Welding Tips and Tricks

Posted: **Sat Sep 26, 2015 6:20 pm**

Here's mine.
A little over a year ago, I bought my first AC225. Shortly after that, I needed the Lincoln flux core machine on the table in my pic for a handrail job. In that year, my total cost for every machine pictured was just over a thousand dollars. The other day, I used craigslist and eBay to estimate the value of everything and it adds up to $2000, conservatively. I've also made just over a grand off of it all in that year, mostly in the last 4 months. I know that's not a lot, but I don't do this to pay bills. I do it to pay for learning. My big job pays the bills, and this is my allowance.

Posted: **Sat Sep 26, 2015 6:32 pm**

Nice neat set up!

And congratulations on making a few dollars out of it. I will post a shot of my shop later today but it's embarrassingly small and cramped. Most of the room in my main shed is taken up by motorcycles.

I've had friends offer me cash for little jobs already and I guess I'll go there when I'm confident enough. No one here asks for anything to be done for free because everyone realises that argon over her is like gold dust. What I hear all the time is "I'll give you some beers and maybe $25 towards gas, okay?"

Kym

Posted: **Sat Sep 26, 2015 6:39 pm**

Kym....I paid $65 bucks for a 300cf fill this spring...I don't know what currency you use in Oz but what would a comparison be? Also I heard most Helium comes from Oz so is it cheap there? We have to 2nd mortgage our homes to pay for Helium here.

Posted: **Sat Sep 26, 2015 6:53 pm**

exnailpounder wrote:Kym....I paid $65 bucks for a 300cf fill this spring...I don't know what currency you use in Oz but what would a comparison be? Also I heard most Helium comes from Oz so is it cheap there? We have to 2nd mortgage our homes to pay for Helium here.

Sorry everyone, getting off track again because of my gas cost obsession.

Exnail, absolute best I can do for a 240cf fill is AU$130. This is for a 'bigger than normal' E size cylinder (6.8 cubic metres) via an outfit called Supagas. Of course on top of this there is around $20 per month cylinder rental to pay.

I understand this is a reasonable deal here - I've heard if people paying up to $170 for a slightly smaller cylinder.

Sorry, can't comment on helium because as a newbie, I'm yet to use the stuff.

Kym

Posted: **Sat Sep 26, 2015 6:57 pm**

My God they bend you over there! Cocaine sounds cheap compared to argon...wow!

Posted: **Sat Sep 26, 2015 6:59 pm**

Helium is rare and is mined. Most comes from usa. All our supplies in oz comes from usa. It is a finite resource and will eventually become exhausted. Enjoy it while you can. It ain't getting cheaper.

Posted: **Sat Sep 26, 2015 6:59 pm**

Sorry about the hi-jack nathan, won't happen again

Posted: **Sat Sep 26, 2015 7:03 pm**

Coldman wrote:Helium is rare and is mined. Most comes from usa. All our supplies in oz comes from usa. It is a finite resource and will eventually become exhausted. Enjoy it while you can. It ain't getting cheaper.

Now the delivery driver for liquid nitrogen at Exxon-Mobil refinery told me Helium comes from Australia. I will take your word for it. Maybe thats why hes driving a truck...sorry again nathan!

Posted: **Sat Sep 26, 2015 7:08 pm**

If we had any helium here we would have either eaten it or sold it to china by now

Posted: **Sat Sep 26, 2015 7:12 pm**

[attachment=0]20150926_180546.jpg[/attachment][attachment=1]20150926_180521.jpg[/attachment]Part of my shop, I have a huge band saw and Hotsy and other equipment that is tarped over right now but this is where I fool around

Posted: **Sat Sep 26, 2015 7:29 pm**

jeff
very clean but wheres the broom?...lol

Posted: **Sat Sep 26, 2015 7:38 pm**

Jeff, that is awesome...so much gear! So much space!

You'll all get a laugh when I post up my bench this afternoon...

Kym

Posted: **Sat Sep 26, 2015 9:12 pm**

Sorry Nathan, but I'll take the highjack a little further down the road.

The majority of Helium does come the States. They're finding ways to extract it from the Natural Gas and this is increasing the worlds supply. It was extracted from Copper mines previously almost exclusively. We have a plant that just went on line last year that supposedly would increase the world's supply by 40% when in full production. If my wife would move there I'd already applied for the plant manager's job there, population 983. Another plant just went online a few months ago that uses the same process. It's costly, equipment heavy process, so don't look for it to bring the cost down any time soon.

Len

Posted: **Sat Sep 26, 2015 11:53 pm**

Here's my very humble rig. Just my great little machine perched next to a not-very-great roadside sale bench that I've topped off with a 3mm steel top. Very much a stop gap set up that is okay for now so that I can practise and learn.

...and here's why there's no room. Two from the collection. There's quite a few more in my other shed; so many that there is no room at all for the welder...or the lathe I want...or the metal cutting machine. First world problems!

The plan over the next couple of years is to buy a place and build a very large custom shed where I'll have room for at least a dozen bikes, plus all the welding and workshop equipment that I already have, as well as that I plan to have.

Looking at this, despite its relative humbleness, I feel very privileged to have my little collection of toys.

