Well I don’t have enough cabinets to store my helmets and face shields. You also weld a lot more than I do, I’m sure.
All things welding
- Thread starter AirborneTexasRanger
- Start date
Well I don’t have enough cabinets to store my helmets and face shields. You also weld a lot more than I do, I’m sure.
It sits on the welder with the face pointed to the work area to keep grinding dust out of the inside of it as much as possible. Best I can do.
OP
I've got a ring with 4 hooks that sits around the neck of my gas bottle.
TNHEADDUCK
TJ Enthusiast
I will have to correct myself on the dark shade of my Arc One Hawk hood, it is a 10 instead of a 9. I have been using these hoods for 15 years or so and always thought it was a 9 shade.
@AirborneTexasRanger
Is this welding helmet any good? YesWelder Welding Helmet Pro. I’ve had times when I had difficulty seeing my welds, so I usually put light on it, which is a pain.
What about these settings. Should I turn the shade down? And what’s the slider in the bottom right?
Is this welding helmet any good? YesWelder Welding Helmet Pro. I’ve had times when I had difficulty seeing my welds, so I usually put light on it, which is a pain.
What about these settings. Should I turn the shade down? And what’s the slider in the bottom right?
OP
I'm not familiar with that specific hood, but I've heard good reviews about YesWelder products.
The slider on the bottom right changes the shade range from 5-9 to 9-13. Sensitivity refers to the degree of light required to engage the shade: the brighter the light, the darker the shade. Delay refers to the speed at which the shade engages once light is detected.
What welding process are you using? Flux core puts out a lot of smoke and makes it difficult to see
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I've known too many people with compromised lungs from various causes to have any interest in breathing that crap, so I'm staying out of it. I had been thinking it was the arc lighting up the smoke and blinding me to the puddle, but per OPs response it might be that I could go a shade lighter on my hood.
Tried the magnifying lens once but it kept fogging up in my breath. It was January and cold as balls, so it probably wouldn't do that in milder conditions but i put it in my toolbox and forgot about it.
Mig welding solid wire CO2/Argon. I felt I couldn’t see due to the shade of the hood.
Thanks for the explanation of these settings. I’ll fiddle around and see if I can improve my ability to see.
OP
You could try a lower shade setting but I don't recommend going below a 10 for a long period of time. It could be that the lens itself needs to be cleaned with some wipes designed for glasses. Also don't forget to clean the lens on the inside. Welding outside or in poor lighting conditions can also affect your vision.
What a few guys here at work do is tape a head lamp to the outside of their hood.
OP
There seems to be a lot of discussion about equipment. What's good vs. what's bad etc. I think a lot of experienced welders or craftsmen in general can agree that going cheap when it comes to tools never ends well. I'm not saying you've gotta spend a ton of cash even though we've all got Jeeps which means we all have heaps of cash laying around 
. Here's a few options you should consider if you want to get into welding or are unhappy with the gear you already have.
Hoods/Helmets: Mr. Blaine mentioned it earlier & I want to stress the importance of a quality welding hood. I always recommend an auto-darkening hood with an adjustable shade lens. An auto dark allows you to see what you're doing without constantly lifting your hood while an adjustable shade allows for more flexibility if you aren't sure which shade you need. Also I'd like to mention the grind feature that many hoods have. Basically this feature allows you to use your welding hood as a face shield while grinding without the sparks triggering the auto darkening mode. Just remember to switch back to weld mode before welding.
A few good hoods:
Jackson Safety ~ $160 Reputable company, standard clear lenses & large viewing area.
ESAB ~ $150 Reputable company, standard clear lenses but smaller viewing area.
Lincoln Electric ~ $140 Excellent quality, standard clear lenses but smaller viewing area.
Miller ~ $150 Excellent quality, standard clear lenses but smaller viewing area.
Better hoods IMO:
Lincoln Electric ~ $330 Large viewing area, standard clear lenses & integrated LED light.
Miller ~ $320 Large viewing area & great for welding outdoors in sunlight.
ESAB Sentinel ~ $300 Large viewing area, very comfortable but clear lenses cost more.
Other gear I recommend getting:
MIG welding gloves - these get worn out so stick in the $15-25 range
Extra clear lenses inside & out - expect to change outer lenses a lot while your learning
Welding jacket or 100% cotton long sleeve shirt, polyester will melt and stick to your skin
I always wear earplugs because I don't want sparks/spatter getting inside my ear
A welding cap, bandana or something to cover your head
I also want to touch on shielding gas. If you plan on using MIG wire sometimes called hardwire or solid wire you will absolutely need some shielding gas. Typically C25 which means 25% Carbon Dioxide & 75% Argon. This means purchasing a bottle which can get expensive. Bottles are sized by the cubic feet they can hold 40, 60, 80, 125 & 300. Bottles are typically a 1 time purchase and can be swapped out for a full bottle at any welding supply store & you only pay for the gas. Tractor Supply & Northern Tool also sell shielding gas but they are usually more expensive. I think either 80 or 125 would be enough for a garage welder without having to get a refill every time you want to weld. I started off with a 125 and when I switched to a 300 I was able to get credit for the old bottle towards the new one. There's so much more I could discuss with shielding gas but I'll save that for another post.
