I have been welding oil soaked aluminum diesel tanks for local trucking companies for several years. I've also done a few aluminum oil pans and aluminum motorcycle engines. I've tried all the tricks to try to get a decent tig weld on oil soaked aluminum but could never get the aluminum clean enough ...

Things I like: Making things that others cannot. Fixing things that were considered a total loss. Making things that my mind comes up with. Buying new equipment. Getting new tools that make welding easier. One word....TIGFINGER Learning new ways to weld or better techniques. TV shows about welding. ...

Don't sweat buying the 250 EX. It is a great unit and has most all the bells and whistles. Don't let the chinkaphobes scare you. I've had a few friends who said that buying Chinese was a big mistake. So far, I've proved them wrong. If you want to get another torch, what I did was take my factory sup...

Ok...problem solved. It was not me after all. The argon gas bottle was mis marked and had 75% argon 25% CO2. Makes for a nice mig weld but a really crappy tig weld. No more bird crap king. Now I am the tig god. Ok..maybe just an apostle. One thing the gas guy told me was that often even though the t...

hi steve I cant say it that it cant happen as far as bad gas but i would go over all my setings one more time you got your welder set on AC and your gas is on right i have done that so many times its not funny anyway good luck Hi John. I had the same thought so....... I have checked that I was on A...

I've been fooling around with my tig machine lately and I just started having problems with aluminum welding. It's been about 4 years since I last welded aluminum and I have a little project that I want to do with aluminum so I figured I better get myself back up to speed and practice. I just can't ...

I know this is an older thread but I think he was asking about a Cobra 2000 gas torch not a tig torch. The subject area is tig so I doubt that you would have gotten much of a response here. But maybe I can help. I own a Cobra 2000 aka Henrob torch and it works really well on thin aluminum. For thick...

The Harbor Freight 400 amp brass ground clamp has now gone from 8 bucks to $17. And they say there is no INFLATION.

From what I have heard, it is all the Home Depot stores across the country that will no longer carry welding equipment and supplies. Lowe's still does but I hear that they may stop carrying also. The manager at my local Home Depot said that the volume of sales for welding equipment was just not ther...

I know this is an older thread but you have not had any response. I have a Cobra...aka Henrob...aka Cobra 2000. I've been a gas welder fan for a long time. Had most of the major brand torches and a few off brands as well. It is very good for thin aluminum. Like up to 1/8 inch thick. Anything thicker...

I was also thinking about getting a multi machine.....stick, tig & plasma cutter......but I was talked out of it by the salesman from Everlast. His reasoning........the multi units have a lot more to go wrong. If one of the processes stopped working, then I would be without all the processes as ...

I use auto body wax and grease remover. That and a good wire brush and you should be good to go.

I checked with my insurance agent and here is what he told me.

MY equipment is covered under my homeowners policy. But I should document the equipment with photos and if possible receipts.

All My tools are insured and protected.....by a 44 magnum....if needed.

No longer will carry in most of their stores welding supplies and equipment. You may be able to get some deals on close outs. Got a pretty good deal on some Lincoln Innershield wire. A spool of 10 lbs for $30. (Normally $59) I hear that Lowe's may drop carrying any welding equipment and supplies als...

Go to the top of this page and click on the logo "WeldingTipsandTricks.com" and it will take you to the main menu. Then check out the Mig welding tips and tricks. Jody has all kinds of videos that will show you how to weld vertical and horizontal or any way you want! They are excellent vid...

4130 was originally designed to weld via Oxy/AC. Now that Oxy/AC is now considered old fashioned, Tig is now the defacto standard. Most racing authorities now require only Tig but gas welding is at least for me, the way I would go for 4130 if I did not care about what the "authorities" thi...

Harbor Freight has the very same ground clamp for 8 bucks. It is a 400 amp clamp made of brass. Use the wire tip that Jody shows and you will be good to go. No more bird crap welds for sure!

A welding cart will show you the problems that a weldor faces. Usually you will have distortion from heat that will throw your welding cart out of kilter. You have to plan out your welds on a cart to keep it straight and level. You have to fabricate pieces and parts. It is just a good way to learn a...

It is usually used in auto body repair and usually on sheet metal. The weld from a mig can be pretty hard especially with most of the mig wire available. In order to be able to grind the weld down flush for body work, companies came out with easy grind wire. It grinds easier to prevent heat build up...

Yeah the mig welding contact tip - tip was a good one. I just don't screw the contact tip in all the way and allow it to extend just a bit past the nozzle. That seemed to work too. When I first learned to mig, If I had the contact tip screwed in all the way, the tip was about 1/8 inch recessed insid...

What I do is when I unpack my wire, I first make sure I have the wire firmly in my grip so it does not unravel like a snake. I then allow abut a foot of wire to unravel and then put a little bit of painters blue masking tape on the wire to prevent it from unraveling any further. That allows me to pu...