There is nothing you should ground to the frame that isn't better directly connected to the negative terminal on the battery.
All things welding
- Thread starter AirborneTexasRanger
- Start date
There is nothing you should ground to the frame that isn't better directly connected to the negative terminal on the battery.
I went to the local General Air Supply and to lease/rent a 92 cu of C25 was almost $400. This was about a year ago. The gas itself was much cheaper, closer to $100 IIRC (which was included in the $400).
I shopped around quite a bit and the prices were all very similar. I ended up getting a 125cu from WeldFabulous. It was $369 for a full tank and delivered to my door. Local WS said they'd fill it too when I run out.
I shopped around quite a bit and the prices were all very similar. I ended up getting a 125cu from WeldFabulous. It was $369 for a full tank and delivered to my door. Local WS said they'd fill it too when I run out.
Its a long way from the rear bumper to the battery!
It is even longer since practically no one does that. That and there is no reason to NOT run #2 up. Warn has been doing that forever.
Electricity takes all available paths, but the paths with the least resistance will allow the most current to flow. If you arrange your ground clamp with the circuit in mind and place it so that the current from welding will return thru the clamp without giving it any paths thru stuff you don't want it to you won't cause (electrical) damage to that stuff.
AirborneTexasRanger
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One of our most outstanding body shops in the area burned to the ground a couple of decades ago. They had one on the lift welding some unibody back together for a repair and missed cleaning out all the carpet and interior bits. By the time the body man figured it out, the interior was fully engulfed and everyone ran. Didn't take long for the rest of it to go up in flames.
There seems to be a lot of discussion about equipment. What's good vs. what's bad etc. I think a lot of experienced welders or craftsmen in general can agree that going cheap when it comes to tools never ends well. I'm not saying you've gotta spend a ton of cash even though we've all got Jeeps which means we all have heaps of cash laying around. Here's a few options you should consider if you want to get into welding or are unhappy with the gear you already have.
Hoods/Helmets: Mr. Blaine mentioned it earlier & I want to stress the importance of a quality welding hood. I always recommend an auto-darkening hood with an adjustable shade lens. An auto dark allows you to see what you're doing without constantly lifting your hood while an adjustable shade allows for more flexibility if you aren't sure which shade you need. Also I'd like to mention the grind feature that many hoods have. Basically this feature allows you to use your welding hood as a face shield while grinding without the sparks triggering the auto darkening mode. Just remember to switch back to weld mode before welding.
A few good hoods:
Jackson Safety ~ $160 Reputable company, standard clear lenses & large viewing area.
Lincoln Electric ~ $140 Excellent quality, standard clear lenses but smaller viewing area.
Miller ~ $150 Excellent quality, standard clear lenses but smaller viewing area.
ESAB ~ $150 Reputable company, standard clear lenses but smaller viewing area.
Better hoods IMO:
Lincoln Electric ~ $330 Large viewing area, standard clear lenses & integrated LED light.
Miller ~ $320 Large viewing area & great for welding outdoors in sunlight.
ESAB Sentinel ~ $300 Large viewing area, very comfortable but clear lenses cost more.
Other gear I recommend getting:
MIG welding gloves - these get worn out so stick in the $15-25 range
Extra clear lenses inside & out - expect to change outer lenses a lot while your learning
Welding jacket or 100% cotton long sleeve shirt, polyester will melt and stick to your skin
I always wear earplugs because I don't want sparks/spatter getting inside my ear
A welding cap, bandana or something to cover your head
I also want to touch on shielding gas. If you plan on using MIG wire sometimes called hardwire or solid wire you will absolutely need some shielding gas. Typically C25 which means 25% Carbon Dioxide & 75% Argon. This means purchasing a bottle which can get expensive. Bottles are sized by the cubic feet they can hold 40, 60, 80, 125 & 300. Bottles are typically a 1 time purchase and can be swapped out for a full bottle at any welding supply store & you only pay for the gas. Tractor Supply & Northern Tool also sell shielding gas but they are usually more expensive. I think either 80 or 125 would be enough for a garage welder without having to get a refill every time you want to weld. I started off with a 125 and when I switched to a 300 I was able to get credit for the old bottle towards the new one. There's so much more I could discuss with shielding gas but I'll save that for another post.
If I'm forgetting something then please let me know
Coming back to this page as I am looking for a new welding hood. The Jackson Safety hood you have listed comes in different graphics and hood styles. They range from $100 to $160ish. Is the only difference the graphics? I just want a black hood, don't care about the other stuff. It actually looks like the viewing size changes but not sure on that. All of these hoods are listed at the same link you posted. I figured they'd be the same spec. Edit- As I continue to research this, the viewing sizes change. Most are around the 9 sq in. and the one he linked to has 14 sq in.
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AirborneTexasRanger
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I suggested the $160 hood because it has more arc sensors which helps when you're welding in awkward positions, it has a wide shade # range & large viewing area.
Edit: Sorry I misunderstood your question. The cheaper ones have a smaller viewing area, less shade range & less arc sensors
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Ahhh....I didn't catch the arc sensors part of it. Thanks. What is the purpose of arc sensors when welding in awkward positions?
Like many, I don't like spending more money than I have to but I also believe in most cases you get what you pay for. I'm a hobby welder and will never do this professionally, short of some apocalyptic scenario where engineering commercial HVAC equipment is no longer a viable way to support my family, but I want something that will last and I can keep running for the long haul.
What do I get buying a Lincoln that justifies it being priced 3x a similarly featured Yeswelder? Longevity? Customer service? Your comment seems to imply it isn't performance.
you want to make sure there's a sensor that can see the arc when you're contorted looking out the corner of the lens.
AirborneTexasRanger
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Lincoln is more particular about the quality of the chemical composition of their wire/rods as well as the silica coating or flux. Lincoln wire is also more consistent in the quality of their products where as others go for the cheapest price. Unless you're on an industrial scale you probably wont notice a difference as they buy wire by the pallet load. Also with Lincoln you get decades of R & D that has to be paid for. Another reason is that Lincoln's ideal customers are large companies & even they probably go through a supplier like Airgas or Praxair. It costs them more money to send out smaller batches.
Don't get me wrong, Lincoln makes excellent products, but for hobby welders I can't justify recommending the higher price
AirborneTexasRanger
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One of the reasons I sprung for a Lincoln Welder vs some of the others is parts availabilty. If my welder dies because of a 150 dollar part, I want to be able to get that part. If you buy something like a YES welder, that part might not be available or the lead time might be so long that is just doesn't make sense...so you're out a welder and have to replace the whole thing.