First time welder type suggestions.

[Garycw]

Never really welded before but want to make general repairs to my stuff. Looked at a small wire feed welder at flea mkt. $75. I'm not sure that'll do it for me though. Not looking to sink a bunch of $ into it, but wanting to understand the difference in welder a. Wire feed - Stick- Mig- magma flux ? Would like to stay with 110vac if possible. Not interested in torches. Any suggestions to start out appreciated.

 

[Shield Arc]

A Mig / self shielded flux core wire feed welder will be the easiest for you to learn. Tig, and stick welding have a pretty big learning curve to them.

 

[IslandTractor]

No simple answer. If you are really limited to 110v then a decent quality (not $75 at a flea market) MIG fluxcore welder would be one option. About $500 on Craigslist if you stick with Miller, Lincoln, Thermal Arc etc. Don't touch Harbor Freight stuff. There are a couple of "decent" off brand companies importing from China but also a LOT of crap from China.

Another alternative is a stick welder. Probably more helpful to learn stick welding first although lots of people skip it. In this instance though a simple HF stick welder for $100-150 would be about the cheapest way to start. Again, you are VERY limited by the 110v limit but given that, you can certainly do repairs on sheet metal and 1/8 inch steel with a little stick welder.

Key point is that you should be warned that you will not be able to weld anything more than about 1/8" to 3/16" with either a cheap fluxcore "MIG" welder or a 110V stick welder. However, it certainly is possible to learn welding with either so long as you have someone to help you understand the principles and to read a puddle.

 

[Garycw]

I'm not absolutely limited to 110 but would prefer it. Although if I wanted to repair a plow or thicker bracket if some type and couldn't , I'd have wasted my money. I'm assuming with the larger stick welder units they could be dialed down for lighter stuff. Actually my sister may have a 220 welder not being used she would probly give to me, along with helmets & other stuff.

 

[Shield Arc]

I'm not real good at welding thin stuff with stick or Mig. That's when I use the Tig welder.
6013 run on DCEN is a good start for welding thin material with a stick welder.

 

[Garycw]

Well I guess I got that one from my sister years ago & apparently sold. Would this one be any good?

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=141532150579&globalID=EBAY-US

 

[IslandTractor]

I'm not absolutely limited to 110 but would prefer it. Although if I wanted to repair a plow or thicker bracket if some type and couldn't , I'd have wasted my money. I'm assuming with the larger stick welder units they could be dialed down for lighter stuff. Actually my sister may have a 220 welder not being used she would probly give to me, along with helmets & other stuff.

220 is simply better for a number of reasons. 1) the real cheap crap is almost always 110. 2) you can weld "serious" steel up to about 1/2 inch without major compromise and that is sufficient for most farm equipment etc. (but not bridges). I'm sure ShieldArc can come up with additional considerations in favor of 220. Almost anything made by Miller, Lincoln, Thermal Arc in the 220v range is a reasonably professional machine that can be serviced and for which parts and supplies are readily available. If your sister's machine is a 220v stick welder buzz box that is certainly a capable welder but may be limiting compared to some newer types of welders (eg you can get an inverter welder that is more powerful but a quarter the size/weight). Some cheap buzz boxes are only AC which is rather limiting too. You'd prefer a DC machine or AC/DC if possible as a stick welder. Still, don't look a gift welder in the mouth. If you just want to get started and you can borrow her welder then it isn't a bad idea as you will learn a lot and then be able to decide if it is adequate for your needs or if not what features you really want to have in your next welder.

 

[IslandTractor]

Well I guess I got that one from my sister years ago & apparently sold. Would this one be any good?

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=141532150579&globalID=EBAY-US

Risky. Undoubtedly Chinese crap with no parts or service availability. I'd keep my eye out for a known welder brand on Craigslist myself. Cheapest decent Chinese welders are probably made by Everlast. Note that ShieldArc who knows a lot has had very good experience with them (and yes, he did build bridges though not with that equipment). I cannot recall the prices but they are dirt cheap compared to equivalent Miller Lincoln etc. Everlast are sold on line and one of their reps is often on TBN to answer questions.

