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Thinking of buying a welder

140K views 401 replies 153 participants last post by  mtrdstuck 
#1 ·
Im very much a newbie to the world of welding, but I would really like to get into it since it opens up alot of fabrication doors for me.


I have welded once or twice with a mig welder (wire), it was a hobart handler, ran on 120v

I would like to purchase something with a little more capability, since I hope to build up bumpers and basic bull bars, along with being able to fix up my exhaust.

I am looking into purchasing a lincoln 220v stick welder (since they seem very cheap and have a good reputation)

I do not, however, know how to stick weld, though I have been watching videos.

I am just confused on one thing really, I though you needed argon (or some other gas) being exhausted onto the weld pool, but from the looks of it, with a stick welder, you just put the stick into the stinger, and attach the other end to your work, and just go at it by making an arc. how can this be? How do you give it an arc sheild? Do you need an arc shield?


thanks
 
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#52 ·
e-Welder said:
Best thing for you to do is take an introductory welding class at your local high school/community college/votech school.
I looked around and all I can find is a class at the local comm college, and they want $600 for the class. Plus it is as far on the other side of town as you can get, and I'd have to drive down there through rush hour :thumbdown: .
For that much I could buy a new Lincoln 220v 250/125 AC/DC and a pile of sticks, a pile of scrap, and make an extension cord to plug into the dryer outlet.
 
#53 ·
isuace said:
I looked around and all I can find is a class at the local comm college, and they want $600 for the class. Plus it is as far on the other side of town as you can get, and I'd have to drive down there through rush hour :thumbdown: .
For that much I could buy a new Lincoln 220v 250/125 AC/DC and a pile of sticks, a pile of scrap, and make an extension cord to plug into the dryer outlet.
And?

I could buy a bunch of medical supplies and run around with them in a bag diagnosing sick people.

That doesn't make me a doctor.

Buying a welder, some supplies, then trying to hammer apart something you haphazardly melted together doesn't make you a weldor.

Best thing anyone can do is take a class. That said, not all classes are created equal. Ask around. IS the program offered to you a quality program? It may not be. It may not be worth $600.

Then again, it may be a great program. A program where if you pass the tests, you walk away with a D1.1 cert in your procket. Then that $600 is worth every penny.
 
#54 ·
isuace said:
I looked around and all I can find is a class at the local comm college, and they want $600 for the class. Plus it is as far on the other side of town as you can get, and I'd have to drive down there through rush hour :thumbdown: .
For that much I could buy a new Lincoln 220v 250/125 AC/DC and a pile of sticks, a pile of scrap, and make an extension cord to plug into the dryer outlet.
Do a search online for some welding tips. Start out with 6011 on A/C and learn on that. BTW That dryer plug is a 30 amp and that welder requires a 50 amp. Just make sure you are not setting it up in the high amp ranges. make sure you get good safety eye wear and a good helmet/hood. I suggest at least an 11 shade for arc welding. The eyes are the first thing to go if you have crappy equipment.
 
#55 ·
Bigbob said:
Ditto what he says.

I just got the Hobart A/C D/C Stickmate LX at TSC and it is an amazing welder. Virtually infinate amperage control and a duty cycle that won't quit. And it is a nice compact unit. It can weld just about anything but very thin sheet metal and like mentioned above, aluminum. It can do thin sheet metal, but the mig does work better for that. Once you get to the thick construction type welding the stick is super. I still have my Lincoln 140 amp mig for the thin stuff (1/8" and thinner) as that is about all it is good for anyway. I am leaving the mig as a .025 solid wire gas welding rig only. No more flux core for me.

As far as Mig goes I would say to pay close attention to the duty cycle on those. Once you start welding 1/4" plate your duty cycle is usually pretty bad and you will need to do flux core anyway with the 180 class welders. Read the ratings closely and compare. Yes, they say they can weld up to 5/16"-3/8" metal, but that is flux core and multi-pass. Of course if money is no object and you can go big then do it. If you just want some extremely strong welds and save a couple bucks the A/C D/C is for you.
Not trying to start a debate but you don't need to run flux core to weld 1/4 inch with a quality 180amp machine. My lincoln will weld 1/4 with solid wire, it is turned right up but I have still found it give me close to 30" duty cycle and will pass a bend test... again with solid wire. I have used miller, lincoln and hobart 180 class machines and with flux core welding 1/4 material you certainly don't need multiple passes.
 
#56 ·
I have no idea what a D1.1 certification is, nor would it benefit me in my daily life to have one (I deal with computer networks in my profession). For me getting that certification would be akin to someone getting a CCNA to set up their wireless router at home.
I realize that a class would be the best way to go, but I simply cannot afford a $600 class, plus welder etc. I don't plan on buying a welder one day and opening a fabrication shop the next. As with all of the other skills that I have taught myself, I will start slowly, learning to run a good bead down a piece of flat stock. Then move on to butt welds, then angles, etc. Realistically, all I need to be able to accomplish is to tack some pieces in place until I can get it to a professional welder, however I would like to become proficient enough to do the whole job myself.
 
