welder

[nosliw]

i did a search on here about this but found a lot of arguing, so i don't know what to believe.

i need to learn how to weld. i want something that can be used on, let's say 1/16 steel. i only need something for steel. also something that can be used on thicker stuff, i don't care if i have to make multiple passes to be able to.

i only want people who know what they are talking about to respond, none of this "well every metal melts at the same point" bull**** i've been reading.

i want lincoln. i don't want gas. friends advise me to get 220V. $400-500.

i don't know if i want MIG or arc. with MIG i don't need to manually feed the wire, correct? just like a gun, point the business end towards to steel and hit the button? i'm assuming i would need DC whatever one i get. AC is for aluminum correct? i will be buying an introduction to welding book and also all my friends weld good so they will be helping me along.

i'm completely new to this stuff, i don't know what the frequency means, i know what amps are but don't know how many i need, and all those other little options that lincoln gives you on their website regarding what you want.

thanks for any info you can give me

[Pappy]

as long as your welding under 1/4 inch mild steel, a simple mig welder will be more then enough for you to use and learn on. just make sure you get a model that uses gas and not fluxcore wire. fluxcore wire will disappoint you in more ways then one. a carbon/argon gas is required but easily aquired and easily set up. (you said no gas but if you want to weld then dont be so ignorant about the proper equipment ..no offense)

arc welders are ok, and everyone should know how to use them but thier place in welding all but structural steel is limited these days.



price ranges are around $1200 for a good starter unit. dont waste your time on a ebay special for $400 IMO

I just ordered a new Millermatic that cost $5200 but i have a smaller mig here that i use for sheet metal.A tig welder is a good investment but expensive...ordered one of them also! lmao

[Pappy]

try browsing here for a few options

http://www.welders-direct.com/home.htm

[nosliw]

$1200 :eek2:

might have to go with arc if they are cheaper.... but then again i want something good all around.... damn

inert gas is ok but i don't want the ones that i have used before, i don't know what they are called. they have to have big gas tanks and aren't electrical... was a while ago, i'll ask one of my friends which one i was using.

which one is the best for what i want?

http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/equipmentseries.asp?browse=114|2690|

[Pappy]

$1200 was what they did cost, after doing a quick search it appears the cost have really dropped on the small box migs. thats a good thing:p


http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WD&Product_Code=K1874-2

[nosliw]

Originally posted by Pappy
try browsing here for a few options

http://www.welders-direct.com/home.htm


you said no $400 ebay specials. did you mean like no off-brand welder that noone's heard about? what's wrong with the $450 one on that page ^^^?

[knighttime]

welding is something that could be called an artform. good luck to ya. if your gonna do it, ya might as well try to be as good as you can be

[Pappy]

yes, id stay away from the offbrands. buying a miller, hobart or lincoln will allow quick parts replacements and better support from those companies.

[nosliw]

Originally posted by Pappy
$1200 was what they did cost, after doing a quick search it appears the cost have really dropped on the small box migs. thats a good thing:p


http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WD&Product_Code=K1874-2


this cat and mouse posting is frusterating... lol:D

looks good on price. how thick can i go? is there a few guidlines i can follow on what and how thick/thin i can weld to? stuff like that?

thanks for the link

[nosliw]

how thick is 24 gauge?

sorry, posted before i read the entire thing. does say 24g to 5/16th steel.

[Pappy]

on each machines specs. they will list the maximum thickness that that particuliar welder will weld. ive always found on the smaller units they tend to be a touch over optimistic.

with the small box welders, i wouldnt trust them on anything past 1/4 inch and even then id be leary. i just think they lack the power to penetrate properly and over pass welding usually isnt recommended.

i grew up on migs and arc welders. i had burn holes in all my shirts by the time i was 13:p that happens when you grow up in your dads welding company. technology has come along way but i can still lay down a bead that would make my old man proud!

since we are building a new shop i decided to buy all new equipment and cant wait to be throwin sparks again:D

[bulkdriverlp]

http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/equipmentdatasheet.asp?p=7082

here problem solved, go to HOME DEPOT and buy one of these or something similar thats 100 amps. plug it in and go. load the wire trun it on and push the button, i have one just like this. can weld thin metal for auto body or up to 1/4 inch i think .

[sampleez]

check out this deal on ebay, it's a refurb (shipping damage) lincoln for pretty cheap
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=45032&item=3857998250&rd=1 (http://)

[nosliw]

Originally posted by bulkdriverlp
http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/equipmentdatasheet.asp?p=7082

here problem solved, go to HOME DEPOT and buy one of these or something similar thats 100 amps. plug it in and go. load the wire trun it on and push the button, i have one just like this. can weld thin metal for auto body or up to 1/4 inch i think .


whats the difference between that and the one pappy sent me the link for?

[kamikaze_rzrbak]

Originally posted by nosliw


inert gas is ok but i don't want the ones that i have used before, i don't know what they are called. they have to have big gas tanks and aren't electrical... was a while ago, i'll ask one of my friends which one i was using.



you mean oxy acetylene

[nosliw]

Originally posted by kamikaze_rzrbak
you mean oxy acetylene


i suppose.

can you tell me the difference between these two?

pappy gave me-

http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WD&Product_Code=K1874-2

bulkdriverlp gave me-

http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/equipmentdatasheet.asp?p=7082

[440exnacsracer]

just listen to pappy on this stuff. im only 17, and i know im definately much less knowledgeable on welding than he, but i do know a little. i have a hobart wire welder w/gas that ran about 1200, but it really can do heavy stuff, or even smaller, clean welds. we also have a lincoln arc welder, but if you start out with these, you will easily become discouraged, heck i even get pissed off some times lol. good luck

[Crashmore 22]

I bought a millermatic 175 mig for $685 that will weld just about anything up to about .25in.

