area of expertise

[Rafter S]

Autocad was the standard where I worked, so that's what I learned.. I do fight with it a lot, but in the end I get it done.. I drafted up a bumper for my truck in 3D, friend of mine has a CNC plasma cutter, so it got cut out on that, another friend has a MIG with a spool gun, so he welded it.. it turned out really good and I get a lot of comments about it.. it's one-of-a-kind for sure.

I tried Solidworks, and I couldn't get it to do ANYTHING.. I guess I'm too stuck in my ways with Autocad to learn something easier!

I think SolidWorks is definitely easier to learn if you're starting from scratch.

 

[SJB]

I'm 40 with 20 years experience as a Network Administrator for a community bank. I've also started 2 or 3 side businesses including building a campground and cabin development, built and sold houses, bought and sold bass boats. I also manage a 500 acre hunting club.

 

[wlamarparmer]

Like this thread !!! Think should remain permanent fixture for anyone seeking help. Me DVM based small animal, know Milk Maid & Luck P large animal, others maybe ??? As far as I can determine no equine Veterinarian is on board. My wife has horses, but I call colleagues. Just think if this stays and someone has question can post in thread or via PM for help. Forgoing all the controversy going on on this forum, here is chance to do good and help those that truly want it. My opinion, see so many post with no response paid to those that are "experts in that field". Above posts say we are a very varied group, lets use it instead of chopping poster off @ the knees.

 

[hillbilly beef man]

I am not an expert an anything, I am just moonlighting as a pole dancer till I can make a living on cattle. :shock:

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Paralegal/legal secretary -- 39 years of it; lotsa civil litigation and criminal prosecution work, and a little smatter of criminal defense. Don't ask me for any legal advice! Have "potty-trained" lots of young attorneys, but my shingle isn't hanging. Just a couple years to go, and the time can't get here fast enough.

 

[JMJ Farms]

Not that hard just learning the difference between slag and metal and learning rhythm, metal & slag are different colors when they are molten

I would just like to be able to do simple patch jobs on my equipment, maybe build a deer stand or harrow drag and stuff of that nature. I guess I need to buy me a welder and just start playing with scrap. Wire or stick? Any basic tips?

 

[pricefarm]

I am not an expert an anything, I am just moonlighting as a pole dancer till I can make a living on cattle. :shock:




What's that ladder doing there u didn't climb it to the top then hook it the rest of the way did u?? That's a no no lol.

 

[M-5]

I've been welding nearly 40yrs. Not professionally just so we're clear. I do a fair job of sticking stuff together. I taught myself wire welding in the last 4 yrs. It's pretty easy. My uncle kept me occupied when I was around 10 yrs old. Sat me down with an old Lincoln ( still use it today) and had me stick scrap together. I spent several hours today building some gate latchs. I really enjoy welding.

 

[JMJ Farms]

I've been welding nearly 40yrs. Not professionally just so we're clear. I do a fair job of sticking stuff together. I taught myself wire welding in the last 4 yrs. It's pretty easy. My uncle kept me occupied when I was around 10 yrs old. Sat me down with an old Lincoln ( still use it today) and had me stick scrap together. I spent several hours today building some gate latchs. I really enjoy welding.

That's all I want to do. Gate latches and such. I've used a wire welder one time to weld one bead. That's the extent of my knowledge.

 

[Nesikep]

You're probably best off with a wire feed if you're just doing light stuff.. if you want to weld over 3/8" and high strength, then stick is more suited (unless you buy a really big MIG)... If you want to make beautiful welds, then TIG is wonderful, but also takes a very steady hand and a LOT of practice.

With any form of welding.. getting the settings right is 90% of the battle of making a good weld.. Yes, an experienced welder will always make a better weld, but a relative rookie can make acceptable stuff if the settings are good and they follow some basic procedures.. CLEAN surfaces, a nice V to weld into, and moving the tip in little circles as you move along will get you a decent weld.

 

[hillbilly beef man]

:compute:

I am not an expert an anything, I am just moonlighting as a pole dancer till I can make a living on cattle. :shock:




What's that ladder doing there u didn't climb it to the top then hook it the rest of the way did u?? That's a no no lol.

It took the ladder to get up the bank to bottem of the pole. This is standard procedure thanks to our "creative" engineering.

 

[JMJ Farms]

You're probably best off with a wire feed if you're just doing light stuff.. if you want to weld over 3/8" and high strength, then stick is more suited (unless you buy a really big MIG)... If you want to make beautiful welds, then TIG is wonderful, but also takes a very steady hand and a LOT of practice.

