Welding?????????

[b.walker5]

It's looking a little battle weary now but this is what i've been using for the last 12 years, and it's taken on some pretty serious projects. Car trailers, Horse trailers, Bike hauling trailers, Steel portal framing for sheds, etc. I use it both with and without gas, gas for larger projects (the wire is cheaper) and no gas for small jobbing work. I use a wire feed lubricant by way of an impregnated felt block at the feed end and get a consistant smooth feed, and welds. With proper preparation, a root weld and mutliple runs it will happily weld up to 8mm (5/16") but I also have a stick welder and tend to use that on the thicker metals. I use an auto dark helmet. The handpeice is a Miller knock off, so tips are easy to get. The brand is Weldwell and is based around a high quality NZ made transformer. http://www.weldwell.co.nz/Default.aspx?Page=Home&Load=1 (Not much help to you guys in the states, but i'm not sure you would get the same result from a chinese made transformer) Who makes Chicago Electric?

[saddle up]

I used a Craftsman 90amp 110v wire feed welder on a few XS11 frames. perfect welds. Just watch for wire jerkyness like stated.

1) use a heavy gauge power chord.
2)if your wire is "stabbing" turn down your wire speed. Or you can increase amps, but not two fixes the same time..try turning down wire speed first. keep going down until the stabbing stops. If your weld looks "humpy" turn up the amps, with the wire speed going up slowly until it start "stabbing", then slowly turn down wire speed.

3) If you are welding vertical,, go up not down. Down has no penetration. Vertical might not look as good but the penetration is way more important.

4) on your flats (use them whenever possible) use the highest amp as you can just short of blowing out. Turning up wire speed decreaces the heat, turning down the wire speed increases the amps/heat. The weld should have lots of penetration with a flat "bead". Slag should come off with the wire exposed out of the contact tip.
5) I have welded lots of handrail, which is similar to frames.

6) do lots of practice. What looks like a killer weld; aint **** if you did not penetrate. Practice on pieces that are the same thickness as what you are working on. Do a flat and a vertical up. let cool then take a big beater 5-6 pounder put it vice and give it a love tap. You can go one direction several times then the otherway. If the metal breaks in middle of weld keep trying, if the metal breaks on the side of the weld then you are doing good.

Hope I didn't confuse anyone.

[tarzan]

I use a Lincoln 180T 220v,180 amp.I love that thing.I use it for all my demolition car welding.Its easy to use.Easy to change wire.Good rig.
IT did cost about $700 -$800 though.
My neighbor bought a Clark 110v welder and it actually lays a good bead.He only paid $200-$300 for it.

[TopCatGr58]

I picked up a Lincoln Pro-Mig 135 several years ago, about $400.00, it's a 110V wire feeder, can use flux core, or gas. I've welded 1/4" angle iron when I made my homemade trailer, got decent penetration, but I welded BOTH sides of the butt joints for the full length of the loading and hauling wheel rails. It worked fine for building the framework for my saddlebags and trunk bag. I also was able to use 100% argon gas in MIG mode with aluminum wire and was able to cut 6" off the ends of my 24" aluminum tool boxes and reattached the ends and turned them into 18" saddlebags.

T.C.

[HobbyMan]

hey! I remember asking these same questions on here a few years ago when I was learning to weld. Once the 1st Engineer on my last ship discovered I could weld, I never went a single day without welding for 2.5- 3 months solid. I have been set on fire many times. But by no means am I an expert. Here is my $.02 from the few years I have been welding:

Those little 110 buzzboxes are nice for portability, thats about it IMHO. I used them a few times out at sea. Carrying a welder around a container ship can be a pita. I have worked a lot with mig and stick. As far as ease of use, mig is the way to go. Its "point and click" welding. I don't like it as much because I have a much harder time getting good penetration into the base metal. With a stick, you can sometimes get too much and burn through. Personally, I would recommend getting a stick welder. You can do everything with a stick. I have welded stainless and regular steel very easily with a stick. Also, I used to have access to rods for cast iron and aluminum. Its all about what rods you use. Mig is really nice for smaller projects. For a tubular frame, it would probably be easier to do it with a mig. The only problem with that is the fact that mig has a lot of room for error. Almost every weld looks nice but underneath they may be flawed. Stick welding "usually" looks more characteristic of the weld quality. (undercut, speed, penetration, etc..) In a perfect world, you welder would be able to do both. Miller makes some good rigs but they get a little pricey. If money and power supply was no object, I would get an XMT 350 series for stick and another millermatic212 for mig. Before you buy, make sure you check the duty cycle. You probably won't need a 100% so you should be able to get a much less pricey rig. Ebay sometimes has a good deal.
Gas is another option. I would personally stay away from it. Extremely easy to weld with but the surrounding steel is exposed to unnecessarily high temps. This can affect the steel in various ways. On a motorcycle frame, it will probably end up eventually cracking if cooled too fast. Just a guess.
Whatever you choose, make sure you get LOTS of practice before you even go near your frame! Get some similar metal then cut and weld it back together. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!

