Recent content by flyerdan

If you don't have the wiring diagram sticker in the welder panel, here's one from an Airco 300. It's basically a rebranded Miller, so it should be the same, voltage options are the same If you're using existing wiring, I'd recommend pulling two butting breakers and replacing with a dedicated...

I had a tombstone that my dad had, the biggest drawback to them is the relatively low open circuit voltage (16-22 if I recall) that tends to cause the rod to stick when starting an arc. I got an Airco 300, which is a rebranded Miller, from a neighbor who was upgrading and it has a much higher...

If the wire broke off and you can't grab it from either end, you're pretty much done. First, inspect and see if there is a kink or bend that's causing it to bind, if there isn't a flaw it could be a hook on the wire end that hung up. If one end is still sticking out, clamp the wire in a vise...

Instead of denim, I'm going to make a backshade out of an old Tillman apron. I have a couple that have been ground out in the middle (being left handed is not kind on clothes while grinding) that have enough good material for a neck cover that can be velcroed on or off as needed. I cut the...

Gary, I'd recommend the hand held saw. It can be used for angle cuts on larger pieces or ripping a sheet. Plus, they cost far less than a chop saw version, you could probably search craigslist and find a HF style bandsw and get that and the circular saw for about the same as the chop saw, then...

Plaz, skinny-wheel or 3" air cutter for notching or irregular cuts. For straight cuts, especially in the .250 plate, I've got a Porter-Cable 440 circular saw. Can't find one online anymore, it's similar to this. It really came in handy when I was making my extended forks; got 2 4x8x7' I beams...

Having a good backlight is critical. If you can see the work piece with the lens darkened without an arc you should be fine. Natural sunlight quartering from behind (you don't want a light source directly behind you as it will reflect off the inside of the lens), and of course clean covers...

That's awful steep, I think we were somewhere around $150 a lineal foot ballpark for OI railings, powder coated and installed. The HF fluxcores have a somewhat undeserved reputation; most faults are trying to use them on an extension cord, and using wire from the same store. Get Hobart or...

Sched 80 is a bit overkill for a gate, my book says it weights 7.46 pounds per foot. If I had a few sticks of that I'd make some heavy sawhorses; still heavier than ideal, but the cost would be right.

I've done lots of OI stuff at the fence company, quite familiar with King and have one of their catalogs right here. You shouldn't have to clean the metal first, any scale will burn through without issue and if it's getting powder coated they will sand blast it first. What you will want to do...

I've got a gate calculator program that will generate cut lists for all kinds of gate frames. Square frame, bent frame (as in your pic) single, double, from 1.375 to 2.875 diameter material. If you'd give a quick sketch of what you'd like, I can get a cut list; different leaf sizes aren't a...

That's a good point, there are a lot of "brands" that are just stickers applied to the same production run. Didn't see any other possible brands listed in the NHTSA form, so maybe they have dedicated production runs. Mine were from 1999, so well before the issue; I did let my neighbor know, he...

I have one of those linked metal saws, albeit mine is branded Porter-Cable, it looks the same. They are great for thin material that is too big to fit in a bandsaw, like sheet steel. Also good for stuff like metal louver panels or expanded metal where a plasma cutter has to start and stop too...

A cold saw will have a coolant pump that floods the blade with soluble oil B, or some similar coolant. They make nice clean cuts with very little burring on the back side, and will run all day as fast as you can feed it. The blades are extremely hard and brittle, and the work needs to be...

For small projects or just an occasional use here and there, get a can of spray galv from the welding store. When I was building chain link gate frames, we'd use some kind of aluminized roofing compound cut with paint thinner. Came in a 5 gallon bucket, and needed stirred and thinned properly...