Welding thread!!!!
#1008
No, I don't lick fish.
#1011
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Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L
The best advice I could give you is throw away the supplied wire and pick up some Lincoln flux core wire. Also prep, cleanliness, and practice is key.
#1012
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Year: 1992
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Thanks. And yes the first thing I did is buy better wire. That is my a pillar kc light. I need to make one for the other side but someone stole my grinder so I can't make more brackets. I will make front and rear tube bumpers soon so I will have plenty of welding practice
#1014
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Year: 1996
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 HO
I am by no means an expert on welding but unless you have the 170 or 180 amp HF welder you should not make bumpers or anything else that is structural because it will not hold and can very likely harm you or someone in the immediate area. I wouldn't want to be liable for that, plus I would say a bit more practice is in order before trying to tackle a project like that.
#1016
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Year: 1996
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 HO
Oh, yeah that's a definite no go. That 90 is good for sheet metal and body panels, certainly not for bumpers. I'm not trying to beat you up, because I almost bought one of those as well, but that will not weld anywhere hot enough or powerful enough for a bumper. It is fine for small stuff and playing around, but no big stuff. Trust me, if you go back a few pages you can see I had a very similar discussion I had before I bought my welder when wanting to buy a 140 to make a bumper. The guys here helped me change my mind
#1018
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Year: 1996
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 HO
Sorry man, I didn't want to squash your dreams, just don't want to see you get hurt, but I wouldn't scrap all your ideas though because now that you have it, while it is small you will probably find some projects for it. As long as it's nothing structural I would say you could do up to 1/8" with a couple passes and just playing around get some practice. Stuff like those light brackets and other small stuff could be done and not turn out too bad with some practice. I still need a lot of practice myself, and at least you didn't buy a $500 big name welder only to find out that it wouldn't cut it. It is cheap, but it does have a purpose
#1020
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Year: 95
Model: Grand Cherokee
As for the porosity, as pitted as that steel is, you very well may not be able to get it clean enough to get a good weld. Also, if you are welding outdoors (or with the door open if in a garage), wind can also cause porosity, even with gasless wire.
If at all possible, try to ditch the flux core wire and get a spool of dual shield type wire as it has several advantages- one being how easy it is to get really good, strong welds even with a small amount of rust/paint/etc.
Good luck!
Ron