WisdomWarlord

Well, I've been schooled here. Thank you. You are all correct, timely, and on point with all you're words. Please continue to plow thru newbies lack of understanding with your experience and knowledge and expertise. It's very helpful. I will come to the answers I need. I will learn what I need to be safe. I will learn what I need to protect myself and my assets. I will learn what I need to not do damage to people or property. I will learn what I need to put out quality work. I'm sure that is exactly what any of you really want, for anyone coming to this forum. At least I hope you do. Otherwise, why are you even here? And with the exception of a very few, it is unlikely that anyone here will be part of it. Not because you are wrong or right. I STILL don't know enough to make that determination. It's because if I, a self-proclaimed newbie, very green and inexperienced, dont take your advice at face value, with no follow up questions and no attempt at understanding, according to your understanding of what that looks like, I'm deadly ignorantly foolishly wrong. Could I have read the forums for some of these answers? Sure, once I got enough info to even know what other questions needed asking. Do I know more about what questions need asking now than before I started this thread? Yup. Thank you for providing me with a place to not learn very much from.

Well frosty, and anyone else who got the impression that I thought anyone here was not bright enough, I am sorry. That most definitely was not my intent. My intent was to get information on an idea I had from people who seemed to know much more than I did on the subject, and were willing to share that knowledge. DSW, I can see where you got the impression I was I was dismissing classes and insurance. That's not what I meant at all. To comment further on those 2 things, like I'm about to do, can only serve to make me sound more arrogant that I probably do, but, here goes. I kinda feel like many of you launched waaaaay ahead of my question. The analogy that comes to mind for me is this. I asked if rye flour can be used to make white bread and the answers I got were all about how I better be sure my kitchen has a health department inspection and that my marketing plan is done so the bankers will approve my loan. I'm just wanting some bread. Yes, there are precautions and regulations to follow, and I will, but before I get into all that, I just want to know a little about flour substitutions. And it was several posts in before anyone actually addressed my question directly. At this stage, conversations about insurance aren't relevant, as long as I don't have to insure a concept before I can research it. Before the time comes to strike an arc, insurance will be something I look into. As for classes, I've had enough education over the years to know that the guy teaching me may well be the utmost authority on the subject at hand, of, he may not be bright enough to find the front of the classroom without a map. If I dont know something about the subject, it's too easy to be taught nonsense without even knowing it. To me, what's worse that learning and developing bad habits, is to pay someone to teach them to me. So, at this stage, I don't know enough to even spot a good or bad teacher. I've also spent enough time with highly educated people who are equally dense to know that education means you spent money on learning, not that you actually learned anything. When I have a little more information, I definitely know the value of good instruction. It was 9 posts before anyone addressed the actual questions I posted, and 3 of those are mine. DSW was the first one to actually talk to me about shielding. Before that, you guys were answering questions I hadn't even asked. Answers that are clearly accusatory, or based on false assumptions, like Thomas and like Frosty, and others, are also insulting. Newbie or senior member, insults aren't the most productive form of communication. Thomas and Frosty and others seem have to assumed that I had not considered the liability aspects, and had no intention of ever doing so, and don't care a lick about who or what I hurt in my tinkering. Well, there's nothing in my initial post to lead anyone to think I had or had not. That didn't stop respondents from throwing out responses that were at least equally insulting. Where I come from, you ask follow-up questions to better understand what someone is asking, instead of reacting to my own assumptions. But, what do I know. Before anyone tries using my aggressive comments here as supposed support for any assumptions they might have made, bear in mind, I haven't actually done anything towards this. I did contemplate black sheets. Did anyone notice that? Did you also notice that I dismissed that? And that I gave reasons why I dismissed it? Or did you read "black sheets" and hit the panic button? I still have lots to explore. Until I'm satisfied I can do so safely, I'm not even willing to strike an arc. In contrast to the reactions of some here based on assumptions they haven't bothered to test with any actual facts, DSW has been most helpful in this thread. He pointed out how ""safety" and "liability" aren't always the same thing. You can do a lot of stuff "safely" and still have a huge liability issue in todays society. ", among other things. That was a very important point. One that I doubt he could make if he were busy expressing to me how stupid, dangerous, criminal, and idiotic I might be. Based on Forge Lord Frostys post, maybe it is I who's not bright enough to understand. So why would I bother asking any follow-up questions. Oh wait, I did that. But why would I bother restating anything, just in case I wasn't explaining what I mean, as if to indicate I wasn't communicating clearly, since by my own admission, I don't know much about the subject. Oh wait, I did that too. As I have sifted thru the fodder in this thread, there actually is some good information posted by others in response to me, but I'm not going to admit that here. Oh wait, I did that. Twice now. So, I'll take the good info some of you have provided, and use it to adjust my plans going forward. Now that the thread is (hopefully) closed, it's time for a cup of coffee to shake off the chill.

