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An Unexpected Journey: A Newbie's Walk In Wet Shaving

Some observations on my current shaving. The Supermax Blades work great for me, but only for 3 shaves. I used it today and really had to be careful to not get some irritation. I mean it worked, I got a BBS shave with 3 passes & a clean-up, but it just wasn't an enjoyable shave. I've also been using some Nivea body lotion as an AS lotion. My wife got some as a Christmas present and I ran out of Every Man Jack's so I tried it and.........yeah, great stuff and much better than any of NIvea's shave oriented lotions I've tried. Best of all, it's at the Dollar Store so my wife picked up a big huge bottle just for me. Another thing that happened in the shower shave today is that I'd bloomed my Taylor of Old BS Sandalwood soap then forgot and started swirling my brush in there so I got some foamy lather right off and had to really work it in the soap puck container to get something that could be face lathered. Whooops! first time that's ever happened. Speaking of this soap, it gave me an instant red irritation issue cold shaving but has been giving me excellent shower shaves. This one was sitting in my PIF pile for when I get around to offering a PIF, but now it's out and back in the rotation. Still enjoying the shower shaves. What may lure me back is the fact the MW soaps don't perform well in the hot shower. The heat makes the soap disappear right off my face. I do miss my MW soap!

On the personal side........welcome me into the welding world! The last tomahawk order I did supplied the money for a new welder and welding hood purchase. Now I need to throw together a decent welding table and start practicing different kinds of welds. Then I'll move onto some things around the house that need welding. I picked two nice metal folding chairs out of someone's trash a few months ago that just need a tiny couple of welds to make them usable again. My old lawnmower has a deck that needs welding too. I also can't wait to start using it in blacksmithing applications as well. I love a hobby that's fully supported by its self! It'd be like if a fisherman found dollar bills in each of the fish he caught :LOL:
 
Blade-meister said:
Now I need to throw together a decent welding table and start practicing different kinds of welds.
Click to expand...
There is your first project. You can set it up and build it in place giving you experience in horizontal, vertical, and overhead welds.
Remember to watch your lead. You can't let them pinch like a stick lead. That can bind the wire so it doesn't feed well. Normally just rectified by straightening it out a bit or changing the angle of the gun so it doesn't pull. Usually only an issue in tight spaces, or unconventional positions.
Also don't drop anything on it or you will be learning how to put a new liner in it. :ROFLMAO:

Did you go flux core for now? If so make sure you not only have the feed roller flipped the right way, but also that you don't put excessive pressure on it with the spring. It is a hollow wire and will deform making it hang up in your liner. Flux core will probably also need a slower feed and more heat being a heavier wire. There should be a reference chart inside the door where you load your wire, but I'm not sure if it gives flux core heats and speeds recommendations.

Any other questions, you know where I'm at. I may know a guy that can weld and could help out.
 
ShawnF said:
There is your first project. You can set it up and build it in place giving you experience in horizontal, vertical, and overhead welds.
Remember to watch your lead. You can't let them pinch like a stick lead. That can bind the wire so it doesn't feed well. Normally just rectified by straightening it out a bit or changing the angle of the gun so it doesn't pull. Usually only an issue in tight spaces, or unconventional positions.
Also don't drop anything on it or you will be learning how to put a new liner in it. :ROFLMAO:

Did you go flux core for now? If so make sure you not only have the feed roller flipped the right way, but also that you don't put excessive pressure on it with the spring. It is a hollow wire and will deform making it hang up in your liner. Flux core will probably also need a slower feed and more heat being a heavier wire. There should be a reference chart inside the door where you load your wire, but I'm not sure if it gives flux core heats and speeds recommendations.

Any other questions, you know where I'm at. I may know a guy that can weld and could help out.
Click to expand...
And always wear protection
 
Congrats on the new acquisition! That is a great looking helmet, and the auto-darkening lens is a nice feature. The last time I used a welder I was adjusting the tension on the helmet so I could flip it down over my face by nodding my head when I got going. Auto-dark is definitely a game changer.
 
Smattayu said:
Congrats on the new acquisition! That is a great looking helmet, and the auto-darkening lens is a nice feature. The last time I used a welder I was adjusting the tension on the helmet so I could flip it down over my face by nodding my head when I got going. Auto-dark is definitely a game changer.
Click to expand...
I still can't fully break myself of nodding the hood down and I've had an auto hood for at least 12 years. There are definitely times like a tight cramped tig weld trying to use a mirror to see the back side to make the weld with your face crammed up against some pipe and arms stuck between 2 others that it really comes in handy though. :ROFLMAO:
 
ShawnF said:
There is your first project.
Click to expand...

I have the frame already after picking it up on Craig's List last month. $12 I think was the price. I couldn't even buy the angle iron used for it for that amount. Really good welds on it too. It's funny, now I'm looking at welds when I see them and man oh man some are sweet and clean and others look like what I'll be doing on my first welds.

I got a nice auto darkening Hobart Hood. Nice big viewing area and 4 arc sensors. When reading through the manual I found it's really super conservative on battery use and will solar charge when available. I have welding gloves that I've been using for some applications in my blacksmithing and plan on using my leather blacksmithing apron so I don't catch myself on fire. Cotton long sleeves for a shirt for sure.

