beginner novice needs a light duty welder

[arkydog]

i live near mt home ar. the best little welder is a lincoln because it has both current and wire speed infinitely adjustable. i have a lincoln sp125 mig welder that i have used since the early 90's if not before. I've welded up to almost 1/4 inch and it is a workhorse. it has paid for itself over and over and over. you can fine tune it to get that frying bacon sound and welds wonderful. don't scrimp on a welder. would you scrimp on a car? buy a welder with both variable voltage and wire speed. i did body work for 40 years at dealerships. the welders that they used to certify welding were infinitely adjustable and never saw a good welder fail. there, i have ranted long enough!

 

[PJSprog]

For about $150 you can get a very nice 80amp inverter stick machine from Harbor Freight. You won't be able to build bridges with it but it should be fine for learning and making repairs on metal up to 1/8" easily and 1/4" with proper technique. The other benefit of that simple welder is that it is the size and weight of a lunch box. 110v only.

I have been considering one of those, too. Does anyone here have any real-world experience with them?

 

[IslandTractor]

I have been considering one of those, too. Does anyone here have any real-world experience with them?

There are youtube videos of people using them if that helps. I don't think there is any question that the device works, the only issue is whether 80amps is enough power for what you want to do.

The light weight and 110v usage make it a great option for tack welding and welding 10-16 gauge steel if nothing else. Can't image you'd need anything more powerful for up to 1/8" steel.

 

[yomax4]

Best advice so far is what SA said. Buy the largest most expensive unit that is your range. Warranty matters too. There's that old saying that says you can buy cheap wine but then you have to drink it. If you buy a decent 115v machine with a common replaceable gun, You will likely get your money back when you sell it.

 

[atsah]

I just bought one of these, I replaced the ground clamp with a good one and this little sucker welds really well on the 20 amp setting, under $100 and I have already fixed a bunch of stuff.. If I have a thick metal welding job I just call my brother, he has a snap on mig and big arc welder to do it with.. I have tried some of the small cheap wirefeed welders and I have had no luck with them ..

http://www.globalindustrial.com/site/images/campbell-hausfeld/ws0990.pdf

 

[newbury]

[

I have not welded in fifty years, and then only in high school auto shop. I find myself needing a light duty (110VAC preferably) electric welder for small jobs around our little farm. The other side of the coin is it MUST be cheap. We are retired and living on a small pension. Some extra each month but not a lot. Local welders not only charge lot by my standards, but really don't want my tiny little jobs. They do them, but would really like to see me go elsewhere. <snip>

Give us an idea of what you consider "cheap" also.

What does a "local welder" charge? I would expect a minimum of $50 plus maybe another $50 for the truck roll. You should compare what you would spend on a "cheap" welder for what you would spend and be done with it on your welding jobs for a year.

I didn't want to learn to weld. But a relative, who I previously trusted, sold me a "barely used" brush cutter, which when delivered had a deck that wouldn't hold water. Local welders wanted about $150 to come out and patch it. So I bought an Everlast SA300 (for < $300) and learned to burn holes in 10 gauge metal. Patched the cutter. Problem solved. The local welders would PROBABLY have done a better job, but now I've a kick butt welder.

Best advice so far is what SA said. Buy the largest most expensive unit that is your range. Warranty matters too. There's that old saying that says you can buy cheap wine but then you have to drink it. If you buy a decent 115v machine with a common replaceable gun, You will likely get your money back when you sell it.

Many of us don't sell our tools. For your analogy one can buy the most expensive wine, but may not be able to tell the difference from less expensive.
Like trucks, sure it's nice to have an F350 dually that can haul 7,200 lbs in it's bed. But sometimes you only need to get a gallon of milk.

 

[coolreinfarm]

I bought a harbor freight 90 amp mig welder about ten years ago and it's worked perfect for welding small things like mower decks fence gates small gauge steel never had a weld failure, I think I paid 85.00 for it, not pretty welds but gets the job done. I use a 225 Lincoln for the big stuff, like you I'm retired also so money's tight. By the way I only used HF wire in that welder and never had a problem. Their helmets are junk I bought one from Northern tool it works great with this welder.

 

[California]

I have not welded in fifty years, and then only in high school auto shop. I find myself needing a light duty (110VAC preferably) electric welder for small jobs around our little farm. The other side of the coin is it MUST be cheap. We are retired and living on a small pension. Some extra each month but not a lot.

I have looked at Harbor freight, Northern, and the local Lowes, Home Depot etc. I'm sure there is some type of discussion about this already, but after looking at four of the bazillion pages gave up

What's your application? If you are limited to 110v input, you are limited to welding in the range of lawnmower deck etc up to bedframe angle iron. Maybe heavier after you have experience. Repairing tractor implements etc will generally require a 220v welder.

You mentioned extremely limited budget. I think you can buy much better quality going with a used welder off Craigslist, up to $150, compared to buying the 110v 'mig' Harbor Freight unit (or its clones) which is a common beginner choice. HF doesn't have infinitely variable voltage and wire speed, and the output is AC, unusual and not as satisfactory as a 'real' welder.

Or for buying used and real cheap, under $75, I think any of the small 110v stick welders would do the job. DC preferred but not essential. AC won't make as pretty welds but it was used to build ships in WWII, it gets the job done.

If you need to weld larger things, implements etc look on Craigslist for an ancient 220v stick welder, 180 amps and up. They are indestructible, $50~75 will get you something old and ugly, maybe a forgotten brand, that works about the same as new. There's nothing breakable inside that type, just a huge heavy transformer and a (replaceable) fan. Brand is irrelevant.

Photo. My $50 welder - mid-60's Wards Powercraft 230 amp AC. Specs near identical to a Lincoln 'tombstone' but infinitely variable amps.

 

[nickmags]

Thanks guys.
Lots of good info here. Lots of questions to answer: Most of the things I have that need welding fall in 1/4 inch or less thickness range many 1/8 to 3/16. Expensive for me is anything that cost more than a couple of hundred bucks. Bigger than that and it has to go before the family accountant and be budgeted in! Ha. Not totally limited to 110vac, but, as I said earlier, to add a dedicated 220vac circuit would require added expense. Main breaker box is 70+ feet away and on the opposite side of the house. Easily need 80-90 foot of 10 gauge wire. Local welder charged me $70 to weld a broken bracket on a used bush hog that I brought to his shop, another charged me $50 to weld a 2" piece of pipe to an old steel wheel to create a grinder stand. In both cases they spent less than 20 minutes total on the job. Not begrudging them earning a living, just feel it is something I can do myself - maybe not as good at first, but I don't need perfect, I need functional.

 

[Jeepnford]

Are there any community colleges near you that have welding classes? If you could take one or two you would re-learn the basics and also get a better feel for what welder you might want. I say this because a few years ago I was in the same situation, I knew I wanted a welder but was overwhelmed with too little knowledge. After I took some classes and did some welding I figured out what would probably work for me. Then I bought a welder and am really pleased with what I have.