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Jim:

The person that bought the welder for $450.00 sure got a nice welder for that price.
That is a nice welder and would do most anything that you need to do with steel.

Golddie:
The next welder up would be a better choice.(Northern AC 4180) I had one like it at first when I learned to weld. I sold it for what I paid for it a couple years later and bought a Miller AC/DC machine like the Hobart LX235 and I weld with dc reverse most of the time. It is for a person that plans to use it a lot. For the hobby welder the 250 amp AC welder will do most anything you would need to weld in steel. I use a 3/32" electrode most of the time but when your welding 1/4" or larger steel a 1/8" electrode is better.

dickb
 
Hi dick b
Are you saying that you would buy this
http://www.amazon.com/Hobart-500420-Stickmate-Welding-Source/dp/B00004WHGG


and you would not buy this
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200355916_200355916

Thanks
 
I would not buy the secound one, I have a similiar type welder, well the same but different manufacturer, it will get you by in a spot but is really very limited in what it can do.

When I got my mig unit from tractor supply, I never got that buzz box out again.

Jim
 
Hi Jim
The price is also very good for this one
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200355916_200355916

Buthcer was saying
http://www.amazon.com/Campbell-Hausfeld-WT400000AV-Oxy-Acetylene-Torch/dp/B0000DD7DV
Oxy-Acetylene

The price for this is very good $169.00
I guess I would have to buy a tank and do you know if there are other expenses
Thanks
 
I own torches also, I do not weld with them, although you can. I don't know much of what you are going to do, if you are just doing some round the house stuff then I would got with the mig/flux setup you can get one for about 250.00 + bottle about 70 more, but you do not have to get the bottle to weld you can use flux core wire, if you are not going to weld stainless, aluminum, copper, you do not even need to get a welder that can use gas shielding, they are even less, you can get a flux core welder only for about 160 or less, in my opion better than any small buzz box arc welder. If you are going to braze/melt gold with a torch you can get a air/acetylene torch from any refrigeration supply, and you only need to get a small acetylene bottle and they are only 13.00 to refill and they last, I do major refrigeration work, rack systems, resturuants, wal marts, cosco's etc and mostly use the air/acetylene, I also have acetylene/oxy for when I need high heat in tight areas.

Thats, just my .03 (inflation)

Jim
 
Golddie:
All three of those welders are sold by Northern. I can't recommend a welder for you because I don't know your needs. I just told you what I have and what they are used to do. The cheapest one 80 amp is a waste of money in my opinion. Too small to do any real welding. The middle price is the most common hobby welder commonly called a buzz box and will do a good job of welding up to about 1/4" steel. The Hobart is a AC/DC welder and is a better grade of welder for someone that is doing a lot of welding. All three welders are stick electrode welders. A Mig welder uses a reel of wire for the electrode and will run continously till the wire runs out or you stop holding the trigger in. Flux core wire is like a straw with flux in the center. The flux shields the weld puddle from oxygen in the air. The wire type electrode needs shielding gas from a tank to shield the weld puddle.
Any welder you buy will require you to spend a large amount of time learning to weld with it. Welding is a skill that has to be learned like typing or driving a nail with a hammer.
Best of luck to you.
dickb
 
The more I think about it the more sure I am that I would like to have
Oxy-Acetylene
Torch
 
sometime you can buy a used set of bottles and torch for about 150.00 if yer lucky, and then get bottles filled, I think that would be a good start then add to your welding arsenal as you see the need.
 
Golddie:

You will need both the welder and the oxy/fuel torch.

The welder to stick the steel together, the torch to cut the steel to size and a Drill and bits to make holes in the steel.

Steel is just like wood in that you have to be able to make it into exact size parts and then fasten them into the finished project. So the torch becomes the saw and the welder is the glue.

dickb
 
There are people here that have a lot more experience than I do.I took a welding class and worked a whole Summer for a German Trained Blacksmith. We used a torch a lot for heating metal, even though there was always a hot forge just a few feet away and used a stick welder when it was called for. I did a lot of silver soldering. I used the better part of a Kilo of Silver while I worked there.

Always us the right tool for the job. Thank you.
 
Irons:

I got those two frits for my flask. I haven't tried them yet but they are a size
A(145 - 170) and B( 70 - 100) and should do what I am looking for.

Thanks for posting the photos. I'll let you know which size I like best, but my guess is the smaller bubble size is what I need.

I've got is set up like the A-B train that Pawnbroker Bob posted. Right now the bubbles were too big and I think the frit will solve that. Air stones don't hold up in Nitric.

Thank a Lot!

dickb
 
dick b said:
Irons:

I got those two frits for my flask. I haven't tried them yet but they are a size
A(145 - 170) and B( 70 - 100) and should do what I am looking for.

Thanks for posting the photos. I'll let you know which size I like best, but my guess is the smaller bubble size is what I need.

I've got is set up like the A-B train that Pawnbroker Bob posted. Right now the bubbles were too big and I think the frit will solve that. Air stones don't hold up in Nitric.

Thank a Lot!

dickb
Click to expand...

You're very welcome.
 
golddie said:
The more I think about it the more sure I am that I would like to have
Oxy-Acetylene
Torch
Click to expand...