Arkie, that's a good point, and I have already joined weldingweb.com. Yes, there has been some very good advice here. Served with just as much fodder. Makes the good harder to see. I'll be sure to leave the pork chop suit here! DSW, to tell you the truth, I'm not exactly sure what I intend on doing. For sure, bicycle and motorcycle frames. Custom stuff, not repairs on existing frames. Beyond that, whatever I can get into a booth. I'm still too green know what the reasonable possibilities are and what of that I want to do.

Hmm. Arftist, thank you. You're objections to carbon arc are the same ones I've been curious about myself. Since I don't have a place I feel is safe for welding, I haven't tried yet, and so I don't know how wildly the heat will vary or how far I can weld before it's time to recharge. I hope you're wrong, but I won't be surprised if your right on the money. I haven't looked much into the alternatives you've mentioned because some I've never heard of, and some I know so little about I'm not willing to go out on that thin of a limb. You've given me some great things to consider and look into. I am serious about this so I will learn and ask more. I do hope carbon arc isn't as senseless as you say, but again, I won't be surprised if you're right on it too. DSW, yeah, I've looked into the Readywelder. The reviews are varied enough that I can't tell if the problems people say they have are from lack of skill, poor equipment, both, or neither. Way too many questions for me to justify the cost. If I come across one I'll try it out. I can mig a little, and while I don't understand the settings very well, I could usually tell if my mig welding problems were from my hand or from the machine settings. As a machinist, the shop mig had an automatic settings mode. His name was Randy! :) I'd call Randy, he'd look at what I was doing, turned the dials and off I would go. I know, not a good way to learn, but I wasn't a welder, I was a machinist, so it worked then. Of course, I now wish I had spend more time learning to weld. Live and learn. Thanks.

Thanks Jim. No, I am not well-versed at all in carbon arc, but that is my goal. I am well-versed in industrial environments and have mad respect for how fast things can go from good to "CALL 911 RUNNNNN SHE'S GONNA BLOW GO GO GO GO!!" I'm more cautious than most people I've worked with, which tends to XXXXXXXX my mechanic peers off. I'm the guy that will insist the fuel leaks be fixed and cleaned up before torching off that exhaust pipe, no matter how well the torch man thinks he has shielded the fuel lines. OTOH, for all the things I've done over the years, all the things I've tinkered with, I've never had an injury or property damage, so it's working for me. I'll definitely look into the Michigan Artist and Blacksmith Association. Thanks Watch the language this is a G rated family forum.

I'm going to try one more time with a slightly different angle. Basically, now I'm imagining a "tent" made of welding blankets. 4 sides and a roof and a floor. The roof wouldn't be sealed, because of ventilation needs. I see that Harbor Freight has 8' x 8' fiberglass welding blankets, so what about 6 of those? 4 for the walls, one each for the roof and floor. Maybe a 7th to shield other items inside the tent but not being welded or heated. On paper it seems elegantly simple. Since I'm admittedly green, I'll ask- would anyone here use such an arrangement? Has anyone? Was it successful? How well does a fiberglass blanket take being folded and unfolded?

Thanks for everyone's input. I'll investigate this all further on my own.

Well, it's pretty obvious I'm green on the matter. Since Thomas' post added nothing of actual value, nothing to actually help, I too was being kind. When I see misguided questions about my areas of expertise, I do not respond with a dismissive eye roll or clearly useless information. Instead, I start with helping the OP understand why its misguided, and might even offer alternative information to help the OP not remain misguided. But, what do I know. The weather is pretty good here, comparatively speaking. A bit windy but the wind ain't carrying feet and feet of snow anymore, so I'll take it!

Hmm. Interesting response ThomasPower. Especially since I thought that my desire was pretty clear. Maybe it isnt. So I'll state it even more clearly. I want to make a mobile welding booth that is cost effective, and safe. Safe for me. Safe for the stuff around me and the booth. And safe for the people around who are nor protected by proper safety gear. As for uncertified equipment, uncertified does not equal unsafe any more than certified equals safe. If you believe otherwise, maybe you should be the one to expect to be giving someone 1/3 of your income for the rest of YOUR life... Now, do you have anything of value to add regarding my post, or are you just the forum OSHA representative? Next. You may wish to think about what Mr Powers said and why he said it, before you get the foot in any deeper

I want to be able to set up a welding booth anyplace I go. My method of welding is going tp be carbon arc and regular arc. I need it to be cheap and not too bulky. The booths I've used were commercial curtains that I never paid any more attention to that what it took to close the curtain before I struck an arc. The commercial stuff I've seen is really expensive for my budget. I'm hoping to do this for under $100. I have everything to actually weld, but nothing to shield others from the light. I also don't have any protective gear besides the mask and welding gloves. So what are some suggestions for a mobile welding booth on the super cheap? What do I need? I did consider black bed-sheets but I'm pretty sure they would go up in flames too easily. I'm also not sure they would shield enough for the brightness of a carbon arc flame. Thanks

I'm not new to welding. I've done tig and mig when I was a machinist, and some arc and OA as a mechanic. I never got great at any of them. I learned enough to do my job with all 4 methods. I used tig the most, so as strange as it is, I'm much better at tig than the rest. That really sucks from a hobby perspective because of course, tig is also the most expensive to get into. That brings me to my preferred method, which I have the least experience at. Carbon Arc. I like it because it requires so little for equipment. About the same as arc, but its much more versatile. So, my mission is to get fully set up to use carbon arc for everything I can. I know there are many other types of welding that will be better suited to specific situations. I just want to see how many of those situations can be handled with carbon arc. Since it predates OA and arc, I'm very curious about its effectiveness. I am a Master Mechanic in Automotive and RV, as well as a certified motorcycle mechanic. Even in my choice of vehicles, I'm pretty old-school. I'll be happy to take your money to fix your 2014 cars. However, I think they are over-complicated, over-priced poorly designed and poorly built machines. I'm perfectly happy with a well maintained 20 year old diesel truck. That's the kind of thinking that makes a guy want to get really good at a welding method that was obsolete 60 years ago :-) I'm looking forward to learning a lot and maybe even contributing too.

SoCal, that is something I am considering, once I'm in a position to afford the tig welder. However, that's kinda the exact opposite of what I want to accomplish with this carbon arc torch.

The why is because in a shtf or wrol situation, I don't expect bottled gas to be easily available. 220V AC may be hard to come buy as well, but there will definitely he ways to get a pair of fully charged car truck or boat batteries to do some welding with. Carbon rods would be the hard part, so I'll stock some up. Brazing material and flux will be easy to come buy since I may be the only guy who's able to weld. Would the diameter of the carbons have an effect on heat? I'm also kinda wondering how old-school I can be and still have an acceptable finished product. I know tig is way better. However, there was no tig welding in the 20's and 30's, and there were bikes and motorcycles being welded and brazed. So I'm wondering how much of our modern advancements are required and how much is simply convenient. This has several facets to it for me. Some practical, some nostalgic, and some just silly.

I have a twin electrode carbon arc torch made by Craftsman/Sears and Roebuck in the mid-60's, in perfect condition, along with the ground clamp and cable, and the stick clamp and cable from the same welder, in the same condition. I really really want to get proficient at a very unconventional setup. I want to use 2 car batteries as the sole power source for both the carbon arc torch and the arc welder. I want to be proficient at cutting, welding, Brazing, and heating, using only these two methods, powered by the batteries. I'll be charging the batteries as needed. I only intend on welding, brazing, cutting and bending bicycle frames and parts. Occasionally I may want to do thicker material for brackets and such, but not more than .250". I'm not a very proficient welder unless it's tig, so I don't have much to draw on from other skills. My question is about heat control. It seems to me that the only difference between these several methods is a matter of heat. So, I need to know how I can control heat. My voltage source will be, for the most-part, constant. The amount of time I hold an arc in one place can help control the total heat but not the temperature rise, so heating too much of the part for too long can become a problem. What other ways can I control the heat? Thanks