Until NOW.
Struggled getting anyone to help me weld the front quarters on my 900 Turbo - Years ago there were many a person/mate/mate of mate who could do it, but now I wasn't having any luck at all.....
Then someone I was working with mentioned their Dad had one for sale for £50 - An unused first edition Sip Migmate. (Wire feed on top)
Here are my tips for starting out for the first time. (in no particular order)
The tiny little 60L compressed throwaway bottles of Argon gas are a complete waste of time and Money. £30 gets you 3, and that lasted me about a day practicing. Don't even bother with these bottles as the standard SIP regulator is terrible. Buy a decent regulator for £9 with a gauge and ask around local pubs if they have any empty gas bottles. Get this swapped out at any welding/paintshop store and use that instead. £25 for sa full cylinder that will last you a very long time. Bloody heavy and cumbersome, but will save you a fortune in gas. Unfortunately it's not argon, which is the preferred gas, but Co2 which works almost as well. Set the regulator pressure to no more than 10psi.
You will have to take the welder apart - mine popped the gas line internally and I had to fix it.
Get a 1000w Grinder. The cheapo B&Q 500w VAG500 grinders are ok, but the smell they make when they catch fire isn't something you want to happen too often. The grinder is your eraser and always grind down the welds afterwards.
The welder requires earthing to the body of the car. There is a clamp for this - Make sure it's a good earth.
I have found that tiny magnets really help to position the metal on the car - It works for me. There is an array of clamps you can buy but I found magnets easier. Remove them after the first spot weld.
Buy some tips and shrouds immediately from eBay. Cheap and easy to replace. They don't last as long as you would think.
Wire. There are two types. .6 and .8 - I am running .8 and think .6 is easier when you are starting out - Remember that each wire size needs the matching tip size.
Get some fresh sheet metal - Bodyshops always know the best place to go. Tinsnips are the only tool for cutting sheet metal. £10 for 3 pairs at toolstation.
Helmet. The most important thing on this list - I picked up an auto darkening lens type for £15. It has a solar panel and automatically darkens the light before your eyes get damaged. The light is brighter than any other and even an accidental look without a helmet can give you a headache for hours. Arc-eye isn't a pretty thing, and you can go blind from it. No helmet - No welding.
It is difficult at first and really frustrating. Wire feed issues, phone calls, significant others, wasps, flies, bees, dogs, cats, kids, neighbours will only interrupt you just as you are about to start.
Find your speed - around 5 for me, and med-high on the welder - Again, practice with all the different settings.
You will blow holes through sheet metal - It means you are moving the tip too slowly or have the power set to high. Again, practice minimises this.
Practice by welding a square of metal to a larger square of metal - You need to set the speed of the wire to the speed of your arm movement - There are many online tips on how to hold the gun - you need to try them all.
What you are trying to do is to melt both surfaces and join using the wire coming out of the gun. That's the best way I can describe it. Youtube is your friend on this.
Set yourself a project - Welders are very heavy and you can make a trolley out of any spare metal and wheels that you may have around.
Try and weld something daily - It's easy to lose the knack. I am running out of garden furniture to repair!
Using the welder regularly will prevent the wire going rusty and keep your setup in good condition. All welders that have been sat for a long period of time need recommissioning.
Once you can weld, you will regret not learning this sooner. If only I had learnt how years ago ...
Gasless welding is a lot harder and although more convenient, (welders are cheaper) - I have not found anyone that really likes this method. It's far messier and harder to do. If you spot a cheap welder, it's probably gasless which isn't what you want.
NEVER use normal clothing. Get some decent long sleeved gloves and a baseball cap, and overalls. You will get burnt. a lot. I destroyed a nice watch so don't wear anything on your wrists. I read somewhere that some of the temeratures reached are the same as lava. There is a lot of moulten metal around. Earplugs are also worth using when working to the side or upside down after a conversation with a friend of mine who got a bit of spatter down his ear, which sounded far too painful...
Practice, practice, practice. Took me two weeks of an hour a day and I am still not perfect - You also start to appreciate some of the build threads as the quality of the welding in some of them is exceptional.
Good luck - If I forgot to mention anything let me know.
Brand new tip and shroud
Gas bottle & Reg
Always keep your first attempts - This hideous example was me attempting to weld the first time, without gas, and all the wrong settings. You can't get worse than this.
Knackered old tips and shrouds - That was after a month.