#57 ·
I know that no one has posted on here for a couple of weeks so hopefully someone will answer. I really really want to learn how to weld but I want to dive into TIG. I am about to start classes on TIG welding but I wanted to ask here first. What are really good inexpensive portable TIG welders? Would I be able to weld a cage with 1.75x.125 DOM with a 110V Welder or would I need a 220V? That's really it, thanks.
 
#58 ·
ace2001 said:
I know that no one has posted on here for a couple of weeks so hopefully someone will answer. I really really want to learn how to weld but I want to dive into TIG. I am about to start classes on TIG welding but I wanted to ask here first. What are really good inexpensive portable TIG welders? Would I be able to weld a cage with 1.75x.125 DOM with a 110V Welder or would I need a 220V? That's really it, thanks.
TIG isn't something that you just dive into. I've been TIG welding for several years now and I'm just starting to get the hang of it. You really don't want to go straight for a cage on day one. The Miller Maxstar 150 or EconoTIG are both good entry level machines. Both will also run stick.

The Maxstar will run off of both 110v and 220v and is about the size of a shoe box. If you were to get a small tank, you could take it anywhere. It doesn't really have the heuvos to run aluminum though, which is where TIG really shines. Aluminum and titanium are the pinnacle of the TIG welder's art. You can't really say that you can TIG weld until you can lay down dimes on the heavy oxide coated, non-ferrous metals.
 
#59 ·
Thanks Matt. In no way do I plan on just starting with making cages. I am going to practice, practice and practice some more. Then when I get the hang of it I plan on working on cages and other stuff ie. fenders, bumpers and things of that nature. I also want to buy it now because when I start class, I don't just want to do it in class, I want to also want to practice at home.
 
#60 ·
ace2001 said:
Thanks Matt. In no way do I plan on just starting with making cages. I am going to practice, practice and practice some more. Then when I get the hang of it I plan on working on cages and other stuff ie. fenders, bumpers and things of that nature. I also want to buy it now because when I start class, I don't just want to do it in class, I want to also want to practice at home.
The Maxstar 150 is what you're looking for then. They run really nice on mild and stainless.
 
#61 ·
I bought a Millermatic 251 when i was 17...im going on 21 in a month. :D Didn't think twice about it, cashed in a mutual fund that wasn't growing very much, bought the biggest welder i could afford, and been happy since. Its paid for itself over and over again.
 
#65 ·
Matt Gertsch said:
Look at the Miller Dynasty 200 if you can swing the cash.
Its gonna be a while before i buy one, so i have plenty of time to test out machines and make a decision.
The decision will be easy though, i'll buy the biggest welder i can afford once again...so the longer i wait, the bigger and better the welder ;)

For now... i will mig on w/ my mm251 :D :tea:
 
#67 ·
FINALLY bought it

I finally got the welder I had been thinking about for some time. I went as big as I could afford. I know that it is overkill for a jeep but I do not want to have to go back a couple years from now and need a bigger machine because I didn't want to drop the extra cash on the front end. The Millermatic 252. Never welded before buying this one but so far it is AWESOME!!! I already patched one nasty hole in the side of the jeep. Good fun to come. Hope the pic works.[IMG]http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj32/Cts6867/Picture580.jpg[/IMG]
 
#69 ·
Red2001sport said:
I am thinking of going to a place to have a 5x8 steel tube trailer welded together. What am i looking at spending, ill get the axle and shackles and all that stuff, i just need it welded together. Am i better of just doing it myself
If you can weld, do it yourself.
 
#70 ·
Cts6867 said:
I finally got the welder I had been thinking about for some time. I went as big as I could afford. I know that it is overkill for a jeep but I do not want to have to go back a couple years from now and need a bigger machine because I didn't want to drop the extra cash on the front end. The Millermatic 252. Never welded before buying this one but so far it is AWESOME!!! I already patched one nasty hole in the side of the jeep. Good fun to come. Hope the pic works.[IMG]http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj32/Cts6867/Picture580.jpg[/IMG]

Pretty welder.
 
#73 ·
Cts6867 said:
Thanks for the click free. Still waiting to hit that magic #.
I would just like to mention now that I HATE YOU :rofl: :rofl: Nice welder my friend. Would have gone with something similar if I had the space to store it. Went portable and got the MM180.
 
#74 ·
Red2001sport said:
dont know how to but would like to learn and make some bumpers and all kinds of other stuff. whats a good machine cost?
A 220 volt rig starts at about $400 or so depending on what you purchase. And of course there's all the other stuff that goes with it, safety equipment, tools.
 
#76 ·
Save your money. Clarke is probably the best of the el-cheapo welders if there is such as a thing but if you actually plan on getting in to welding it is a poor investment. You will just end up trading up in a year or two. I have used a clarke 110v mig welder before and it was fine for heavy sheet metal but that is about it. On paper it should have been able to do more but it just didn't produce enough heat.

In North America there are only two real options for the home welder, Lincoln and Miller (Hobart is made by miller).

If money is tight save up a extra $150 and buy a lincoln or miller off ebay. You can get a Lincoln or Miller 180 for around $500 sometimes new. I did.
 
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