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How long does it take to learn? I've just been eyeballing project number 4. It might well happen This will mean i've got two welding projects if i get it. I own an ahalf decent Clarke welder i bought to do the XR a few moon s ago, Looks like nows the time to learn huh? as a sample this and that
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it doesn't matter if it's a Morris Marina or a Toyota Celica - it's what you do with it that counts
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Its not the welding thats hard, thats easy. Its the fabricating up repair sections and getting the thing stripped down right around areas needing repair which is troublesome.
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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That stuff i'm not too bad at. I can see thats where some money comes on the bill when its taken to a garage.
I had a very short dabble when i got it and i kept getting the wire stuck. i'm sure its practice but how much...?
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it doesn't matter if it's a Morris Marina or a Toyota Celica - it's what you do with it that counts
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I think w31dinG 5killz0rs are pretty much a pre-requisite for anyone whos into retro clunkers. If you've got a machine there's nothing holding you back from learning. Have you got an angle grinder too?
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1972 Fiat 130 1985 Talbot Alpine 1974 Lancia Beta Saloon 1975 + 1986 Mazda 929 Koop + Wagon 1982 Fiat Argenta 2.0 iniezione elettronica 1977 Toyota Carina TA14 BEST CAR EVER!!!!!!!! 1979 Datsun B310 Sunny 4-dr 1984 Audi 200 Quattro Turbo 1983 Honda Accord 1.6 DX GONE1989 Alfa 75 2.0 TS Mr T says: TREAT YO MOTHER RIGHT!
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slater
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 6,390
Club RR Member Number: 78
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How hard is it to mig weld?slater
@slater
Club Retro Rides Member 78
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have a go on some off cuts or something first. Id start off with thicker stuff first then thin sheet and then have a go at welding rust
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Best way to learn how to mig is to practice on clean steel, free of rust paint oil and anything else, on a flat surface before attempting anything on your car. Practice with different heat settings and wire feed rates once you have it set for the thickness you are welding it will only need a bit of fine tuning with the wire feed depending on torch angle and steel being welded. Pub co2 bottle is much better than disposable bottles, and disposable bottle is normally better than gasless. If you are welding outside pic a day with as little wind as possible. If it is windy you need to turn the gas up at the regulator. When you come to welding on a car youve got to get back to clean solid metal before you start. Paint, underseal, oil etc as well as making it harder to weld will create a weak porous weld so get rid of it. Make sure you have a good earth it will help get a better weld and also reduce the risk of your welder overheating especially on smaller welders with a low duty cycle. Use anti spatter spray on the nozzle and tip and shroud, you will get more life out of them. Make sure you disconnect the battery so that you don't damage the alternator if you have a bad earth.
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Nick
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,483
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the one thing i found made me suck slightly less at it than i did. was actually doing some proper surface preparation and removing stuff on both sides of the panel. clean them up good and proper helps plenty i found.
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idea stolen from rattely eddie.
this weeks car count "5"
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Thanks for the tips Pheonixc, slater, RWnick, alistairk, and thanks for the encouragementand Mr B. Yeah i do have a power devil value grinder, its a scary ol machine, but fun What am i waiting for?! Cant wait to see the faces of the neighbours sharing this flat carpark when the fleet shows up! ;D
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it doesn't matter if it's a Morris Marina or a Toyota Celica - it's what you do with it that counts
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i must get my self a welding device
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once again rocking with 1117cc and 4 gears!
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et one with a fan. My first one was a MIGmate 90 and it had no fan and after like 20 minutes work you'd be waiting for it to cool down again for 5 minutes, PITA
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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et one with a fan. My first one was a MIGmate 90 and it had no fan and after like 20 minutes work you'd be waiting for it to cool down again for 5 minutes, PITA mine was the same. Found it ran much better with a pub size CO2 though
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If you're serious about welding and likely to plenty of it go get yourself an argon mix bottle (think it's called cougar or something). It makes mig welding cleaner and easier than CO2. Good metal prep is vital but I find some welders are less sensitive to crappy metal than others. SIP's seem to be pretty bad in this regard. The Cebora I had was okay and now i just have a Clarke and it's great. Mig welding is pretty easy. Plenty of practice and you'll be a master in no time, capable of welding up suprisingly big holes without the aid of extra sheet metal ;D Mig is also pretty good for the odd bit of stainless fabrication too. -Ed
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1962 Datsun Bluebird Estate - 1971 Datsun 510 SSS - 1976 Datsun 710 SSS - 1981 Dodge van - 1985 Nissan Cherry Europe GTi - 1988 Nissan Prairie - 1990 Hyundai Pony Pickup - 1992 Mazda MX5
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Seth
South East
MorrisOxford TriumphMirald HillmanMinx BorgwardIsabellaCombi
Posts: 15,538
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One piece of advice I'd give is to not mess about cutting out little bits here and there, replacing each bit. Often it is much easier to both cut out and replace larger chunks since the cost of the raw material is negligible compared to your invested time and effort. Also don't be afraid to cut out bits that are 100% solid but are in the way of what you're really trying to get to. Its much easier to weld them back in afterwards than try and work round them and do a curse word job as a result.