I'm not sure but from reading your posts I think you're in Canada? If so be sure to check out Princess Auto. They have all the supplies a DIY'er would need. They carry oxy-acetylene gear as well as a line of welders from Italy. Prices are good (even better if you follow the sales) and the quality is middle of the road. You won't find Miller or Hobart machines there but then you won't be paying Miller or Hobart prices either.
We could argue all day what the best machine is out there to buy but it would all be redundant because you don't need the best. You need a machine that fits your needs so first examine what your needs are. Once you know what you'll be using it for you can select the right equipment to start and then expand on it.
I bought a Lincoln 220v MIG from Canadian Tire and set it up for gas. I've restored two cars with it now and I love this welder. The thing will out live me, I'm sure then my kids will get it.
 
I cut a propane tank in half and I that the inside is like T-fel material
Cut I popur the refractory right into that or do I have to scrape out that material
 
goldie can you state your question again I did not understand.

maybe this can give you some clues to building yours, make sure tank is empty vented, and purged of any flamable fumes, cut propane tank in half, with top cut just couple of inches below (about two inches below where round portion of tank begins) where lid will be the smaller portion (so lid is not too heavy, and finished is about thickness of refactory, bottom half is major portion of the furnace) clean out coating, burn out the remaining coating and paint, brush to clean metal.
I would weld in fence staples or bent nails on the inside of the tank then use wire or to make a mesh to form a support to hold in refactory (similar to rebar in concrete) keeping this to well below the finish Height of the finished refactory, depending on which type of furnace will depend on the design, I will assume a gas furnace and not electric, you will need a burner port, here I cut a hole at proper location and weld a piece of pipe at a slight angle so the flame will swirl around in the furnace, also an exhaust in lid another hole and pipe, on flue pipe I weld a bolt with threads higher than end of flue, and cut a circle of metal for an adjustable flue cover, bend some pipe for handle on lid, and on furnace ( old spring type stove handles are great here also), four large washers welded around rim (half washer above rim)and bent out slightly were top and bottom meet will act as a guide for lid and bottom to sit together and evenly, high temperature paint on outside tank, paper forms, tissue paper, news paper, cardboard tubes, and masking tape, to make forms for burner chamber and so on where you dont want refactory (these can be removed or burned out later), weld on legs, four for stability with feet, (or a stand bottom of your choice ( to keep furnace surounded by air, away from flammables or from sitting on a heat sink) pour refactory , making sure of no air pockets, before completely dry do any wash coats of refactory, when drying do not disturb, the refactory is thick and will take quit a while to dry internally,and if it dries too fast can crack intead of shrinking, if mixing your refactory water content can also play a big role on final product.and slowly bring up heat on first firing, if air pockets or not completely dry can burst pockets when you fire
propane burners are easy to make from plumbing supplies, pipes and fittings, the welding can be done with oxygen Acetylene welder. or other welders like wire feed.
tongs and other tools can also be made easily.
 
Hi Butcher
Thanks for your help.
You have given me lot of good ideas that I will use.
I am wondering if you have a picture of a furnace so I can get a better understanding
Thanks again
 
golddie said:
Hi Butcher
Thanks for your help.
You have given me lot of good ideas that I will use.
I am wondering if you have a picture of a furnace so I can get a better understanding
Thanks again
Click to expand...

This link may help you. on this site it has the type of furnace you are trying to make.

http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/index.html
 
golddie said:
I am wondering if you have a picture of a furnace so I can get a better understanding
Thanks again
Click to expand...

Before I cut any propane tank open I fill it with water, the furnace in the picture is my home foundry furnace made from a large domestic water tank.

I poured the refractory onto the floor first, then inserted a plastic garbage can filled with sand so that when I poured the outer shell the hole in the center would remain round once the garbage can and sand removed.

Don't forget the burner port before pouring in the refractory. You can use a juice can or cardboard tube, it is not necessary that the tubes remain in place after the refractory has cured.

I fire my furnace with propane from a 500 gallon tank not shown in the picture, the torch is from a roofers tar kettle and puts out 800,000 btu's, the propane feed to the torch head is being supplied as a liquid from the supply tank. There is a large coil wrapped around the torch head to vaporize the liquid propane before it reaches the nozzle. This puppy rocks.

A link to some of the home made cope and drag box's and some castings I have done with the home foundry. The fish mold is for making fishing weights used with a down rigger, the castings still attached to the sprue are a scuba mold, fishing weight mold and a rosette for the wife.

In the picture showing the knife and spoon there's also a plastic straw, I use the straw to gently blow any loose sand from inside the mold cavities before clamping the cope and drag together.

You will notice that my patterns are bottom side up with the exception of the rosette, this way any loose sand left inside the cope is going to float on top of the molten aluminum ending up on the bottom of the finished product where it's least noticed and has no effect on how the fishing weight mold should perform.

Also in the rosette picture you'll notice a large piece of aluminum which everything is still attached to, the reason this is so large, when the smaller items are cooling inside the mold they will shrink, by having this large excess of aluminum for them to draw metal from prevents deformations in the smaller thin walled castings which are cooling down much quicker.

The McColloch power saw logo was removed from a fuel tank then used as a pattern, cast in aluminum using Petrobond.

http://s235.photobucket.com/albums/ee193/gustavus1_photos/Foundry_1/
 
Hi gustavus
Thanks for that picture
I am in Montreal and I would like to do some casting for money and refining
I am saying maybe garages need casting done for auto parts they cant find on the market
I might do jewelery casting later because I want to start one step at a time
What other kind of businesses would need casting
 

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