What kind of welder should I buy

[gordon21]

I can't weld. I am jealous of many of you.

Now that that confession is out of the way, I want your help. After buying a tractor and lots of other goodies, I see the time has come to learn to weld. Occasional basic welding with plain steel. Most items to be welded would be 1/8"-3/8" thick pieces to each other or small stuff to thicker pieces like a FEL or backhoe bucket edge. I could care less about the final bead appearance. I am looking for functionality, not looks. Getting a house call for welding is a pain in the butt and expensive.

I am pretty handy with other tools so basic safety is already ingrained in me. Assume that I am willing to spend $750 to come home with everything I need to start welding except the steel. I want to buy the right unit right from the start and not buy something cheap or inadequate and then have to rebuy the right stuff later. I have a pickup so I could go get my own gas tanks if needed.

Here goes the questions:

Electric or gas? And what's the basic difference in the results they give
MIG, TIG, various gases, etc
Can one welder do steel AND aluminum?
Which is safer to use?
Which is easier to use?
How do you keep from getting electrocuted when electic welding?
What is wire feed welding?
Suggested rods?
Portability? Electric welders obviously need power close by. 120 or 240 volt?


Today's Northern Tool ad showed a Hobart 140 MIG welder for $459 that can weld up to 1/4" Does that mean two 1/8' pieces to each other or anything to a 1/4" thick piece. It comes with a gas conversion kit. How do you convert an electic welder to gas?

 

[MadReferee]

Buying a welder is like buying a tractor. There are many colors and many models. What is good for me is not necessarily good for you.

That said, your requirements of welding 1/4" to 3/8" steel and $750 to spend and the fact that you are a welding newbie would all tend to have me recommend a MIG in the 175 amp range. Easy to learn and flexible (flux core or soild wire w/C25 gas).

There are plenty of welding forums out there from the major manufacturers where your question has been asked and zillions of opinions given. Have fun.

 

[kenmac]

Ok now, this is just my opinion, but if you can't weld at all . I would purchase a 220 volt linclon or miller buzz box that will weld ac/dc . I have a wire welder & a buzz box. The metal has to be clean before you are able to weld cause wire just won't weld very good over rust, etc,. This would be a great starter machine & will weld most anything around the home.If you are going gasoline that's great but you will have to come up with more than the $750.00 that you want to spend.Others that do this stuff all the time may have different ideas.

 

[Trev]

I'd suggest posting your question at:

Toolboxtalk

Wish I could help, but I know nothing about welding either.

 

[BobG_in_VA]

Too many questions up front. Seems like if you can stick weld at all, you can really MIG well. TIG is more for aluminum, etc. If you are intersted in making sure you can stick two pieces of steel together, I'd go with stick. Suggest you go with a 220/240 volt unit (you'll buy it twice if you don't...you'll understand later what I mean if you buy a 110/120). If you plan on good penetration on dirty/painted surfaces (FEL bucket), go with a 3/32" 6011 (very little slag, not a real pretty bead, but holds like super glue...). Now for the helmet....Question: how much are your eyes worth? You can spend $50 or $500 on helmets. I use a Jackson Next Gen. Has a 1/25000 of a second switch. If you are just starting, suggest an electronic vs. a flip down. Much easier to learn quickly. A number of folks here use "tombstones" which are good all around shop units. I've got a Miller Trailblazer on a trailer as I don't have power in the barn where I do this stuff. BobG in VA

 

[gordon21]

Madreferee: You mention C25 gas. Does a MIG welder need gas plus electricity?

You said 175 amps?? That's a lot of power!!! Isn't that something like 21,000 watts?? Do you guys have that kind of main breaker box in your homes or shops? 175 amps for the welder plus whatever else is running at the house could easily top a demand of 300 amps. My house will not be wired with that capacity.

My neighbor back in Floida had one of those huge welders on a trailer. The main box was about the size of a big screen TV. He held a rod in one hand and used some type of pistol shaped gun in the other. A gasoline motor ran the thing. What kind of welding was this?

 

[rjgogo]

I can't weld. I am jealous of many of you.

Now that that confession is out of the way, I want your help. After buying a tractor and lots of other goodies, I see the time has come to learn to weld. Occasional basic welding with plain steel. Most items to be welded would be 1/8"-3/8" thick pieces to each other or small stuff to thicker pieces like a FEL or backhoe bucket edge. I could care less about the final bead appearance. I am looking for functionality, not looks. Getting a house call for welding is a pain in the butt and expensive.

