Welding, welder...well?

[justgary]

If you do go with just a tombstone stick welder, get AC/DC. Most common sticks respond better on DC.

Also, as Brad mentioned, keep the sticks dry. Even slight humidity will ruin the shielding, and even the entire weld on some steels. About once a year I put all my sticks on the gas grill (on some aluminum foil) and bake them for about an hour or two. I dump them directly into a big ammo box and close the lid. When I need sticks, I get a few out for the job and close the box immediately. My welds have been much better since I started doing this.

If you are having problems with stick welding (especially with 7018 rod), try this first. If you still have trouble, clean the metal bare and try again. Paint and rust make for poor results. An angle grinder will remove rust, mill scale, etc. very quickly.

[sledandski]

Kzoo,

Not sure what your budget is but the following Lincoln has really good reviews and will give you the ability to do anything you want (Mig, Tig, DC Stick) plus it has a dual voltage plug so you can run it on 120 or 220.

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/Equipment/Pages/product.aspx?product=K3963-1(LincolnElectric)

The hobart 210 is very similar and is a bit cheaper especially if you pick it up at TSC with a 10% off coupon but does not have the stick or tig capabilities.

Like others have said I would stick with mig. Flux core would work but if you want to use it much Mig with gas is the way to go.

[brad72]

One thing I meant to add is with MIG the arc radiation is much more brutal than TIG so make sure you protect any exposed skin or you will come out red as a beetroot and sore to boot. Also if using an auto helmet turn the shade up more.

I worked with a guy who was welding squatting down over the job. It was really hot so he was wearing shorts and for some reason was commando and the family jewels got burnt to a crisp. No sitting down for him for a few days I can tell you. Never laughed so hard when he told us.

[DIE2SURF]

Thanks for the tip Gary. I suck at 7018... always have. Our rods are in the plastic container, but no lid, in a concrete and steel shop. Plenty of moisture in the air.

[brad72]

check ou this like

Thanks for the tip Gary. I suck at 7018... always have. Our rods are in the plastic container, but no lid, in a concrete and steel shop. Plenty of moisture in the air.

Check out this link. Lots of great stuff on his site http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/7018-welding-rods.html

[REW]

This is the one I have. http://www.harborfreight.com/welding/mig-flux-welders/170-amp-dc-240-volt-migflux-cored-welder-68885.html It has been a lot of fun and is capable of using the gas shield. Lots of great tips listed above.

[oldjeep]

My only welding tip is if you get a mig, check the instructions and set the polarity correctly. Welding with gas vs using flux core use reversed polarities and even a good welder makes crappy welds when you have it set backwards.

[Kalamazoo]

I know you're talking mig, but if you decide to look at TIG, here's my advice: I have the Watercooled HTP 221 Tig. I probably wouldn't have paid extra for the Dual Voltage, but they didn't have any straight 220V in stock when I bought it. It's a badass machine, and about half the cost of the comparable Miller Dynasty unit. For home hoby use the extra expense for the name brand units doesn't make sense.

Kzoo,

Not sure what your budget is but the following Lincoln has really good reviews and will give you the ability to do anything you want (Mig, Tig, DC Stick) plus it has a dual voltage plug so you can run it on 120 or 220.

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/Equipment/Pages/product.aspx?product=K3963-1(LincolnElectric)

The hobart 210 is very similar and is a bit cheaper especially if you pick it up at TSC with a 10% off coupon but does not have the stick or tig capabilities.

Like others have said I would stick with mig. Flux core would work but if you want to use it much Mig with gas is the way to go.

Sorry guys...newbie here. Why would (should?) I consider a TIG welder for my types of uses? fixing lawn mowers, fabricating steel brackets, etc.

[Kalamazoo]

This is the one I have. http://www.harborfreight.com/welding/mig-flux-welders/170-amp-dc-240-volt-migflux-cored-welder-68885.html It has been a lot of fun and is capable of using the gas shield. Lots of great tips listed above.

Again...newbie here. This is 10% of the cost of some of the recommended Miller/Lincoln models. is there that much difference?

[oldjeep]

Again...newbie here. This is 10% of the cost of some of the recommended Miller/Lincoln models. is there that much difference?

Yes, but you won't know what the difference is until you use a quality welder. I started out with a couple low cost Chinese welders and thought they worked pretty well until I used a friends Miller, soon after that I purchased my Hobart.

My .02 I'd buy a used name brand welder before buying any of the low buck stuff.

Edited October 23, 2015 by oldjeep

[DIE2SURF]

I always see several mig welders on craigslist. That's where I will go for my first mig.

[jk13]

I always see several mig welders on craigslist. That's where I will go for my first mig.

As with anything used though, take someone knowledgeable with you and have them check it over. It might have thousands of hours on it and welding is a brutal exercise for the electronics involved.

That said there is a Snap On Muscle Mig (Systematics) with tig kit on CL here that I've been watching. If it gets below $750 I'll grab it. The only 110V machine I'd spend real money on. Used one 15 years ago and was pretty impressed, even with the tig limitations.

I'll also echo what has been said before about taking a Tech School class before purchasing. It'll open your eyes quite a bit and help you make a more informed decision. If you need it for a project this weekend, either borrow one or buy something mid-level with a known name. Won't break the bank, and when you upgrade you should get something back out of it.

Edited October 23, 2015 by jk13

[Lance B. Johnson]

Just an update here.

Miller 211. I just welded up a broken egr riser tube no problem. This is very thin stainless and I took no extra precautions because I was set on buying a new part anyway.

Amazingly it welded up easily and strong!

Man I love this machine. When I retire I'll get my own for sure.

