welding 101...

[nkymain485]

i inherited a welder from my grandpa, and have a few questions from the knowledgable welders... im just starting out and was curious if there is a problem with welding in a basement... i know there is a gas that comes off, is this harmful? or is it not enough to really make a difference... i dont have a garage...and the basement is unfinished, no carpet or anything.... also its a stick welder (i think) ill take a pic here soon and post it if everyone thinks its ok to practice in the basement

 

[angus67]

well, assuming it is a stick welder, it will throw alot of sparks. i wouldnt do it, and i am a degreed welder, certfied dualcore.
i'm also guessing you would like to not burn your house down? rental or not, your stuff is up there. please dont do it.
if it is a rental, the landlord will sue you if you burn it down.
if you own it, your homeowner's insurance prolly has fineprint against such activities.
but if you must, get a few big fire extinguishers, E7011 rods, and when your done, stay down ther for 30min to 1hour for firewatch.
if it looks like a tombstone, its a stickwelder, should have a big switch, and a big knob, sometimes a slide.

 

[johnpagn]

Can u use an arc welder to weld a frame ? I was under the impression mig was needed at minimum .

 

[Tech7]

Yes, you can use a stick welder to weld a frame, if you know EXACTLY what you're doing. Unfortunately, this doesn't apply to you. (or me for that matter) And please, just like Angus says, do not weld in your basement. Just way too risky. As well as smoky and smelly. Stick welding is fine outside anyway.

 

[nkymain485]

ok i wont then...it is a stick welder... and i do own the home, i'd rather it not burn down... thanks for the help advice!

 

[Ghetto]

Stick welding is for outdoor pipe and bridge welding! Toss it on craigslist and grab a mig!

 

[Beau]

Drive around your neighborhood and gather a bunch of scrap metal.

Use the stick welder to weld that shit together. Then, beat it with a hammer until it breaks. Then, do it over again until it doesn't break. Learn how to use the stick welder and how it reacts to the settings you adjust it to. Learn how to prep the crappy metal so you can get good, solid welds. Learn the basics first.

It's not going to be a bad thing to play around with the welder you have, for free. In fact, once you get good at stick welding the MIG welder will be a piece of cake.

Don't sell it. It will have it's place down the road and it was given to you by a family member. Tools never lose their value in my garage.

I welded in a wood porch for 4 years. Stupid? Yes. But I was very careful.

As I recall, a man built a Lambo replica in his basement. Worked just fine.

http://jalopnik.com/5065896/hand+made-lamborghini-built-in-basement-finally-sees-light-of-day

 

[angus67]

yeah, just keep it for projects that wouldnt risk your life, the slag is sometimes hard to dig out, especially if you are a novice. if you want a good rod to stick with, get 7024(?) rods, bake for a few hours at 350 degrees to suck the moisture out, ant that is the easiest rod to burn. turn your welder up all the way and lay it down! the slag will be aesy to remove, but i wouldnt use it for structural frames if you dont know what your doing. roll bars, headache racks, crossmembers will be fine, but please dont biuld a bike unless yuo know wahts up.

 

[Beau]

Regarding splatter.

You can buy a product called anti Splatter Nozzle Tip Spray at any welding shop. It's for welding tips, but if you spray it on the item you are welding, it will make cleanup MUCH easier and stop the splatter from sticking to things.

 

[nkymain485]

yeah no plans to build a bike... i just want to learn to weld to do small things like brackets for the fender etc... nothing structural....

 

[gggGary]

Nothing like stick welding to develop your hand eye coordination. Watch the "grounds" on the old stick welders, that ground can knock you a country mile (or kill you) if you become a conductor between it and the "real" ground. The old "forney-cators" were famous for that.
Ventilation is always a good idea when welding. Any flux shielded weld creates a lot of smoke. Better if you don't breathe a lot of it or fill the house with it. A clean ventilated basement with no flammables (oil, gas, paint, cloth, cardboard, wood shavings, cobwebs, etc.) and a fire extinguisher seems reasonable to me.......... Some sheetrock could make a reasonable welding booth.

 

[angus67]

Regarding splatter.

You can buy a product called anti Splatter Nozzle Tip Spray at any welding shop. It's for welding tips, but if you spray it on the item you are welding, it will make cleanup MUCH easier and stop the splatter from sticking to things.

well, im not really talking about cleanup, as much as the spatter that sprays off as you weld. arc welding can spray out along distace, and can get under things like dusty areas under stuff.

 

[claybear]

I built a bike with a stick welder when I was younger and just learning how to weld, the welds looked really shitty, but they held up for a few years, they probably are still holding up, but that pile of crap bike has been long gone..
I've welded in a 4 season porch before, it was the only area I really had that I could work in at the time since the MN winters get to be so cold, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. If the risk of setting your house on fire isn't a good enough detterent, lemme tell ya, the ol' war department probably won't like the smell it kicks off. I know mine didn't..
Funny story about watching the grounds on the arcs, another good idea is not to bump the ground with one hand while you've got the stick on the metal, also don't stand in water while doing this. Accidents do happen, but the point is to be very careful, welders aren't toys, and can really give you a good zap if you're not paying attention to what you're doing. Other than that, congrats on wanting to take that first step in learning how to do things yourself! A welder and a little bit of patience can go a long way, and save a guy a shit ton of money in the long run.

 

[shaas]

Got a tech school in your neighborhood? Where I live, our state tech college has basic welding at night for folks that want to learn to weld and an associate degree program for those pursuing a career. I took it and advanced welding, got to try several different types of machines and techniques. Basic was a lot of fun. Advanced worked more on technique.