With any form of welding.. getting the settings right is 90% of the battle of making a good weld.. Yes, an experienced welder will always make a better weld, but a relative rookie can make acceptable stuff if the settings are good and they follow some basic procedures.. CLEAN surfaces, a nice V to weld into, and moving the tip in little circles as you move along will get you a decent weld.

Thanks Nesikep. I'm gonna try it one of these days.

M-5, didn't mean to hijack your thread. I will start one on welding for any other questions.

 

[kenny thomas]

42 years as a Forestry Tech and as a Wildland Firefighter. I should know enough to retire by now but been working 16-20 hours a day this week.
Had cows for probably 50 years and still learn things all the time so I am not an expert either.

 

[rollinhills]

Not that hard just learning the difference between slag and metal and learning rhythm, metal & slag are different colors when they are molten

I would just like to be able to do simple patch jobs on my equipment, maybe build a deer stand or harrow drag and stuff of that nature. I guess I need to buy me a welder and just start playing with scrap. Wire or stick? Any basic tips?

wire is easier to use but not good on rusty material. the best for what your planning to do is to get a stick machine and start burning rods to get the feel of it you would want to start out with 6011 rods, their the easiest to use. I prefer Lincoln 180's for that.

 

[jedstivers]

Not that hard just learning the difference between slag and metal and learning rhythm, metal & slag are different colors when they are molten

I would just like to be able to do simple patch jobs on my equipment, maybe build a deer stand or harrow drag and stuff of that nature. I guess I need to buy me a welder and just start playing with scrap. Wire or stick? Any basic tips?

wire is easier to use but not good on rusty material. the best for what your planning to do is to get a stick machine and start burning rods to get the feel of it you would want to start out with 6011 rods, their the easiest to use. I prefer Lincoln 180's for that.

I just the opposite.
I grew up on a stick then got a mig. I don't care if it's rusty or not I like a mig. Keep in mind most of what I do is 1/4" or more so I keep they heat high and burn through. Use a 250 amp and a lot of times it close to turned all the way.
On a stick though I like a 7018 better.
6011's and 7018's are about all I buy though unless needing something special.
That's just me though, some people are much better welders than me. My stuff usually holds (guaranteed to hold till it breaks) it might not be pretty though.
All self-taught and you can tell.

 

[js1234]

The only thing I've ever done is be in the cattle business. It's the only thing I know how to do and that's debatable.

 

[Nesikep]

One of the best stick rods is the Arctec 220XC.. really strong, welds nice, but a misery to restrike. (very similar to 7018 but considerably stronger)
For what it sounds like you want to do I think a little MIG is sufficient.. just grind everything well before you weld and it should do nicely.. Even if you plan on using flux core wire, I'd get a machine capable of gas right from the start. 6011, 6013 (AC) are good, penetrating dirty metal rods (but they spatter badly), 7014 (DC) is a nice rod too, it restrikes nicely and looks good.

 

[Bigfoot]

IMHO,if you are just learning how to weld, SMAW with a 6011 is the only way to go. Good penetration, and you can see your puddle. Controlling your puddle is the key to welding.

Go out, and buy a brand new piece of flat stock, 1/4 inch thick. Then just start learning to run a stringer bead. YouTube will be littered with stringer bead how to videos. Master the stringer flat, then master the stringer vertical. Master both up, and down.

When you can run a vertical stringer, your ready for some motion on your rod.

 

[M.Magis]

Magis, what software do you use? SolidWorks is the only one I'm familiar with. I know just enough AutoCAD for it to p**s me off.
.

Alwaysed used AuttoCAD for 2D, but we switched to Draftsight a couple years ago. It's basically a free knockoff. Still basically AutoCAD.
For 3D I've used SDRC Ideas my entire career, but have been SLOWLY learning Solidworks. It's more cumbersome for me, so it's taking more time than I expected. I usually don't have time to mess with it, so I go back to what I know.
Our production prints are 2D, and Solidworks drafting just isn't as efficient for doing them quickly. The guys better at Solidworks have tried and just couldn't make it work. Plus, we have 25 years worth of AutoCAD drawings that we still need to use and update.

 

[Gunner]

Have been in Production Management for most of my life, Supervision, Materials Management, Scheduling and and Purchasing. I also managed to go broke 3 times in the hog business at different times in the last 45 years! Slow learner I guess!