Starting to shop around for Cage/Frame mod parts... Couple ??'s

[Dmntxn77]

Ive been pricing out tube and welding supplies for my up and comming frame and cage mods.

Ive found that rectangle tube for the frame is cheap. It will only cost a couple hundred bucks to build a frame from scratch. It would only cost a touch less to use sheet to box the existing frame unless I use all scrap sheet.

I havent found a local DOM/HREW supplier yet but didnt start making calls until late in the day. I will probably find someone tomorrow.

Also, Ive been scouring craigslist for a while for some tanks for argon, oxygen, and acetylene... The torch tanks usually go for $200-$300 for a pair and the only argon tank Ive found recently was only $75 and it was 90% full.

Anyway, Im SOOOOO glad I never pulled the trigger on any of that used stuff. The local welding supply store rents the 4' tanks for only $4.85 a month $49.40 for a year lease. I would take A LONG time to pay off $300 worth of tanks at that rate. Not to mention having to pay for my own maintenance.

Plus, filling them is MUCH cheaper here than it was in WA. It only costs $14.98 for oxygen, $50.78 for argon mix, and $38.35 for acetylene to fill them.

Now, onto the questions.

1) Ive never used argon with my MIG and I am real excited to lay down some better welds with it. One of my welding buddies says that the mix should be 80% argon 20% CO2. The local place says theirs is 75/25, which is what Ive seen reccomended on the web. It doesnt really make that much difference does it? It seems that 5% is next to nothing...

2) What is a good wire that you guys would reccomend. I guess I wont need the flux core crap since I will be using gas.. Right? At the moment my welder is loaded with the Harbor Freight flux core. It just splatters everywhere. Is one name brand better than another.

3) What size wire would be reccomended for welding .120 to .250 wall steel?

4) Ive looked for a long time for good welding stands and havent found exactly what I want. Ive seen them in a shop before, but never for sale. Im looking for tri-pod style stands that have the adjustable threaded top. Ive found several that are about 4' tall minimum height, but Im looking for some that are about 2'-3' minimum height. You guys know what Im talking about? Any good welding supply links for me?


I had a couple more question, but I forgot them now. I will add them later........

[jeepsquirell79]

The 75 25 or the 80 20 should be good you will just have to try them and see what works best for you. as for renting the tanks its so much cheaper i used to use my own but it cost more to fill and can only get them filled a few places since no one will fill a tank that didnt come from there business and maintenance is a plus too. and you wont need the flux core either i dont do much mig welding mostly stick so im not sure on the wire size but a name brand wire will prob weld better i know sticks do. you should be able to buy those stands from anyplace that sells welding and pipe fitting supplies, ill ask around at work tommorrow for a good shupply site and some more info on it.

[Dmntxn77]

Ahhh.... They are not called stands, they are called jacks..

This pipe jack is just about the perfect size which ranges extends from 29"s to 46"s and it supports 2500 lbs, but it cost $66... Now that I know what I am looking for hopefully I can find one that is cheaper...

[68glad]

.035 wire should suffice.

[jeeping1974]

If .25" is the thickest that you are going to be welding, I would only go up to .030 welding wire. The thicker the wire, the higher the power setting needs to be to get it to burn in properly (at least on my setup it does - Lincoln Pro MIG 140). Plus with that size wire, you can weld smaller gauge metal without burning a hole through it. I use the wire that Lincoln puts out.

You can ask your local gas supplier if they can do an 80/20 mix. I use 75/25 and don't have any issues. As long as you have the right amount of gas flowing out, you shouldn't have any issues. You will want to get a spool of MIG wire to use. Also the tip of the gun will need to be changed to use gas. Look in your welder manual or inside the cover as some require you to swap the two leads when going from Flux-core to MIG wire.

You can always build an adjustable jack stand to fit your needs out of some square stock.

[jeepsquirell79]

You can also get those stands with two wheels on the top so you can spin pipe and stuff easier its a attachment

[Dmntxn77]

Yeah, .030 is what was reccomended by some other people too. I might just get a roll large and small and just swap it out when I go back and forth from thick to thin metal. It not like Im running a chop shop so I probably wouldnt have to change it that often.

I also considered making some stands myself. At $65 each, I probably will. Today I was able to get my hands on some 1.25" all thread about 8"s long with a hand full of nuts to fit that I can use as the top fine adjustment. Building them from scratch will be a good opportunity to practice with my argon before I actually start on the frame.

I called the local AirGas and asked about the difference in the argon mix. They said they could mix it however I want, but in actuality its not a perfect system and it is just as likely to end up with any variance within a 5-10% range anyway... Sooooo, whatever....