(Part 2) Top products from r/Welding

I am a journey fitter. If I were you, I would invest in a Pipe Fitters Blue Book and a Pipe Fabricators Blue Book. These might seem like a different language to you depending on how much you know, but if you stay in the trades they will definitely benefit you, plus you can ask someone at your work how to use them. If anything they should be happy about the fact that you are proactive and went out and purchased a Blue Book, as that is scripture for a fitter. This will also show them that you are serious enough to invest in yourself and your craft.

The IPT Pipe Trades Handbook is an excellent book, as is the IPT Metal Trades and Welding Handbook, but they are almost triple the cost of the Blue Book. If you can afford either one (I would suggest the Piping Handbook as it will probably be more relevant to you), purchase it.

Good luck, Young Pipe Fighter. I hope my input helps and if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and rarely get to do so, as this is technically a welding forum.

edit: if you decide to purchase the above literature and need help utilizing/understanding it, just ask.

For your welding the key basics to practice are clean materials. (Your doing great with your wire brush if it's really pitted consider grinding the surface smooth.)

Practice a cursive e motion. You want to go show enough that you have a puddle of liquid metal your dragging along as you make your e but fast enough that you don't burn through your material (it will spark when it's burning) you are also going slow enough that you pre warm the area your heading too.

Try to hook your ground clamps as close to your weld area as possible and on to the more substantial piece of material. The area the ground attaches too should be clean metal as well for the best results.

Never weld galvanised pipe you can die from metal flume fever (zinc poisoning) don't ask me how I know.... If you really have to then make sure your in an incredibly well ventilated area and never do it indoors or even near the mouth of a garage.

For welding gloves you want something that goes to the elbow. You don't know pain until you have a molten slag bb get into your clothes and burn into your skin it sucks. I've been using these for the last 5 years with moderate hobby use and they have heald up great. I've run about 30 lbs of wire through my welder over that time.

Sure. Since it's just scrap, you don't have to do it every time, but on metal that has any signs of contamination, its best for the weld to remove that. Typical way is to angle grind the weld area. Not the best way mind you but its quick and easy and makes the weld look good.

Wire cleaner is a little hard to explain. I believe its a chemically treated wad of cotton. The idea is that sometimes there gets to be a little bit of sludge and muck on the wire, especially if it was taken out of the box and not put immediately in the feeder, or if it is a low quality wire. They're cheap and sold at weld shops regularly.

Edit: these things. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008RA5D5C?pc_redir=1409979630&robot_redir=1 I worked at airgas for a while and we sold these a lot.


Another edit: like I mentioned, since its just scrap, its not important to clean the base metal or wire. If you're interested in that though, ask your teacher if you can use a grinder to clean the base metal. Or even buy a bag of the wire cleaners yourself. Grinding disks aren't cheap or safe though, so make sure you ask first.

I don't know if it's a direct fit, but best comfort Is the Miller headgear. I modified my helmet to fit it, and it sits on my head so nicely.


https://www.amazon.com/Miller-Electric-256174-Headgear-Helmet/dp/B00826AM7A

How cheap is it? Does it run? Do you actually need a portable welder? That thing is a beast. Does it come with anything, leads, wire feeder...

OK, I'm going to address your list.

>1 Is this a good machine to have around? Is the power sufficient to grow with?

It's not about power. It's about utility, I've never used all 180 amps my machine will put out.

>2 Is it versatile? What kinds of welding will this do?

It will stick weld, assuming it comes with leads and an electrode holder. It could do much more if you had the accessories, wire feeder for MIG, High Frequency box and torch for TIG, etc. BUT it's old and finding gear and making it work could be expensive and time consuming.

>3 What is a no-brainer price, assuming full functionality but no accessories?

$2000?

But it's not really worth that to you as a total newbie. Go buy one of these: Lincoln Electric K2185-1 Handy MIG Welder

Why? Because you can plug it in anywhere, It comes with a gas flowmeter so you can do true MIG instead of just FCAW and you can do what you need to do, which is practice, practice, practice.

And when you need more capabilities? You can buy bigger machine and still own a small one for little jobs or sell it to fund your upgrade!

Good Luck.

I love my Revco Black Stallion Cape and Sleeves. Depending on what type of welding I'm doing it saves me going through shirts. It's enough cover to protect me stick welding but cool enough, being open in the back, to keep me from burning up in warm weather. I spent around $80 on my first one and got a spare when they recently dropped to ~$40. I just wear denim jeans, I don't know anybody that wears anything special for pants.

I weld with this http://www.amazon.com/Jackson-Safety-SmarTIGer-Auto-Darkening-Technology/dp/B00BFJLRD4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1396466077&sr=8-2&keywords=smartiger+welding+helmet

It works really well and it is about as heavy as a HF helmet(so not super light) but is really comfortable and is pretty cheap right now!(i got mine for 100 also, i think they are clearing out last years models)

Should be, but it depends.

https://www.amazon.com/Drico-MIG-150D-Multifunction-Voltage-Soldering/dp/B01H81KKDU/ref=sr_1_6?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1492666630&sr=1-6&refinements=p_36%3A20000-35000 this one pulls 31 amps on 120v

https://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Electric-K2185-1-Handy-Welder/dp/B000QFNZ74/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1492666630&sr=1-1&refinements=p_36%3A20000-35000 while this one is fine an a 20 amp circuit.