Yes, flux core welding at first. I need to save my pennies to get AR/CO2 tank to try MIG welding, but it seems like I can do a lot with flux core. I did read all about the wire and yeah Lincoln puts the settings on the inside door. One interesting thing I've read is that you focus on the pool not the actual spot the welder is arc'ing at. The more I read, the more I realize that there's a lot to welding and I've got a lot to learn. I think after reading and watching some great welding on Youtube it will just be time to dive in and figure it all out.

Funny story about buying the hood. So I walk into Tractor Supply and go to the welding section. All they had was the cheap Hobart hoods that weren't auto darkening. I look, check, double look and am disappointed that I'll have to order the dang thing. So I'm walking out and notice in the clearance section some welding hoods. I didn't like them. Only two arc sensors, small 6 inch square viewing window, and more flare than function as they were decorated with flames or camo. So I went back to the welding section, why I don't know, and I look up to see my hood sitting right there next to the cheapies! Dang, I know it wasn't there before! There were only two gum popping ladies leaning at the register and some lady looking at dog food so what the heck man? I was super happy and I don't know how it appeared there from nothing. A blessing I'm guessing.
 
Push and pull will make a difference in your puddle also. If you pull the gun it deposits more wire. Good for fillet welds or gaps. Pushing the gun leaves less material in the puddle and is got for a butt weld with small bevels. This creates more spatter though.
Always watch the puddle. You need to make sure your edges are tying in and you aren't getting gaps or porosity.
You are also going to have to learn to make the distinction between your weld puddle and your slag puddle with flux core. Once you see it it wont take much to figure out, but can be deceiving as to what your final bead will look like until you make the distinction.
I'll send you a good YouTube channel to watch when I get home that shows a lot of good tips for all processes. Some you wont use but the tips can transfer over between them all.
 
ShawnF said:
Push and pull will make a difference in your puddle also. If you pull the gun it deposits more wire. Good for fillet welds or gaps. Pushing the gun leaves less material in the puddle and is got for a butt weld with small bevels. This creates more spatter though.
Always watch the puddle. You need to make sure your edges are tying in and you aren't getting gaps or porosity.
You are also going to have to learn to make the distinction between your weld puddle and your slag puddle with flux core. Once you see it it wont take much to figure out, but can be deceiving as to what your final bead will look like until you make the distinction.
I'll send you a good YouTube channel to watch when I get home that shows a lot of good tips for all processes. Some you wont use but the tips can transfer over between them all.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'd like to take a gander at a recommended channel on YouTube, thanks!. First thing I did was watch some vids there on welding fails so I could see what the dumbest things you could do are so I don't do them. One dude was welding a pretty big propane tank and it started jetting flames out of it. The flames then caught the boom crane next to it on fire. I've always heard you fill a tank like that up with water to be sure you've pushed all the gas out. Many vids of guys catching themselves on fire, and one of a guy who made a mask out of an disposable aluminum baking tray that he'd taped an appropriate dark viewing plate to. The way I figure it, I've bought a quality welder, quality hood, have gloves and a safe non-flamable place to do it......I'm already ahead of half the dudes I watched on the fails videos :LOL:
 
This is a very good channel for all processes. You may have to search through the videos as some is fairly advanced, but these guys know what they are doing and explain things well. This video in particular will help you a lot getting your machine set up and what to look for.



This video popped up in recommended when I was getting the first one. I watched it, but haven't seen any others by him. He does a few things I personally may do different, but it's still good basics. The reason I'm posting it too, is watch when he does the stick weld. He does some good puddle shots with the camera, and you can see the difference between his MIG weld puddles and the stick weld puddle. The stick looks like it has a trailing puddle. That is the slag puddle. With a gas shielded MIG, you won't see this. With the flux core wire, you will. So this is a good comparison video since most guys are just using gas shielded wire.
(I stopped it when he started on the sponser rant at the end though.)

 
Thanks @ShawnF !!! I haven't watched the videos yet as last night was my monthly flintknapping get together, but I'm sure they will be helpful. I learn best by reading up first, then watching it done, then making my first attempt. I'll be flux core welding at first until I can afford to buy a tank of gas and start messing with the MIG side of my welder.
 
Having received some replacement pucks of MW soap, I decided to use up the little bits left clinging to the crease in the side of the plastic containers. I scraped it out and placed it right in my shaving bowl like a sample and took it to the shower shave. Wow, that's really the way to make MW soap work for the shower shave. I've been using this method with some samples I received and it seems to produce a lather that's thick enough to not dissipate in the shower shave environment. The method I've been using is to put the shavings of soap in the shaving bowl with a drizzling of cold water and let that bloom until I'm ready to lather it up. Too much water and you are wasting time trying to dial it in. Finally a method that works for me with MW in the shower shaves.

On the personal side of things, you might be a redneck if you sat in your living room last night sewing a beaver pelt to a hoop.......like me. I've had this beaver pelt that I bought from a desperate mountain man trapper at my last show. It's not tanned so it is stiff as a board. Once sewn in a hoop it can be hung on the wall. Traditionally, trappers, mountain men and Indians did this method to dry the pelt flat and keep it stretched out. Pelts were usually measured, so the larger diameter you had the money you received for the pelt. They still do this today. I made my hoop from a branch off a bush in front of my house. It worked well.
 
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