Winter welding 101: Keep me from setting myself on fire.

I picked up a Lincoln Mig Pac 140 at Crappy Tire the other day. I don't have gas yet, but plan on getting a bottle at some point. I've got a basic welding book. I need to get a helmet, gloves and other protective gear. Then I need to practice, practice, practice.

Question 1: Can this be done in a basement with proper ventilation (dedicated exhaust fan at work area venting outside)? I'm guessing no, but thought I'd ask first.

Question 2: If I need to be outside, I'll need a 50ft extension cord. Pretty sure I can't use the one on have for running the shop vac. What do I need?

Any other tips for a complete noob on how not to injure/kill oneself or destroy mine or the neighbors property is greatly appreciated.

Pretty excited about this. I'm envisioning a Can Am replica in my future.

Cheers,

Jeff

1. I think ventilation is a good idea. 2 Yes you can use an extension cord. granted if you are using it on thick metal at it's highest setting you might need to invest in a heavy duty extension cord otherwise the standard orange cords can do the job.

Do not use fabric softener on the clothes you weld in! It makes them flammable, lets not talk about how I know this.

I do it in my garage, with a gas bottle on a metal table.

I have to open the door no matter how cold it is to let the smoke out every couple of welds.

I have actually set things on fire. Spatter can travel pretty far and smoulder in wood for a while before that wonderful pine scent sets off your internal panic button. I would not do it in the basement without a fume hood and careful placement unless I was repairing something that couldn't be moved.

The easy way around this is to buy a TIG. (I bought one last xmas for myself... it's awesome) You could do that in the kitchen without trouble.

I have done TIG in my basement, but I wouldn't MIG without a LOT of ventilation. Also, mig and stick produce a good amount of sparks, be mindful that they go everywhere and anywhere. Make sure there is nothing flammable about and you have adequate fire extinguishers, etc.

Make sure you're wearing proper gear no matter what. Heavy, natural fibers at the very least, if not a proper welding jacket/gloves.

Get a portable shelter and a long (very heavy) extension cord and do it in your driveway. I have a big well ventilated shop with a welding area and I still make a habit of never leaving the shop for at least half an hour after I finish welding or cutting. That is your home you are talking about and there is no safe way to weld in there.

Jeff wrote: I picked up a Lincoln Mig Pac 140 at Crappy Tire the other day. I don't have gas yet, but plan on getting a bottle at some point. I've got a basic welding book. I need to get a helmet, gloves and other protective gear. Then I need to practice, practice, practice. Question 1: Can this be done in a basement with proper ventilation (dedicated exhaust fan at work area venting outside)? I'm guessing no, but thought I'd ask first.

Depends on matrimonial situation. No way you will capture all the fumes. As a once in a while effort, yeah sure, no worse than painting something.

Jeff wrote: Question 2: If I need to be outside, I'll need a 50ft extension cord. Pretty sure I can't use the one on have for running the shop vac. What do I need?

Princess Auto has you covered. Big 220Volt sucket. If your machine is 110, then you need a contractor grade extension cord with about 10 gauge conductors.

Jeff wrote: Any other tips for a complete noob on how not to injure/kill oneself or destroy mine or the neighbors property is greatly appreciated. Pretty excited about this. I'm envisioning a Can Am replica in my future. Cheers, Jeff

It is not hard to do. I recommend getting some thicker steel and learn how to see the weld puddle by running long beads. It's not as obvious as you would think for most people. Most of us when we start are entranced by the sparks, heat and what we "THINK" is the weld puddle. Learn to relax and focus on the actual spot where the molten bead lies; this is what you are trying to control.

Using the principles of surface tension, you will learn to push and pull the bead, up to an including uphill.

Most people weld too cold because they never do learn to see and control the bead; they compensate by keeping the welder set low so they don't burn though.

Pretty welds are only the result of practice and desire to make them. They are not always indicative of a good weld.

From past history, I am destined to catch the garage in my basement on fire.

My wife went ahead and had a plumber install a fire sprinkler system in the ceiling.

Get some old leather coats or welders blankets...

True story, was working on a friends camaro CP project welding in some diagionals on the through the firewall tubes... I was squatting in the wheel well and looking up welding inside the fender. I was wearing light-ish cargo pants that day. As I am welding, I notice that its getting rather warm. Upon raising the mask and looking down I see that the crotch of my pants are on fire... I was kind of glad I was working alone that day, if someone had shot video of the ensuing flaming crotch dance and put it on youtube I probably never would have been able to show my face in public again.

My underpants protected me for the most part, the burns were about like a mild sunburn. There was however the small matter of the softball sized hole in the crotch of my pants. Well, that and the fact that I had ridden a moped a few miles to the shop. It was an interesting ride home...

ALWAYS ALWAYS protect your hootus.

Have a bucket of water and a fire extinguisher nearby. Water will solve most problems if caught in time and if its handy. (running to get a hose hooked up while something is burning should best be done with yakkity sax going on in the background)

As far as ventilation... Thats a question of how much airflow you have. Some of the fumes from welding can be really nasty.

Really think about whats flamable in the area you are wanting to work.

DO NOT USE BRAKE CLEANER TO CLEAN PARTS YOU WILL WELD!!! It can generate Phosgene gas. Read this http://www.brewracingframes.com/id75.htm

Before starting anything, check with your home insurance. I've had to change my home insurance company because it didn't want to insure me if any welding happened on my property, even in my garage. My current insurance company doesn't care as long as it's personnal DIY-use only.

Like everyone else said, check your clothing. Even certain jeans have synthetic fibers in them nowadays, so read the label.

