This might not necessarily be on topic but it is about a tool I'm trying to use to weld on a bike frame. Close enough?

I bought a Sears Craftsman MIG welder a month or so ago and need to figure out what to get that'll connect the gas inlet on the welder to the regulator. The regulator has a pretty large connection on the end (3/4" or so) but the inlet looks like it uses a 1/4" diameter hose. I'm having a problem just figuring out what to search on or ask for when hunting. The place I bought the regulator and gas from knows about the connector but doesn't sell them.

I get the feeling I bought a home hobbiest MIG welder and am trying to use a professionals regulator but I just don't know where to hunt next. BTW, there's nothing missing as far as the welder goes. I have the manual. There's what looks like a small hose crimper or clamp that goes on the end of the inlet hose, sort of a simple compression device.

Pics: http://www.schelin.org/stuff/gallary/welder/index.html

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Carl

 

Praxair should have the adapter you need. Unfortunatly for some reason the picture isn't loading, I'm guessing the regulator fits your bottle fine, but you're running into problems from the line leading from the regulator to the back of the welding box, right?
Anyways, check out Praxair, if there is one local. Maybe even take your machine in just to be sure you get the right thing.
www.praxair.com
Any local welding/gas supply shop should have what you need actually. I personally just use praxair because they're close to me, and they have good pricing.

 

Carl, to start with I welded for 10yrs so I have a lttle knowledge in this area. And from personal experience with the hobbiest mig welder, you won't get the heat range to do much more than sheet metal.
I have 1 myself. I done some aluminum welding and had to preheat my stock to get any penetration. You may need to do the same.
Have you considered using the flux cored wire?
It will elininate the use of gas.

I bought an extra 20lb tank and used a different regulator than what you're showing.
You may want to think about that too.

As GCK said, any welding shop should have what you need.

 

Thanks for the notes. I'd almost forgotten I'd asked the question. I found a welder's DIY forum and got some help over there. I located the right regulator from Sears and picked it up instead of trying to find a conversion. I ordered what seems to be the right hose from an on-line place (too two tries; anyone need 3/16"ODx1/8"ID hose? :-) )

Firstly, there didn't seem to be any welders in the area that would do one-off type stuff. Being new to the area, I just didn't have any idea of even a good location to hunt around in. That's why I eventually picked up a MIG welder.

Secondly, I'm not sure just how difficult what I'm trying to do is.

a. Brace across the front downtubes. Inch or so high and wide enough to fit across the tubes. The guy I bought the frame from apparently cut them at the top of the tubes and welded them back together. I'm not trusting enough to just leave it as is so I wanted to weld a plate or brace, much like the one at the top of the Softail downtube, for more support.
b. Forward control mounts. I got some Sporty forward controls to mount. I fab'd up the mounts and just need to weld them down. I planned on putting a brace between the two as well (half inch round or square twisted bar for example).
c. Mounting tabs for the oil tank. Two down from the main seat support and two pointing forward from the fender mounts.
d. Mounting tabs for the rear fender. Two low down and two up by the oil tank.
e. Mounting for the regulator/rectifier.
f. Mounting for the coils. I'm thinking of them mounted below the rear of the gas tank.
g. Mount tab for the rear drum brake. This is probably the most critical of all the tabs.

That's the majority of the work. I also have to whip up a battery box and mount plate.

For practice, I picked up a couple of welding books. One has project plans. Another practice project will be to create a pair of frames for inside my soft saddlebags. A fairly simply one but it'll let me put a lock on it as well as secure it better to the bike for those long trips where I'm camping or going inside for dinner.

Carl

 

You will need a good weld for your forward controls. it would suck if they fell off. [:@]

Have a set of welding gloves and a good welding shield. You'll need to be able to see what you're doing without getting burnt.
You actually get used to it after a while. [8D]

I'm anxious to hear your report on performance.

Like I said, I welded for Oliver/White Farm Equipment till they folded the joint.

If I can be of any help, shoot me a email. ZiggedandZagged@comcast.net

There's a lot we can discuss.

 

I actually suggest investing in an autodarkening helmet. Once you weld with one, you never go back. Considering for about $50 at harborfreight you can get an adjustable shade autodarkening helmet, it's a worthwhile thing to purchase. I have one of those as a backup helmet, and it's actually a real nice unit for the money. My main lid is fibreglass with an autodarkening sheild. It's a LOT nicer & lighter, but a lot more expensive at around $200. I invested the money (and have a backup) as I'm an I-CAR & AWS certified welder.
The ones that stick out in my mind as a possible problem (thus what I would attempt last) would be your forward control mounts & the rear drum mounting tab. I'd honestly try to pickup some material along the same type/thickness as what you will be welding and pratice laying a few beads (and figuring out a way to destructive test them) before you weld the mount onto the bike frame. Reason being I've seen some guys do some real pretty welds, but just a light tap with a hammer and BOOM the whole peice breaks off as there was no where near enough penetration. I always pickup scrap and lay a few beads and destroy them just to kind of self check myself before I go and make the final weld. It's more time consuming, but worthwhile in my mind.

Anyway, good luck with the project, and I'm anxious as well to hear your thoughts on the welding setup, and how it works out for you. Please keep us updated, and good luck with it.

 

Thanks for the offers guys. Just to assure you, I wasn't going to just jump right in and start welding on the bike Back in VA I had some help from a school welder and one of the guys from the dc-cycles list is also doing some welding so we're exchanging info.

For keeping track of my project, drop over to http://www.schelin.org/touring/chopper/index.html. I've been working on the chop off and on (mainly off since I have two working bikes and like to ride ) for the past three years.

As noted on the site, I picked up a welders helmet but got the basic one. Since I'm basically hobbying at the moment, I didn't think buying an expensive one would be appropriate. I also have two pair of welders gloves.

That's a good idea on doing destructive welds. I have some scrap of the same size on my workbench and was going to practice welds on that as well as the projects I'll be doing before working on the bike itself. I'll do as you suggest and do some destructive welds so that I understand what I'm in for.

I had intended on seeing if I could find someone to do the brake weld since it was so critical. I planned on mounting a support bar across the forward controls to keep them more stable. Practicing welding will make me more confident about that particular weld though.

Thanks again for the info.

Carl

 

Carl,

Just another couple of notes for you...

I have a Craftsman 110 MIG thatI've been using for about ten years or so. They will weld fine if you clean the weld and ground areas real good. They won't blast through paint and even a little rust will dirty the weld.
Also, don't use a long extension cord (or a small guage one). You will get too much voltage drop. I made up a ten foot cord using ten guage cable. If I need to weld farther away from a power source than that...I drag out a portable (5k) generator.

Do the prep work and you can weld almost anything...I've even welded a crack in a cast iron exhaust manifold for my boat engine...(five years ago!)

Rick C.

 

Thanks. I'll make sure I grind down the areas before welding. I picked up an air compressor at the same time and a grinding tool. This weekend I should be able to start my first project. I'll keep my site up to date.

Thanks again.

Carl

 

Well Carl, I will say you've got everything you need, information and technical terms down to a fine art!

I'll be checking in on your progress.

Right now I'm in between coats of paint. I'll have pics asap.