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Old 01-12-2022, 07:37 PM   #1
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Noob welding

I'm at the planning stage of my build yet. I can do some very basic metal work with cutoff wheels, a drill, and bolts but that's about it. Extreme amateur when it comes to metal work. My carpentry skills aren't bad and I largely understand bracing and weight/force distribution concepts.

Anyway, I'm Thinking about investing in a welder and the appropriate tools/gear to learn before starting my build. Nothing crazy like a roof raise, but enough to frame in undercarriage components like tanks, mini split, etc.

Any advice on...
1) starting equipment
2) how to learn
3) not injuring myself while learning
4) how to make sure what I do build is secure and won't damage my property or worse, someone else's

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Old 01-12-2022, 07:53 PM   #2
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Do you have a local Jr college that has welding classes? These are skills that will last you a life time.
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Old 01-12-2022, 08:20 PM   #3
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I bought a Hobart 140 machine 3 years ago. $600ish. I watched a YouTube video or two and now I’m a welder!

Not quite that easy tho. I’ve been around welding operations all of my life and know the lingo.

A lot of it is practice. Learn about heat and feed settings, and how metal acts when heated. Your first welds should not be on you bus. [emoji848]

That machine has paid for itself many times over and I enjoy welding.

Peace
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Old 01-12-2022, 08:37 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by s2mikon View Post
Do you have a local Jr college that has welding classes? These are skills that will last you a life time.
Based on their website all they seem to have is a year-long certificate program or 2-year AA program. I didn't see anything in adult-ed but I've emailed them to ask. That would be great if I can.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Meathead View Post
Your first welds should not be on you bus. [emoji848]
I'd already planned on plenty of practice with some scrap metal.... like a crapton of old school bus seats but great advice nonetheless!
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Old 01-13-2022, 04:06 AM   #5
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I was where you are about six weeks ago. I bought a basic Lincoln Electric 110 volt arc welder that can weld up to 1/4 inch steel. To keep it simple I do flux core arc welding. It does not require a cannister of compressed gas. The tradeoff is that it leaves slag that you need to wire brush off. No biggie.

I offered to pay a local welder to give me an initial lesson. He spent three hours with me and wouldn't take a dime.

You should also watch some online videos.

Make sure to get safety gear like an auto darkening welding helmet, cap, gloves and coat. Harbor Freight has an inexpensive welding table.

I weld only on a sheltered patio - never inside, because of fumes and the risk of fire.

Welding is a complex field to master. I'm very much a beginner. But I'm finding welding to be a very useful skill in my skoolie build.
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Old 01-13-2022, 08:51 AM   #6
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A MIG welder is the easiest to use...but it's also the easiest with which to make pretty welds that don't penetrate. Make sure you clean off all paint and mill scale, so you're welding clean metal surfaces. Definitely practice and make welds on scrap and then bust them apart, to see if you're getting penetration or not. It's very possible to lay a bead that's just sitting on the surface...which would be bad if done on your tank brackets and frames.

One note: If there is any glass nearby, such as windows or the windshield, make sure they're covered and protected from spatter. If you don't, you'll find that the little droplets will embed themselves in the glass. What's nearby? They can easily cross the width of a bus to hit the windows behind you, on the other side of the bus. Last year, while welding, my cell phone fell out of my pocket without me realizing it...and the spatter cracked the screen. I think I put a photo of that in one of our videos.
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Old 01-13-2022, 12:37 PM   #7
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We got a hobart 140 also, using our bus as an (excellent) excuse to learn another valuable skill. But while I don't know nothin', I know enough to know that I don't know nothin' So the only thing we're welding now are items that - if they fail - won't result in a catastrophic occurrence, either to ourselves or people behind us on the road.

So far we've welded a custom rear-door lock catch, and an A/C hanger bracket (that will still be gtg even if the weld fails). Next items on the list are 'cages' for our indoor fresh water tanks. All non-shielded flux core... I'll save gas for when I've got this down.

At least some of Steve Bleile's videos are on youtube. Lots of people that obviously have no business teaching on youtube but still trying to do so, but he's the real deal. Here's one on flux-core I found very helpful. He has at least on on gmaw also

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Old 01-13-2022, 02:15 PM   #8
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I fully agree with the previous posts. Take a class at your local community college. Even though I have been welding since the 70s, I took a welding class at our community college a few years ago.
I saved my text book from the class and have gone back to it to refresh my memory.
The text book is: Welding Principles and Applications by Larry Jeffus, ISBN-13: 978-1-305-49469-5.
Just reading the text book will give you a lot of insight.