[parkers30]

all we use at work is stick, but then again we are welding all kinds of oddball stuff, things they dont make even make wire of, takes more talent but weld alot better too

[nosliw]

thanks for all your posts

i've pretty much got my mind set on the one pappy sent me

http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WD&Product_Code=K1874-2

i've talked to a friend and he says that's what i'm lookin' for.

now, this inert gas stuff. do i have to buy a bottle and have it filled then hook it up? doesn't say anywhere i can find... here are the features -

Advantage Lincoln

For welding steel, stainless steel and aluminum.
Package includes gun and cable, work clamp and cable, input power cord, guide tubes and drive rolls, gas solenoid valve, gas regulator, and spool of wire.
115V operation-no special wiring required.
Solid state output control for long life and repetitive welding applications.
Designed for .023"-.030" solid MIG wire and .035" flux-cored wire.
For welding 24 gauge through 5/16" mild steel plate.
Suitable for welding with .023"-.035" stainless steel and .035" aluminum.


so basically, besides the right protection and all that crap, i need a bottle with argon to hook directly up to the gas solenoid valve? then i'm set? does the manual i get with this thing tell me what to do to get started?

[nosliw]

nevermind found the answer to that on another site


just a couple more easy ones :rolleyes:

how do i tell what kind of metal i'm working with? is it true that if you take a grinder to a piece of aluminum it won't spark? is that the only way to tell?

can i use any mix of argon/helium/carbondioxide when welding? what are the applications for each one?

[hessianmx111]

Originally posted by nosliw
nevermind found the answer to that on another site


just a couple more easy ones :rolleyes:

how do i tell what kind of metal i'm working with? is it true that if you take a grinder to a piece of aluminum it won't spark? is that the only way to tell?

can i use any mix of argon/helium/carbondioxide when welding? what are the applications for each one?
Use a magnet to detect aluminum, if it doesnt stick its aluminum. I do alot of welding at school half of my school day is spent in the shop and we have quite a few different miller models, the newest was the envision dunno the exact model number but its a combo stick,tig, and mig welder, the mig gun alone cost 1200 dollars, very pricy machine but makes some killer welds. Anyways in the shop we usually use a 75% argon 25% c02 mix or just 100% co2 the c02 seems to work good for me.

[DaleJrFan]

when you say you are wanting to learn to weld, do you mean as a career or just to fix things? check out some of your local fab shops and talk to the guys that make their living welding but Pappy looks like he has you on the right track. if you get good at it, you can make some serious money with a tig welder.

[Pappy]

welding is alot of fun. just read and as stated, take some classes if you can.

i used to weld non-stop on saturdays ..i made some cool things when i was a kid:p

it became not fun when i was welding non stop for a living...i geuss thats everything once it becomes work:D

the 75% 25% argon/co2 is what i use on the mig. hell anymore you can run to TSC (tractor supply company chain) and buy a tank.

now the plasme cutter i have ordered will be new to me. all ive ever used is a torch :p

[Aceman]

Originally posted by Crashmore 22
I bought a millermatic 175 mig for $685 that will weld just about anything up to about .25in.

This is a great welder. I guarantee you won't be dissappointed. It's 220V and can weld the really thin stuff too. You can go to www.millerwelds.com for specs on it. I bought the cart for it also. I think it was around 135 to buy a tank for it, but it only costs about 19 dollars to refill it, once you have your own tank. This is with a argon/co2 mix. Produces beautiful welds and very easy to operate. The wire for it is only around 13 dollars for a 10 pound spool of mild steel wire. The cheapest place I found was www.quimbycorp.com , I know they have a store in Portland, Or.

[nosliw]

any disadvantages running 100% argon/helium/co2?

this is just to fix stuff for now, maybe to make stuff (have this 250 dirtbike engine i'm dying to make a gokart around). just to be able to do it is what i'mb uying this for.

also, i'm taking welding classes up at my school next year. he starts you off with gas, then arc. a lot of people drop out real quick, and i've been reading that starting out doing arc can be discouraging, because it's so hard to learn from the get-go. that's why i'm going with this mig to get me into it, and if i feel ****ty doing arc, i know i can mig. make sense?


so magnet wont stick to aluminum, good. how about telling stainless from regular? do i need to know that difference?

[TheFontMaster]

Originally posted by Pappy
on each machines specs. they will list the maximum thickness that that particuliar welder will weld. ive always found on the smaller units they tend to be a touch over optimistic.

I found that out too when I started gusseting my frame this past week. I went from a 120 i think to a 150 lincon welder and let me tell you there was a night and day difference.

[hessianmx111]

Originally posted by Pappy
welding is alot of fun. just read and as stated, take some classes if you can.

i used to weld non-stop on saturdays ..i made some cool things when i was a kid:p

it became not fun when i was welding non stop for a living...i geuss thats everything once it becomes work:D

the 75% 25% argon/co2 is what i use on the mig. hell anymore you can run to TSC (tractor supply company chain) and buy a tank.

now the plasme cutter i have ordered will be new to me. all ive ever used is a torch :p
The plasma cutter is really good for thinner metals like 10 ga. and such because the oxyacetylene torch will distort the metal. When it comes to anything 1/4 inch or above i prefer a oxyfuel torch and can make better cuts with it than the plasma, i love oxyfuel cutting i can make some near perfect cuts.