Welding. What welder will do?

[mysterious_rider]

I'll be welding up a subframe soon and I'll need a relatively good welder. The welder i have is absolutely cack. Any suggestions on what I'd need? Would rather not use one that requires gas.

Is it arc the one I require? If so, what amps is good for frames and such? I need a budget one really.

Thanks.

[Babba]

Take your first tentative steps into welding heaven.

https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/index.php

[Werny]

Mig all the way.

Arc welders are the ones with no gas, but I'd never use one for frame work. Plate steel welding, they're great, so if you plan on making a ship get one

[mysterious_rider]

Right, just had a long hard look at my mig welder in the shed. It's a behemoth it really is. Managed to get it working again! just had a practise and It's alright. I need to grab some decent metal and have a proper go mind. Practise makes perfect and all that.

[Peirre oBollox]

How good are the OP`s welding skills?

IF your welding skills arn`t great, your not intending to use a welder more than a couple of dozen times a year, the cost of a reasonsable machine is going to be expensive. Will make purchasing a welder impractical. Good welding sets cost a lot, mainly because they`re heavy duty, and have a high "duty cycle" and won`t trip out, or over heat. Likewise I figure to power a good welder you`ll need a 30A power supply. So if your skills arn`t great, its probably wiser to spend the money and get someone else to weld the subframe up. That way you`ll be sure the subframe will be welded up stong enough for the purpose you intend.

I know the MIG set that sat in my garage, the one that cost me nearly a grand, 10 years ago has not been used for a couple of years, because I`ve not needed it. but its done a lot of work prior to that point. Likewise the Oxy-acetylene set that had, hadn`t been used for sometime, which is why I decided to get rid of the bottles.
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[Babba]

[mysterious_rider]

[Peirre oBollox]

IMO the biggest problem welding subframes up, isn`t the welds themselves, but the materials the original subframe is made of, because without post welding heat treatment, the subframe will probably crack next to the weld
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[kramdra]

what is wrong with your subframe?

is cheaper to ebay a new one? or find a pro to do it for you.

feck spilt tea on keyboard

[mysterious_rider]

I have a spare bike I want to bobber it. I got it cheap enough and I've got it set it my mind now.


Why would the subframe crack. What sort of preweld treatment do you need. Never heard of this before.


Euromig 200

(that pic is years old, no longer have the trike)

https://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/matttess/100_3033.jpg

[Babba]

[mysterious_rider]

Fantastic.

Right, I picked up a zzr 600 and I realised I really don't want a sportsbike. I want a complete custom machine. More on the ratbike side of things. Like this....

https://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/matttess/KGrHqJHJEUE914cuVzBPnwQbpj60_12.jpg

that was a cbr1000 at one point.


Right, so you know roughly what I want. I was thinking with the subframe, I probably won't be making it from scratch. I'll cut and reweld what's already there. No point making things really difficult, the way I see it the seat attaches to the subframe, so I'll cut the double seat in half to make a single, then use the bit of subframe and chop what I don't need then just weld it back on. Depending on how it goes I might not even need to weld major supports, just cut some off the rear and move the seat mounts.

Worst case scenario I have to add supports. I can get any sort of metal from a fabricating place up the road. They chuck out lots of useful stuff!

Just hoping my welder is up to the job!

[Babba]

[mysterious_rider]

Ah.. Flaws in my plan. The rear subframe is alloy. Do'h. Not good, Would I require gas to weld alloy? Or a special wire? I'm guessing a different wire is needed.

The subframe looks simple enough. A grinder to halve it, then just two pieces cut from the bits I chopped off to bridge the gaps between the higher and lower levels. I might not have to actually change the angle of it, just the length.

Worse case scenario is I get a pro to weld it. But I'd rather learn myself.



Cheers

[Babba]

[mysterious_rider]

Interesting stuff buddy. I have favourited that site. I think the biggest problem will be sorting out the rear wheel/subframe/suspension. I don't want too much travel if I have to lower the subframe. The idea is I'll be needing to lower the rear end. So I'll need to get a smaller shock and see what kind of room I'm left to play with once I've cut up the subframe.

Can't wait till payday.

[Peirre oBollox]

[Pol Anorl]

i could suggest this..

https://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/20023039.jpg
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[Beelzebob]

[Polarbear]

As has been said, TIG is the only way to weld aluminium. So thats a tig machine, argon gas and a 440v 3phase electrical supply.
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[kestrel]

[Rob W]

My Fronius at work can lay down a really nice ally MIG weld, but then that cost about £5K second hand.
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[kestrel]

[flumpy7]