I found out Lincoln makes leather bibs, and I want one for my Viking helmet. Of course, nothing is ever simple. They make split leather bibs which are basically suede, and they also make smooth top-grain bibs.

Is there any reason why I should prefer one to the other?

I contacted Weldtables.com, and I asked if they could make a 2.5' by 5' Fabblock. They said they could, and it would cost about $1200 without legs. Their standard 2' by 5' block is $885. I would have expected to pay under $1100, figuring a 20% increase in size would more or less correspond to a 20% ...

They never replied, and now I'm back to thinking about a Fabblock. I thought a 1/4"-thick Fabblock wouldn't hold up, but today I found a company that makes the same kind of table, and they claim it's not true. The company is called Texas Metalworks. They have an article where they say a thicker...

I'm getting cold feet on my design. I was going to make a big continuous plate with holes in it, but now I'm wondering if I should make a bunch of 6"-wide strips, put fixturing holes in them, and set them up so they can slide back and forth, allowing me to open up space between them so things c...

Tampa Bay Steel. No answer yet. I may have to call.

Thanks for the suggestion. I found a place in Tampa and sent an inquiry. I'm learning a lot about this. I've been looking stuff up and doing math. It appears that if I go all the way to a 1/2" table, the top will weigh 250 pounds before drilling holes. If I go 3/8", I will be looking at 18...

I posted a thread about making a welding table, and someone mentioned buying a precision ground iron plate for a top. My question: where on earth do you buy such things? If I wanted a 3' by 4' plate 3/8" thick, precision ground (not hot-rolled junk), where would I go to find it? I have a metal ...

Youtube is full of people using these things without guards. "I've been doing it this way for years, and I've never had a problem." Yes, that's how it works. You never have a problem, and then you have a problem. Another thing: people think face shields are enough. If you look around onlin...

Today, for the first time, I had to take a project off the table and stand and sit inside it to weld.

I have really enjoyed my Klutch table, but it would be great to have something that will hold bigger projects.

Today I had to get really creative to position the shooting bench on my small table. Arcflat tables are looking very good.

Where would a person go to get a ground slab for a shopmade table? I have no interest in 750-pound tables, but I could see buying 3' by 4' by 1/2" if the price was okay.

Langmuir's tables are cast iron. I wonder if that's a good idea. Hard to fix if damaged.

I know the Fireball Tool guy sells cast iron and talks it up. Says BB's don't stick.

I just found out a company called Langmuir is selling modular, fully assembled tables to compete with Weldtables.com. This complicates things. Langmuir's Arcflat table are a lot cheaper than Fab Blocks, you don't have to assemble them, and they have 3/8" tops.

Not as cheap as shopmade, though.

Maybe that's the way to go. I don't know how fast an annular cutter goes through steel. I wonder how many days I would need it for. I'm also not sure how to get the table flat. I guess if I lived in the Rust Belt, where industry is everywhere, I could walk next door and have it ground. I have no ide...

I totally agree with the helmet suggestion. I thought I was a big spender when I bought a Hobart Hood, but when I upgraded to a Lincoln Viking, the difference was incredible.

Today I started building a shooting bench on my trusty Northern Tool Klutch table. The bench will be about 4 feet square, and I'm using 2" square tubing. Trying to get a project this big together on a small table made me think about my hopes of upgrading to a bigger table. On the one hand seein...

I want to pick up a couple of drag shields for a Hypertherm Powermax 600. Are aftermarket shields okay, or should I spring for OEM?

I have a chain on the O2 tank.

A small propane tank has a very low center of gravity and is highly unlikely to fall. If it did, it would roll over very slowly. There is no way it would move fast enough to snap a valve. Even if it could happen, how would it overcome a rubber strap? It's impossible. Use a strong rubber strap to att...

A welding helmet that fails to go dark won't hurt your eyes. The shade is not what protects you. The glass itself protects you whether the helmet goes dark or not. No company would dream of selling helmets that injured people's eyes every time the batteries failed. Is it possible you are getting ref...

I haven't put hangers on it yet. Today I put the welders on it, along with an argon cylinder and a borrowed O2 cylinder, to see how it looked. I'm wondering if I could get by with a Hel-Hook on each bottle. If I decide to attach hangers, I'm thinking I may use chain or nylon straps instead of rigid ...

I thought I was going to wait for the paint to completely cure, but it looked pretty solid today, so I put the box together. It looks pretty good. Maybe I should have drilled 6 small tube holes instead of 4 big ones, but it will work. Now I have to find someone to buy two used carts. 10 27 20 harbor...

I just assumed a tack was enough to cause a problem, but maybe it's not.

The tack was tiny and was finished before I knew what was happening.

How badly do you have to flash yourself to have symptoms? Two nights back, I did a tack weld and realized all I had between me and the weld was a pair of Dollar Tree reading glasses. I was MIG welding on whatever the welder's 1/8" setting is. The arc was on long enough to do the tack. I didn't ...

Thanks, man. Here is what I have today. I put tubes on the cart for mounting things like cord holders. I have not welded holders onto the tubes, though. I want to put the machines on first and see where the holders should go. I put truck bed coating on the project. I will have to grind some off in o...