about welders

deacon · #1 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 10:31 AM

I rode my bike all over town today looking for somebody to lay down two small beads of weld for me. I mean this is s ten minute job tops.

If I give up and buy my own welder I have questions.

I would probably use it twice a month tops. Weld steel to steel nothing fancy. Knowing me it would look like crap no matter what I used.

okay basic question one.... What is the minimum amps I need to weld a 1/8" bar to a bike frame. Or to weld two nuts together and have them stay together even when being turned by a gasoline engine.

What's the difference between rod and wire welders. I know what a rod is and my neighbor has the wire welder but what is the practical difference in strength of the weld.

Now he as welded this kind of thing for me before and his welds always stay together.

VENICE BOY · #2 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 10:54 AM

Why cant you just use your neighbors welder again?

**Ilikeabikea** · #3 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 10:56 AM

Deacon, welding the 1/8 bar to the frame won't be that difficult with a wire welder. It will take some practice though. Welding the two nuts together depends on what size nuts your talking about. But they would be a little more difficult. The best wire welder for the very beginer would be one with infinite heat ranges and variable wire speed. The single and two postion machines are considerably more difficult. I think if you could get someone to get you started and you did a lot of practice you could probably get pretty good at it. But practice a lot on the type stuff you are going to be welding before you do one for real. It takes lots of pressure off it's just practice. I wish you lived closer. In a days time I could have you wire welding. Well heck if you lived closer I would just weld it up for you.......................

VENICE BOY · #4 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 10:57 AM

If you REALLY need to get your own for small welds... a small 110V wire feed will work.
If you have 220V in your garage, I would say to get a 220 welder instead, (it has more uses!)

deacon · #5 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 11:05 AM

I hate to keep asking him. He won't let me pay him so it's kind of embarrassing. What about the older rod welder types. I'm not going to be doing this very often at all.

I only have 110 in the shop but I do have a 20amp circuit out there.

yeah about all i ever intend to do is make drive wheels and weld mounting bars to bike frames. Maybe make a repair to a frame now and then.

I probably am going to have him do this one for me but If I do any more I'm definitely going to buy a welder of some kind.

So what is the minimum amps to make the two nuts stay together under runing rpms.

**Ilikeabikea** · #6 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 11:22 AM

With 110 you're limited pretty much to wire. Stick rod welding is much more difficult. I have seen some 110 stick machines but they were very hard to weld with..........................

**fairracing31** · #7 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 01:59 PM

Deacon, I recomend you go with a 110 wire feed. For your need's I think it would work perfect. I've got a 110 that I got at Harbor freght for $120.00. I was a bit worried about the quality of this welder because it is chinese made. But I just needed something for around the house, going back and forth to the shop was getting a bit old.
I have been using this welder for four years now and I use the crap out of it with no problems. I have 4 sure gotten my money out of it. I think wire feed is easier to learn then stick, but it is just like everyhting; it takes practice.

I love to weld, something about making heat and fuseing two pieces of metal into one really turns me on

The self satisfaction of making that perfect bead is awesome!

**Ilikeabikea** · #8 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 02:19 PM

That looks a lot like the machine I have. Mine is Campbell Hausfeld. It works really good. I use it alot. Are you running solid wire or flux core? Mine came with a regulator but as high as co2 is I just use the flux core wire. One thing I have found out too is don't use the really cheap flux wire. I bought some Chicago Electric flux wire and I couldn't hardly weld with it. I switched to some Hobart wire and it was like I had gotten a new machine....................

**fairracing31** · #9 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 02:37 PM

I use flux for the same reason. And yes the Chicago flux suck's, I used it the first time and that will be the last time.

Check this stick welder out. Me and my Dad made it years ago. It used to be a 220 but it burned up. So we used a 400cc Brigg's a Chevy alternator and the control panel and made into a gas powered stick welder. I have done many roll cage's with this guy and it work's great. It is a pain to start with the pull string.

**nogoodnic** · #10 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 05:04 PM

I can't say that I know much about welding but this is a topic that comes up over and over on diffrent bicycle forums. One thing I have learned from reading these discussions is that a wire fed MIG seems the best way to go for bikes. The general concensus on TIG is that it is too powerful for the thin walled mild steel that our bikes are made out of...Kelly