[saddle up]

If you use stick,

Make sure it is 7018

[fredintoon]

Rod types

Make sure it is 7018

Hi Saddle up,
as I'm sure you know, 7018 is a low hydrogen rod and you have to keep them warm & dry or else they stop being low hydrogen rods.
6013 is only 1/7th less strong and is better at surviving neglectful storage with it's properties undamaged.
What's more important is how easy the rods strike. Lincoln's Fleetweld & Jetweld rods strike far easier than the off-brand rods that Mr Cheapskate bought to save a few dollars.
I gotta burn off the first 1/2" of each bargain rod on my striker block to pre-heat it so it strikes on the work rather than just sticking down.
By this you will know that I am a fumbling amateur welder but so are the majority of those who have a welding machine at home that they use maybe 4 times a year.
So let's all say this mantra together:-
"Length replaces strength."

[crazy steve]

Ah yes, what welder to buy for home use. I've worked as an electrician/welder more than a few times, so I've used everything from cheapo buzzboxes to multi-thousand dollar machines.

If you can only afford one welder, get a MIG and DON'T run it without gas. A 120v unit with a dual 90/110 amp rating will do 95% of the welding a hobbyist will do. If you need more capacity (i.e. be able to weld thicker metal), then also buy a small AC/DC arc unit. Why two units? The cost of a quality larger MIG will usually be about the same as buying a good small MIG and a small ARC unit, and you still won't have the versatility of the two machines. The pros/cons to the various units are:

MIG
Pros: Easy to use/learn, will give a nice clean weld if you use gas (cheap CO2 will work fine), you don't need a special outlet in your garage, very portable, don't have to worry about your rod going bad, and is the only choice on thin material. Cons: Poor weld penetration, particularly on thicker stuff (I would personally consider 1/8" the upper limit for MIG if weld strength is a serious consideration; not that you can't weld thicker stuff, but you do have to do multiple passes, heating/reheating the metal with each pass), will weld stainless and aluminum but you need expensive argon gas and even then the weld appearance won't be great.

ARC
Pros: Inexpensive ( a very nice quality name-brand 200A AC/125A DC unit can be got for about $400), much better weld penetration, will weld material up to 1/2", you can easily weld thicker stainless with available rod, a DC machine will give better looking welds AND be easier to learn on. Cons: Much more skill is needed for a good weld, rod storage is an issue (store it on top of your furnace or water heater if they're inside the house), not so portable, very hard/impossible to weld thin metal.

Welding aluminum really should be done with a TIG machine, and those are expensive and require a lot of skill to use.

And stick with name-brand units if at all possible. The cost difference between HF and a name brand isn't that much, and will make life MUCH easier later when you need parts (and you will; all of these have 'consumables'). On a MIG welder, look for as many 'heat steps' as possible (most have 5); adjusting wire speed works, but more heat steps really helps (I have a 'Century' brand unit that has infinitely adjustable heat as well as wire speed, and you can 'tune' that for really nice welds).

If you're doing light repair or welding brackets on a bike frame, a MIG will likely do the job. But if you're looking to structurally alter/repair one, get some advice if you're not sure of your skill. I recently heavily altered a motorcycle frame (20 degrees more neck rake, 3" swingarm extension, to name just few changes) and used my arc welder for all structural welding to guarantee good penetration. One thing I've learned over the years is when watching somebody who knows what they're doing they'll make it look soooo easy, and when you try it you find out it isn't...

I'm sure somebody will disagree with this, but this is what's worked for me.

'78E original owner

[saddle up]

Good post Steve

I use the Miller and Lincoln "125's" as we call them. We never use gas as we are 97% of time outdoors. Usually use .035 wire

P.S. that is why God made grinders ...lol

[cueball]

either learn to weld with TIG :cool or get someone to do it professionally with TIG.

[DenyP]

Im sorry, I need to be point blank! If you are unsure of the machine or process to weld a frame, you need to talk to an expert welder. The amount of $$$ is not significant - a proper weld providing safe enjoyment of the bikeing expirence is!!

Deny

[Paul Kelley]

Everyone is a welder

Hi, my name is Paul.
I have been pressure pipe and tube welding for the last 38 years. If you buy a welder and proceed to weld on a bike frame that you are going to ride on, I suggest you make sure your life insurance is paid up!!!
Without a LOT of experience PLEASE don't do welding you are not qualified or trained to do. Saving a little money is not worth your life.
You will find the best and strongest process for welding your frame is gas tungston arc (heli-arc) which takes a lot of experience and practice. The small mig welders like Harbour Frieght sells are great for fence posts and lawn chairs (steel). I'm not trying to be a smart a**, but your frame is made from a chromium steel alloy and requires special techniques for welding, also, pre and post heat treatments.
It would be best if you took the frame to a professional to be welded. Or start taking a welding course that would train you through alloy welding.
Paul
P.S. Yes, I teach welding and am a certified welding inspector through AWS.

[saddle up]

Don't scare everyone,,

I'll say again 7018 with a back up bar and 33-45 degree bevel, will weld the world.. It's good for the Army Corps of Engineers on the nukes,, nr 232 is too brittle..

[cueball]

GTA (gas tungsten arc) in US sounda exactly the same as TIG (tungsten inert gas) in Aus. Three and a half years at local tech (trade) college says I totally agree that nothing else will do to weld frame safely.

[b.walker5]

GTA (gas tungsten arc) in US sounda exactly the same as TIG (tungsten inert gas) in Aus.

One and the same...