Pre-Welding for a novice

[billbill1]

I am a maintenance supervisor at a local company and my welding skills leave plenty to be desired. We have a Linclon AC/DC stick welder and I am totally rotten using it. We just recently got a Miller 110 volt wire welder and I can make good looking welds with it that really penetrate. The bad thing about the 110 volt wire welders is that 3/16" metal is the thickest metal you can weld. Welding is fun, I like playing around but I don't think I would want to do it 40 hours per week. Hot enough in Kansas without adding more heat to the atmosphere.

 

[Jim_in_Omaha]

220v welds better than 110v.
thx
Jim

 

[billbill1]

Jim, absolutely-I should have mentioned that.

 

[Jim_in_Omaha]

I had a Millermatic 135 MIG (110v) for a two years. Then I traded up to the 175 version which is 220/240v. I'm no expert but it sure seems to make a far better welds even on low settings. I have welded some very thin stainless and mild steel. Perhaps its just a better machine then the 135 version.

thx
Jim

 

[Bird]

Jason, obviously taking a welding class is best, but I'll bet if you visit a welding supply company, they'll demonstate equipment and not only answer questions but show you want the different equipment will do.

 

[JasonL]

Great Idea, Bird. I'll try that. I'm leaning towards a mig if I can afford it because I'm the kind of guy who likes to have something easier to learn yet capable of a lot! So-- if I can afford it-- a 220v Mig?? Jason

By the way- I appreciate everyones help!

 

[cleatus]

Jason, go see one of your welder friends tell them you want to try. My first time the welder had to leave for a while, I just turned on the machine and gave mit a try, I could tell it wasn't welding right, so I adjusted some and tried again. I still wasn't satisfied, so adjusted some more. After I was happy, just went for it . When I was finished and the welder came back, He asked if I had ever welded before. I told him no. He said I had done well, and great for the first time.

 

[40Kchicks]

Jason

It sounds like we have a few things in common. I used to do a lot of woodworking and eventually had a full woodshop. Now I do mostly carpentry and welding. I have fabricated all sorts of attachments and tools and find welding to be a very useful skill. I started out with an Oxy Acetylene set, a 4” grinder, a 12” cut off saw and a Lincoln AC/DC tombstone welder I got from Home depot. This setup worked pretty good for repairs and little projects but soon I was starting to build buckets and constantly changing welding rods started getting old. So I broke the bank and bought an ESAB multimaster 260 mig/stick/tig box(I attached a picture). I am still very impressed with this unit. I was also looking at the Lincoln 250 mig but at the time the ESAB was only about a $150 more and had a lot better features than the Lincoln. For some reason ESAB has raised the price on this machine about $800 since I bought mine. The mig is much faster than the stick. Over time and as projects have justified the cost I have added tools like a horizontal band saw, a brass burning square, a auto darkening helmet, and a plasma cutter.

So if your project plans and budget will allow it I would recommend getting a Lincoln, Miller, Hobart, or ESAB 175 class or larger mig machine with a 150 or 200 size bottle with 75% CO2 25% argon (which is sometimes called steelmix). I have been very happy with the mig and I’m sure you will be also.

Eric

 

[frank_f15]

as posted earlier. you can get 110 v MIG WELDERS that work fairly well for light metals and light use. When i was working(retired now) i used them all stick, mig and tig, but i Stunk at it, but i could weld stuff together, but a good welder is an actual artist. It is something that needs to be done often and practiced, to be really good. take a class it is fun and informative, and i always found that the sound when welding will help you know if you are set right.

 

[TractorLegend]

My wels look like bird droppings emmitted from 200 feet. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif