2014 Baja Warrior
- Thread starter nightgrider
- Start date
Check all your bolts on that bike! I have the same bike, possibly a year or two older than yours. Mine was total junk, and I threw a fit on this forum many years ago because of it haha. I still ride it, but I absolutely hate it due to the amount of time and money I have spent making it reliable. Reliable-ish...
Been in the process of planning my next moves on the luggage racks. I'm still going to pursue welding my own. Did a few test welds on some scrap, (I'll spare you the images of the bad results and poor lighting). Mostly was trying to weld too thin of material with my El cheapo flux core welder. Had some scrap square tube I picked up and was hoping to use, but it's just too thin (about 1/32"). Not a big deal I have some 3/4 emt conduit that will work better. Just was testing for my own curiosity. I'll just buckle down and notch and strip the emt conduit. Will result in a better looking end product.
Just an FWI...flux core welding will burn through light stuff and make ugly welds.
If you have the ability to reverse the polarity and add gas (I use CO2) with .023 solid core wire, you can weld some pretty thin metal and get good results. If you can't reverse the polarity and use gas, You should look into a MIG welder. A small 110 volt welder won't break the bank, but the things you can do are almost endless.
A good auto-darkening helmet makes all the difference.
If you have the ability to reverse the polarity and add gas (I use CO2) with .023 solid core wire, you can weld some pretty thin metal and get good results. If you can't reverse the polarity and use gas, You should look into a MIG welder. A small 110 volt welder won't break the bank, but the things you can do are almost endless.
A good auto-darkening helmet makes all the difference.
Nightgrider- I've replaced pretty much everything but the frame, seat, and handlebars haha. 3 rear brake assemblies, chain, tires, brake lever and line, engine, 2 torque converters, lights, reflectors, throttle cables, 3 pegs, and much more. Luckily the frame is alright, but it is a bit rusty on the engine plate and peg mounting points.
Yeah I really need to upgrade my welding machine. Got my eye on one just haven't pulled the trigger. Just don't weld enought to justify it. My current machine doesn't allow for gas or reverse polarity. I've got a decent Lincoln auto-darkening helmet. But it is fixed shade, an adjustable shade one would be nice. This time I think it is better to work with a thicker material than fight blowing holes and the end product looking bad. I need to practice up on welding again, been a bit since I last welded. More test pieces will result before I attempt the final product.
Last edited:
I use an old Hobart 130. It's been a great machine. It sits out in the barn or in the garage with the leaky roof, neglected for about 11.5 months a year. With flux wire, I can weld truck and tractor stuff with multiple passes. With gas and solid wire, it will weld sheet metal. Hobarts are not as cheap as they once were.
Good adjustable helmets, or just the face inserts have come way down in the last couple of years. I'll post a pic of a project I did a few years ago, just to stimulate your creative juices.
Good adjustable helmets, or just the face inserts have come way down in the last couple of years. I'll post a pic of a project I did a few years ago, just to stimulate your creative juices.
I cut two of those short, fat propane tanks, I think they were 14 oz? I cut them with a big pipe cutter and just welded a bead around them. as it cooled, it shrunk and I wiped Bondo on it and painted it. Now, 20 years later, I use the same welder and that tank still doesn't leak. The Bondo is coming apart, though.
Thanks. For what it is, I've been pleased with the welder. Just don't want to go much thinner those plates and since it is 110 only machine, it is limited on how thick you can weld. Once I'm used to it again and back in the groove. I can get decent welds out of it. I did get it to tack weld successfully with the thin to thicker metal, I'm sure with some practice I could manipulate the weld puddle better. Just for this project just better to use a slightly thicker material. Since I have both on hand.
Thanks buddy, just been busy a lot at work and family stuff. Been pushing my projects off. Trying to break them up into smaller bits. So then it is at least a little progress each time instead of no progress.
yeah that's the other drawback on my cheap machine. It only has a high/low switch and wire feed speed. Pretty much all you play with is wire feed. Would be nice to get a machine that I could fiddle more with the amps.
yeah that's the other drawback on my cheap machine. It only has a high/low switch and wire feed speed. Pretty much all you play with is wire feed. Would be nice to get a machine that I could fiddle more with the amps.
Got some welding practice in tonight. Not too bad for a first attempt after a long hiatus. A little more practice and I can probably make something pretty decent looking. That one really ugly spot was when I tried to weld up a hole and the welder sputtered. Must not have cleaned it as good as I should have after the first pass and it didn't get a good starting arc. Probably had the wire feed a just little too high, I'll have to make up a few more practice pieces. All and all I'm pleased with the results. This is pretty thin material around 19 gauge. I've got a new ground clamp I'm going to install. The cheap one that comes with the welder works but could be better.