At the end of the day, it will depend on how much you're going to need it. I've done a lot of on-site work with 110v GMAW machines and a 20amp breaker is the minimum to ensure good performance.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008MCUT86/ref=biss_dp_t_asn

(exhaust air is directed down so it doesn't fog up hood)

With

http://www.amazon.com/3M-2097-Particulate-Filter-Organic/dp/B00328IAO0/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hi_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=04H4DZQFZJ44T79AV2TD

Not gonna provide the best vapor protection but it would help and it fits easily under a hood.

I bought this a week ago and just did my first project with it yesterday. I was surprised at how well it performs. Seems similar to the one from HF, but I went with the ebay one instead because it has 4 power levels instead of 2, and it was cheaper. I used this wire with it and this mask. Everything worked together great.

Does he have his own helmet? The miller classic series that has auto darkening is under 100 and it's what I'm using in class right now.

miller classic series auto darkening #251-292
https://www.amazon.com/Welding-Helmet-Shade-8-12-Black/dp/B005J4P2SM

There might be better ones but for 80 bucks if he don't have one it's a great starter.

Caiman makes an extra long cuff glove That's supposedly pretty nice. (be warned - they're kind of expensive)

Miller also recently came out with an extra long cuff glove

Or, you could use your existing gloves with a pipe welder's arm pad/sleeve on your left forearm
Spendy pipe pad/sleeve
Cheaper arm pad option

Or if you don't need anything that heavy duty, perhaps just a simple elastic band fit tig welder's sleeve

Or.... If you really want cheap and simple, go to the pet store and buy a small dog collar to cinch the cuffs on your coveralls so they don't slide down when you're doing overhead.

that's why i love my auto darkening front flip hood https://www.amazon.com/North-Tigerhood-Classic-Welding-Helmets/dp/B004F7OSS4/ref=sr_1_6?gclid=CjwKCAjw44jrBRAHEiwAZ9igKIOF51uQsbn2Rz9bkRg5sOvKHstxsPOj7R7kHV1hUtlN2_Tai6qAPxoCy04QAvD_BwE&hvadid=282642294931&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9032467&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14264679488966945076&hvtargid=aud-648454669636%3Akwd-492544284630&hydadcr=23319_9903868&keywords=welding+helmet+front+flip&qid=1566789944&s=gateway&sr=8-6 always grind with face protection

I got a $40 Casio G-Shock for this exact purpose. Works great for the job it has to do. It's cheap enough that if it does get trashed, it's not a big loss, and its plastic so it won't arc and electrocute you.

Noted. Thanks I ordered these for starters. If these aren't what you're talking about could you share a link?

I really want to get a 2x4 flip lens with a progressive of shades, not sure what gold has to do with it though. Then have a auto dark lens to put in when I'm feeling fancy or whatever

Edit: After snooping through some the comments helmet suggestions, I have quite liked your miller. Found this one

You can also use vice grips if you need to attach to something small. These would make an excellent ground on any pipe. Just attach your ground to the vice grips.

I've had this for several years. It's a solid, easy to read book.

https://www.amazon.com/Haynes-Welding-Manual/dp/1563921103

I just got this today. It won't fog your hood or safety glasses!!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-7500-7502-Series-Professional-Half-Facepiece-Respirator-Medium-/371688005845?hash=item568a54e0d5:g:uToAAOSwz2lXCwSL

Pair that with this and now you're golden.
https://www.amazon.com/Particulate-Filter-Nuisance-Organic-Release/dp/B007STCT00/ref=sr_1_2ie=UTF8&qid=1488270841&sr=8-2&keywords=2097+3m+filter
Fits tight in my pipeliner hood.

I know a guy who swears by this helmet he got on the cheap while attending trade school. And Lanse from Youtube (Chucke2009) likes the brand, too. He did a review on a more expensive one, but this one should be fine for a budget starter. I have a Miller one and a Radnor one, both $250+

get a regular fibre metal tiger hood. they are cheap and always work, i have a few of them in case my speedglas doesnt work or i run out of new clear lenses. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004F7OSS4/ref=twister_B07PND7865?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

ArcOne Tradesman https://www.amazon.com/ArcOne-T240-10-Tradesman-Auto-Darkening-Horizontal/dp/B003WE9XXQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485026022&sr=8-1&keywords=arcone+tradesman in a https://www.amazon.com/Fibre-Metal-Honeywell-5906GY-Piece-Helmet/dp/B007NL1S5K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485026206&sr=8-1&keywords=metal-fibre++5906 on a https://www.amazon.com/Fibre-Metal-Roughneck-Fiberglass-Hard-Hat/dp/B009IU2OOS/ref=sr_1_34?ie=UTF8&qid=1485026309&sr=8-34&keywords=metal-fibre+hard+hat also had a https://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Electric-VIKING-Welding-Technology/dp/B019G6T4RS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485026380&sr=8-1&keywords=viking+3350 which was great to use when hard hat wasn't required but it was stolen. Really, different helmets are good for different jobs.

