Hey Techee,
Yes research, youtube stuff and this threah sure are giving me lots to think about.
Take care,
Harry
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What kind of welder to get?
- Thread starter HarryJM
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Yes research, youtube stuff and this threah sure are giving me lots to think about.
Take care,
Harry
Hey cg 285,
Mid 1970's, mid 20's of me life and indulging in the life style of that time – it was a winter job during the non-motorcycle riding time in Davenport IA – what more can I say.
Take care,
Harry
Yes I have been reading up on those inverter welders - isn't technology great!
Have watched several videos about the Klutch welders and they seem to have good reviews.
C
cg285
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we must be about the same age. i sucked down a lot of beer back then (and now). but i rode all year
Hey blue_luke,Harry, I hear ya my man!
I am turning 65 this year and will retire comming next summer.
So here goes, last summer, after a lots of thinking about, I pulled the trigger on a shinny brand new Miller "Multimatic 215" which can do TIG, MIG and stick. It is way above your budget but I have a few special needs that guided my choice and I don't want to expand here.
Now I am no welder! but I have the drive to learn! (and learn to drive!)
So in your case, I think I can give some educated advise here...
- Get a MIG! you can probably find a good machine used wthin your budget and MIG, although I am still not very good at it, is one of the easiest process to learn!
- MIG, and other processes comes with some 'unforeseen' expenses.... Mig uses a mixture of argon and CO2 gas, you will have to pay for the first tank and then for each fill up.
- Among the unforeseen expenses, you will need some tools, a helmet ($$$) gloves, coat etc...
- Like some other guys said, 240V 30A circuit is not going to make it. For your little shop you need at least 50Amps, and a sub panel this size does not exist. Then you look at 60 and 100A subpanel and find that 100A subpanels are less expensive than the 60A!
- In sizing your panel, you can always cheat in thinking that you will use only one tool at a time.... then comes a friend to help! So allow 30 A for your welder, 15A for lighting and another 15A for other tools. (Yup! that's 60A total)
- You might also need power for heating or air conditionning, depending where you live
Some other considerations...
Your shop being 10 X 14, forget flux-core welding! you will axphysiate yourself! This process produce an awfull lot of smoke... So is Stick welding. Mig with gas wil be just bearable if you do just a few welds. TIG is harder to learn, but seems to produce the least fumes (I might be wrong here, some will correct me)
Install at least TWO fire extinguisher, and not near the machines! If a fire ever catch, you want to be sure to be able to reach one or the other without flames in between!
My $2 CDN ! :-D
I had planned out the 30 amp panel as being quite adequate for running one machine with a little left over for lighting, fan, etc. Most of the electric motors I have can be wired for 220 which draws less amps that 110. Based on the feedback on this thread I will be getting an estimate for a 100 amp panel.
While O/A is very appealing to me I am really leaning towards a MIG setup as new ones have a lot going for them.
Safety is always a primary concerning no matter what I am doing. A little antidotal story from the first motorcycle shop I worked in. One of the mechanics was using the bench grinder to grinder a magnesium motorcycle cover and did not clean up after himself. So later on another mechanic steps up to the grinder with a piece of steel and and all of a sudden there was a small explosion and luckily no one got hurt.
Concerning fire extinguishers, I have one for the kitchen that is away from the stove – just for that reason that you do not want it right next to what may catch fire.
Concerning breathing toxic fumes - I bought me a good 3M respirator and very good face mask for wood working and I always wear good ear plugs as noise is a distraction and I want to focus on what I am doing. Takes a little extra time to be safe but it is sure is worth it!
Given the small work space I have I always have plenty of ventilation regardless of what I am doing. So any welding will always be done with plenty of ventilation also even if I get a little chilly during the winter months.
I know your looking forward to next summer and hope it is everything you plan on it being – enjoy!
Take care,
Harry
In the early-mid 80's I worked in Campaign Illinois as a motorcycle mechanic and would ride my Norton 850 to work during the winter when there was not too much ice/snow on the roads.we must be about the same age. i sucked down a lot of beer back then (and now). but i rode all year
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Harry, my shop is kind of a two part things!
The missuz, one of those thing that thinks sincerely that a car belongs inside a garage (aren't they lovely? albeit their erroneous way of seeing things!) will let me use HALF a double garage space. (Gnnnnnnn!)
So I do only welding and wood working in this area where I can light up a kerosene heater when it's cold. Welding in the winter months is then quite out of the question because ventilating this space could only be done by opening an 8' door! Hence my comments about forgetting flux-core welding!
The other 'shop' is a small room (10X13) in the basement where I do only machining. Lathe and mill work. Steady temperature, concrete slab floor and almost 9 feet ceiling.
My machines are a PM2711 lathe and a PM25 mill of the first generation with plastic gears.
