Help choosing a welder

[California]

About ten times a day HGTV or TLC shows programs where people in california buy 1200 sq feet fixer uppers that needs thousands in repairs and weeks worth of labor to make habitable for 547,000 + dollars

I didn't realize the rest of the country was on to us. It's real. The house right next door to my home in town was all original (1400 sq ft, 1943, clean but never restored). It sold for $480k to a speculator who cleaned it up, decorated it from Ikea, and turned it for $580k in under 90 days. This is current prices, the For Sale/Sold By sign is still up.

My new neighbors are an elderly couple from Kansas whose son came west to study medicine, married another doctor, and now these Kansas parents sold everything to come here and be near their son and grandkids. They haven't even moved in yet.

We've had in-migration like this for 150+ years and frankly I wish everybody would stay home.

 

[patrick_g]

Lets not confuse things and miss a simple point that was being made.

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices is a web site from which you can order on-line.

It is not the same site you will see at

Harbor Freight USA
This second site is an on-line catalog and coupon supply for in-store use.

Now, directly to the POINT. If at the first site above, you find a better price for an internet available item than at your HF store, you can, at participating HF stores, give them a printout showing the lower price and they will honor it.

In multiple examples, store personnel have pointed this out to customers with no prompting.

If this level of service (apparently above and beyond the level typically available in California) is not available to you... Oh well, it is certainly available to some of us poor ignorant slobs not sufficiently fortunate to live in the Peoples Socialist State of California.

I harbor no grudge against California or many of the residents, especially the legal ones and the ones who took the trouble to learn to speak English, and enjoyed many facets of my decades in San Diego. Had I not found a place that I enjoy so much more I might still be there.

I certainly do feel sorry for the folks there whose real estate values are plummeting. I was lucky to sell my holdings while they were considerably appreciated.

Pat

 

[MasseyWV]

A friend just laid the back of his hand open by brushing it over a tooth on a brand new chain, as we were preparing to work! 2" cut, ER, just barely nicked a tendon, stitches, no infection but prolonged swelling. Hand out of operation several weeks. Could easily have been much worse.

I never would have thought a stationary tooth could do such damage! A REAL good lesson for me.

Charlie

Doesn't matter if it is the chain or the hand that is moving because it will still cut just as deep. Learned that lesson myself, the hard way.

 

[MasseyWV]

If you have read some of the welding posts on here you will find out that asking this group which welder to buy is like going out in a barn full of cats and throwing out catnip. You will find that everyone wants a piece of that action.

ROFLMAO I completely agree with that statement, based on what I have read to date. And to think, I am just learning to weld.

 

[patrick_g]

I am just learning to weld.

Actual welding has so very little to do with it! Mostly it is what sort of equipment you have, number of years experience welding, whether or not HF welders work and how to weld a "xyz" without exploding or ruining it.

If you weld with a 50 amp 240 volt AC circuit with no welding machine or a couple diesel starting batteries in series with left over 3D glasses from a monster flick in place of a hood then you are starting to get into the spirit of WELDING TBN style.

Just kidding, of course, Gemini already took up the best commentary position, humorous high ground, leaving little for the rest of us.

There are many ways to get started in welding but if I had it to do again, I'd take classes. Equipment? There are people happy with nearly every thing sold but if you go with one of the big USA names (with DC stick capability) the equipment will last nearly forever and always be useful irrespective of how high your skill progresses.

Pat

 

[gemini5362]

Actual welding has so very little to do with it! Mostly it is what sort of equipment you have, number of years experience welding, whether or not HF welders work and how to weld a "xyz" without exploding or ruining it.

If you weld with a 50 amp 240 volt AC circuit with no welding machine or a couple diesel starting batteries in series with left over 3D glasses from a monster flick in place of a hood then you are starting to get into the spirit of WELDING TBN style.

Just kidding, of course, Gemini already took up the best commentary position, humorous high ground, leaving little for the rest of us.

There are many ways to get started in welding but if I had it to do again, I'd take classes. Equipment? There are people happy with nearly every thing sold but if you go with one of the big USA names (with DC stick capability) the equipment will last nearly forever and always be useful irrespective of how high your skill progresses.

Pat

Pat it is rare that I get the humorous high ground before you or most of the people on this site. I am going to sit and enjoy it for a while.

 

[PAB_OH]

My girlfriend and I recently purchased a beautiful home on 33 acres about 18 miles east of Canton, Ohio.
Mark

Hi neighbor. I'm just down the road from you in Carrollton. What farm did you buy up there? Are you off Rt. 30 or further south?

Good luck with the welder hunt. I found and old Lincoln made Craftsman (AC only) for $75 that I use. Welds just fine. I just helped a friend build an I-beam bridge across his creek and the welds were pretty spectacular using 7018. Not a single problem.

I used to weld often to repair high pressure hydraulic lines and structural members on 2500 ton hydraulic presses so I have some experience. It's been 7+ years since I've welded though. In about 15 minutes I had it nailed.

 

[polo1665]

Hi PAB_OH

I'm actually on Rt. 183 between Minerva and Malvern (also in Carroll County)
Land used to belong to a guy named Snodgrass. Nice to find a neighbor on the site.

 

[PAB_OH]

Wow, you're a lot closer than I thought. I used to travel that road every day for 8 years. I worked in Minerva and lived in Malvern. Moved out of state and when we came back we wanted to be further out in the country.

Take care and maybe I'll see ya around.

 

[patrick_g]

We've had in-migration like this for 150+ years and frankly I wish everybody would stay home.

Yeah, right on, all those Anglos are ruining the true Hispanic flavor of California.

Patricio