There are a number of copies on eBay at this time.

I use one of the small portable Miller MIG welders in the Crown. It can be carried with one hand and runs on 120 VAC. It can be used with flux core or solid wire. I have used both and prefer the solid wire.


Even though you could sell your welder when you are done with your conversion, you will probably keep it as you will gain a life skill and tool that you will always be able to use.
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Old 01-13-2022, 02:28 PM   #9
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I checked with both of the area community colleges - no adult ed intro-welding classes, just career-ready classes that meet for an entire semester. Bummer! Onto "Plan B" (just gotta figure out what that is ha ha)

Quote:
Originally Posted by flattracker View Post
Even though you could sell your welder when you are done with your conversion, you will probably keep it as you will gain a life skill and tool that you will always be able to use.
We used to pay one of our mechanics to do a little 110v MIG welding on the party buses when we needed something - usually reinforcing the entry stairwell on our rust-bucket. He hated welding and only did it when we absolutely needed it (and then charged accordingly) so I've long thought that owning a welder and knowing how to use it would pay off in more than one way.
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Old 01-13-2022, 02:52 PM   #10
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I have a Montgomery Ward 220 volt stick welder. Bought it at a yard sale 15 years ago and it's still working great.

Stick welding is dirt simple and there are plenty of youtube videos on how-to. The good thing about 220 volts is it can weld pretty thick material.

I also have a small 110 volt wire welder-perfect for thinner material but it takes a little practice getting the thing dialed in (speed, heat etc).

I welded my rear bumper extension using both, the stick welder for the 1/4" material and the little welder for tacking things in place.
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Old 01-13-2022, 03:41 PM   #11
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110 v wire welder with gas. good easy up to 1/8" thick steel. up to 1/4" steel with some preparation.

hobart, lincoln, miller .... stick to these brand names. Used is fine as long as they are working correctly.

thicker than 1/4' stick welder or 220 mig welder.

a welding helmet that auto darkens will make life easier, but is not a have to have item.

avoid welding over head for now. avoidwelding up hill for now. these are skills that you can try after you put in some time welding...

beat the crap out of your practice stuff to see how difficult it is to get it apart.

you can use just CO2 as a welding gas in most cases. like the the CO2 from soda machines..... CO2-argon mix is better and more expensive.

try not to weld in the wind... blows away shielding gas = bad welds

some of those triangle magnets are helpful to hold stuff. clamps and various ways to hold stuff.

practice practice practice practice

I can teach you to weld in 20 minutes..... takes practice to weld good enough.

please please please.... grinders, hammers, welding PROTECT YOUR EYES ALWAYS.

this means face shield with eyeglasses, use both when grinding/cut off wheels.

a grinding disc and cut off wheel are not the same thing. one cuts, one grinds.

keep long hair tied up. I like military flight suits for welding.... made of nomex or kevlar.. one layer. military surplus. leather shoes or boots. dropping melted metal onto a cloth shoe will often result in metal burning into your feet. Like pinholes burnt into your skin. with metal balls stuck in the skin that you have to dig out with tweezers kind of burnt into your skin.

ear plugs, I have been working around with this kind of stuff for more than 30 years... I have lost hearing because of it... learn from an farts mistakes. I have scars from all of this stuff. Wore an eye dressing for a month. I did not know if I was going to be able to see out of that eye....

lots of people have taught themselves to weld - you can too.

I did that. I can weld with mig, tig, stick, braze, gas weld, and something called metal spray transfer..... all self taught. Yea I have screwed some stuff up. Not much though. You tube university is a pretty cool thing to have.

best wishes

william
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Old 01-13-2022, 05:07 PM   #12
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I have mutliple welding machines, but would have to say for work on a skoolie the hobart 140 is a good chioce, and I do have one, that I mostly use for sheet metal work, or other light stuff. Another plus is the generator in my bus will run it, as it is a 120 volt machine. I do prefer to use shielding gas, for a beginner it always you to see what you are welding much better the flux core.



