Guys, I am in Wichita Falls, TX Need a small welding job done. So far, shops contacted do not want to do small 15 min jobs. Any one that can/will or ideas? This is on an alternator bracket I am modifying.. Thanks Ben
dive in head first...buy a machine, and the ancillary equipment, and learn to use it. Sucks, but that's what most of us end up doing eventually. I started out with an AC stick welder when I was 17.
I jumped in with both feet. I had done welding in HS and college and did well, arc and gas. Got into stock cars and bought a $125 Lincoln 225 at Graingers. I still have it and use it, my only welder. With the stock cars, I built out of my dad's garage, actually did everything outside. Ran the welder wire through the basement window to a plug next to the fuse box. If you have something small, try one of those mobile welders that come to shops and job sites. It probably would not be that much. Some have shops too.
Got you beat ,Jim, I started at 14, in the ranch shop with a Montgomery Wards cracker box AC welder. By the time I got into Vo-Ag in high school ,I could weld the crack of dawn and a broken heart. Lol Bones
Really, you're in the middle of the OIL PATCH and there's not a couple hundred guys running around with welding machines in the back of their dually pickups? I think you're just not looking hard enough. Any farmer, rancher or local handyman in that part of the world has, at the very least, one of the AC buzz boxes that Squirrel mentioned. A muffler shop has what you need.
Fell in love with the little blue light at the age of 12 watching guys like Bobby Eichor and Evard Humphreys building stock cars in OKC to race at the State Fairground half mile. Bobby showed me how to hold a stinger and run a bead. In regard to your "crack of dawn" comment, your weld must have broke because I had to repair it. You were probably fixing up all the hearts I broke in the great state of Oklahoma. There were several, as I recall. I lived in Muskogee for awhile when my Dad was working for OGE building the power plant.
So.. Alan, thanks for fixing the crack and your the guy that had me working overtime on those hearts? Must have used the wrong rod on both! Lol. Did you ever go to the races at Thunderbird Speedway in Muskogee? They just reopened this year. It’s a big track, 1/2 mile on the inside. Bones
Bones, I never went to Thunderbird. Spent most of my time at OKC, occasionally Ponca City and Tulsa. Used to think that Howard House was the greatest modified driver in the world. Alan
If you want to drive the 3 hours up to Stillwater, OK, I can do it for you providing you have everything prepped. Of course, you could also just drive the 1 hour to Duncan to visit da34guy and save yourself 4 hours drive time.
Your asking the wrong shop, or the wrong person at the shop. The secretarial phone answerer gate keeper is going to say no. Call anyone of these places and ask for a referral for your project. Or Stand at the counter and ask the people walking in the door.
Ben Look this over, some of these welding supply shops should be able to refer you to a weldor. Some may have bulletin boards with business cards of local weldors. https://www.google.com/search?q=wic...7j0.33452j0j8&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
Most mobile welders we deal with it’s an hours labour just to show up. Might try driving around construction sites or local industrial area and “ find” a guy while he’s working And ask If it’s a quick 10-30 minute job I’m sure he can slip you in between his other customers for a case of beer or a nominal amount of cash. Or as has been stated buy a mig or arc used online be surprised how often you will end up using it!!! That’s what I did and I now own 3 welders for under. $400 bucks !!
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