Newbie welder

[daugen]

at the youthful age of 62, I want to learn how to weld. I've read the comments about a class at the local vo-tech, and I'm hunting that down.
I prefer buying older equipment and renovating them, and much of what I'm buying is dinged or dented, and more relevantly, cracked in places. Steel or iron only, no aluminum, just repair work. Seems the standard stick welder makes sense here and a good place to start. Tig, Mig, Stick, Hybrid, lot of options here. I've reread the Northern Tools catalog until I'm blue in the face and still am unsure. I know I need to practice no matter what, but I have to buy a machine to do that, so what to buy? $500-800 budget, so nothing too fancy or powerful. And I really don't want a Harbor Freight welder....
And my power is only 110-20 amps for now, so that limits what I can get.
I know this is a wide open question, but would appreciate your comments as to a good first general purpose welder, to fix farm/garden equipment. Thanks
Drew

 

[HCJtractor]

Your limit on power is really going to reduce what you can do. If you could find a source of 220V, I would recommend the Everlast Powerarc 200. Of course there are many nice stick welders in your price range. I have one and it is great, very economical and welds great. But for 120V, I guess I would go for a Hobart 140 wire fed welder found at Northern or Tractor supply for $500. But you are limited as to thickness of material and for general farm use on dirty or rusty metal, a stick welder would be better and more powerful. But I don't know of a good 120V stick.

Like you, I had the same desire to learn for the same reasons. I bought a dual voltage Miller 211 that runs on both voltages, but it costs considerably more. My little Everlast stick really is a sweet running machine and I have been very happy with it also.

Any way you can get 220V? I thought I was not going to be able to either, but after studying it, I had my electrician run a new 50 amp circuit to my carport that allows me to run either machine. It really did not cost that much. It would be easy to do it yourself if your panel has space for a new breaker, or if you could make room for it. You could also power it with a long extension cord from a range or dryer circuit in a pinch. Just would need a good heavy duty cord. I also power mine from a generator from time to time when I don't have a 220 source.

 

[deereman75]

I would say get 220v, and get a longevity stickweld 250. Much better for repair work then any 110v machine.

 

[yomax4]

You could get a 115/230 Stick welder and be able to do some repairs until you get 230v power.Say a 160 or 200 amp. Some of the new 115v inverters are capable of 100 amps from 115 volts. They have Hot Start and Arc Force making them a viable option.You can really burn in a 3/32 rod but you would be limited to 1/4" material without doing a bunch of passes. Plus you can tig weld Steel and Stainless too. You can get a nice 200 amp 115/230v with all the bells and whistles including Tig Torch and Regulator for less than $800.00.

 

[flusher]

Get 220V into your shop pronto. You are really limited with 110V welders.

Get a $400 Hobart LX Stickmate AC/DC stick welder (Tractor Supply) and a 10 lb box of 6011 and 7014 rods (1/8" dia). Run these on DC positive at 100-120 amps and practice making welded joints using 1/8" and 1/4" thick steel stock.

Get a good autodarkening welding helmet. Mine is a Northern Tool unit

Wel-Bilt Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet | Welding Helmets | Northern Tool + Equipment}

Get a welding jacket, hood (balaclava - like race car drivers wear) and welding gloves (sparks on skin are pretty painful--better safe than sorry).

If you're going to welding class somewhere, that's fine. If not, get yourself a stick welding DVD from these folks

Arc Welding I Video

Watch the video several times and then practice practice practice. You'll have to burn several hundred rods before getting the hang of it.

Good luck.

 

[k0ua]

Pretty much what others have said, a Stick welder would be a good place to start.. I highly reccomend a DC welder. If you can find one of the old Lincoln or Miller AC/DC units cheap that would be great or get one of the Inverter's like I have. I have the Everlast PA160.. very small and portable 160 amp 60% duty cycle machine and I love it. I also TIG with it. BUT it is a 220volt machine. They have some newer 110/220 volt machines now so maybe you would want to look into that. But two things in my opinion.. DC machine, it is so much better, and an auto darkening helmet. Get those to start, and you will have much less frustration. Dont to forget to get about 3 hand held angle grinders too... I know it sounds crazy, but I hate to change wheels/disks. and I find if I can keep a cut off disk on one and a flap disk on another and a wire disk on another, and grinding wheel on another... uh oh.. that is four isn't it... oh well... happy welding..