I also use an argon mix from BOC. It's more expensive initially but means that I always have gas here whenever I want to weld and it is the right gas to use. (I know it can be done with CO2 and I have in the past but the argon mix works better for me) The little bottles really don't last long and I found welding outside with them really difficult. Probably good for you to start with them though as its not worth the investment until you're sure you're happy welding.
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Follow your dreams or you might as well be a vegetable.
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Hey seth what size is your BOC bottle? Is it Argoshield 'T' size?
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1972 Fiat 130 1985 Talbot Alpine 1974 Lancia Beta Saloon 1975 + 1986 Mazda 929 Koop + Wagon 1982 Fiat Argenta 2.0 iniezione elettronica 1977 Toyota Carina TA14 BEST CAR EVER!!!!!!!! 1979 Datsun B310 Sunny 4-dr 1984 Audi 200 Quattro Turbo 1983 Honda Accord 1.6 DX GONE1989 Alfa 75 2.0 TS Mr T says: TREAT YO MOTHER RIGHT!
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Seth
South East
MorrisOxford TriumphMirald HillmanMinx BorgwardIsabellaCombi
Posts: 15,538
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Mr B, according my my most recent invoice its an Argoshield light, size X. Its a smallish diameter and about 4' high if that helps?
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Follow your dreams or you might as well be a vegetable.
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Ah damn it. I have a bottle of argoshield TC, its waist height, green/turquoise and maybe 8" diameter. Its empty and I no longer have an account with BOC so I can't get it refilled. Its a real problem, which I have only got around by not doing any welding, not really an ideal solution. I need to find someone whit a similar bottle who'll swap me a full one for my empty one plus some dough.
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1972 Fiat 130 1985 Talbot Alpine 1974 Lancia Beta Saloon 1975 + 1986 Mazda 929 Koop + Wagon 1982 Fiat Argenta 2.0 iniezione elettronica 1977 Toyota Carina TA14 BEST CAR EVER!!!!!!!! 1979 Datsun B310 Sunny 4-dr 1984 Audi 200 Quattro Turbo 1983 Honda Accord 1.6 DX GONE1989 Alfa 75 2.0 TS Mr T says: TREAT YO MOTHER RIGHT!
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One piece of advice I'd give is to not mess about cutting out little bits here and there, replacing each bit. Often it is much easier to both cut out and replace larger chunks since the cost of the raw material is negligible compared to your invested time and effort. Also don't be afraid to cut out bits that are 100% solid but are in the way of what you're really trying to get to. Its much easier to weld them back in afterwards than try and work round them and do a curse word job as a result. That's excellent advice I always try to work this way. Easier just to chop everything out and rebuild the section how it was originally meant to be.
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1962 Datsun Bluebird Estate - 1971 Datsun 510 SSS - 1976 Datsun 710 SSS - 1981 Dodge van - 1985 Nissan Cherry Europe GTi - 1988 Nissan Prairie - 1990 Hyundai Pony Pickup - 1992 Mazda MX5
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Fantastic advice there. cheers. Wheres the best place to get this gas from, direc from boc ? If i learnt to weld i could buy any old tat! never stopped me before though!
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it doesn't matter if it's a Morris Marina or a Toyota Celica - it's what you do with it that counts
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not read the above but if its clean and touching you can weld a ducks to water. watch out for fires though.
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Seth
South East
MorrisOxford TriumphMirald HillmanMinx BorgwardIsabellaCombi
Posts: 15,538
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OK, here's an example of what I was saying. Chassis repair on Katie's Herald. They always go in the area under the diff/driveshaft as its a low point and water runs down the inside of the boot outrigger. I had a poke prior to the MOT a couple of years ago and then ended up on my back welding for a few weeks Other side was just as bad The chassis rail itself was gone but that vertical rib (part of the suspension turret) was actually 100% solid Easier with it out the way though and this is what I cut out. I cut around the bulge as it was just about OK and was going to be awkward to form in thick gauge Repair section made and ready to fit. Already welded along corner to the bottom of the "box" section All butt mig'ed up and a coat of paint! I've replaced the section of the verticle rib with a new bit Plenty of black gunk later.... ;D
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Follow your dreams or you might as well be a vegetable.
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