Craft Forum / Wood/Metal / Welding / May 2007

Harbor Freight item 91811-5RVH 220V, 130TIG/90 arc welder inverter,
$260. I may need something for welding ss boat railings of 1" hollow
tube with 1/16th in wall and maybe some aluminum fittings. I don't
need big production here, it's just for occasional use.

How do I interpret something's gauge thickness?
I want to know what my supplier is talking about on the phone whenever he
blurts out a gauge thickness to me.
Is 16-gauge the same as 1/16-inch thick?

I'm making a bell from an old oxygen cylinder.  Does anyone know how the
large threaded flange at the top of the cylinder is attached.  I had thought
it was an integral part of the cylinder but now I'm not sure.  It would be
nice to remove it  if possible.

I am becoming acquainted with the complexity of welding thin mild
steel with a rod/arc welder; the main problem being burn through. I
have read some where that putting an aluminium bar under the joint
helps. Can anyone give me information on the physics/chemistry of this

On a chassis weldment, mild steel, Mig'd or Arc'd. For corrosion protection
- rain, snow, mud, road cruft kicked up type wear n tear.
Any comments or suggestions on Rustoleum "Cold Galvanizing" spray vs a rust
primer and a surface coat?

Forgive me if this has already been covered.
Just bought a Lincoln 135.  Would like to use it as a MIG welder when
appropriate but don't want to swap the inner shield between modes. I
understand the necessity to reverse the feed rolls but is it absolutely

My apologies in advance if this is too Off Topic but I thought it was
cool, I used to have a a Lincoln "Screaming Demon" tig welder  (A/C
motor driving a DC generator). It was the best stick welder I've ever
used (if you can put up with the noise). Came across some plans to

I'm not a certified welder in any way, shape or form. Mostly self taught
though I did take an evening class at a tech school once. I do 95% TIG
on steel with my Syncrowave 250.
I have a project that I need to do which is a small pressure test

I came across a nice cast iron 6" engineers vice with a broken neck
whilst dumpster diving the other day. I've already been told that
welding them up is a waste of time but I thought I'd ask here and see
if anyone had any magic tricks. As a starving student I don't have the

This time on arc welding.
Arcwelding1.avi 419 MB posted 9th May
Arcwelding2.avi 435.MB posted 10th May
(also Migweldind.avi 428 MB posted 18th May)

I'm looking at a Lincoln "Idealarc 300/300 TIG welder.  I don't have
the code number available.  But based on the Lincoln site, it appears
that most - or even all - of this range of welders is "obsolete".
Provide I pay an "obsolete" price does this matter?

I'm building some fixtures out of rectangular mild steel and would
like to find a better way to cap the open ends of the tube.
I've tried cutting down some flat bar and welding a fillet around the
edge w/ some 7014, but the results were none too pretty, and needed

We just acquired a VW diesel rabbit for $400.  The intake manifold
fell off after all four of its mounting bolts broke.
One of these broke off sufficiently above the machined side of the
head that we were able to turn it out by striking the burr with a

I just bought a used Sears Craftsman 113.201371 Welder.
I'm curious about the current adjustment, it doesn't have
a tapped transformer. It has a slider that (from the outside)
seems to move into or out of a core.

Thought I  would share something I measured and fit by myself....as a
welder of 26 yrs....I'm pretty proud of it....everything fell between the
bubble and is totally level....and will pass x-ray. It's great to take a
photo of that on a Friday...have a few drinks and admire your ...