Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello!

I have some 1/4" and 1/8" thick steel flat stock that I need to cut into a bunch of coupons so I can practice welding in my garage. I will buy you a case of your favorite beer if you let me have access to your shear/ironworker. Shouldn't take me more than a half hour. You can't beat that deal! Any takers?

If only I had a sheer.

Poland308 wrote:If only I had a sheer.

And lived near Georgia...
I wish I had a shear to and not for the beer since I am underage but just to have one have you considered a plasma cutter at all?

If you're going to weld you'll need a 14" abrasive chop saw anyway - about $160 for a fairly decent one at the hardware store.

And at first you only need 4 pieces of flat to make a block, and burn on it about 260 rods . 20 hours welding +-

Then another one .. etc

https://youtu.be/kujfqbxSXT8

The 14' saw is a very good idea . Certainly I will consider one .

Good luck

PS the trick with the beer works only for a short moment

Farmwelding wrote:

Poland308 wrote:If only I had a sheer.

And lived near Georgia...
I wish I had a shear to and not for the beer since I am underage but just to have one have you considered a plasma cutter at all?

Oh you did not know , that trick from a welder : "to stop shaking , drink 2 beers"

I guess we should ask the size of the material you have to ensure that we reccomend the right tools. But the abrasive saws work well for stuff that size and a tip for the saw: turn it on end and not on the wide part.

TJ - There's a MetalSupermarket branch in Atlanta on Pleasantdale Road, or a location in Marietta on Williams Drive. Either should have a shear more than capable of clipping that material. go introduce yourself, and I'd bet for a cup of bucks and some business, they'd clip those for you.

The branch near me does stuff like this all the time and I've gotten to know the owner rather well. I've welded some stuff for them, he's sent some customers my way for machining and welding services, and I buy a ton of material from him. They're potentially a great business relationship to have.

They even might allow you to rummage through their "drops" for welding practice material, then return it to them so they can have it recycled in the end (it actually yields more money for them with all the welding wire and beads). Worth the trips-

Alternatively you really can't beat the deal from the James F Lincoln foundation unless you have free steel from somewhere. Jody did a video on this a while back, and I have bought like 3 or 4 boxes of 10 of these. You can get a box of 10 kits delivered for around $60. That is 60 pieces of 2 inch x 6 inch x 1/8 cold rolled steel plus 20 pieces of 3 inch by 3 inch by 1/4 (also CRS? not sure), all cut and ready to weld for the most part. If you want to TIG weld them they need an acetone bath, they are pretty oily. I pay about a buck a pound for steel at my local supplier for drops, and that isn't cut to coupon size. This is a bit cheaper and way easier. Just buy 10 or more to get the discounted price.

https://www.jflf.org/ProductDetails.asp ... Code=METAL