Welder advice

[Mailman17]

I am thinking of buying a new welder. I have not welded before but what to learn. Not as a career but to learn so I can use when I need it. Any suggestions or questions are welcome .
Thanks for your help.

 

[Mailman17]

Sorry.... it will be for light or average work .

 

[k0ua]

Have you though about which welding process you are interested in?
Stick, Mig, Tig, Oxy/fuel. And to help answer that question, think about the type and thickness of the metals you intend to weld. Also think about how much money you want to invest up front. I have a nice DC stick rig, it was cheap to buy, and consumables are cheap and easy. It does most of what I need. But your needs may be different. There are plus and minus points to each process. Professional welders will likely have equipment for all of the processes and choose based upon the job at hand. Welding is a subject you could spend a long time becoming an expert welder, or it could be something you just play with on the weekend, It all depends on how much time, money and effort you want to put in to it.

James K0UA

 

[Army grunt]

It has alot to do with how mouch you want to spend. I bought a used bus box for $100.00 an another 50 or so to run the 220 power supply. Mask an some rods a few clamps an chipper, gloves. I gess you'll lay out $250.00, before you draw your frist bead. If you can find a used one.
I did alot of work with it, Under a program with the VA I got a wire feed miller. ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD!!! It cost more but I can weld really good after just a little practice.An use it for up to 1/4" stuff.
Also youll need a 4 1/2" side grinder that's another $50.00, safety glasses
Go to Lowe's they have both their user friendly, price the stuff.
Army Grunt

 

[deepNdirt]

My advice would to be if you know someone who has both stick and MIG welders to have them let you get the feel of them, before actually going buying one, You may even fine a seminar class to set in on, many years ago I made the mistake in buying a low amp MIG welder and struggled when using it, constantly making adjustments in effort to get a good weld, One day when taking something over to an actually welding shop to have weld it, I asked if I could try welding with the stick welder he was using, of course at first the rods would stick until he pointed out that I should make a sweep on the steel quickly dragging the stick to the welding point and then start making the weld, I then easily caught on and was welding better with the short time of using a stick than all the time I had been using the MIG welder, Now I prefer a sticker welder over a MIG
This is why I say as a beginner/ learner give it a try on each type then choose the one you can actually use best, otherwise choosing the wrong type welder can result in lost time learning on how to make a good weld,

I'll let the actual professionals here make recommendation on the name brand welder,

 

[mx842]

If I had never welded before and didn't have access to a welder to play with to learn the first thing I would do is sign up for a welding class somewhere close to where you are. There should be several to pick from but start out with the basics and don't get in a hurry and skip over some of the classes and go straight to a tig welding class from the start. They will likely start you off with gas welding so you get the idea of how different medals pool when heated and how the filler material relates to the finish product.

Welding is not as much about sticking two pieces of medal together as it is about knowing about the medal itself, thickness, how much heat to use, getting the medal prepared, and the type of medal you want to weld.

Personally, if I really wanted to learn how to weld I would definitely take a class or two. I would not go out and buy a wire feed welder to start off with because you would be cheating yourself and skipping over a real important part of the learning process. Also those el' cheapo' 115 wire feed machines everybody buys are a pain in the azz especially to learn on. No offense to anyone who has one of these machines as I also have one that has been sitting on a shelf for years because the cheap parts on the wire feeder broke after a short time and it cost more to fix it than it would to replace it with another piece of *##% just like it.

Another reason to go to one of the tech schools for a few classes to get the hang of it because welding with a good machine takes a lot of the guess work out of the picture and you can concentrate on the task at hand rather than a wondering weather the machine is doing what it is supposed to do or not.

I would look for a good Buzz box, one that has the capability to weld both AC and DC because you can't burn all rod types with just an AC machine. There are a lot of these machines out there to pick from and don't be afraid of picking up an older used machine because the older stuff was built really well and will last a long time. It's not a sin to weld with a buzz box and you can do a lot of work with one of these machines and they are a great tool to learn on.

Once you get the hang of it and know this process then move on to other welding processes if you like but welding is one hobby that should be taken rather seriously. Regardless of weather you are just welding something around the yard or for your neighbor it is likely that this weld could turn deadly if it failed at the wrong place or time. Also you have to understand what is going on during the welding process, really high heat, smoke, fumes, sparks, and that really bright light you and your family members and pets will be exposed to all need to be taken into consideration before you take to the task of welding up the lawn mower deck in the garage this weekend. Beware of the spark, these tiny little bits of burning medal will roll up under a counter and curl up with a lost and forgotten dust bunny and lay there for hours waiting for you to go in to the house so that they can do the nasty and ignite into a blazing fire that will burn off half the house before you know what happened. Don't ask me how I know this because it is kind of embarrassing to think about it now but the dangers of welding are real to both life and property.:thumbsup:

 

[dlauffenburger]

Have you though about which welding process you are interested in?
Stick, Mig, Tig, Oxy/fuel. And to help answer that question, think about the type and thickness of the metals you intend to weld. Also think about how much money you want to invest up front. I have a nice DC stick rig, it was cheap to buy, and consumables are cheap and easy. It does most of what I need. But your needs may be different. There are plus and minus points to each process. Professional welders will likely have equipment for all of the processes and choose based upon the job at hand. Welding is a subject you could spend a long time becoming an expert welder, or it could be something you just play with on the weekend, It all depends on how much time, money and effort you want to put in to it.

James K0UA

Can you give some clarrification on what type of welder is suited for different tasks. What type of system is better for general machinery repair of thicker metals, ie: 1/4" and thicker, etc.

 

[Army grunt]

1/4 " An up use a stick type.Thats your cheapest way out.
Army grunt

 

[MotorSeven]

MM, looking at the equipment in your signature your going to want something that can weld 3/8's-1/2" ish thick steel.

I started(self taught) with a 90 amp 110v MIG welder. I build a couple of small items but the thing has very limited applications and they spatter everywhere. I moved up to a MillerMatic 210(210 amps) and it has done everything I have needed. I have run 5-6 spools of wire though it..great machine/many thickness options from sheet metal on up, and easy to learn on.

 

[cowski]

i would use a stick welder for a 1/4 or bigger,i like the miller acdc thunderbolt.it will work off of 50 amp breaker.sheet metal i would get a 110 mig i like the lincoln's 140 amp.a 220 mig is capable of heavier steel.oxy/fuel you really need for cutting and heating .i also use mine for brazing.