[TimbrSS]

Sorry guys...newbie here. Why would (should?) I consider a TIG welder for my types of uses? fixing lawn mowers, fabricating steel brackets, etc.

If you haven't done any welding at all, I'd start with MIG. It's cheaper and easier to pick up. Good for lawn mowers and brackets.

In general, TIG is for more precision work. With Mig, you are power feeding a wire into the weld pool, so your gaps between pieces can be bigger. With TIG, you are manually dipping your filler into the puddle, and your pieces will take a lot more prep work, because you can't fill the gaps as easily. If you are mostly working with steel, for say building trailers, farm equipment, big stuff, MIG is they way to go. The cost is about 50% of TIG, so MIG is what most people start with. It takes less practice to get good with MIG. If you are working on smaller things, or welding aluminum like radiators, intercoolers, then you'll want a TIG.

[brad72]

Again...newbie here. This is 10% of the cost of some of the recommended Miller/Lincoln models. is there that much difference?

I always look at how often the unit will be used. If used weekly for a few hours and high quality welds are sought then a brand name machine will be better, or as much as your budget can afford. If only using occasionally the cheaper units will be just fine. Just do a google review search first. A lot of machines are the made by one company but with coloured chassis and name depending on the brand.

Sorry guys...newbie here. Why would (should?) I consider a TIG welder for my types of uses? fixing lawn mowers, fabricating steel brackets, etc.

A mig welder will be just fine for steel brackets etc. I would not use gasless wire personally as it gives off quite nasty smoke and fumes from the flux and you still need to clean off slag so more like a stick welder really. That being said gasless wire is great if welding outdoors in windy conditions. I personally would go a gas shielded MIG with disposable CO2 bottles if only welding occasionally. Less cleanup and because there is next to no smoke much easier to see the weld

Couple more points. Gasless MIG will be DC electrode negative and you pull the torch just like you would stick welding. Any slag will need to be chipped away and brushed cleaned if making multiple passes. Gas MIG welding will be DC electrode positive and you will push the torch. Only splatter to clean off here

Edited October 23, 2015 by brad72

[justgary]

If you can color on paper with a crayon, you can weld steel with MIG.

And get an auto darkening helmet. HF will do.

[Lance B. Johnson]

If you can color on paper with a crayon, you can weld steel with MIG.

And get an auto darkening helmet. HF will do.

For brackets and lawnmowers yes.....

[oldjeep]

If you can color on paper with a crayon, you can weld steel with MIG.

And get an auto darkening helmet. HF will do.

If you like the idea of seeing long term make sure you look at the helmet reaction specs.

[REW]

Again...newbie here. This is 10% of the cost of some of the recommended Miller/Lincoln models. is there that much difference?

Not sure, mine was a Christmas present. I have had fun with it. I'm sure welders are like our boats. You can buy a pro level boat, make a pro level wake but it takes a pro rider to get the most out of it.

[Ronnie]

I think some things to look at when trying to decide on a welder are.

Mig is easiest to learn.

Tig may be the hardest and require the most prep prior to starting the weld on most anything besides new metal.

Stick is mid level for learning.

All of this is on horizontal flat welding. Overhead or verticle welding takes on different skills and not all weld processes will work like horizontal.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned between good (read $$) welding machines and the cheap ones is the Duty Cycle rating. This isn't as important in a hobby welder as a production or heavily used machine but it will give you an idea of how good of a welder it is. The rating is measured in %. A 30% Duty Cycle rating means the welder should only be used 30% of the time and not welding for 70% of the time. Break this into an hour timeframe to understand it better. 30% Duty Cycle means you should only plan to weld ~20 minutes out of every hour. Not bad for a hobby setup but if you plan to do some serious welding, your going to be resting the welder a lot of the time. IMO, spend a little more money and get a better welder. It will be easier to learn and not have to troubleshoot your process as much as a good welder. You will get a better result out of the better welder too.

Maybe a better explanation here;

http://www.eastwood.com/blog/tech-articles/mig-welding-duty-cycles/

[Kalamazoo]

If you like the idea of seeing long term make sure you look at the helmet reaction specs.

again, newbie here...who values vision over welded metal. can you expand/suggest specs?

[oldjeep]

again, newbie here...who values vision over welded metal. can you expand/suggest specs?

Different helmets have different reaction speeds at different prices. Up to you to decide what is "good enough". There is also the issue of where the sensors are and how often you are going to get flashed because you are close to something that shields the arc sensor. (welding on vehicles is the worst). My original helmet was some no name thing I got at Northern Tool and it was really bad in terms of the sensor getting shielded when the helmet was near an obstruction and I got flashed all the time.

For example - Hobart sells 3 different levels. 1/12,000th, 1/25,000 and 1/30,000th - mine is the middle type.

http://www.hobartwelders.com/products/welding-helmets/

At the time I bought mine - SpeedGlas was the best

Now it does look like HF has stepped up their game - this one has pretty decent specs, depending on where the sensor is

http://www.harborfreight.com/blue-flame-design-auto-darkening-welding-helmet-91214.html

Edited October 26, 2015 by oldjeep

[brad72]

I have a Miller Elite helmet with 1/20,000 reaction time. What I like best with this helmet is the 4 arc sensors that ensure what ever angle you are on the helmet always picks up the arc.

[justgary]

I have only been flashed once or twice because I was holding an awkward part together with my free hand across my body, with my arm in front of the mask. Doooh.

Just another part of the setup you have to pay attention to before you start a weld. It is truly a surprise when it happens, and very disorienting to me, so I usually think to check for those kinds of things before I start.

[brad72]

Wouldn't mind the Speedglas 9100 FX flip up helmet. Very Nice but $780 in Australia......ouch