I am pretty handy with other tools so basic safety is already ingrained in me. Assume that I am willing to spend $750 to come home with everything I need to start welding except the steel. I want to buy the right unit right from the start and not buy something cheap or inadequate and then have to rebuy the right stuff later. I have a pickup so I could go get my own gas tanks if needed.

Here goes the questions:

Electric or gas? And what's the basic difference in the results they give
MIG, TIG, various gases, etc
Can one welder do steel AND aluminum?
Which is safer to use?
Which is easier to use?
How do you keep from getting electrocuted when electic welding?
What is wire feed welding?
Suggested rods?
Portability? Electric welders obviously need power close by. 120 or 240 volt?


Today's Northern Tool ad showed a Hobart 140 MIG welder for $459 that can weld up to 1/4" Does that mean two 1/8' pieces to each other or anything to a 1/4" thick piece. It comes with a gas conversion kit. How do you convert an electic welder to gas?

This is the best place to start lurking, then post questions. All brands are discussed. Lincoln, Hobart, or Miller are the best choices, Stick or Mig the best for a newbie. I learned to weld in High school years ago but learned a ton here.

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I have both a Lincoln AC/DC unit and a Miller MIG. Both are good for different applications.

Edit to add the 175 is DC, most will ask for a 50 AMP plug but not usually pull that much. The rest of your questions will easily be answered on that site.

 

[wushaw]

Mig is easiest to learn, learning on a stick can be frustrating at first. Mig is point and pull trigger then move gun.
Mig is good for steel & aluminum.
Buy bigger than you think you will need now because you will need it after you start making things...it is very addicting.
I would stick with Miller, Hobart & Lincoln in a 200 - 250 amp machine, they will weld anything from 22/24ga sheetmetal up too 1/2" on the 250amp machine and up to 3/8" on 200amp model in a single pass.
I am partial to blue so my recommendation is MM210 or MM251.
Get a auto darkening helment, they are great.

You need 220v supply with 6ga wire on a 50amp breaker, this will cover any welder you want at home. The plug, wiring...etc is available at HD, lowes..etc.

 

[MadReferee]

Madreferee: You mention C25 gas. Does a MIG welder need gas plus electricity?

It needs electricity and shielding gas is optional. You can either use flux core wire without shielding gas or solid core wire with C25 (argon/CO2) shielding gas.

You said 175 amps?? That's a lot of power!!!

No it's not. It a mid range machine with 175 amp output, not input.

Do you guys have that kind of main breaker box in your homes or shops? 175 amps for the welder plus whatever else is running at the house could easily top a demand of 300 amps. My house will not be wired with that capacity.

You have a lot to learn about transformer welders. For example a Millermatic 175 mig welder (it's rated at 175 amps) requires single phase 230v 19.5 amps. A 30A circuit would be just fine. The unit is physically just smaller than 2 mid-tower computer cases side by side.

I would suggest you go to the Miller website and take a look around. You can also go to the Miller discussion forum or the Hobart discussion forums and browse around. Be an informed buyer / buyer wannabe.

 

[AlanB]

Again, Vo-tech if one is near you, or a buddy that welds and can show you the various types, and explain the What's and Why's.

If I was doing tractor work and the $750 was a solid budget, I am guessing you are missing many metal fab tools.

My money would be on a Lincoln AC 225 and a quality set of torches, a high quality 4 1/2" grinder, a chop saw and a cheapie band saw. Auto dark helmet of your choice (I would go HF)

I think you will be out of money at that point. Now if the 750 is just for welder and you already have the "accesories" then the 175 mig would be a great place to go.

Best thing I could suggest though would be Vo-tech, or a buddy, or bring a box of donuts and a pot of coffee to the local welding shop on a Sat am (if they are open) and ask if you can hang out for a day and help / learn / ask questions.

I think I am taking a weeks vacation and hanging out out the transmission shop in Jan or Feb to learn to rebuild converters. They don't pay me, but I get to learn a skill that most folks do not possess.

Reading the websites, and the forums are good, but to get a basic understanding (at least for me) I want to see it in the flesh, and have it explained too me.