Should have got one years ago - welding auto-mask

[Harry Bloomfield]

Not being gifted with three arms and always having difficulty striking the arc in the right place, I have been thinking of getting one of those auto- darkening welding masks since they first appeared on the market.

I saw a new unused one in its box for £10 at a car boot sale, so grabbed it. For those also considering.....

It makes it so much easier. You can see through the lens with mask down, right up to the instant when the arc is struck. My version uses solar charged lithium cell(s) - no batteries to replace. Three adjusters for sensitivity, how dark it goes and how long it should remain dark at the end of welding.

I just need to source some of, what is suggested to be - splatter proof clear outer lens material. Anyone know of a cheap source?

It looks like thin plastic or acrylic, which could likely be cut down to the size needed. All I have come across before have been glass.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Got one of these some time ago and I'd say it essential for anyone other than the most skilled.

All I need now is some tips on welding 1mm steel on the car. I can't seem to find that sweet spot between burning holes and the wire sticking to the steel. I've got a SIP Migmate Turbo 130. Using argon.

I've no problem making a decent job of thicker stuff.

[dennis]

A gas welder? I tried it (on a Hillman avenger) with a stick welder once and then used gas. Its been 35 years since and I have never tried to weld sheet that thin since. I suspect its practice and more practice.

[Tim Watts]

dennis@home wibbled on Saturday 10 July 2010 11:19

Practice, decent MIG and clean metal.

I've done 1mm steel with a Cebora MIG and CO2. Best practice on some scrap first and adjust wire feed and current until it works. Plenty of gas too.

On the car, clean the metal along the weld line as well as practical - makes a huge difference not trying to weld through rust and crap.

If possible, cut back to or weld over a bit that isn't corroded so extreme thinness.

I agree, it does take some pratting around setting up, but once there, even a relative novice like me can pull a decent weld on car bodywork.

This assumes the welder is decent as in smooth wire feed and repeatable settings.

[John]

It must be a bit scary when you first use this type of mask. Fear of what would happen if it didn't work.

[Harry Bloomfield]

John expressed precisely :

It was but I have suffered arc eye before, trying to hold things with one hand, the rod holder with the other and closing my eyes to tack weld in place.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Dave Plowman (News)" saying something like:

Practice with the use of a pro-grade welder then transfer your new skill back to your lower-grade set. It's how I learned to do it - at work there were numerous quality welders and I found migging thin sheet a piece of piss.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I was getting quite good results in the workshop on the bench with scrap - but it's a different matter working on the awkward bits of the car. I can't really see what I'm doing.

[Steve Walker]

I agree that stick welding thin steel is extremely difficult, but I'm sure I heard that the steels used on modern cars are high strength types (allowing thinner metal) and that they should not be welded with gas as that applies heat to too large an area and weakens it.

Mig's the way to go.

A friend of mine is a professional welder and although he normally works on heavy gauge stuff, I've seen him work on cars with Mig and it's a joy to behold: replacing the top of the A-post and the corner of the roof on a Mini pickup so neatly that you wouldn't notice from a distance - and that's before any prep and painting!

SteveW

[Mark]

You should be able to weld 1mm steel quite easily, but not if 50% of it's thickness is rust ;( 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Dave Plowman (News) explained :

The gas MIG welders don't work very well in a draft - it blows the gas away.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Not much point in trying to fix new metal to rust? It's been cut back to good.

Oh - it's not easy. Or rather most say it's not. Like many skills.

[Mark]

I started with a Clark 100e on Co2 and replaced the sills and floorpan on an MGB without any problem, then similar on a midget and Mk1 Escort.  I did learn to use an ark welder first, after that Mig, even with a bottom of the range model IS easy.  

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd love to have seen your first attempts. Most skilled work looks easy once you have the skills.

[Adrian]

I'm intrigued. Are you suggesting Brunel plagiarised the SS Great Britain's design from Noah?

(Sorry, DP - Mark's post doesn't seem to have got to my server)

[Mark]

The problem with Hobby Mig welders is that the wire speed control is crap, and getting that correct is probably the most important part in learning to use a mig welder, once you have cracked that the rest is easy. A good video is here  

practise on the bench getting the noise the weld is making just right and ignore what the weld looks like to begin with, once you can instantly recognise that sound then you can concentrate on what the weld looks like, and only then start on a real life car. FWIW on my Clark the difference between too slow ok and too fast is only about a 3deg movement on the speed control dial for thin sheet.