Hello! I am so sorry this is the layperson-best layperson-est thing that could possibly ever asked on this subreddit but also this is possibly the only subreddit that would know.

I do 3D printing designs and prefer to strengthen my prints with things other than plastic through clever design. Now I love to use stainless steel rods at the 1.5-2.5mm for strength in these designs but they are fairly expensive to buy in the quantities I need for bigger projects. They are also kinda sold at short sizes so I loose a lot just cutting them.

I was tipped off about TIG wire as a way to sidestep this and when I got a 2LBS container of aluminum TIG wire in my mailbox today I was so jazzed.

Anywho its also not strong enough. And I would prefer to have the smallest amount of shipping going on for this research so I am trying to get a sense of the strength of Mild Steel and Stainless Steel TIG wire. Aluminum is not going to work in most designs as it is soft and bendy - should've seen that coming.

I don't have anywhere I know that really sells TIG wire near me. So I gotta ship it to hold it. I realize it's not going to be 1:1 but is stainless steel TIG wire about the same rigidity as a similar diameter of just a rod? And how much more disappointed am I going to be using mild steel?

Brittleness doesnt really matter here as it will be shielded. It's its residence to bending under torque and under a centrally placed load I am usually looking for.

Again. Forgive me for this silly question. But I may not have a way to hold them in my hands without ordering so I would love to get a rough sense.

Hi I am new to welding, however as you can see the regulator does not fit the cylinder. Is there an adapter I can use or do I need to get a different regulator or cylinder that is compatible? Thank you in advance! By the way if it matters, it is a Hobart Handler 140.

Hi! My husband (24M) has been welding for a few years now and he joined our local Boilermaker union roughly a year ago. We are located in NW Indiana so he’s usually not too busy during the summer and winter months.

Unfortunately due to the winter months being the slow season, we’re struggling to afford rent this month. He’s been approved for travel work but nothing has worked out in his favor yet.

I was wondering if any of you might have any suggestions as to what kind of jobs he might be able to get during his slow seasons that would work around his very random schedule for the union. I appreciate any help you might have!

I'm looking to purchase a welder for my 13 year old to learn on and make garden sculptures / industrial art. What's the best machine to buy and what else does he need to get started?

It broke under normal driving along the weld am i better off finding a new front case half that isnt cracked?

did practice tests and it’s coming along okay but my root isn’t filling the ceramic and much as i’d like.. any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!

What is the best way to get mill scale off steel plate? I tried flap disks, scotchbrite patch, grinding discs. It all does the trick but takes some effort. I have read about acid working pretty well. What would be the least time consuming way to get to the shiny steel without buying a fancy laser machine?

There are no markings on it that indicate

3yrs of exp to make $18-23 🤬🤬.

I’m working on the design of a structural member where previously, the client has preferred not to utilize FCAW and had wanted SMAW only. A prospective contractor insists to go with FCAW and that they’ve had previous experience with this client in getting FCAW approved.

Im not a welding expert so my understanding between the two is rudimentary, but I am aware of the key differences. My question is what would be some reasons that FCAW would not be used on a structural member?

Edit: would ask the client but it’s the weekend and they won’t pick up the phone

Title basically. Have an inverter so 6010 is a no go. Looking to practice some pipe coupons and wondering if 6011 will give the same feel as a 6010 rod would regarding an open root pass. Thanks.

I’m hoping to get some advice on purchasing my first mig welder. It would be for light duty use in automotive applications. Thinking it needs to handle max 1/4 plate for fabricating bumpers and frame repairs. Planning to go flux core wire instead of gas to start.

Here’s the catch. I have zero experience. Im willing to spend the time to practice and learn along the way. I’m mechanically inclined and can always figure it out.

I’m thinking of either a Lincoln pro mig 140 or a Hobart 140. I’ve seen lesser know brands advertised on social media and Amazon for less $ but the documentation that I could find on those products was limited to non-existant.

Any opinions?

Went out to do a well test. The company that I want to do the well test for did not have a properly set up rod oven for there electrodes. They were just sitting open in the can on the shop floor. Definitely wet. Shop was maybe 35°. I usually love 7018 but on top of forgetting the actual technique this rod ran awfully. It also was a newer welder that I had never seen before that had me digging through a ton of menus to try to find settings. Ironically they also had me run the mig test the same day on some machine that was pushing 40.

As I've already said failed to test and everything sucked. They did give me the option of coming in for a retest but it's a 4-Hour drive.

Second weld test. Went out to a shop that does containment vessels. Relevant standard was asme section 9 which meant that I needed to produce an x-ray quality weld. Pulled up the tables, got my machine dialed in. My first few layers and my root pass were beautiful. Filled it all the way out and got to the cap. I don't know what happened but on both my 2G and 3G, I absolutely screwed it. No porosity no undercut but the weld finish on both of them was awful.

No offer of a retest but I assume I potentially could get in for one.

At this point I'm out of money and haven't welded, excluding those tests, in nearly 2 months. I hadn't touched stick in a year before I did that test for the first company and I hadn't touched the flux core in a year before I did the weld test for the second company. I don't have an area to set up some shitty Little harbor freight welder and start practicing again. But if you're in Pennsylvania and you have some company that's willing to train on the job I'm all ears.

Anyone on here ever get there CWI and settle down from the road life? If so care to share a little about the transition, like finding your first job after finishing the course.