There are two types of homesteaders in this world: those that weld and those that don't. For those that don't and would like to, learning to weld has become a lot easier thanks to the newest generation of readily available, affordable, user friendly MIG/Flux wire welders.

Imagine the next time you break a garden tool, your water tank springs a leak or a do-hickey falls off, instead of throwing it away or taking it to a repair shop, simply crank up your welder and fix it yourself. Once you learn to use a welder, you will wonder how you ever got along without one.

Having learned how to weld in high school metal shop 40 years ago, I can honestly say if I were limited to one skill, it would be welding. You can repair, fabricate, do ornamental work; the list goes on and on.

Several years ago, we purchased our first wire feed welder for the ranch, an inexpensive second-hand unit. While stick (rod) welders are great for certain jobs, the wire welder has become the absolute weapon of choice.

After showing son Ted the basics, in just over 10 minutes, he laid down a bead that made Dennis proud.

One huge benefit of a wire or MIG welder is the ability to use a small (.030-.040) wire with a flux core. Unlike large arc welder rods, wire welders use a bulk spool of thin wire which works in all positions from a gun, and on metal thicknesses from 24 gauge up to 1/4" -plus thick.

You use the same wire on most types and thicknesses of steel, and simply adjust the power and rate of feed for the wire. With the twist of a knob you can go from welding a thin steel shovel to a thick frame. They are truly portable, and unbelievably versatile.

Consumables are the wire and tips, and are readily available at most big box, hardware and online stores. A 2# roll is shown, but we prefer the 10# roll as it is less $ per pound and lasts longer.

While MIG/Flux welders are capable of welding steel and other metals with a shielding gas, for simplicity, we use the flux core wire that can be used right out of the box.

We decided to seriously upgrade to the 220 Volt Maxus PRO 180 as it is affordable, reliable and has a whopping five year warranty. For first time welders, it has everything in the box to start welding the same day: gloves, helmet, wire, pliers and brush. Even if you only use it just a few times a month, a good welder will quickly pay for itself. For light and medium duty, the Pro 125 or PRO 140 MIG/Flux Welders work on a regular 120V circuit and still weld up to 3/16" steel. There are literally dozens of good welders from different manufacturers available, just make sure you do your research for reliability and check the warranty.

Safety first

• Before you do anything, make sure you are properly outfitted for welding. Follow all of the rules in the owner's manual that comes with the welder.

• Use proper equipment; apron, gloves, etc.

Our new heavy-duty welder has only two switches, the lower one to turn it on and adjust the power settings, and the top switch to adjust the wire speed—couldn’t be simpler.

• Never look at an ARC without a proper helmet as it can cause blindness.

• No cigarette lighters in pockets or any flammables nearby (spray cans, gas tanks, dynamite, napalm, etc.).

• Don't breath the fumes—make sure you have proper ventilation, use a fan.

• Don't weld on unknown materials or unknown tanks without properly cleaning them and filling them with water to dispel all gases.

• Don't weld on galvanized steel unless the zinc coating is ground off to bare steel and the welding area is thoroughly ventilated.

• Watch out for electric shock; don't weld on or in wet areas.

• Keep a fire extinguisher and bucket of sand handy and know how to use them. Hot beads fly a long way, starting rags, wood and other materials on fire. They might smolder awhile before they ignite.

While it sounds pretty involved, safety should become second nature. My favorite stupid thing is grabbing metal that just quit glowing. Find a good pair of leather work gloves and wear them during fabrication.

Holding the gun as shown, pull the trigger, wait momentarily until a puddle appears and pull slowly and evenly to the right. It takes some "toying" to get the wire speed to match the power setting. This troubleshooting chart shows different problems.

Getting started

If you really want to weld, you can. It may not look too great right off the bat, but after some practice, you can lay down some nice beads (welds). After setting up the welder per the instructions, take time to get to know your machine and its settings. Scrounge some old flat steel that you can practice on and set the welder according to the "Wire Welding Chart" under the wire door.

While it sounds overly simple, welding is just like anything else, you need to practice. To start with, connect the ground clamp to a clean surface to be welded. The shielding nozzle at the very end of the gun is insulated from the wire so you can actually rest the nozzle at a 45-degree angle on the steel to be welded and drag it along. Lower your helmet, hold the gun, press the trigger and gently and steadily move away from the startup point after a small puddle appears. I prefer to pull, and if you are learning, you can see your work and correct it on the fly.

Shown under his year-round drought resistant steel Colorado palm trees, the smoker works as a regular smoker, water smoker and oven. With the new welder, it was fabricated entirely out of scrounged materials in one long day. Total cost: a couple of buck’s worth of consumables.

Adjust the speed of your weld until it looks like the first illustration below, left. It takes practice, but you can literally be welding the same day you bring your welder home.

My son Ted had never welded. After showing him the basics, in just over 10 minutes, he laid down a bead that made me proud. With some practice, anyone, male or female, (my daughters included), can weld good enough to patch tools and more.

When you feel okay (it doesn't have to be perfect) about the bead on flat steel, put two pieces together and weld them, then try a 90-degree fillet weld. Carefully peruse your work with a magnifying glass to see what needs to be adjusted. A wire wheel or wire brush to clean the slag off the weld is necessary to really see the weld.

The new welder was much easier to use than the older one, so I decided to really put it through the paces (needed an excuse) and spent the rest of the day scrounging parts and building something I've always wanted for the ranch, a smoker/oven.

If you find yourself using your welder a lot, there are a couple of things you might consider purchasing to make welding easier. Welding magnets help hold material square, and an auto darkening helmet goes from light to dark instantly when you start to weld. No need to keep flipping the shade down. They aren't cheap but they are terrific. They are available online and at many big box stores.

Once you get started, you won't see a broken tool, old tank or junk piece of metal, but you will see materials for new projects you just haven't come up with yet.

If you want to learn more, see if there are welding classes in your area at the local college or night school.

Be careful and have fun.
 
Resources: 

Parts and great resources

62 Welding Projects, 200 pages, only $10.00

Welders & tools

For more detailed photos, simple projects and links to many welding resources go to: www.therecycleranch.com