Outside Welding Area

[mickri]

I am not much of a welder. I have a small, light weight table that folds up when not in use. It lives outside 100% of the time. No cover of any kind. With the relatively low humidity in California especially in the summer months rust has not been a problem. If you want a cover I would make it out of Sumbrella (sp?) fabric like what is used on boats. It repels water and because it breaths moisture is not trapped under the cover. And it lasts forever. Not unusual for boat covers, dodgers, etc to last 15 to 20 years. The thread holding it together rots out way before the cover starts to deteriorate.

My welder is a HF flux core modified to be dcen and I power it with a 50' extension cord. I have not noticed any problems but then I probably don't know enough about welding to even know if I have a problem. My new place has a 240 volt 50 amp outlet in the garage. I am thinking about upgrading to a better welder. No idea what to get and probably couldn't afford it anyway. That welder would also run off of an extension cord. I'll ask a friend of mine about wire size. He worked for SCE and was responsible for the maintenance and repair of the transmission lines leaving the San Onofre Nuclear plant. He knows his stuff when it comes to sizing wire. He has been educating me about wire sizes. I'll report back on what he has to say.

 

[erikmannie]

Your table is very likely to rust if continually left outside from condensation under the tarp where the tarp actually touches the table.

I was able to make up a floor plan where I can keep the Miller Arc Station inside the shop…for TIG only!

All of the stick & gas welding that I do in the shop, together with the grinding & slag chipping, seems too filthy to do around all of the machining equipment. My precision ground surfaces (mill table, ways, etc.) are aging prematurely, & I am blaming the stick & gas welding!

I am really looking forward to the improved air quality achieved by moving my MIG, TIG, stick welding & dual shield flux core out into the open air.

I see that they sell folding welding tables, but I am sure that I would want to build an outside welding table. I don’t need it to fold. Since the table needs to be steel, & it will be outside, it seems like corrosion is a certainty.

EDIT: I wrote this before I saw the post above.

 

[erikmannie]

@mickri

I use .035” solid core wire in my 220V MIG machine. I claim that this is a good all around size.

The exception would be if you were doing auto body panels, & in that case you would choose .023”.

I think it would be an odd choice to use .045” in a home shop, but I’m sure many people would disagree with me.

 

[mickri]

I'll have to look at the wire size I am using in my flux core welder. I know it is not .045. I think that it is .030 or .035.

Looked back through my notes from my friend on the size of wire for an extension cord. Depends on the amperage. 8 or maybe 10 gauge is what you will need for a typical 240 volt welder.

 

[keeena]

I prefer not having bright overhead light coming in from the sides or top of my helmet as is washes out the weld arc by reflecting of the inside lens. You’ll probably want a way to block that light. A rag works in a pinch.

I've occasionally pulled my sweatshirt hood up over the back of my welding lid - huge improvement because it eliminates all glare and the errant spark.

@erikmannie - I TIG in the garage; MIG and OA reserved for outdoors. I would never personally keep my welding table outside due to rust, but that's me. Sanding and grinding are much more likely to be the cause of wear and filth; these would be the first thing I would put on a sturdy mobile bench.

Extension cord sizing chart:

 

[7milesup]

r. No idea what to get and probably couldn't afford it anyway.

I ordered a https://yeswelder.com/ last week. It is supposed to arrive in a few more days. I know that most guys will laugh at me for buying this brand, but I have done a lot of research on them and found nearly all positive feedback. Their 205 DS is extremely popular because of dual voltage capability. I ordered the 250A aluminum ready one. With 20% off coupon I couldn't pass it up.
I do have a Lincoln TIG200 also but all of the name brand welders have gone up in price so high that a hobbyist can no longer afford them. My Lincoln has literally doubled in price since I bought it 6 years ago.

 

[erikmannie]

Here is a floor plan that I made with pen & paper (I am out of town in a motel). Every item seen on this drawing is bolted to the concrete, except for the welding table.

What is not even shown in the drawing is 6 narrow welding carts, 5 chucks on tiny carts and 3 small (but tall) rolling chests. With all of these carts & chests in the shop, there are only walkways like what you would see in the house of somebody who was a hoarder.

These walkways double as a place to stand when you’re working at a work station.

The point here is that anybody can see why one would only TIG weld at this welding table, due to crowding.

I would like to have added some panels that protected onlookers from arc flash, but there isn’t enough room for that. The walkways need to be wide enough to stand in (while working at a work station), as well as push carts through.

 

[7milesup]

I would sell that PM-25. Why do you have two mills?
Same could go for the 1030 but I also realize that the 1660 may be just too big for some projects.

 

[erikmannie]

So now it is certain that all MIG, stick, gas & dual shield flux core occurs outside.

The side yard sometimes has family members passing through it (e.g. bringing the lawn mower to & from the front lawn).

I’m still really excited about the improved air quality.

I will make an affordable stand for welding coupons (both pipe & plate). I will also have a homemade steel table.

I would like to get a lot of the material for the new stand & table for free.

 

[erikmannie]

I would sell that PM-25. Why do you have two mills?
Same could go for the 1030 but I also realize that the 1660 may be just too big for some projects.

The PM-25MV was my first machine tool. I had never operated any machine tool in my life, so I learned to use a mill on that machine.

Also, I had some guns a long time ago. I sold them, & I can’t tell you how much I miss having those guns. I often have dreams that they are still up in the attic, but then I wake up and remember that they are gone.

In addition, I have one friend (Cliff) who comes over who had his shop and everything else he owns incinerated in a wildfire. He comes over about once every 3 months, and we are usually working on 2 separate machines when he is there. Isn’t that sad that he can’t afford to replace his machines?