Five years later, my welds still suck.

[westwall]

I'm trying to be kind here but he needs something other than a HArbor Fright 110 machine. It would be like a blind man suddenly being able to see. IMO, when a new box for a Harbor frieght welder is opened, it should be positioned directly over the Landfill !

Yeah, my friends refer to anything harbor freight as "tool shaped objects".

Personally I use a Miller TiG welder. Love the thing!

 

[Yarddog]

Yeah, my friends refer to anything harbor freight as "tool shaped objects".

Personally I use a Miller TiG welder. Love the thing!

TIG is the real deal. thats one I'm not so good at, but I dont have a TIG machine. its still on my someday list. Ive done a lot with the old heliarc though lol.

 

[OKTexas]

Yeah, my friends refer to anything harbor freight as "tool shaped objects".

Personally I use a Miller TiG welder. Love the thing!

I learned using stick, I've got a little 110/220v harbor freight stick welder and it does the jobs I need to get done. Of course I have no need to weld anything beyond 1/4".

.

 

[westwall]

I learned using stick, I've got a little 110/220v harbor freight stick welder and it does the jobs I need to get done. Of course I have no need to weld anything beyond 1/4".

.

I do a lot of aluminum welding, so the Miller was perfect for me, as I can do both stell and aluminum with the same machine.

 

[westwall]

TIG is the real deal. thats one I'm not so good at, but I dont have a TIG machine. its still on my someday list. Ive done a lot with the old heliarc though lol.

Heliarc is just fine in capable hands! TIG I find to be easier than stick. It took more practice to get good, but once you're there the TIG is so much more capable than anything else.

 

[Foxfyre]

View attachment 1156129

My biggest problem is... I don't weld enough.

I'm just not fabricating big welding projects.

Once or twice a year, something breaks, like the arm detaching on this patio chair, and I pull out the welder and join it back together.

Sure, it's joined, and it's solid ... happy dance.



But man. What a terrible looking weld.

Link to former terrible welds.

One of the hardest things for industrious people to accept is that we can't be really good at everything. Some of us have a knack and natural aptitude to do this or that. Some of us don't.

I think every person will have his/her own special God given genius in understanding and/or doing certain things. Those things he/she does brilliantly without any apparent effort.

The rest of us struggle to do that at all, much less brilliantly. But we all have our own thing or things that we do really well too.

 

[westwall]

One of the hardest things for industrious people to accept is that we can't be really good at everything. Some of us have a knack and natural aptitude to do this or that. Some of us don't.

I think every person will have his/her own special God given genius in understanding and/or doing certain things. Those things he/she does brilliantly without any apparent effort.

The rest of us struggle to do that at all, much less brilliantly. But we all have our own thing that we do really well too.

Hey, I am awesome at EVERYTHING! All my friends say so!

 

[Foxfyre]

Hey, I am awesome at EVERYTHING! All my friends say so!

I'm sure you are!

One thing I think about, is I've been baking since I was in gradeschool and it is something I usually do very well.. But I am a crappy cake decorator. I watch those really good at it effortlessly make these gorgeous creations and I have trouble getting a layer of plain icing on it evenly. I've finally accepted I just don't have any aptitude for that.

Another thing is I've experimented with dozens of biscuit recipes, finally developed my own, but it makes just good, not amazing biscuits. I watch my sister-in-law toss the ingredients in the bowl--doesn't measure anything--mixes them up, rolls them out and makes these amazing melt-in-your mouth biscuits every single time. If I tried doing it like she does it, I could sell them for hockey pucks.

 

[OKTexas]

I do a lot of aluminum welding, so the Miller was perfect for me, as I can do both stell and aluminum with the same machine.

I haven't struck an arc in probably 5-6 years, but if need metals like aluminum welded I'll take it to someone equipped to do that. I can deal with the light black iron.

.

 

[OKTexas]

I'm sure you are!

One thing I think about, is I've been baking since I was in gradeschool and it is something I usually do very well.. But I am a crappy cake decorator. I watch those really good at it effortlessly make these gorgeous creations and I have trouble getting a layer of plain icing on it evenly. I've finally accepted I just don't have any aptitude for that.

Another thing is I've experitmented with dozens of biscuit recipes, finally developed my own, but it makes just good, not amazing biscuits. I watch my sister-in-law toss the ingredients in the bowl--doesn't measure anything--mixes them up, rolls them out and makes these amazing melt-in-your mouth biscuits every single time. If I tried doing it like she does it, I could sell them for hockey pucks.

The trick is not to over work the dough. Over work it and they won't rise properly.

.

 

[Foxfyre]

The trick is not to over work the dough. Over work it and they won't rise properly.

.

Mine rise properly. They're really passably good biscuits. But not the amazing biscuits my sister-in-law can make.

 

[OKTexas]

Mine rise properly. They're really passably good biscuits. But not the amazing biscuits my sister-in-law can make.

Some people just have the touch.

.

 

[Missourian]

Hey, I am awesome at EVERYTHING! All my friends say so!

If you don't believe me, just ask me!

 

[Missourian]

Appreciate the advice. I'll keep fighting with it. We'll make progress eventually.

 

[westwall]

Appreciate the advice. I'll keep fighting with it. We'll make progress eventually.

You will. Just for fun start welding random bits of scrap metal together. Over time you will see a great improvement in your skill.

 

[Missourian]

Yep. practice practice, but with a 110 that thickness of steel looks challenging to get penetration. It looks like the weld is on the top surface. I just HATE those Harbor freight welders. I think for novice welders a Lincoln 220 machine that has a pretty straight forward selector knob for wirespeed and voltage is the way to go

I think I gave $30 for it back when HF would have half off their red tag as-is returns. But I think you're onto something here. If it worked better, I'd probably use it more.

 

[westwall]

I think I gave $30 for it back when HF would have half off their red tag as-is returns. But I think you're onto something here. If it worked better, I'd probably use it more.

Yeah. Those really are super basic welders. Good for a few jobs, but you need something better because you are trying to do projects outside of its narrow abilities.

The Lincolns work very well for 250 bucks or so.

 

[Missourian]

Hate to say it, but you're not much with a grinder either. BTW, what type of welder are you using, wire or stick?

.

You'd think a piss poor welder would be a wizz-bang grinder.

Alas, this is not the case.

 

[Missourian]

One of the hardest things for industrious people to accept is that we can't be really good at everything. Some of us have a knack and natural aptitude to do this or that. Some of us don't.

I'd be happy with demonstrable improvement.

 

[Foxfyre]

I'd be happy with demonstrable improvement.

I can relate.