James K0UA

 

[daugen]

this is great advice, thank you. Yes, I will get an electrician to put a 240V outlet in my garage and I understand the advantages of AC/DC units. And since I like US made, I'll check out that Hobart unit. And I will get a good helmet and all the safety equipment. And practice, practice.... I have to go back to TSC to get a garden gate for my new garden; I'll check out what they have then.
I use to build HeathKits and am pretty good with a soldering iron, but this is sure a whole different ballgame. I've watched a lot of videos, but it's hard to see much because the light is blinding. I'm assuming looking through that dark hood allows one to see what's going on, or is this part "feel"? One video said you had to listen to and smell the weld too. Ok...
thanks again guys. Drew

 

[k0ua]

this is great advice, thank you. Yes, I will get an electrician to put a 240V outlet in my garage and I understand the advantages of AC/DC units. And since I like US made, I'll check out that Hobart unit. And I will get a good helmet and all the safety equipment. And practice, practice.... I have to go back to TSC to get a garden gate for my new garden; I'll check out what they have then.
I use to build HeathKits and am pretty good with a soldering iron, but this is sure a whole different ballgame. I've watched a lot of videos, but it's hard to see much because the light is blinding. I'm assuming looking through that dark hood allows one to see what's going on, or is this part "feel"? One video said you had to listen to and smell the weld too. Ok...
thanks again guys. Drew

If you have a few daysto browse. this guys You tube channel is the best I have ever found. He is a Pro. There are a lot of MIG and TIG, as you would expect a Pro to use but there some good stick videos and general fab up tips and tricks also..I highly reccomend his channel. Also his web site weldingtipsandtricks.com

weldingtipsandtricks's Channel - YouTube

James K0UA

 

[JimRB]

There is lots of info over at Miller. Miller - Welding Equipment - MIG/TIG/Stick Welders & Plasma Cutting Look in the resources area. I have a Handler 140 with gas. Works fine for all my small stuff. As everyone mentions if you are doing 1/4" or bigger you need a 240v setup. I just head to the friend's shop which is a pain. I discovered another friend nearby who has a 240 unit. I guess I could take my bottle over and visit him. He has a tiny bottle but I have a big one. I find that using the gas mix makes for nicer looking welds on clean metal. The flux core works ok for not so clean metal but not as pretty. Then again often my clean metal welding is pretty ugly.

 

[Shield Arc]

And since I like US made, I'll check out that Hobart

I wouldn't bet the farm on that statement. A lot of Hobart, Miller, and Lincoln's machines are built off shore! Even more of the components come from over seas. Been reading where some people are really having trouble with some Lincolns built in Italy.


This kid is most likely to advanced for you, but you can really see what he is doing.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHWqMC6ykEk]Watch Great Stick Welding on The Welders Lens Home Study Course - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Jerry/MT]

at the youthful age of 62, I want to learn how to weld. I've read the comments about a class at the local vo-tech, and I'm hunting that down.
I prefer buying older equipment and renovating them, and much of what I'm buying is dinged or dented, and more relevantly, cracked in places. Steel or iron only, no aluminum, just repair work. Seems the standard stick welder makes sense here and a good place to start. Tig, Mig, Stick, Hybrid, lot of options here. I've reread the Northern Tools catalog until I'm blue in the face and still am unsure. I know I need to practice no matter what, but I have to buy a machine to do that, so what to buy? $500-800 budget, so nothing too fancy or powerful. And I really don't want a Harbor Freight welder....
And my power is only 110-20 amps for now, so that limits what I can get.
I know this is a wide open question, but would appreciate your comments as to a good first general purpose welder, to fix farm/garden equipment. Thanks
Drew

You're never too old to learn so go take that welding course! I'm looking to take a refreher course but they're kinda' hard to find where I live.

You'll learn to weld with gas, stick, mig, and tig etc. Then you can decide what welder meets your needs. That's what I did back in 1989.
After I finished the course, I quizzed the instructor and other professional welders and ended up buying a Lincoln 225/125 AC/DC stick welder and I've used that here on the ranch to fab stuff and repair equipment. You can often find AC stick machines on ebay and craigslist pretty cheap. The smaller AC/DC stick machines like my old Lincoln are tougher to find used. They are not that expensive to buy new but depending on what you need to do for the same $'s you can buy a used AC/DC stick machine with more capability.

I recently found a Miller DialArc250P AC/DC machine and got a screamin' deal on it with 50 ft leads and 75 pounds of rod for $250. The PO bought a wire feed machine and didn't use the big Miller anymore. I sold the old Lincoln for $400 to a beginning welder who just finished a beginning welding course. Life's a circle!

So go take a welding course and then decide what type of welding you want to do and that will dictate the type of welder you'll buy. Good luck.

 

[daugen]

The flux core works ok for not so clean metal but not as pretty.
I was hoping that in welding cracked mower decks and the like I could use a hand grinder to make it nice, but nice is relative. I was on a cruise recently on a huge ship that was all steel, and I spent some time admiring the welds on the structure. Very consistent. In my dreams....

trouble with some Lincolns built in Italy.
Aahhh, you must mean the Costa-Lincolns. Their bead constantly goes off course.....

 

[ed8746]

Here is my 2 pennies worth. I have a 135 miller, and a 175 hobart (220 machine). I also have a AC 225 lincoln. Tractor supply has the 187 hobart for 699.00. A do all easy machine to operate machine. My advice is get it. The stick welder is much steeper in the learning curve. Good advice in taking a welding course, lots of fun.

You will not be dissappointed in the hobart 187. Same as my 175. There is one on ebay for 525.00 right now. Good luck

 

[AllisChalmersNut]

Just my 2 cents worth. I am a firm believer of the older welding units. I own a Harnischfeger DC welder which is powered by a small wisconsin engine which I picked up for $200 and does it put down a nice bead. If you are going to weld in the shop, going 220 is great and maximize the amp service. Good Luck.

 

[nickel plate]

A few months ago and at the age of 67 I took a three hour one night a week for eighteen weeks Miller equipped welding class at our local high school The cost including unlimited practice steel, rod and wire was $100.00 which works out to $1.85 an hour, custom projects were allowed but I had to furnish the steel. The most important thing I got out of it was feeling comfortable with the tools I was taught to use. Total jitters in the beginning-sort of like the first time I depressed and let out the clutch on my first stick shift car.
I've since bought a Hobart 210 MVP MIG welder (haven't used the 110 volt side) my welds still aren't altogether pretty but nothing has fallen apart yet. Good luck to you-do it!

 

[Gomez]

Drew,

Hey neighbor! I'm currently taking the Welding I course at the tech school (Middle Bucks). It's 10 weeks and we are in week #5. So far we did O-A (cutting, not welding) and have been running beads with the stick.

I missed one week because I was also on a cruise (admiring the welds as well).

I was leaning toward getting an AC/DC stick machine to practice with, but now I'm planning on taking the Welding II course (MIG and TIG). So I'd like to have something to practice when that time comes (hopefully this fall).

Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions about the tech school.

Cheers

 

[daugen]

Marvelous, you are right around the proverbial corner. Funny, I sold a zero turn yesterday to a mechanical engineer in Furlong who was enjoying playing farmer with his new Kubota outfit. And now his Ferris zero turn. And the best part was that he suggested I check out tractorbynet....I'll have to look for his handle and try to identify him.

I'd sure appreciate picking your brain for awhile, maybe over coffee or a beer.
I've got my eye on a couple of units and I'd like your advice on them.
A stick/Mig combo looked most interesting to me.
I appreciate your saying hi. I'm right at the beginning of putting in a new big garden so this week I play in the dirt. Maybe next week I'll need to do welding even more!
The Gravely wing mower listed below is cracked in various places; the PO had an apple orchard and I think he had a novel way of shaking out the apples...wham! Simple cracked metal that I want to weld and then grind sorta nice, and then paint. This is not for the Grange Fair...

Lot of good ideas and help here. Thanks to all.
Drew daugen@voicenet.com

 

[Oaktree]

at the youthful age of 62, I want to learn how to weld.

(some snippage)

I know this is a wide open question, but would appreciate your comments as to a good first general purpose welder, to fix farm/garden equipment.

I'm in the same situation you are...early 60s, always thought welding was a good skill to have. I bought a Hobart 140 & couldn't be happier. My neighbor who runs an auto-body shop gave me a few lessons, and even he was impressed with it.

Now to practice, practice, practice!

 

[daugen]

thanks to all; I've been writing down model numbers like mad and one night will just go ahead and order one. I have a good friend who wants to learn also, so I think we will try to sign up for the welding class together. It's all of fifteen minutes from our homes, no excuse. And we both are retired. Will be fun to "go back to school" without worrying about a grade. Every time I look at my hopefully repaired mower deck I'm going to be giving myself a grade..., so I'm going to sure practice first. And get a good helmet and safety stuff. Big investment but hopefully a very long term payoff.

Tomorrow I drop a $150 TSC middle buster blow into some pretty rocky soil, where I'm pretty sure it doesn't belong, albeit fairly well subsoiled already. I think I'm going to need to learn how to weld soon, real soon... I think it will look like some kind of modern art pretzel when I'm done. Field art?

And then I will buy a "real" plow but I'm curious if I can actually turn the soil over with this little plow prior to rototilling. Luckily its parts are replaceable.
But I'd like to be able to repair a simple break or tear, and I'm sure not going to do that with Bondo. Lots of good ideas given to me, thanks. Drew

 

[k0ua]

What I found interesting about welding is the sense of power and accomplisment it gives the weldor. Before I got a welder I could remove metal all day with a variety of tools, saw, drill, files etc. But I could never put back so much as an iron filing. Oh sure you could bolt things back together, with gusset plates and such and I could solder rather well but it is not the same as a well executed weld. Or a not so well executed weld for that mater:laughing::laughing: Good luck with your welding journey..

James K0UA