And the smoke was thick

deacon

deacon

minor bike philosopher
Yeah my welder caught fire. Actually the cord burned. I had my back to it welding when the smell hit me. Then the cloud of smoke covered me and the whole shop. I debated replacing the cord, but I really want a new welder. I bought that one used on ebay. So I think I'll get another rod welder. I really do like those in spite of all I hear about wire being better.

Anyway when the cord goes, it will stink up your shop and blow the breaker. One mell of a hess.
 
"Better" is a matter of opinion... maybe practice lol

While I do prefer MIG myself, it's only because I'm lazy and prefer gas shielding. I suppose TIG is best for these bikes... but I've never much liked TIG welding lol There's much to be said for stick welding and those that can do it well!

Sux that you incinerated the cord, if the machine worked well - why replace all of it? I imagine it was just a short...

Not that I'm one to discourage a new toy :p
 
Last edited:
To be honest I took a good look a the inside wiring and the routing of the wiring and switch along with the ground all concerned me. The welding was working fine. I think it just had a ratty wiring system. I have an idea I will wind up with another 70amp welder but one with a variable heat control this time.

I got hold of some bad rods and they were not sustaining a burn so I switched to some 1/16 rods for the job I had yesterday. Just welding two sprockets together. After a sustained burn the welder went up. It probably would have gone up days ago, if I had a long sustained burn.

Anyway, it has become a necessary part of my bike building arsenal of tools. I had no idea how necessary it had become to me. Yesterday I welded a slight warped sprocket to a slightly smaller but perfectly flat sprocket. I welded scooter sprockets to bike sprockets when I was building the electric pusher trailers. I just can't attach them with bolts and get the same results.
 
I looked on sears website and couldn't find any clark welders and nothing much under 200.. I'm going with a northern tool 70 amp adjustable for 80 bucks. 70amps was plenty I just got hold of a box of bad rods and then the wire burned up. I'm going to toss the rods and guy a new welder just as soon as I need it. Right now I don't need it so I'm holding off buying it. I called northern tool and they have 4 in stock so I figure I can wait a week or two. My luck there will be a price increase. lol..
 
So...you..um....want whats left of that welder? Cause...I'd..um...take it off your hands if you don't.... I love rewiring things... And god I want to learn to weld :D
 
Deacon Before you buy a welder look at the duty cycle.The higher the % is the better it is.At 10 min a 30% duty cycle machine must be rested 7 min.after a 3 min weld,if not rested the wireing will over heat and burn.H.D.
 
Ah Thanks doc, that's probably what happened to my last one. I had no idea what the cycle was since I bought it used, and it had been painted over so if there were any decals they were gone. I hope the one I am buying has the automatic rest feature. i am lousy with times.

Sorry guys I sent it to the trash and it was picked up this morning.
 
Did your rods absorb moisture? I find that when I am having trouble with getting a bead started, or keeping one going, the rods are damp and 30 minutes at 350 in the oven will bake them nicely.
 
I bought an open pack. I think they absorbed the moisture from the store humidity. That or somebody brought them back because they wouldn't burn. I was told not to put that particular rod in an oven. I have no idea why. I might give it a try anyway when I next use them. I actually liked that 1/16 rod. I was welding a couple of sprockets together and it did a really nice job. I'm going to use them more often I think.
 
Deacon what is the number on the rod.Some rods when heated will produce a gas that is not safe around food.never dry rods in a oven you are cooking with.H.D
 
This 'un is a dang fine MIG for the price, the duty cycle should be fine for bikes. I've used this with great success on other projects. At 300 bucks it may be a lil expensive for those used to buying stick...

But what a nice lil rig, the one at work is set up for stainless, else I'd be usin' it alla time lol This particular model only has a 20% duty cycle but that's conservative percentage whereas with many cheap'o rigs they lie and round up hugely - for bikes I can't imagine needing much more for most stuff anyway and it does have an auto shut-off if you push it too hard ;)

There is ofc better ones should you wanna shell out the pennies - but this at least is a completely usable setup unlike so many "low cost" others.

99472.jpg

Lincoln Electric K2185-1 Handy Mig Welder
 
Last edited:
If I did any real welding I would have to seriously consider a better welder, but my welding is confined to the corners of a motor frame or welding a larger sprocket to a smaller one. My complete welding time would probably be less than two minutes. I just don't use one enough to justify spending more than a hundred bucks on it.

The last one I had was fine but it might have been fifty years old for all I know. I bought it from some yahoo on ebay. It looked really really old when it came. It was good enough to learn how to get a burn going. I really want one with a lower temp for thin metal. But 70amps was more than enough for what I welded. Also as long as it stayed together I really didn't mind that it looked cancerous lol.
 
BarelyAWake said:
This 'un is a dang fine MIG for the price, the duty cycle should be fine for bikes. I've used this with great success on other projects. At 300 bucks it may be a lil expensive for those used to buying stick...

But what a nice lil rig, the one at work is set up for stainless, else I'd be usin' it alla time lol This particular model only has a 20% duty cycle but that's conservative percentage whereas with many cheap'o rigs they lie and round up hugely - for bikes I can't imagine needing much more for most stuff anyway and it does have an auto shut-off if you push it too hard ;)

There is ofc better ones should you wanna shell out the pennies - but this at least is a completely usable setup unlike so many "low cost" others.

99472.jpg

Lincoln Electric K2185-1 Handy Mig Welder
Click to expand...

I am a big fan of these welders. Never saw a bad one. You can turn it way up or down. Thats a pretty forgiving welder. Sp-175 plus is mine, Argon mix for shielding. 30% duty cycle, 220 volt. When I am impatient on projects Most of the stuff I weld the thing thinks and acts like its 50% duty. I love it!
 
Whatever you buy...stick to the big brand names; Miller, Lincoln, Hobart...but stay away from the cheapy stuff at the big box and chain auto parts stores. If they ever need parts or service you'll play heck finding them and welder repair shops won't touch them. You're money ahead if you buy the more expensive brand name welders, stick, TIG or MIG. I have two Millers, stick and high frequency TIG and one Hobart MIG machine that have served me well for over twenty years building cars and now bikes.
Tom
 
I just picked up the northern industries welder from northern tool. I welded a sprocket onto a wheel hub using the low setting and a 1/16 rod. It did really well I think I'm going to like it fine for the small amount of light work I do. It was like 85 with tax..

The chick at the register asked,"Do you want the extended warranty?"

So I asked,"does it cover operator stupidity."

She said "I don't know. It just covers the regular stuff longer."

I said, "In that case no thanks."
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top