I bought the same machine last month, for the "quick and dirty" jobs my TIG doesn't like. It's a relatively decent machine. You may want to put in a 20A socket at some point, but I haven't popped the 15A I run mine on yet (though I'm sure it's coming).

The gas is nice. Straight CO2 is cheaper and burns deeper, but Argon/CO2 is prettier with less spatter.

The manual suggests an extension cord of no more than 50', and (if I remember correctly) 12-3 wire. Bigger would always be better. They were recently on sale at Princess Auto here in BC.

Biggest tips I repeatedly give my students:

1.Slow the heck down

1. Get the tip close

2. Get your face close

3. Slow the heck down

Watch for extra flashes they don't belong. I was welding with my winter coveralls on and saw a flash that was away from weld. Turned out I had set my coveralls on fire and didn't notice the extra heat yet. No burns due to extra cloths. Grinders will set fires too.

Thanks all for the feedback.

So I should take the MIG back and get a TIG?

Setting fire to ones clothing. I've never done that sober. Also sounds like a strong argument for a welders jacket and apron.

J

Jeff wrote: So I should take the MIG back and get a TIG?

Depends. I did a lot of soldering and brazing, so TIG was a lot more intuitive for me. Took me a longer than it should have to get the rhythm and technique for MIG. Most of that was figuring out what to do with my other hand... helps to steady the torch arm.

I always wear a welding jacket, unless I'm just tacking, but I only tig. I could never figure out how to mig, tig is just so much easier. But I also think cars with manual transmissions are easier to back up hills.

I almost always wear jeans while welding as well. No no frays on them, the frayed cotton in the jeans will catch on fire. I will wear shorts if I am welding while sitting at a table.

Helmet, buy the nicest one you can. I like my lincoln 3150, the viewing area is MASSIVE and its so light I forget its no my head sometimes. I also like the similarly priced millers but the head piece isnt as comfortable and the viewing area isnt quite as big. Haven't used the other top brands. I hate the cheapy $40 ones and wont use them to weld with any more.

Gloves, its mig, I guess those cheap heavy ass ones work. I use kid skins for tig and just try not to think about the cute baby goats that got killed to make the glorious pair of gloves I'm wearing.

I think you'd be OK under a fume hood of some sort (used kitchen vent hood). In a non flammable 3 sided booth to prevent spatter/spark escape.

I would not weld in the basement. Too many things can go wrong there. I typically keep one side of the garage empty except for the car. When I want to weld, I pull the cars out and I have a space with non-flammable walls on 2 sides (cinder blocks), a garage door on the third, and ~20' to the wall on the other side. I try to aim spatter towards the cinder blocks as much as possible.

Get an extension cord that is at least the same gauge as the wire on the welder if not larger. The long the cord, the greater the losses, and the less energy going to the welder.

I'll second SkinnyG's recommendation of a 20A outlet. I have a Lincoln 140C and welded quite a bit on a 15A circuit starting out. It always welded but sometimes didn't have the "umph" or it would trip the breaker. Finally one day I discovered the outlet in the laundry room adjacent to the garage was 20A. I bought a heavy gauge extension cord and started using it and it was like getting a new and more powerful machine (and I stopped tripping the breaker). Welders need juice to work - don't starve them.

Otherwise practice makes perfect. Follow the instructions on the machine for setting the correct wire speed and heat depending on the wire type and thickness. It may need a little tweaking but will get you in the right ballpark. If you have a friend that can weld, invite them over. MIG isn't hard once you know what it should look and sound like.

Just a warning - our shop burned down a year ago, and it is suspected that some weld spatter from a overhead door repair ended up in the insulation. It smouldered from about 5pm until 3am until eventually fire broke out. The building was completely written off. I wouldn't do it in the house.

I have welded a couch. In the living room. With flux-core. And stayed married!

Plan your welding. Make sure you know where sparks can go and what they might hit. Use welding blankets, et cetera to control the area.

slantvaliant wrote: I have welded a couch. In the living room. With flux-core. And stayed married! Plan your welding. Make sure you know where sparks can go and what they might hit. Use welding blankets, et cetera to control the area.

Enabling someone to buy an unsuitable vehicle is one thing but to encourage someone to weld in a the family home is just......words fail me. I have had fires raging while happily running beads inside my welding helmet. You finally flip up the helmet and you have a bonfire under your work bench. Just don't do it and don't tell him to do it.

Most safety equipment can be found at HF. Also, wear leather shoes!! Spatter goes through sneakers real easy, and things get bad in a hurry. BTDT.

cwh wrote: Most safety equipment can be found at HF.

Yup, but honestly, you'll probably get the same or better quality for the samish price online from where ever you buy your helmet from. HF helmets are fine for observers and I have welded in them when I absolutely had to, but my eyes are worth the $200 to get a nice, lightweight, comfortable, massive viewing area, never flash you helmet.

cwh wrote: Spatter goes through sneakers real easy, and things get bad in a hurry.

FWIW, I've done a lot of welding in shorts and a t-shirt because it gets hucking fot in the summer. A craftsman should always be able to show his project then point to the places on his body where it cost him. :)

Thanks again for the info. Not welding inside. I'm making a trip to Princess Auto tonight to pick up more supplies. Suggestions on what welding helmet to get (brand and model)?

Thanks,

J

I've had one of these HF Auto-Darkening jobs for ~10 years. $50.

When they first started showing up for the welders at work, they were about $600.!

... and buy some decent gloves.

Jeff wrote: Thanks again for the info. Not welding inside. I'm making a trip to Princess Auto tonight to pick up more supplies. Suggestions on what welding helmet to get (brand and model)? Thanks, J

I like the lincoln viking 3150, but I haven't tried the speedglass or jackson. Its nicer than the miller of the same price range. And worth the $140 more that it costs over the HF one.