to forming a bird's nest if the tip gets clogged. Strangely enough, pure CO2 gives better penetration, but lacks inm many other areas............ also you horrendous amounts of splatter........... If the wire feed rollers are adjusted right, then they should slip on the wire if the tip is clogged.................. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil200tdi Posted January 30, 2008 Author Share Posted January 30, 2008 Right more questions... I have now got the wire and the welder. Now just need to find out how to best mate the two?? the last few inches of the last reel of wire is about to go in to the feed, how do I feed in the new reel? I didn't get any instructions as this is a used machine (Clarke 151).. also everyone seems to be against the small bottles which are standard on this welder, is there a conversion kit to allow larger bottles or is this not necessary??? Will weld something in the near future (hopefully!!) and post pics Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Pull the remains of the wire out of the trigger tube. Turn the gas off, switch the welder on, feed the tip of the new wire into the feed rollers and then into the beginning of the trigger tube and keep the trigger pressed until the new wire exits the end. Yes you can get conversion kits - most welding suppliers will sell them. The conversion kit will fit any size gas bottle and should comprise of an adaptor pipe and regulator, which will screw directly into whatever gas cylinder you have got. There are however, different types of regulator for the same job. Single dial type - which shows the outlet pressure - which is adjustable A green/red plunger in a plastic cylinder Twin guage - which not only shows the pressure that you can set for the gun, but also how much is in the cylinder itself. A few things to remember- A 'Euro Torch' is better, as just about all welders now have them fitted, so parts are readily available, and cheaper. Use .8mm wire Don't buy cheap welding gear - you will regret it. Don't leave your MIG in an environment that is subject to temperature changes/damp - the wire is copper-coated, but still corrodes very easily, and the whole reel will be scrap. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro_Al Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Hi, nothing much to do with the wire, just use up your reel and when its done remove the old (empty) reel from the spindle, whack the new one on, then feed the free end into the wire feed rollers (I'm not familiar with that welder, but you'll probably have to slacken off the tension adjuster on them first), feed the wire up through the torch connection and out the tip (if the tip is a bit old, you might need to unscrew it, then feed the wire out the end of the torch, then slide the tip on over the end of the wire). Get some spare tips & shrouds. Make sure the tip size is correct for your wire - there are tips for each wire size. (Torch liner too, but you might not have a choice by the sounds of it). *NOTE* wire can spring off the reel and unravel itself quick if you let it. When you start the new reel, keep the wire under mild tension the whole time - if you let it unravel you might have feed problems due to tangling, or in bad cases, might have to cut your losses and chop out the offending section of birds-nested wire. You can convert some of those 'fixed torch' machines to take a standard 'Euro' torch (replaceable & better). Use a kit like this one: http://www.welduk.com/Details.asp?ProductID=290 Evaluate whether or not the machine is worth spending money on first though... (Personal choice really). (Not sure if that welder has a 'fixed' torch or not). Small gas bottles are very inefficient to buy, thats the bad point. Plus they are pretty small and will be running out on you at the wrong moment. Some people are fine with them, if they don't weld much. You can convert to a 'proper' cylinder, but then you have to rent a bottle (no big deal). Let us know how you get on! Don't be afraid to play with all the settings! Al. P.S. sorry - posted the same time as Les. Also posted about torch adapter kits cos I'm a bit dozy, but I left it in anyway in case its useful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Is it Tuesday Al? Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro_Al Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 NO! {Phew!} In case it helps, here is the gas bottle conversion tube, it slides onto the end of the tube you have (narrow 'white' one). If you want to get it off, push the centre part in towards the main body - don't just try to pull the two tubes apart! The other end fits on a regulator. Here is a shot of the whole thing on my old welder (on the right hand cylinder). There is a 2 dial reg (and also a vertical tube which is a flow meter, but you don't need that). You can then see the black hose which is the adapter tube and the small white tube that comes from the back of the welder. Hope it helps and compensates for my dopey previous effort! Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Have you got oxy-acetylene gear as wel Al? Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro_Al Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Don't encourage me. I cannot stop buying tools. Both the welders pictured above are my old ones, I'm now up to 5 and counting... In fact, my welders weigh more than my project! O/A is on the cards, but I'm a little wary of insurance issues as the rest of the site is rented out to another company, its a bit complex, but I expect I'll have one before too long... Al. P.S. Want cheap tools? Get 3 phase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Oxy gear is the dogs - if you ever need to weld two razor blades together - oxy gear is the only thing that will do it. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally V8 Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Oxy gear is the dogs - if you ever need to weld two razor blades together - oxy gear is the only thing that will do it. Les. Never used a decent Tig set then ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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