Ready to Buy a Welder

[OffBalance]

Make a long link short like this:

Ebay welders

You do it by clicking the word URL under the Instant Markup heading just below the Post text box. A new dialog box pops up where you enter the long URL and press OK. Then another dialog box pops up where you enter the text you want to be the link (like the "Ebay Welders" in my example. This puts some weird text in your text box, that turns into a real link when you press Post.

 

[OffBalance]

Hi StretchNM, welcome to TBN!
I learned to weld in school before the consumer MIGs came out, with an old AC buzz box stick welder, and that is what I still have. I would not say I am proficient, since I so rarely dig the thing out of the garage. But it works! I wish I had a MIG, just for the ease of use, and an auto-darkening helmet, but don't have it in the budget now. I can get along fine as it is!

BTW, where do you live in Alamogordo? We have an undeveloped 555 acre piece above La Luz in Laborcita Canyon.

 

[txdon]

Stretch, I feel like I got several welders in one. MIG - Does 115 or 230 VAC, house current, or generator, co2 gas bottle inside unit, or flux core, pretty and strong welds with good penetration and all the size of a suitcase for portability. - Miller Passport.

20 amp breaker

 

[HGM]

Cool, I appreciate it, Sounds easy enough.

 

[StretchNM]

Thanks again to all you guys who responded.... now I'm really undecided!!!! (just kiddin.... well, no, really I'm not just kiddin)

I'll look into the Passport MIG welder. I'd seen it before but passed over reading up on it. I really want a TIG machine, but I'm so afraid of all the variables that I'm leaning more and more everyday toward the Lincoln MIG 215. I mean, I'm confident I can weld with the TIG. What I'm apprehensive about are all the tungstens, cobalt, laminated-chromium-multi-plasma, sharpening Kryptonite, Argon gas from Saturn, pulse, super-slope-pulse-soft-start, etc etc. It's kindly scary....

OffBalance: I live just south of town on Highway 54, about 2-3 miles outside the city limits. I know Laborcita canyon well. I think that 555 acres could probably sell for as high as $20.00 an acre... if you're planning on selling, please give me first shot at it /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Cityboyfarmer]

$20.00 an acre!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif I was stationed at 29 Palms Ca. in the early 80's. I was told back then you could still homestead if you spent a certain amount in property improvements each year. I grew to really like the Mohave High Desert. Spent lots of time rock climbing at the Joshua Tree National Monument.

As to welders, I've used them all. For a novice, I'd recommend the MIG set up. Then if you found out you really enjoy welding and decide you want to learn and do more, get a TIG/stick combo. Take some classes at your local Vo-Tech school. That's an inexpensive way to experiment with different types of welding equipment and other metal working tools.

 

[Mark4510]

Hey folks,
I dont mean to hijack this thread so if this way off topic let me know.

I keep lurking around these welding posts because I want to learn how to weld. I do so many things around the place where I have to figure out how to get things put together with nuts, bolts, gum and bailing twine when I should just learn to weld.

So after hanging out with some of my professional welder friends for lessons I am getting an idea of what is in front of me.

I was looking at the Lincoln 100hd wire feed model. For a rank beginer am I off base in thinking that this might be a good first choice? If not, what would the experts here recomend?

thanks,
Mark

 

[RobJ]

Well this may be not very important if your budget is in the $1500 range. That's pretty serious welding dollars for a couple times a month, but if you have it all the better. But for maybe someone else reading this, I'll post some thoughts. I have a Lincoln AC 220 buzz box stick welder. A little over $200. Cheap and it works fine. Recently a brother in law bought the Lincoln 110v gasless mig. I had him bring it over and I tried it out. Not to bad, really only good for light stuff, 16ga tubing, thin plate, etc. On some 3/16" angle it really didn't work that well, price about $250 if I recall. I went out and bought the Harbor Freight model (110v, like the lincoln) for $99 on sale. Really about the same, fine for thin stuff but not much penatration. But for $99 it does work. I used it Saturday to weld up a ripped tractor toolbox on a friends Ford 4630. Just a few points and pulls and it was done. So these things work but they have their limits.

Like someone said I now tack with the mig then finish up with the stick. My welds are so-so but with the stick but I get good deep penitrition and if I want it pretty I'll grind it smooth anyway. Works for me.

As far as learning to weld, read a couple short how-to's then get some metal and go for it. That's the best way to learn. You won't learn how to weld upside down but most people don't need to weld upside down. And if you do then no one will probably see it anyway...if it ain't all that pretty that is. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif