The Hodaka Club Forum

Took one, Thursday & Friday afternoons! Learned a lot, and my wife got a metal table out of it!

Now I can do some more practice welding & do a good job replacing my kick stand brackets. Victor

Where did you go for a welding school? Local vo-tech school or a private company? I am looking to do the same and trying to get an idea on where to go.

Thanks

There’s a place here in town called “Make Santa Fe.” It is in an industrial area of town full of businesses like mechanic shops, lumber & hardware stores a scrap yard, etc.

They have woodworking classes, knitting classes, forging, welding, lathe turning, 3D printing, and more. You sign up to get trained to use the equipment and take the class.

Then you get certified to use the equipment & can sign up and make an appointment to use anything you’ve been certified to use! Pretty cool place.

The welding class was $96 for a 10 hour class over 2 days, plus a $14 materials fee for the metal you cut up & weld and any tips for the welder which you may wear out. Victor

Thanks, I'll have to check around.

Check your local community or tech college! Victor

Yes, I did. All they offer is the full certification classes. I was hoping to find a art/hobby group that offered lessons like you had.

Friend of mine did it at a boces school. He explained what he wanted to learn to do, not really after a certificate and the instructor taught him what he needed to know . Instructor gets paid either way.

Victor, goodf job, to go the extra step to learn how to weld and etc, let,s see the certificate when done, and lets see your first Hodaka project where you put to use what you learned. You have come a long way from when you started this whole Hodaka adventure several years ago. Good Job and keep it up.

Man, I wish I could do something like that, Victor. Everything I know about welding I learned in high school shop class and a few bits on the fly - which, by the way explains how my welding goes now 40+ years later.

what i got is a welder for the things that i can weld my self that are not stress point things. for things i need a good weld for like fixing cases or important things that need to be welded real good, have a friend that can weld anything last time i brought him a smoked ham he's glad to help he knows its a hobby so always glad to help, for thing that needs a good looking strong weld but aren't as critical i barter with a friend and i use him more often, some times he needs a extra hand ive un loaded semis for him and ran errands' for him. works for both of us and i don't take advantage always call ahead make sure it will not be a burden. seems to work

I’m learning quickly that this Garbor Freight welder isn’t much of a welder to speak of.

2 days ago, my wife had the axle for her oxygen tank holder break free. It looked like maybe it was just a contact weld and broke.

She wanted to go to the store & couldn't because she couldn’t roll her O2 tank around. I told her, “Give me 5 minutes!” Took the two pieces out to the garage. I figured it was fairly thin metal, maybe close to 20 gauge. So I set the welder on minimum voltage and the wire feed at about 6. Was able to get it to fuse together, but really couldn’t get it to lay down a bead. I think I need a better welder....

But, it did fuse together and the wife was off to the store with her O2 bottle on her rolling bottle carrier! At least I was able to fix it. It wasn’t a pretty fix, but it held. Victor

The answer would be to take the wielder to a welder and ask him. I am so lucky in the sixties one of my hodaka racing friends, that raced for me, became a certified welder and would help me with anything, he owns a professional welding shop. Another hodaka rider made all the expansion chambers for us when he was in high school also in the 60's, To day he runs a professional welding shop. And many certified wielders are my good friends. Any or all of them would give me assistance and show me how. I took my Harbor Freight to a professional, let him set it up adjust and use it for a while, he thought it was very good $$ considered. I have a big Lincoln gas but I shake too much, I bought the $500.00 road toad green, Harbor Freight titanium 170 wire feed, what one did you get Victor? ______________ Clarence

Could be the cart is stainless steel. --------------- Clarence

Probably. But it held. She is going to order a new cart. Victor

Hi Victor
Welding thin stuff is difficult , even for the pros. I am assuming you are running flux-core wire like most hobby guys. If you are running solid wire with a shielding gas (MIG) It's easier , but not much. I'm a hobby guy like you but I have a real welder. I'm a believer in "buy the best and only cry once"

I have had the best luck welding thin stuff by doing a series of tack welds. Tack it, wait 3-5 seconds, tack it again. It's a tedious process. I recently converted a Bassani high pipe into a low pipe using this method. If you try running a bead you are going to glob weld on top or burn holes. Practice, practice, practice.

Larry S

Yes. The problem with these bottom line Harbor Freight welders is there’s no reference for what the voltage settings are. It just has a toggle switch for Minimum & Maximum. Not sure how to set it. Victor

Victor did you get the wire feed? you can probably trade up. ------- Clarence

I found a manual on line. Guess I was running the feed too high for the thickness of the metal on the tank cart. I think the metal is about 18 gauge & I was running the wire feed at 6! Manual says run it at 1.5! I’ll have to try practicing with this welder more. Victor

You have mentioned making or modifying a Kickstand. That would be a good practice project, heavy material, no worries about burning holes in it. You can concentrate on laying down some nice welds.
Larry S

Tonight I did 2 welding jobs. I welded a fire umbrella to a 3/4” pipe. There was a plastic orange cap which I slid up the umbrella shaft. Welded the umbrella to the pipe & ground the welds down in order to pull the cap. Ask down over the joint.

And I took a 2 hot dog fork and bent it into the shape of a heart and welded it together!

The young lady I did this for us into sword swallowing. She wants to swallow the shaft with the heart on it, while she sets the heart on fire. The shaft is almost 3 feet long, so if she swallows half of it the flaming heart will stay away from her face! Victor

You hang with an interesting crowd, Victor.

no disrespect victor , your doing very well getting better at welding but if i was going to stick welded metal rod down my throat id find a professional welder, just saying

Well. What can I tell you. She asked me for the favor & I said I’d try. The weld was successful and nowhere near what’s going down her throat. The part I welded becomes a ring of fire..... Victor

its always good to help some one out . interesting way to use your new found skill . good for you victor

FYI----Now I know where to send all my welding problems, Victor do you have a picture of the certificate yet!!

Good Job, all the way, just joking, but please don,t stop learning. Its a good thing. You have come so far!