Struggled getting anyone to help me weld the front quarters on my 900 Turbo - Years ago there were many a person/mate/mate of mate who could do it, but now I wasn't having any luck at all.....
Then someone I was working with mentioned their Dad had one for sale for £50 - An unused first edition Sip Migmate. (Wire feed on top)
Here are my tips for starting out for the first time. (in no particular order)
The tiny little 60L compressed throwaway bottles of Argon gas are a complete waste of time and Money. £30 gets you 3, and that lasted me about a day practicing. Don't even bother with these bottles as the standard SIP regulator is terrible. Buy a decent regulator for £9 with a gauge and ask around local pubs if they have any empty gas bottles. Get this swapped out at any welding/paintshop store and use that instead. £25 for sa full cylinder that will last you a very long time. Bloody heavy and cumbersome, but will save you a fortune in gas. Unfortunately it's not argon, which is the preferred gas, but Co2 which works almost as well. Set the regulator pressure to no more than 10psi.
You will have to take the welder apart - mine popped the gas line internally and I had to fix it.
Get a 1000w Grinder. The cheapo B&Q 500w VAG500 grinders are ok, but the smell they make when they catch fire isn't something you want to happen too often. The grinder is your eraser and always grind down the welds afterwards.
The welder requires earthing to the body of the car. There is a clamp for this - Make sure it's a good earth.
I have found that tiny magnets really help to position the metal on the car - It works for me. There is an array of clamps you can buy but I found magnets easier. Remove them after the first spot weld.
Buy some tips and shrouds immediately from eBay. Cheap and easy to replace. They don't last as long as you would think.
Wire. There are two types. .6 and .8 - I am running .8 and think .6 is easier when you are starting out - Remember that each wire size needs the matching tip size.
Get some fresh sheet metal - Bodyshops always know the best place to go. Tinsnips are the only tool for cutting sheet metal. £10 for 3 pairs at toolstation.
Helmet. The most important thing on this list - I picked up an auto darkening lens type for £15. It has a solar panel and automatically darkens the light before your eyes get damaged. The light is brighter than any other and even an accidental look without a helmet can give you a headache for hours. Arc-eye isn't a pretty thing, and you can go blind from it. No helmet - No welding.
It is difficult at first and really frustrating. Wire feed issues, phone calls, significant others, wasps, flies, bees, dogs, cats, kids, neighbours will only interrupt you just as you are about to start.
Find your speed - around 5 for me, and med-high on the welder - Again, practice with all the different settings.
You will blow holes through sheet metal - It means you are moving the tip too slowly or have the power set to high. Again, practice minimises this.
Practice by welding a square of metal to a larger square of metal - You need to set the speed of the wire to the speed of your arm movement - There are many online tips on how to hold the gun - you need to try them all.
What you are trying to do is to melt both surfaces and join using the wire coming out of the gun. That's the best way I can describe it. Youtube is your friend on this.
Set yourself a project - Welders are very heavy and you can make a trolley out of any spare metal and wheels that you may have around.
Try and weld something daily - It's easy to lose the knack. I am running out of garden furniture to repair!
Using the welder regularly will prevent the wire going rusty and keep your setup in good condition. All welders that have been sat for a long period of time need recommissioning.
Once you can weld, you will regret not learning this sooner. If only I had learnt how years ago ...
Gasless welding is a lot harder and although more convenient, (welders are cheaper) - I have not found anyone that really likes this method. It's far messier and harder to do. If you spot a cheap welder, it's probably gasless which isn't what you want.
NEVER use normal clothing. Get some decent long sleeved gloves and a baseball cap, and overalls. You will get burnt. a lot. I destroyed a nice watch so don't wear anything on your wrists. I read somewhere that some of the temeratures reached are the same as lava. There is a lot of moulten metal around. Earplugs are also worth using when working to the side or upside down after a conversation with a friend of mine who got a bit of spatter down his ear, which sounded far too painful...
Practice, practice, practice. Took me two weeks of an hour a day and I am still not perfect - You also start to appreciate some of the build threads as the quality of the welding in some of them is exceptional.
Good luck - If I forgot to mention anything let me know.
Brand new tip and shroud
Gas bottle & Reg
Always keep your first attempts - This hideous example was me attempting to weld the first time, without gas, and all the wrong settings. You can't get worse than this.
Knackered old tips and shrouds - That was after a month.
