Another Aussie newbie!

[wortgames]

Hi all,

I'm waiting for my new second-hand mig to arrive and I can't wait! I got a pretty good deal on an Aussie-built 25-170A heavy-duty unit (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4451572389) that should be good for panel work as well as the occasional heavy bit like towbars etc.

Never welded an inch in my life. I can solder OK when I really try...

I'm lucky enough to have a good mate who is an expert welder (currently employed tigging stainless food & dairy plant) so he will give me some training and help me get my welder set up properly.

I've got a trailer which I'm repairing and modifying a bit, so that's my maiden project. It's nothing particularly special so I won't cry too much over the early screw-ups. First task is to replace the floor (2.1mm checkerplate). I have some other little brackets and tricks to do, then hopefully I'll be brave enough to move on to some aluminium scrap before tackling an ali canopy frame for it.

I actually remember browsing the Aston V8 restoration site a while back, completely unrelated - I am fond of Astons and happened across it while searching for pictures. Cut to present day and I'm googling for MIG advice, and lo and behold I'm back at the same site! Good work Malcolm!

I have a quick question if anybody knows - the welder specs state that it can use 0.6-0.8mm steel wire, but for ali & stainless it only says 0.8mm. I've checked the manufacturer's info and it's the same. Does anyone know the reason for this? From what I've read here it would seem that 0.6mm is generally a better choice for thin stuff, so I'm wondering why I would be restricted to using the thicker 0.8mm wire in these materials?

 

[malcolm]

Welcome to the forum.

You'll be running out of my websites soon unless you get interested in Renault 4s (there are still a few out there despite the French falling out of favour during the '60s).

The welder looks like a bargain. It's a real help having someone to do the first set up - rules out a lot of reasons for things to go wrong.

Aluminium wire is so soft you'd never push anything less than 0.8mm without it buckling. I thought you could get stainless wire in 0.6mm (although I've never tried).

 

[wortgames]

Thanks Malcolm, but I don't think I'm likely to develop a sudden interest in French engineering!

I've been pushed for time recently but the welder arrived promptly and I've had a lesson and successfully attached the edges of the floor to the trailer. I've only done the edges because they seemed like an easier weld, even so a couple of them were a bit ugly (but a couple were beautiful). I'd like to do some more practising before I try to weld the ribs to the underside of the floor, as I'm paranoid of blowing holes through the 2mm sheet in my hamfisted exhuberance.

Good point about the thin ali wire. It turns out the rollers are a bit ******** in this welder and were bodge repaired. They work fine with 0.8mm mild steel and the guy selling it apparently wasn't aware of this, but he has refunded me the cost of a new feed assembly which is great. The bottom line is that I won't attempt to play with ali until I've got the new rollers in due to the whole feed tension issue.

Even in the limited playing I've done, a lot of your advice has been useful and I reckon browsing your site gave me a great head start for my welding lesson, as I kind of had a feel for the process even before I ever picked up a torch, so cheers for that and I look forward to spending more time here as my adventures progress!

 

[malcolm]

Shame, French cars are great for welding practice.

A new wire feed is an excellent idea if it's been messed around with. My own welding problems are always due to my wire feed (old fashioned and cheap design). A lot of the new rollers designed for steel wire have a knarled finish that helps grip the wire, so you can back off the tension a little and protect the cheap and nasty plastic tensioner.

I'd buy another but I have a rusty old welder and feel I'd be better off just buying a whole new one.

 

[wortgames]

French cars should be reserved for target practise!