The local welding supply in town has classes on welding. Might want t check for that in your area.
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Old 01-13-2022, 05:39 PM   #13
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My welding class was a semester long. I think that you need that long to learn enough to make the class worthwhile. If you are going to weld on your bus, you really need to learn enough to cover all aspects of the work to do.
Vertical, overhead welding are more involved than horizontal. Getting the current right, the wire feed right matter. If you do stick welding, using the correct rod and current matter. None of this is rocket science, but it does matter.
The cost of doing it wrong could be items falling of your bus while going down the road. An Onan 6.5 Kw generator weighs 515 lbs, and a 40 gallon black water tank will weigh about 330 lbs when full. Do you wish to risk one of these falling off at 60 mph?


If you choose to do gas acetylene/oxygen welding that also has a learning curve.
Getting the flame correct is important as well as how hot you get the work pieces.


Also, when welding on a motor vehicle always be aware of gas vapors, fuel lines. Gas vapor will burn, even result in explosions.


I think my comments echo previous ones.
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Old 01-19-2022, 03:52 PM   #14
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I started with gas (acetylene/oxygen) and then bought a Miller inverter type stick welder. Use both, but not enough to be expert. Jobs that have to be done right get farmed out to a pro.
Next up is a small mig or gig machine.

The art of welding is all about practice. I do a practice weld before the weld that I plan on using.
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Old 01-19-2022, 04:09 PM   #15
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Google Maker Space in your area. Many have welders, and classes/workshops. Area515 in Des Moines came up, they have a welder!
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Old 01-19-2022, 04:15 PM   #16
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I just bought a flexcore welder from harbor freight. check out utube for Titanium welder reviews. Lots of them. It's great and can do most if not all of what you need done. About $200. Plenty of how to vids also.
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Old 01-19-2022, 04:39 PM   #17
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i tried welding pipe once. now its been a 25 year career and never trusted the harbor freight machines until i went over to a mans house to weld an exhaust system for him already mocked up in the vehicle and he had harbor freight flux core machine with harbor freight wire and i fought with it for awhile cause the wire kept breaking in the machine or hanging up in the sleeve with the wierd angles until i loosened the spool up more than normal and the roll of wire unwound itself in the machine.
ran up the road to a big box store and bought a roll of lincoln wire and the difference was night and day.
so much so that i thought about buying one just to have around the house.
but i have access to all the top dog stuff from my work i just have plan when to go to the machines or bring what i need home. not a big deal but every now and then it would be nice to have one on the ready.
but definetly shielding gas if i have a choice on thinner stuff and stick for anything 3/16 and up.
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Old 01-19-2022, 08:22 PM   #18
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Take a Welding Class.

I used to work as a Welding Instructor some years ago and had students that wanted to learn welding to work on cars and trucks.
Also some farmers that needed this skill to keep equipment up and running, not to mention the majority of the students who were looking for a career as a welder to make a better life for themselves.



I built a school bus camper while I was working as a Welding Instructor at a Technical College and if it was not for welding it would have been impossible to complete this fun project. It was a great demonstration to my students of how welding can make so many things possible.


Take a Welding Class, you will be glad you did!
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Old 01-19-2022, 10:27 PM   #19
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I dropped $500 on a MIG welding class at my local community college and it was pretty much a waste of money. It was taught by a welding engineer who runs the shop at a nearby nuclear power plant, but he was vastly overqualified for teaching an intro welding class and he basically spent almost no time with me (for example, it wasn't until the third week of class that he realized my welding helmet was turned to full dark, which explained why I couldn't see anything at all). Also the welding machines were high-powered and couldn't handle anything thinner than 1/4" (most of what you'll be welding on a skoolie will be sheet metal or 1/8" at most).

Just buy a cheap used MIG welder for a couple hundred, along with a bottle and the other gear you'll need (mask, gloves etc.) and practice on some scraps for a couple of days and then have at it. "If I can do it anybody can" is a cliche but it definitely applies in this case.
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Old 01-20-2022, 01:33 AM   #20
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Buy a small 140 Hobart from tractor supply they are great little welders made by Miller one of the top brands . Inside the side door it has all the heat and speed requirements for material size . then get on YouTube and search welding. You can learn lots of different techniques what to do and what not to do. one main thing Clean metal makes a good weld .
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