Interested in learning how to weld

[jrclark]

I'm very interested in learning how to weld, mostly out of necessity with general household needs. I break a lot of stuff and it would be a nice skill to have.

I know very little about welding and would be starting to learn from scratch. I'm not interested in being a professional, but would like to learn the right way. Several close friends are well versed and willing to help me along.

What I'd like to know is, what is a good welder to start with for household use? Almost everything I would be working with is steel, mostly repairing implements and doing tractor related small projects. The thickest material I'm likely to weld is probably 3/8". Should I start with a stick or mig welder? I am fairly budget conscious, and would like to keep the price within reason.

 

[Shield Arc]

What I'd like to know is, what is a good welder to start with for household use? Almost everything I would be working with is steel, mostly repairing implements and doing tractor related small projects. The thickest material I'm likely to weld is probably 3/8". Should I start with a stick or mig welder? I am fairly budget conscious, and would like to keep the price within reason.

The Mig process is hands down the easiest to learn! SMAW / stick is the cheapest.

 

[Shield Arc]

If you decide to go with a SMAW / stick welder. I switched welders with my brother-n-law, I have his Everlast PowerArc 200ST. This is a very impressive welder. You can contact Mark with Everlast to see what kind of deal he can make you.
POWERARC 200ST - Stick Welders | Everlast Generators

 

[Walker1]

^^^ What he said (you are the same guy on WW right?). Just be aware that you are not going to be able to weld much tractor stuff without a 230 volt MIG. Little 110 MIGs, while very handy,
do not have the power to weld thicker that 3/16" thick steel (they can make it stick together, but not a real weld).

 

[Shield Arc]

(you are the same guy on WW right?).

Who, me?

 

[MillWeld]

Consider a community college welding coarse. It'll start you on the right foot.

 

[k0ua]

One nice thing about a good 230 volt DC stick welder is you can get into TIG welding pretty cheap by just adding a regulator on an argon cylinder and a simple 17V TIG torch. About $100 add on if you rent your argon bottle from a local source. With TIG you can do all of those small delicate repairs that stick welding is not very good for. But with stick you can make good solid welds on thicker material.

MIG is faster to learn, and faster welds than TIG. Mig is probably the most expensive. Stick is harder to learn, very cheap to operate, very flexible, and makes good strong welds on thick materials. TIG is very precise and will allow welding exotic materials, is probably the hardest to learn. But you can do it.. IF I can do it you can do it. Some pix below show TIG welding copper crush washers, repairing a broken steel hanger hook, and stick welding on bucket hooks, and repairing a cracked Kubota bucket cutting edge. So a combination of very delicate TIG welding and big repair/fabrication jobs using the stick process. All from the same little green Everlast 160 amp DC welder.

 

[flusher]

Spend the money and take a basic welding class (community colleges, welding schools). This will give you experience with stick, MIG, TIG and plasma cutting on a variety of different welders. Then you can make your welder purchasing decisions with confidence.

Good luck.

 

[ArtMech]

I'm surprised how the knowledge of welding "science" changes your plans to equip your garage into revolution inside a garage! At least mine. Thanks to Shield Arc and Big-Barn-Terry :thumbsup:

 

[jrclark]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. It looks as though a 120V welder is a waste of money and that I should focus on 240V. Should I install a 30A or 40A outlet in my garage? I know it would depend on the unit, but am likely to opt for the unit Shield Arc suggested, or an equivalent mig.