Welder Wanabe

Sinner70 · 11-14-2008, 08:35 PM

Hey all, I want to get into welding. just common stuff. mini bike and auto related. No heavy lifting. Just will be welding as a hobby and some stress relief. Thoughts? ideas? opinions? Thanks for the input. Looking to buy cheap greenhorn stuff and dont know the first thing about the differences. thanks again...

hayden · 11-14-2008, 11:44 PM

i just got harbrofreights smallest flux core wire welder. im learning pretty quick and it was on sale for $119 so for like $200 i got a helmet and gloves too.

**Smallbore** · 11-15-2008, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sinner70

Hey all, I want to get into welding.

I would suggest taking a night class at a local community college. That would give you the basics. A class would probably start with Oxy/Acetylene (gas welding) to teach you how to form a "puddle" and move it. Even 1 or 2 semesters would help greatly. As far as equipment goes... A small Mig Welder (wire feed) would be the best thing for a beginner. A 125-135 amp machine is all you would need for minibike stuff. I would opt for a machine that uses gas over a Flux-Core machine as you would get a much better quality weld. If you can afford a Lincoln or Miller, buy one. The Import units such as Harbor Freight, Pep Boys, etc... may do the job but are pretty crappy machines and hard to get repair parts. (sorry hayden...) Also... If you could get an Auto Darkening welding hood their FAR BETTER than a standard one. I have a Miller 125 amp and 210 amp Mig. A Miller 200 amp Syncrowave Tig machine, and a Oxy/Acetylene set up. Of all the these, I use the MIG the most. Once you learn the basics, its just a matter of Practice. Good Luck !!

**steven Durham** · 11-15-2008, 02:31 AM

A cheap price looks good to you but you will struggle with too small of a machine. I would rather buy a used quality machine like the ones Smallbore mentioned than to buy a new under rated machine.
It's like a gun, you buy it for the quality of the manufacture and it will support you when it is needed.
Steve

**zipseattle** · 11-15-2008, 03:05 AM

Newbie welder here as well. Bought a used Clarke 130EN, 110 volt wire feed (except for the color, its a dead ringer for a Craftsman). Best thing I did was switch out the flux core wire and go with gas - much cleaner welds. Neither Miller or Lincoln was in my budget since I know I'll use it only occasionally. Got all the accessories (helmet, gloves, cart, etc.) from HF. Pretty happy so far, the quality of the equipment is still way better than the skill of the user....

hayden · 11-15-2008, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zipseattle

the quality of the equipment is still way better than the skill of the user....

when my skill meets the ability of my welder il up grade.

Sinner70 · 11-15-2008, 06:04 PM

thank you gents. Just got to get the idea through to the wife. Christmas is just 6 weeks away. With that in mind, I'll go for quality. Thanks for the input.

jeep2003 · 11-15-2008, 07:39 PM

Iv got a lincoln 100. I ran it for qute a few years on flux core because i was a noob and didnt use it much. But i upgraded it to run on gas and it works just fine and i use it constantly. Weather your going to use it alot or not i suggest getting a good name brand and able to run on gas if you want. Mine has never broke but you want parts to be available if you ever need em

**Oldsalt** · 11-16-2008, 12:59 AM

Here's my two cents. If you want to get in cheap and still buy a quality welder make it an arc welder. Sure, it's a little bit of a trick to be able to strike an arc and make a decent bead. A wire feed on gas is a lot easier for the beginner, but arc is easy enough to learn and it IS worth learning. MIG is easier to learn only because everything you see in the weld puddle is metal. With the arc rod there's molten flux that tends to hide what the weld metal looks like. But there's a number of pluses to first buying a cracker box AC arc welder.

1. It's far cheaper to purchase. Nice, used AC welders are common. Also there's a lot of cheap rod for sale. There are no "consumeables" to buy, like tips and etc., all you buy is rod. If you can find a single phase 230 V. with a Polarity Reversing Swith buy it! With that you can even arc weld aluminum. They're around.
2. You can weld cast iron, hard face, cut with a carbon arc, and a number of other things that can't be done [or requires special wire/gas and etc.] with a wire feed. Check out what it will cost to buy a tank of special gas for stainless steel and the roll of stainless wire! I own them, but usually don't go to the trouble of switching things over if it's not a big job.
3. You will NEED an AC arc welder even if you have [or later buy] very nice MIG and TIG machines.
4. You can weld really rusty or painted steel [and still get away with it] useing a 6011 rod. MIG requires clean metal.
5. You'll run into places that you can't get the cup of the MIG gun into to make the weld. The thin arc rod saves the day.
6. MIG is not the welding method of choice if you are making a leak proof weld. I still use an arc rod if I'm making a gas tank.
7. The money you save will go a long way to buying a oxy/acet outfit. That's another thing that [In My Not So Humble Opinion] you WILL definately need if you wish to build things. I occationally weld aluminum with the 'torch'. In fact, if you are building aluminum auto bodys you should not use TIG [HeliArc]. The panels will later crack. You will also need to be able to braze things, heat up things and a lot of other stuff.

kbs8ball · 11-16-2008, 01:45 AM

Well said oldsalt. Im a big fan of the stick welder.