I am looking at making a welder. I know there was a long post about metal casting and the DIY welder was along the same line, I was wondering if any one has successfullly built a welder and if so is the concept as simple as it looks or is my abundance of time and lack of money better spent else where and just buy a welder.
Welder
- Thread starter ferball
- Start date
Go to a large hardware store, you can get an arc welder for probably about $80 over there, then buy a mask and some sticks, might cost your $100-$120.
I was doing some research on line and there seems to be a realy simple arc welder that can be built out of a pair of old microwaves. Seemed a like a better long term idea than a car battery and jumper cables. The project looked like fun, but I was wondering if any one has tried it. Given the crazy DIYers on this forum I was hoping I was not the first one to stumble across this.
You can find a used MIG on CL for about $50.
Also, your life (or someone elses life) depends on the quality of those welds!!! Take some welding classes & don't use a BS home made welder!
Also, your life (or someone elses life) depends on the quality of those welds!!! Take some welding classes & don't use a BS home made welder!
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Another bit of info fer the first timer (tho somewhat controversial I'll admit lol), stick/arc welding is great for many things, but it's really a pain for the (comparatively) thin & small diameter tubing needed for most bike builds... this is truly MIG/TIG territory in my opinion 
You get what you pay for. Best to do good to start with. Thast more likely a flux core for the thin stuff you need gas to go with it
For thoese with stick welder if you use 7014 insted of 6013. Its a contack rod just turn the heat up a little and you can hold it right to the metal and go. AWESOME how it works
That is one of the few things I remember from my welding class years ago, SAFETY. And despite my making stupid and sometimes dangerous stuff in my shed, safety first and foremost. I don't know what the going rate for a new eye is, and I have cut/burned myself enough to know that it is worth the extra precaution to avoid the pain, not to mention the for the price of stitches I could buy some realy cool stuff.
Excellent advice from hurricane, and SAFETY is the most important thing..I am one of those DiYer's that gets by with the inferior gasless mig, for the work i do i find it adequate, if you have the $$ for gas mig setup i would go with it, opens you up to being able to weld both steel and aluminum .. You will need different shielding gases for the two, CO2s for steel and Argon for your ali's ... rest of the equipment is right to go...
KiM
KiM
ive been welding for 20 years you could weld anything on this with mig tig or stick but each process requires its own set of parameters for the home do it yourself i recommend mig as it is the easiest process to learn and used mig welders capable of the low amps you need for this kind of thing are dirt cheap just my two cents!
When it comes to welders you get what you pay for. Some have aluminum windings and some have copper. I have seen were they buy cheep and turn aroud and have to buy a good one later. I have had my 110 volt Lincon mig for 20+ years and made everything from a 30 ft. coverd bridge to trailers, still going strong. Back in the 60's when I first started I had nothing but a torch. I brazed everything. Then I was able to get a stick welder. I gave that to my son when I got my Mig. Now that I am back to bikes I will be trying the torch again. Nickel silver brazing supose to be much stronger the bronze. The Torch and Tig are the same proses its just that tig has less heat. They are both fusion welds with filler rods. SAFTY is the maine thing. I have had welding burns to my eyes. And there is nothing more painfull then paceing the floor all night waiting for them to heal. my three cents......Curt
SISSYS At the plant we have 3 sissy robot mig machines that run 24-7 . They weld thinwall pipe.
Like I said he was a crusty old guy afraid of "new fangle" technology, but I was and am under the impression that with enough practice with an arc welder you can do most anything a mig can do, not that I am that good or will ever be that good, but I was holding out hope if I acquired a cheap arc welder I might be able to dabble in frame construction.
To bad you are not close. I gave that welder to my son and he has not even pluged it in yet.
Check out garage sales I seen three this summer one a lincon for $100 Good luck if you get one try that 7014. I think if you go to and welding supply you can get it in 1/16 inch great for light work
You could always crank up your old Ford Bronco. It's 130 amp alternator makes an excellent TIG power source.
