i've never welded before...do you think it would be fairly easy to weld a box...

K

Kenneth

New member
It would take a little pratice...But you probably could.....Welding is sort of like riding a bicycle...Its all a matter of pratice....As for a welding machine....Wire gun welders are nice but the wire cost has gone thru the ceiling...Stick welding is a little less expensive

And will work well...Be sure to get a 220 volt single phase machine for home use....120 volt machines will make your electric bill look like like the national debt....Harbor freight sells a fair machine....
Your best bet would be a lincoln 'Cracker Box" machine.....They use to be about $130.00 But haven't bought one in a while
 
...for a tv to use outdoors? I was thinking like harbor freight welder and just trying it.... on youtube it appears that a beginner can do it, although not always correctly. How do you get the metal into the right size sheets in the first place?
thanks...they were all great answers, so i refuse to choose a "best".... i'll take it to the shop though.. actually i'll try the community college first..
 
If you have someone to sit down and show you how to do it basic MIG welding can be picked up in a matter of a few hours even if you are only slightly mechanically inclined. ARC welding or TIG is a completely different story though. As for sizing the sheets of metal you need various different saws to cut down the sheets of metal and the tubular metal used for the frame. Really it would be cheaper to just hire a local welding shop to build it for you than the buy all the equipment you need to make just 1 thing.
 
If it's your first time it wil be hard.
Sheet metal is easy to 'burn through'.
If you have to ask about the sheet metal, ... forget it.
 
Absolutely not.

Harbor Freight welding machines are the poorest of the poor.

Cut, sheer, bend, forming, machine, mill, roll, press, peen, forge, extrude, etc, are all used in metal forming.

The bottom line is that you're going to try and do something considered difficult by many standards. Buying sub standard tools and possessing zero knowledge is a recipe for failure. Welding aluminum or stainless steel requires more skills than can be garnered by watching a couple idiots on youtube. Monel would work, but learning to oscillate a bead is not something picked up in an afternoon.

The best (seriously) advice I can give is to take your project to the local weld shop. You will save a lot of money and frustration. I don't mean to be a prick, not in the least, but some things are best left up to the experts. If I watched a couple videos on youtube about brain surgery; I would not expect to be proficient in the craft. You can expect to pay $80/hr max for a one to two hour project with material cost added. Factor in the cost of an oxyacetylene rig/plasma torch plus a welding machine to put it together, you'd be better off in the long run to pay to have it built for you.

Certified Welder
 
like any thing welding is takes pratice. hoe much you put in is derctly linked to howmuch you get out. sence you have never welded befor i would recomend a wire welder seaing as thet are easer to use. if you want the welds to be presentable you would use the mig (metal inurt gas) proses. it will produce the best qualty weld for the aplocation. i would not recomend the "harbor fraight" welder its lack of qualty will lead to frustration and falure. a weld is only as good as the person welding it but it is also only as good as the welder used as well. i am partial to Linklen Eletric welders but Miller is just as good while Hobart will work. i would not recoment Esab, witch you may have sean on American Choper, because their custmer service is not great to say the least.

welders and tanks are expencive and you must invest time and money in welding to bey any good. all i can sat is to do your homework and make well planed choices. for a newbe a good uesd welder off Craigslist would be prefict.

be safe, ware all protective gear, and know that if done improprly there is a nuf electristy produced by the welder to kill you dead
 
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