These have served me well.

http://www.amazon.com/Welding-Print-Reading-John-Walker/dp/1590706420/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405115134&sr=8-1&keywords=blueprint+reading+john+walker

http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Welding-Andrew-D-Althouse/dp/1566379873/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1405114998&sr=8-2&keywords=modern+welding

http://www.amazon.com/Welding-Metallurgy-Sindo-Kou/dp/0471434914/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405115261&sr=1-1&keywords=welding+metallurgy

Every Tig is capable of doing stick. I got the stick holder included with mine.

http://www.amazon.com/Everlast-PowerTig-200DX-Welder-Inverter/dp/B0081BETN4/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1383189202&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=Tig+Welder+160A+AC%2FDC+Inverter+-+R-Tech+Tig161+Package+240v%23

Apparently they are sold as Everlast in the US.

Yeah I’m from California I weld in 115 all day long in leather. Get yourself a Black Stallion welding apron with sleeves. It has an open back in it to let it breathe and you can also remove the apron part and just wear the sleeves if necessary. They run about $50-$60.

Black Stallion Welding Apron

This is the wire in using right bow which says shielding gas not required, so I'm assuming self shield. Then again, it also says gasless and the end of the product code is GS which makes me curious if it does, in fact, need shielding gas. I was hoping to use this wire to avoid the cost of renting a tank and buying gas, but if I need to do that then I have some regular mig wire that came with the welder that I can use.

You're going to need a copy of this for larger branch connections or saddles. Here is a video on laying out a "branch" for API code.

The Bluebook starts at 3" pipe and goes up. I've made some saddles using 3" measurements on 2 7/8" pipe and it came out okay. Also you might check out this site for 1"-10" templates for saddles.

There's also a Pipefitters Black Book by Frankland and a Pipe Fabricators Blue Book by W.V. Graves, both are available on Amazon. That being said, there is overlap between the three books. I refer to the Bluebook linked above most often.

I suggest you read a decent welding manual.

Also, a project like this isn't really one to start with, you're going to either burn through or not penetrate in the first 500 welds you make. You'd likely end up with a trailer that might as well be held together with hot glue if you were to try to weld it together yourself with no experience.

If you were to start welding on the cheap, read a manual, acquire a welder, and acquire scrap from fabrication shops to start making welding sculptures. Do all sorts of welds, start with just beads on the face of the steel, once you get a feel for that, start welding all sorts of joints. As often as possible, try to break those joints to see how the weld breaks. If you see the welds popping off of the steel, you're getting no penetration and your weld is very weak. Over time you'll get a feel for welding, and only then would I try something like working on a trailer.

FYI, it took me probably 6 months to produce halfway decent welds while working in a shop occasionally welding. However, I wouldn't call myself a good welder, mainly because I can only weld steel with a MIG welder and I've only been doing it for about 2 years.

This https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00826AM7A/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499195233&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=miller+headgear&dpPl=1&dpID=41v%2BVoT0zAL&ref=plSrch

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00826AM7A?pc_redir=1407399360&robot_redir=1

This one

I've always had to use this one in school: http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Welding-Andrew-D-Althouse/dp/1566379873/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=06N1YCFJT2H2RVJ6N8JS

I don't think it will have much about pipe bending though.

I think you can use just about any flux core wire in either a DC or AC welder

here's the first "flux core wire" that popped up... it doesn't specify AC or DC

INETUB BA71TGS .030-Inch on 2-Pound Spool Carbon Steel Gasless Flux Cored Welding Wire https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003E2RF0E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_VD6WDb1S419CC

no need to reinvent the wheel

They cost about [$1.26](Weld-Aid Lube-Matic Wire Kleener Pad, Red (Pack of 6) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008RA5D5C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_MmpFybSRQMJH4)

Here is the desktop version of your link

Fibre-metal tigerhood + fibre metal roughneck with the hard hat halo.

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https://www.amazon.com/Fibre-Metal-Honeywell-5906GY-Piece-Helmet/dp/B007NL1S5K/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=tigerhood&qid=1558840990&s=gateway&sr=8-1

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https://www.amazon.com/Fibre-Metal-Roughneck-Gray-Fiberglass-Style/dp/B009IU2OOS/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=fibre+metal+roughneck&qid=1558841010&s=gateway&sr=8-5#customerReviews

I used a 3m 7500 series I believe, with the dual pink particulate filters. Works well and fit under my Miller digital elite and 9100 just fine. Only problem is it is not osha certified because it is a negative pressure respirator. If you get a doctor's note saying your lungs are able to take the added strain you'll be fine.

I would get a g-shock or something similar. I wouldn't spend anything over $50 if it were me. All it takes is one hot spark or something hot falling down your glove to ruin the face/screen of your watch.

I'd get this
https://www.amazon.com/G-shock-DW5600E-1V-Black-Resin-Sport/dp/B000GAYQKY