welding machine

DavidS · Jun 3, 2003

ok guys left me know which you recomend. a stick welder or a wire feed, or a gas wire feed. and why.

CSAW · Jun 3, 2003

If you do a search you will find enough on this subject to keep you reading all night. Good luck and get ready to read.

Anonymous Poster · Jun 3, 2003

Tell us what you plan on welding,if you have ever welded,etc. RICHARD GAUTHIER

DavidS · Jun 4, 2003

I plan on using it for jobs around the house the largest metal i can forsee myself welding would be maybe 1/4" thick. I have some welding experience with a stick welder, never have tried wire feed. Have been told by several people that wire feed is much easier to weld with, and I am really leaning towards a small MIG unit.

looch · Jun 4, 2003

I'm in the same boat as you.

CSAW is right - lots of info here. Based on what I've read, I'm leaning more towards a stick because...

1) flux core wire is no substitue for gas;
2) for the small amount of welding I want to do, keeping gas bottles would be a pain;
3) gas can be a problem if welding outdoors in the wind;
4) MIG welds look better - even when they're not. Bad stick welds look terrible making them easier for a novice to recognize;
5) learning to stick weld provides a solid foundation in the art of welding.
6) generally, stick welders are less expensive to buy (although not less expensive to run).

You say the thickest metal you want to weld is 1/4". What's the most thin? Welding sheet metal with a stick is not easy.

Anonymous Poster · Jun 4, 2003

Well if you are already wanting a m.i.g.,than thats what you should get.One thing I would suggest is to get a name brand,miller,hobart,lincoln,the next thing is to get one that uses 220/230 volt input,don't get one that operates on 115 volts.I will add just for the heck of it,unless you are planning on welding sheet metal or aluminum,and you wanted just one machine,I'd get a stick machine.reasons,much simpler,no moving parts to adjust,clog up etc.You can even get a welder generator and put it in the back of your truck,etc. RICHARD GAUTHIER

BrettW · Jun 5, 2003

I just got a Lincoln Weldpac 100 wire fed 115 volt, used from ebay for 160 + shipping. I just used it on some scrap to practice. I seems to do a good job so far. I am a novice so I cant really tell yet. The welds I did on 1/8" steel help up OK. I put them in a vise and hammered them and the steel bent but the welds held. check ebay and pawn shops for a used machine. bw

Gary_in_Indiana · Jun 5, 2003

David,

I know this isn't what you really asked, but the first thing I'd advise would be taking an ARC welding class followed by a MIG welding class. Then you'll be able to decide more what you want based on personal preferences you'll develop. You'll also learn about welding safety and proper welding techniques that could prove invaluable.

40Kchicks · Jun 6, 2003

David,

You could do it all. I won't tell you what you should do but here is my experience. I wanted to do some repairs around the farm so I got a little lincoln AC/DC buzz box (stick welder). It worked for those repairs fine but then I wanted to start building buckets and other bigger projects. What I was doing was tacking everything together in my shop then taking it to my brothers welding shop to finish weld it with the wire feed (mig) welders. The stick will do the job, but much slower. My brother was nice to let me use the shop but I was in way and being that is how they earn a living I decided to get out of their way and buy my own mig.

I wanted to do quality welds on 1/4 plate single pass so I was looking at about a $1200 -$1500 lincoln or miller. Unfortunately my brother was away on a job so I couldn't get his help with the purchase but I knew he would give me a hard time if I didn't get a good welder.

What I ended up getting was an ESAP multi-master 260. It cost about 2K with the bottle and a 15ft mig gun. I wanted maximum versatility and this one machine will do mig, stick, and tig.

What a difference. The mig is really smooth and fast. The stick is as smooth as butter. I never knew stick could be so quiet and spatter free. The tig isn't as nice as a high frequency stand alone system but works great for me. I really like using the tig for things I would normally use a torch for and stainless. The control is great and it’s a fun skill to have. My brother got me a standard tig torch and used an european to american adaptor because he didin't like the esab torch.

Anyways we are very impressed with this tool. I use it all the time. Each process does something better than the other so having all of them is really really nice. This tool is probably my favorite tool in the shop.

Eric

5030 · Jun 7, 2003

The "favorite" tool in my shop is my "wallet". It allows me to buy all those tools. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif