equipment but can buy what I need, and have no prior experience.
I would like to make what amounts to ornamental "sculptures", as a
hobby
100 pound load, about 2 yards X 2 yards in size
draft then design as I go over several months, -- I need to do the
welding myself
using only 1/8" round steel stock welded together and about 1000 small
welds.
oxy-acet-- I don't have a safe place to store the tanks -- I have a
house with an attached non-ventilated garage which gets to 130F in the
summer. Covenants forbid storage sheds. I could probably put a small
1-2 yard tall box with ventilated sides in a well-shaded area,
although it would get a little wet. Would this work? Summer
temperatures reach up to 110degrees here. If I could get around the
storage issues, I would use small tanks since tank refill versus
convenience is not an issue. What kind of torch would I need?
wire-feed mig -- will a 115volt house current welder be able to do
the job? I'm really concerned about the ultraviolet radiation which
is why I would prefer the oxy-acet. But I suppose mig is what most
novices are using. Would a decent fan blow safely blow away the toxic
fumes? Probably. I've read the automatic darkening eye helmets allow
some UV radiation through while they're darkening. UV eye damage is
cumulative.
brazing? Not sure if I could join two 1/8" round stock rods together
so they'd stay together. I'm trying to imagine two rods, one lying on
top of the other, perpendicular, and I see not much of a contact area
for a braze (1/32 of an inch?) particularly for someone who doesn't
know what they're doing.
spot welding? -- too thick
So, from what I know up to now, it looks like a 115v wire-feed mig
with a good helmet and all the other clothing protection, with a fan
to blow fumes away, and some type to sight baffle so kids and pets
don't look at the flame, or, if the storage works as described, some
type of oxy-acet welder, which I would prefer. I would buy from the
local supplier and make sure they would refill.
here's a link to fume and other safety issues:
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UV eye damage
Prevent Eye Damage - Protect Yourself from UV Radiation fact sheet at
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