Thanks for your kind comment 😀. I want to share what I know to help people out, and help people develop their skills. When you can build stuff the whole world opens up.

@@makingmistakeswithgreg Greg you are Godsent and with an email and pics soon it will be there for you to see. All thanks to you my family will be drinking filtered water here in Nicaragua,but it will only be possible by the restoration of a 2200 liters that has been sitting there for 2 decades without maintaining it. Take care and pics will be sent to you soon right now I'm just sanding with a grinder the inside and it is a nightmare that nobody wants to do the work, 3 guys came and ran away like little girls. God bless you and keep up your great work.

Thanks for the very kind comment 😮. I am glad I could help you out, and that you liked the video 😀. If you ever have a question feel free to ask 😀.

How old do you have to be to stick weld

I am editing a video where I test out the Chicago electric 99$ flux core welder with a friend to see how it stacks up to other welders. If anything the video proves it’s more about the person doing the welding than the machine. A higher end machine makes things easier for a skilled welder, but unskilled it won’t make a huge difference.

Thanks for the kind words and welcome. Since your new I will say it’s important to understand you will get frustrated a lot during the learning process. Focus on being as consistent as possible and being smooth. After every weld ask yourself what’s not consistent, what do I have to do to make it more consistent, and then do that. With a bunch of practice hours things will steadily improve 😀.

You’re welcome, I am glad they helped you out 😀

No problem, glad to have you back welding 😀

Glad to hear you are starting a journey to learn welding. You’re doing the right thing, learn as much as you can and then practice. You definitely can learn to weld, just expect to be frustrated a lot at the start 😀. Once you can reliably start a rod everything becomes much easier. Definitely worth while learning, welding is one of the most useful skills a person can have 😃

No problem, and I am glad it has helped you. Since you’re starting out I will give you this advice: Expect to fail a lot, but don’t give up. Practice the basics until it’s hard to make a bad weld. You probably need to move slower than you are for travel speed. Try to be as smooth and consistent with your hand movements as possible. If you get frustrated take a break. And lastly if I can do it you can do it 😀

Thanks for the kind words. I am pretty fortunate to be in a position to be able to help out people. The fact I get to enjoy my hobby, and help other people out learning new skills, is a major win for me. In the long run once I can locate a suitable commercial building to buy, I will likely be offering hands on classes and programs to teach skills. The hardest part is I do everything on my own, so it’s a lot of work while working a full time job and a half. I enjoy it though, so it’s worth it 😀

Thanks and it’s never too late to learn welding. Just have patience and understand it’s like learning cursive writing. At first you make scribbles, and after a bunch of practice it starts taking shape. Stick welding in specific is all about consistency. After every practice weld ask yourself “how can I be smoother moving forward, more consistent in how I feed the rod, and how can I run a straighter line. Once you can be consistent it becomes easy, you just have to train your hands to move correctly. 😀

At 72 do you ever wish you could learn how to weld when ever your were in your mid 20s??

Thanks for the kind comment and i appreciate you taking the time to write it. My channel will grow I am sure, I haven’t been on KZfaq long and I am honestly way ahead of subscribers and watch hours than I could have ever expected. I will continue to produce simple, relatable, and quality content because it’s fun for me to do so. I have debated on doing a video showing how to wire up a 220 outlet, I am still on the fence about it. On one hand I can safely wire one up and understand all aspects of the process. On the other hand I can’t account for situations in everyone’s houses. My shop is wired properly and to modern code, someone else’s house may have some funny business going on in the panel which could lead to someone getting shocked because they overlooked something. I very well might tackle that rabbit hole in the future though. Obviously on 110 you’re only limited to around 70amps, which is doable for welding thinner stuff, but nowhere near enough to weld thicker material. Your best bet is to stick to 3/32 rods with 6013/6011 or 5/64 7018/6013. I know the 5/64 rod size is obscure but they are commonly available and will do a ton of solid work on 3/16th and under steel.

Welcome to my channel and thanks for watching my videos 😀. I have put the effort into them because I genuinely want to help you (and other people) better themselves anyway I can. Speaking of Australia, you guys are some of the most resourceful people I have ever met. 😀 I am surprised more people aren’t doing welding videos over there.

No problem, happy to help 😀

Glad you liked it 😀

You’re welcome. There is a ton of info so don’t expect to retain all of it in a short time 😀. I am Sure your skill will go through the roof with the info I provided and some practice 😀

Welcome 😀. That’s a interesting way to find the channel lol. A lot of new people have been rolling through lately, which is good. As long as I can be part of helping people learn some skills I am all for it 😀

Thanks for the kind comment 😀. Things are growing at a solid pace. My main goals are to get people working on projects and having more skills/ confidence to tackle what they want. At the end of the day as long as I am helping some people I am not worried about how many 😀.

No problem, I share what I can to help people out 😀

Glad you enjoyed it, I will be going back into some stick welding in the near future when I cover cast iron welding 😀

Thanks for the kind words. I want to see everyone doing the best they can. Welding isn’t easy and it’s frustrating as hell. If you’re trying to teach yourself it will be a struggle for a while, but with practice and a decent idea of what you’re doing, you will progress fast. The key is practice and not giving up.

@makingmistakeswithgreg been practising this whole week, I even experimented with flux core wire using the rod welded handle as practice, was curious if it was even possible, I seem to be getting the hang of it, your tutorial was like the missing link for me, thanks greg

No problem, glad your learning 😀

Glad it helped you out 😀

Thanks for the kind words and I am glad you have enjoyed what I have put out. I am pretty fortunate because my content is fairly easy to produce because I don’t have to spend a ton of time on the research end (that was done over my whole life lol), and the whole point of things is to show realistic challenges and solutions (mistakes included). I also work 4 on 4 off so it gives me a ton of time to actually make videos. Welding is only one aspect of stuff I am involved in (and since it’s winter it’s easy to focus on that due to weather) so I should always have useful content. Ultimately I hope to motivate/inspire people to pickup a tool of some sort and go build/fix something. It’s great when you can actually fix stuff/solve problems/save money instead of throwing everything away lol.

@@makingmistakeswithgreg I’m glad you have the time to show up your talents I also love the format, enjoyable commentary and no annoying music. Thanks again.

@@papaloongie I put music on a few videos (it was quiet, and only during the fast forwarded sections) and then got a few videos pulled for copyrighted music (on 100% free to use music) so I think I will avoid that in the future lol. Thanks again 👍. I will have another set of videos out by Friday this week along with a weekend video.

@@makingmistakeswithgreg can’t wait!! ✨✨

Thanks for the kind comment and thanks for putting in the effort to better your skills 😀. With some practice and the right information you will be able to build/fix all sorts of stuff. Expect to fail a lot at first but it gets easier as you get more experience, thats just the nature of it 😀

I shot a video on that specifically since a bunch of people requested it 😃. It will be out in under 2 weeks 😀

@@makingmistakeswithgreg Thats great, also I am sick to the teeth with slag inclusion-mainly when I try and fill gaps, there is not a single video out there I can see that explains the nature of slag, what causes it to collect. Also can you weld directly over a fresh weld without cooling then chipping away the slag first?, how do you do with uneven surfaces? all the videos online seem to be on fresh clean flat plates , but DIY stuff is often welding over irregular surfaces and you havent got time to be cutting material to fit into a irregular gaps. Thanks again!.

No problem, glad it helped you out. 😀

Nice to see a fellow Milwaukeeian 😀. The ac180 is a pretty uncommon welder, I see one of those for every 150 normal tombstones lol. It came in two versions, one with multiple output taps and one with adjustable amperage. I have never welded with one but always liked the way they looked. You can definitely learn to stick weld with that machine. A lot of people overthink stick welding. If you can master running beads with a ac machine it will instantly transfer to dc output machines. The key is to be smooth in movement, consistent, and keep the arc gap to a minimum. With a bit of practice you’ll be doing good 😀

No problem 😀. Just expect to fail for a bit before it makes sense. Learning stick is frustrating for a while, and can still be frustrating at times even after your good lol. Luckily if you have a decent idea of what you’re doing and practice a bunch it will slowly get better. The coolest part is when you look back on where you started and you can have a laugh at what your first welds looked like vs where you wound up.

Glad it helped you out. Once you master starting the arc and running short beads the rest will become much easier. The key is to do enough of the stuff you can’t do well so the worst you do is better than your current best. It might take a few days of practicing rod starts to get that down. It won’t be much fun but what you can build once you can weld will be fun 😀

Glad to hear things are improving nicely. With a bunch of practice and a fair amount of “mistakes” you will get it dialed in.

You’re welcome 😀. Stick vs wire is a hard debate. If you want to weld thicker steel or have limited power, stick is the way to go. If you need to weld thinner stuff wire welding is the way to go. The great news is, no matter what process you choose if you get really good at it the skill will transfer to another process, so you will learn faster.

I have both stick and wire welders, I'm not good at either, but I love welding. It's just something about joining to pieces of steel together that captivates me! lol 😂 one of my favorite hobbies!

It is a awesome hobby. The days everything goes well and the welds go down smooth are the highlights and make it the best. The days nothing goes right and you’re frustrated are the parts you have to get though lol. It wouldn’t be half as fun if it wasn’t a challenge though. It’s just you trying to tell a electric arc and some Liquid Metal who’s boss lol.

Welcome and thanks for the kind comment 😀. It’s good to watch a ton of videos, you will get to a higher skill faster by doing so. Whatever you do don’t let the frustration at the start get you down. Every good stick welder went though the same issues with poor welds, stick rods, melting holes, and flat out failures. After a while of practice those become few & far between and that is when it really becomes fun. That’s when you can build awesome stuff 😀.

@@makingmistakeswithgreg thanks for your kind motivation 🙏

If you have an attention to detail it is definitely hard to find people to do quality work. That’s the main reason I got good at everything I have done, because relying on others to do things right is really tough. I always thought it was bizarre how someone could go to a supposed expert (someone who is offering a service in a particular skill) and get sub par work. It pays to have skills in today’s world.

Thanks for the kind words, I am glad the video helped you out. It’s my goal to get people up to speed and building stuff 😀.

Welcome 😀. If you’re struggling with something don’t hesitate to post a question on a video😀

Glad the video helped you 😀. Surprisingly enough stick hasn’t changed a lot so everything will stay relevant for a very long time. As I say to everyone learning to weld, the key is to be smooth, consistent, and relaxed. If you can do those things you will progress fast 😀

No problem 😀

You’re welcome, I am glad I can help 😀

Thanks for the kind comment 😀

Thanks for the kind words. Within the next two weeks I will have a ton of content out that should help you a lot. I will have a whole video that will cover just fillet welds in all positions. By the end of the series my goal is for the average person to understand how to figure out what went wrong with their weld and make changes to fix it. That’s why I make mistakes in my videos and show how to change things to get a different result and show the before and after. I know I didn’t learn much from people who were perfect, because perfection doesn’t teach you how to fix mistakes, it just shows you what no mistakes can look like. Making mistakes is 99% of welding in general lol.

Just as a heads up I uploaded a video this week just for fillet welds specifically, it should help you solve your issues 😀

@@makingmistakeswithgreg Awesome, thanks!!! You've uploaded lots of content, I need to catch up.

Welcome and thanks for the kind words 😀. The great thing with you being new is you will be able to progress rapidly and (provided you spend the time to practice) will be able to build a lot of cool stuff. Wire welding (MiG and flux core) is a great place to start, and is very capable. I am still doing gas shielded MiG videos so I have a few more of those coming out. If you have any questions/ don’t understand anything feel free to ask and I will help you out 😀

You’re welcome, I am happy to be able to help people out. Being able to weld is a very valuable/useful skill 😀

You're welcome 😀, I am glad I could offer some help.

Thanks for the kind words, glad the video helped out 😀. I probably didn’t mention it much in the video, but when learning stick prepare for a bit of frustration, that’s totally normal. Keep with it and the stuck rods, rough starts, and difficultly making consistent welds will fade away pretty quickly. 😀

You’re welcome 😀. I am happy to offer some useful info to make learning things less frustrating. Once you get past the frustrating things is when the fun stuff can happen, like building projects and stuff 😀

Glad it helped 😃.