 

[Shield Arc]

I've never used a welder like in your ebay link. With out running one, I wouldn't touch it. I've run, and own some of the best welders ever made. For the money the Everlast welders are very impressive.
Stick Welders, Inverter Stick Welder, Inverter Welders | Everlast Stick Welders

 

[ferrari99]

Well I guess I got that one from my sister years ago & apparently sold. Would this one be any good?

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=141532150579&globalID=EBAY-US

I am no professional but I wouldn't buy that. I have one of these POWERARC 140 - Stick Welders | Everlast Generators and it is really good compared to the old stick welder (transformer).
The main difference is that the one I have is an inverter as a pose to transformer in the one your looking at. Inverter's are easier to use and have a higher duty cycle (35% compared to 20%). They are more expensive and the linked one is less amps than the one you mentioned, but I think especially for a beginner it's probably worth it.
Anyway that's just my 2 bobs worth.
Good luck with whatever you get.

 

[Oldtink]

I started out with a 240v AC buzz box stick welder. It worked great until one day I used a friends DC welder. OMG what a difference and the search was on for a DC welder and then came a cheap air cooled TIG torch.
I'd be calling that sister. Hook it up, buy some rods and see if you want to learn to weld. It's as much an art as it is a science. If ya love it, look for a DC constant amperage machine.

 

[woodlandfarms]

From a guy who couldn't / can't weld for heck.....

My first welder was a used Lincoln AC DC tombstone. Bought it on CL. Worked like a charm, sold it for twice what I paid for it. I was able to weld 1/8 and above although 1/8 was never pretty...

I got a Lincoln wire feed 180C. In the end I am not as happy with it as I am with stick, more because I am still learning and a lot of stuff I still do is heavy guage steel (heavy to me, like 1./2" max) and the 180C just isn't as cut out for thick stuff as stick is. Also if you are using gas, it doesn't work very well outdoors.

I did pick up an Everlast 200 Stick to replace my tombstone. I feel it welds way, way better than my tombstone ever did. And it is really flexible. And the price was too good to pass up. There is a guy here who sells Everlast who does solid deals to TBN members.

 

[Garycw]

Ok, you've pretty much sold me on everlast. Id rather have something up to date and more portable
What's the main difference in the 140 and the 140ST ?
Are these both connected to 120 or 220 vac or either?

 

[ferrari99]

Here is the 'guys' profile if you want to PM him or whatever. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/members/mark-everlast.html

 

[ferrari99]

Ok, you've pretty much sold me on everlast. Id rather have something up to date and more portable
What's the main difference in the 140 and the 140ST ?
Are these both connected to 120 or 220 vac or either?

140ST comes with a TIG torch, and voltage according to the website either (I don't have to worry because everything here is 240V )

 

[Shield Arc]

Ok, you've pretty much sold me on everlast.

Don't deal with any body at Everlast, but Mark! Mark knows welding, and he is as honest as the day is long!

 

[IslandTractor]

Ok, you've pretty much sold me on everlast. Id rather have something up to date and more portable
What's the main difference in the 140 and the 140ST ?
Are these both connected to 120 or 220 vac or either?

If I were you I'd take a long look at the Everlast PowerArc 200 as well as the 140. Not too much extra money for the 200 but much more capable if you are doing more than 3/8" steel or a lot of welding. The 140 looks like a very nice welder so long as you won't be doing thicker metal or if you really need the convenience of dual voltage.

 

[Garycw]

Thanks. I'll give Mark s call and talk to him about would work best for my needs. Seems like I'm always needed something welded and not close to town. Plus if be looking to weld everything in sight

 

[Big Barn]

Everyone remembers their FIRST.

Mine was a Forney AC buzzbox my dad bought for the farm in the mid 1960's. I didn't even know about DC SMAW til 'lately'. I tidied it up but don't use it anymore.

All the previous posts gave good suggestions. If you are leaning towards new I would also recommend Everlast.



Terry

 

[Shield Arc]

Oh there is nothing like old iron! 1948 Lincoln SA-200 Short hood.