Kym

Posted: **Sun Sep 27, 2015 1:17 am**

MosquitoMoto wrote:
Here's my very humble rig. Just my great little machine perched next to a not-very-great roadside sale bench that I've topped off with a 3mm steel top. Very much a stop gap set up that is okay for now so that I can practise and learn.

The plan over the next couple of years is to buy a place and build a very large custom shed where I'll have room for at least a dozen bikes, plus all the welding and workshop equipment that I already have, as well as that I plan to have.

Kym

So, you're buying two houses? A small one for the family, and a big one for you.

What machine is that, an invertec?? It's so little and has so many buttons. On that note, you're from oz, so its probably a badass kemmpi or something.

And would y'all quit apologizing?! Jesus, if I was worried about a post getting hijacked, I would have split a LONG time ago. That's the culture here, and that's why this place is so fucking good. My 80cf bottle cost me $250 from the lws, and $20 to fill. Sounds like a work visa would pay for itself pretty quick for a welder coming from oz to the US.

Posted: **Sun Sep 27, 2015 1:28 am**

And exnailpounder, that is beautiful. Why do you have two compressors? CNC plasma?

Posted: **Sun Sep 27, 2015 3:25 am**

nathan wrote:
MosquitoMoto wrote:
Here's my very humble rig. Just my great little machine perched next to a not-very-great roadside sale bench that I've topped off with a 3mm steel top. Very much a stop gap set up that is okay for now so that I can practise and learn.

The plan over the next couple of years is to buy a place and build a very large custom shed where I'll have room for at least a dozen bikes, plus all the welding and workshop equipment that I already have, as well as that I plan to have.

Kym
So, you're buying two houses? A small one for the family, and a big one for you.

What machine is that, an invertec?? It's so little and has so many buttons. On that note, you're from oz, so its probably a badass kemmpi or something.

And would y'all quit apologizing?! Jesus, if I was worried about a post getting hijacked, I would have split a LONG time ago. That's the culture here, and that's why this place is so fucking good. My 80cf bottle cost me $250 from the lws, and $20 to fill. Sounds like a work visa would pay for itself pretty quick for a welder coming from oz to the US.

Hey Nathan.

Two houses, one for family, one for shop sounds like a good idea, as does 'American Argon working visa!'

Meanwhile, welding machine is nothing as exotic as a Kemppi, it's a budget Metalmaster 215 Elite. ACDC pulse TIG plus stick and plasma. Has been an amazing machine for me - easy and intuitive to use. And the backup by the seller is faultless (no, I'm not on commission.) Call with a question or concern and they are ready to help right away.

Having a ball with the machine. Learning all the time.

Kym

Posted: **Sun Sep 27, 2015 3:33 am**

I think the Tokentools are the Ausie version of the Everlast machines if I'm not mistaken.

Len

Posted: **Sun Sep 27, 2015 4:57 am**

Yep, Pete at Token Tools, very easy to deal with and knows his product.

Posted: **Sun Sep 27, 2015 5:42 am**

ex framie wrote:Yep, Pete at Token Tools, very easy to deal with and knows his product.

Yep, legend bloke. When I have some more experience under my belt I'll review my machine in the 'Product Reviews' section here.

Kym

Posted: **Sun Sep 27, 2015 6:39 am**

nathan wrote:And exnailpounder, that is beautiful. Why do you have two compressors? CNC plasma?

Ahhh...the two compressors

Ummm...well...umm...I don't have a good answer...One of them I bought, one of them I "found on the side of the road"

I don't have a CNC, wish I did, just a Hypertherm30 which suprisingly has served all my needs. Craig....my mother-in-law stole my broom...she rides it over on the weekends to give me shit about my grass being too long

Posted: **Sun Sep 27, 2015 6:43 am**

Doesn't everyone have two air compressors?

Heck, even I have two. One for tyres, one to run my sand blaster. Oh, and now my plasma cutter.

Kym

Posted: **Sun Sep 27, 2015 6:51 am**

MosquitoMoto wrote:Jeff, that is awesome...so much gear! So much space!

You'll all get a laugh when I post up my bench this afternoon...
Kym, I came from nothing, but had a good work ethic so I was able to put together some toys but I have been brought down to shambles a few times in my life so please don't feel anyone is going to laugh at your setup. Just the fact that you are persuing what I consider a noble craft, is enough to let all of us know your a good guy. We all start somewhere and when you keep your eyes on the prise you get where you want to go. I have all the respect in the world for men who work and aspire. I just jealous of that badass Duke in your possession

Kym

Posted: **Sun Sep 27, 2015 6:54 am**

MosquitoMoto wrote:Doesn't everyone have two air compressors?

Heck, even I have two. One for tyres, one to run my sand blaster. Oh, and now my plasma cutter.

Kym

I was going to put a flip-flop switch between the two of them so they would wear evenly but haven't yet. One is basically a backup. Its nice to have more air than you need instead of waiting for a compressor to catch up all the time.

Posted: **Sun Sep 27, 2015 7:19 am**

Jeff, are your compressors portable...or even easily relocatable?

They look positively huge! I'm just running a couple portables. They have to be small enough to come to the race track with me.

Kym

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