Last week, i got my new PM833T miling in the shop. No chips yet as I have to complete the electricals (240Vac sub panel). I need to run a cable in the crawl space to the garage... and it's =25°C these days! I just don't have the courage!!
Concerning the 3M respirator, all I can know about them is that 3M is a serious company, making good products. So I guess these are perfect for grinding, sanding and that sort of things, but some painting processes and welding produces gas and polluents that probably are not filtered adequately with this system. Not saying that it is inadequate, just asking you to search the subject and comment to us to your findings.
It would be such a painfull pitty that you made it to your 70's to pass away for a stupid cancer because you simply did not use the proper respirator! ( I have a quite a grind with cancer having lost a wife, a brother and lately a fine brother in law, all within a year each! )
The missuz, one of those thing that thinks sincerely that a car belongs inside a garage (aren't they lovely? albeit their erroneous way of seeing things!) will let me use HALF a double garage space. (Gnnnnnnn!)
So I do only welding and wood working in this area where I can light up a kerosene heater when it's cold. Welding in the winter months is then quite out of the question because ventilating this space could only be done by opening an 8' door! Hence my comments about forgetting flux-core welding!
The other 'shop' is a small room (10X13) in the basement where I do only machining. Lathe and mill work. Steady temperature, concrete slab floor and almost 9 feet ceiling.
My machines are a PM2711 lathe and a PM25 mill of the first generation with plastic gears.
Last week, i got my new PM833T miling in the shop. No chips yet as I have to complete the electricals (240Vac sub panel). I need to run a cable in the crawl space to the garage... and it's =25°C these days! I just don't have the courage!!
Concerning the 3M respirator, all I can know about them is that 3M is a serious company, making good products. So I guess these are perfect for grinding, sanding and that sort of things, but some painting processes and welding produces gas and polluents that probably are not filtered adequately with this system. Not saying that it is inadequate, just asking you to search the subject and comment to us to your findings.
It would be such a painfull pitty that you made it to your 70's to pass away for a stupid cancer because you simply did not use the proper respirator! ( I have a quite a grind with cancer having lost a wife, a brother and lately a fine brother in law, all within a year each! )
blue_luke,Harry, my shop is kind of a two part things!
The missuz, one of those thing that thinks sincerely that a car belongs inside a garage (aren't they lovely? albeit their erroneous way of seeing things!) will let me use HALF a double garage space. (Gnnnnnnn!)
So I do only welding and wood working in this area where I can light up a kerosene heater when it's cold. Welding in the winter months is then quite out of the question because ventilating this space could only be done by opening an 8' door! Hence my comments about forgetting flux-core welding!
The other 'shop' is a small room (10X13) in the basement where I do only machining. Lathe and mill work. Steady temperature, concrete slab floor and almost 9 feet ceiling.
My machines are a PM2711 lathe and a PM25 mill of the first generation with plastic gears.
Last week, i got my new PM833T miling in the shop. No chips yet as I have to complete the electricals (240Vac sub panel). I need to run a cable in the crawl space to the garage... and it's =25°C these days! I just don't have the courage!!
Concerning the 3M respirator, all I can know about them is that 3M is a serious company, making good products. So I guess these are perfect for grinding, sanding and that sort of things, but some painting processes and welding produces gas and polluents that probably are not filtered adequately with this system. Not saying that it is inadequate, just asking you to search the subject and comment to us to your findings.
It would be such a painfull pitty that you made it to your 70's to pass away for a stupid cancer because you simply did not use the proper respirator! ( I have a quite a grind with cancer having lost a wife, a brother and lately a fine brother in law, all within a year each! )
So sorry for you loss.
My comment about the 3M was only for wood working and what little bit of spray can painting I do. Yes I cherish my relatively good health at this stage of my life and sure am a lot more safety conscious then in the past. I always plan out my moves when doing any kind of work such as; where I'm starting from, where I will end and what is in between (up/down/sides). In others words good situational awareness. One thing that I always have to keep reminding myself is to breath and relax. In my welding research I came across one site that listed the ABC's of welding - always be comfortable, which is good advise for whatever you doing in the shop. I keep distractions at a minimum and always wear ear plugs around loud equipment as that helps me keep focused on what I am doing.
I plan on having my welding setup in one corner of the shed next to the double doors. That way I can have the doors open and at least one of my three windows. If the wind is blowing really strong then no MIG gas welding.
Congratulations on your new mill as that is always exciting!
As with any acquiring any new skill – practice,practice, practice!
Not sure at this point which is less expensive (wire, gas, etc) to learn MIG or O/A, beyond the cost of safety gear.
And as of right now I probably fit into that class of forum members who only once or twice a year to weld what needs to be welded and find that their MIG suite them quite well.
Since metal working is a new hobby for me, my learning time/expense will be tooling up my lathe, end mill and welder stuff.