You’re welcome 😀

Welding is definitely worth learning. It’s all about being smooth and consistent. Expect a lot of frustration at first but it will get easier as you get better 😀

Being able to do stuff yourself is a awesome thing. Much of welding with normal material is fairly easy and straight forward. With a bunch of practice you will be able to do stuff others would charge a lot of money to do. That’s mostly why I got into welding. To many things constantly required me to stop what I was doing and find someone to do the welding for me.

The better you can run a simple bead the easier everything else is. When you can run a straight bead that’s consistent, and layer them, then you are on the right path 😀

Thanks for the kind words 😀. I am a pretty new channel at just over a year old. More people will join as time goes on. I am just happy to be a part of helping people to learn skills and believe in themselves 😀.

You’re welcome 😀

Glad they are helping you out 😀

No problem, glad you liked it 😀

I have never been to Canada, but you guys do a lot of things right up there 😀.

Thanks for the kind words and welcome 😀.

Glad to hear that 😀

This is really helpful at 75 .

No problem 😀, glad it helped you.

I appreciate it. I know I am pretty bad about subscribing to channels myself. Realistically I am unsure as to how much subscribers help a channel get pushed out to to other KZfaqrs (the algorithm) but my main concern is to help out people better themselves and their skills. Every little bit helps me towards that goal so like I said I appreciate it 😀

@@makingmistakeswithgreg It is my pleasure to learn from a master teacher. I am grateful for your time and effort in producing these very clear and thorough videos, with great audio, camerawork and script. And, you get a PLUS for your humor.

@@usernamemykel you are entirely too kind 😀. Thank you 😎

@@makingmistakeswithgreg You're quite welcome, Sensei 😀

I have since upgraded to a high end camera with arc lens so more recent and future videos are all much better 😀

I am a pretty young channel. Subscribers have been pouring in lately, everything takes time :0. I am just glad that I can help people 😀

No problem

Yes

No. Me 2

Definitely not , Greg’s mistakes have paid for all your sins. Let’s see the haul.

Don't be disgusting 😒

I dont, it's gonna make my pocket bleeding money 😂

Thanks for subscribing, and thanks for being invested in learning/building your skills 😀

Thanks 😃

If you pickup a welder plan on being frustrated for a while as you learn. You have the right idea, learn a bunch about it so you don’t go in blind. The time you spend struggling will be very small in comparison to a lifetime of having the skill. It pays to get good 😀.

@@makingmistakeswithgreg thank you and hopfully ill get one soon a skill like that can be very valuble. Even though i'm learning at a laiter age (36) I should still have plenty of time to make use of it.

yeah, looking forward to just getting some hours of practice … but in between, I’ll try to watch the rest of your series? this is fun, thanks for the tips. 💜

No problem and welcome to the fun world of learning to weld. Practice and patience is key, and don’t give up. Expect to be terrible at first but you will get better. Before you realize it you will have the skill to make things 😀

You’re welcome 😀

Welcome and thanks for subscribing 😀.

Thanks much for the kind words 😁. The cool thing is with a bit of practice and the knowledge gained from the videos, you will surprise yourself with what you can actually do. Just expect failure for a while before things click and you can do it. It’s like learning to ride a bike, it sucks and first but it’s totally worth it in the long run 😀

@@makingmistakeswithgreg exactly that. thanks again! (I fell asleep the other day watching your playlist. My roommate told me he thought it was the sweetest thing, me in my happy place, with welding noises as a lullaby.. ) 🥰

@@philosophicaltool5469 haha I do that all the time except I am editing the videos 😅. I always fully watch the stuff I upload before uploading them, it’s pretty common to find stuff that wasn’t edited because I fell asleep at the wheel lol.

I am not exhausting sure why, but the twist style is virtually non existent here in the states. I have one somewhere I will have to break out 😀

Have wondered about getting a “stinger” with a slightly smaller diameter of handle, but not sure where to find one - or wonder if they even exist?