If I'm forgetting something then please let me know
. Here's a few options you should consider if you want to get into welding or are unhappy with the gear you already have.Hoods/Helmets: Mr. Blaine mentioned it earlier & I want to stress the importance of a quality welding hood. I always recommend an auto-darkening hood with an adjustable shade lens. An auto dark allows you to see what you're doing without constantly lifting your hood while an adjustable shade allows for more flexibility if you aren't sure which shade you need. Also I'd like to mention the grind feature that many hoods have. Basically this feature allows you to use your welding hood as a face shield while grinding without the sparks triggering the auto darkening mode. Just remember to switch back to weld mode before welding.
A few good hoods:
Jackson Safety ~ $160 Reputable company, standard clear lenses & large viewing area.
ESAB ~ $150 Reputable company, standard clear lenses but smaller viewing area.
Lincoln Electric ~ $140 Excellent quality, standard clear lenses but smaller viewing area.
Miller ~ $150 Excellent quality, standard clear lenses but smaller viewing area.
Better hoods IMO:
Lincoln Electric ~ $330 Large viewing area, standard clear lenses & integrated LED light.
Miller ~ $320 Large viewing area & great for welding outdoors in sunlight.
ESAB Sentinel ~ $300 Large viewing area, very comfortable but clear lenses cost more.
Other gear I recommend getting:
MIG welding gloves - these get worn out so stick in the $15-25 range
Extra clear lenses inside & out - expect to change outer lenses a lot while your learning
Welding jacket or 100% cotton long sleeve shirt, polyester will melt and stick to your skin
I always wear earplugs because I don't want sparks/spatter getting inside my ear
A welding cap, bandana or something to cover your head
I also want to touch on shielding gas. If you plan on using MIG wire sometimes called hardwire or solid wire you will absolutely need some shielding gas. Typically C25 which means 25% Carbon Dioxide & 75% Argon. This means purchasing a bottle which can get expensive. Bottles are sized by the cubic feet they can hold 40, 60, 80, 125 & 300. Bottles are typically a 1 time purchase and can be swapped out for a full bottle at any welding supply store & you only pay for the gas. Tractor Supply & Northern Tool also sell shielding gas but they are usually more expensive. I think either 80 or 125 would be enough for a garage welder without having to get a refill every time you want to weld. I started off with a 125 and when I switched to a 300 I was able to get credit for the old bottle towards the new one. There's so much more I could discuss with shielding gas but I'll save that for another post.
If I'm forgetting something then please let me know
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The pain is usually getting the lights into position when I'm under the rig, or inside the rig, or some weird place. Last time we were doing torque boxes on the floor around where the seats bolt and it was doable, but just a pain getting the light shining down just right. I don't have the problem on the bench. Before I started welding I think I underestimated the oddity of body position and locations I would be welding. It all works out when your motivated though.
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I found some info that with Mig welding up to 55 amps you can run your shade about 7, whereas from 55-155 amps run shade about 11, which fits with what you suggested, especially since almost all the work I do is between 55 -155 amps.
Also, my welder came with 0.30 wire, and 0.35 is usually recommended, but I'm thinking 0.30 is ok for most jobs. So far I haven't had any trouble with welds cracking. Is the 0.30 ok for the stuff we're doing on Jeep's which is usually up to 3/16"?
The utility of that particular light can not be overstated. It is a most excellent product that I use several times per day.
Bring on another Milwaukee. I guess I need to get in the game.
I switch back and forth. If I am in an awkward spot and need to slow down how much material I am laying into a weld, I use the .030. If I'm in a comfy welding position with heavier brackets and what not, I move over to .035. You can lay down the same amount of weld, the smaller stuff just gives a slight bit more flexibility to go slower.
My welds look like I'm laying down too much material with .030. They're convex. I turned up the heat to make sure I was getting good penetration, so I think I need to either move faster or slow down the wire feed. Making sure I can see the pool and concentrate on what it is doing will help too, I hope. I think I need more practice.
Can somebody explain why uphill welding is stronger than downhill? I cannot figure there life of me get a good uphill bead whereas downhill is no problem.
Is that an old school thing with stick or does it apply the same to mig?
And lastly, is the difference in strength any type of issue in our types of applications?
Is that an old school thing with stick or does it apply the same to mig?
And lastly, is the difference in strength any type of issue in our types of applications?