You’re welcome 😀

No problem, glad I could help you out 😀

You’re welcome 😀

@makingmistakeswithgreg I am vet and 41 years old at that about to go to a Community College to learn how to weld. It's something I have always wanted to learn.

@@othonielcruzrondon3099 good for you 👍. Expect to struggle a lot at first but stick with it. It won’t be long before you get a hang of it and can start building cool stuff. Once you get good at one type of welding the others become easier. 😀

I won’t sugar coat it, welding thin material is no fun with stick. There becomes a point where it’s just too thin to be effectively stick welded. The smallest stick rod that’s common is 1/16th diameter, which is far bigger than .023 or .030 MiG wire or .030 flux core. 1/16th stick rods make it possible to weld material down to about 1/16th or a bit thinner. It isn’t easy, but it’s possible. 10 out of 10 times I rather flux core weld material thinner than about 1/8th thick.

I connect it to the steel table top in the video. The electricity completes the circuit through the table 😀

No problem

Once I got good at welding it worked great for me as a side hustle. I will be doing a whole video series soon on this to help people out. It’s a great way to make extra income with not a whole lot of money to start.

@@makingmistakeswithgreg thanks for sharing with us man, you're really helping people out here the hardest part of doing something is start doing it and I was already on my grandma's backyard before went to work

As long as it’s conductive yes. Be careful if the metal has paint or coatings, it may be a poor conductor then.

I am actually a Gemini and actually a twin 😅. My first love was restoring historic buildings, and my second was welding for sure. I definitely do want to help people. If I can inspire someone to pickup some tools and make something I can change the world for the better. Inspiration is the only thing that will stay relevant as time goes on. At one point welding will be irrelevant (lasers or some other device will replace it) but inspiration will never be irrelevant 😀

So I have not actually used the stinger 5 before. I wanted to buy one a while back and during corona they were out of stock so I gave up. I like the idea of them though

So future videos (especially as of recent) I have upgraded my filming a ton. Back when the earlier videos were shot I had more limited resources and equipment. To answer your questions, with stick welding I run a straight smooth bead with most rods other than 6010-6011. What this involves doing is running a drag angle (rod tipped towards the direction of travel) and feeding rod into the molten puddle as you travel away from the starting point. For practice purposes welding left to right is fine if you’re right handed however everyone should learn to weld the opposite direction as well. With many rods (6013,7018,7024) they run best if you just run straight in. That means no side to side movement, no start/stop, no weaving. There is a time and place to do those things, but normal welds don’t require them. 6010 and 6011 can be run with a “whip and pause” without risk of slag inclusions and other weld defects. They take far more skill to weld with, and produce a rougher looking weld.

Amperage is based on the diameter of the rod and the particular rod used. The best online calculator I have found is this: www.millerwelds.com/resources/weld-setting-calculators/stick-welding-calculator . If you’re just starting out 6013 will be the least frustrating and most forgiving to learn with.

@@makingmistakeswithgreg thanks 👍

I am not lying when I say stick welding thin steel is extremely difficult. 16ga is doable with 1/16th diameter rods. I believe I did a video on that thin titled something like “stick welding with mini rods”. It’s not easy stick welding thin stuff. Flux core wire is infinitely easier. Especially when you need to weld thicker material to thinner material. For what you’re looking at doing it’s easily achieved via flux core wire. If I recall I welded 16 or 18ga to 1/4in steel without issues in the video titled flux core thick to thin. No way could I have done that with stick.

@@makingmistakeswithgreg Greg thanks so much, I do have a flux core . I’m just afraid of blowing through the 16g. I’ll have to get lots of practice in. Gotta say, your presentation is excellent!

@@johnpecoraro1720 thick to thin defiantly takes a bit of practice. Focus the puddle on the thicker piece. You’ll get it, and it’s far easier with wire than stick. I would prefer wire over stick 11 out of 10 times lol.

i think i saw in jacob pritchett channel that he stick weld a thin 16gauge steel in his project.. he ran DCEN polarity with 3/32 6010.. maybe you can ask him the tips to do that.

Send it to Oldschoolwelding@gmail.com, I will take a look and give you some pointers.