A Question for You Welders

[rabbithutch]

There are so many talented and experienced welders here who have done such beautiful work building smokers that I am truly humbled. I have never welded anything, but I like to piddle and learn new skills which I can sometimes use around the place. I've been toying with the idea of getting a small shop welder. I've read enough to be very confused about welding. There's TIG and MIG and electric arc and argon gas (and probably other gases) and they seem to come in all kinds of sizes, shapes and costs.

I want to learn more before I decide whether to spend any money. Do any of you guys know of a good forum for welders where a wannabe will be accepted and tolerated while he asks a thousand foolish questions? You know. A place like SMF but for those who want to learn more about welding?

Thanks for listening.

 

[ribwizzard]

Ive seen one for Hobart welders, I'll look for it.

But im sure there are plenty of people on here that can help,

 

[ribwizzard]

Is your question really; What kind of welder should I buy?

What you have to think about is what kind of projects do you see yourself doing. What kind of metals will you be working with.

Give us a run down of what you would like to be able to do and what price range your looking to stay in, and Im sure we can all pitch in and steer you in the right direction.

 

[jsdspif]

I'm watching this thread . I've been looking into getting a mig and I don't know how to weld . I did stick welding when I was about 12 years old but nothing else . One thing I did just look into was a no interest if you pay it off by Jan. 2014 . If  you miss a monthly minimum payment or if you don't pay it off in full 30% interest is added to your bill from the time you first purchased the welder . I trust myself to make the min. and pay off in full but I wouldn't put it past the credit card people to say a payment wasn't on time , so I'm not going that route .I've been reading a lot of welding forums lately and there ar so many different opinions . I mean this forum everyone seems te be a fairly cohesive bunch , we all think good smoked foods are good and we don't have a big "electric is best , hardwood is best " type thing , but the welding forums have a lot of different opinions . I had thought about posting a question like this on this forum , I just never did . So this topic will be of interest to myself.

 

[rabbithutch]

Thanks for the responses!

First, since our SMF family is all about smoking and food, I was a bit reluctant to start a thread on welding and all I need to learn to get into it a little. That's why I asked about a forum so that I wouldn't clutter up the place around here.

Next, I know so little about welding that I'm not sure I could properly say what it is that I want to do. I would like to be able to make things from steel racks and braces and things and I would like to be able to repair a broken weld or replace it. I don't have much money to spend but I don't want to waste it on cheap stuff that doesn't have enough juice to use satisfactorily.

I see little Hobart and Miller welders that run on 120AC or 240AC. I think these are MIG wire welders but I have no idea what that means. Also, there is a new brand called Everlast (I think) that I've seen lately. Are any of these brands I should look for or avoid?

Yes, I would probably like just to take $325 and go buy a FrizzleFaderFantastic that will run on 120AC, but I'd like to learn a bit before I do that, too.

Again, thanks for your generous responses. I know that my questions are too uneducated to give you much to go on, but I'm hopeful that I'll learn a bit from you and/or from web sites you can send me to.

 

[oldschoolbbq]

Hi, Bob. Sure wish I still lived there in "T" town. I was a welder on Sante Fe RR for years , and could help you learn some.

The welding you will most likely be doing could be done with a small wire feed MIG unit , 110v . You can get flux core wire and not need the gas to protect the arc.

Stop in at one of the welding shops and talk to the welders , they'll lead you right. Ben's Welding (if still there) is a good start.

Have fun and...

 

[rabbithutch]

Hi, Bob. Sure wish I still lived there in "T" town. I was a welder on Sante Fe RR for years , and could help you learn some.

The welding you will most likely be doing could be done with a small wire feed MIG unit , 110v . You can get flux core wire and not need the gas to protect the arc.

Stop in at one of the welding shops and talk to the welders , they'll lead you right. Ben's Welding (if still there) is a good start.

Have fun and...

Thanks, Stan!

I hadn't thought about visiting a local shop.

 

[boykjo]

Hey RH... I would recommend this forum   http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtalk/forum.php    Great bunch of people to answer your questions... I would recommend you start out with a 220v unit. I have a lot of  expensive welding equipment and  My most used piece is a  hobart handler 180  and does a great job and isnt too  expensive... swing on over to weldtalk and join and introduce yourself... they will be happy to point you in the right direction

Joe
 

 

[woodcutter]

I agree with boykjo about the 220v unit. I'm not an expert welder but I bought a Hobart 110 wire feed. It welds and works very good but only on 3/16" steel and down. I didn't realize how much stuff I want weld that is 1/4" or bigger. Wished I would have went the 220v route.
 

 

[JckDanls 07]

One more vote for the 220v wire feed... Joe (Boykjo) has ya going in the right direction... Also you will find life a lot easier if you make sure your metal is clean when welding with a wire feed... clean of rust and paint...

 

[sound1]

X3 on the 220v.  You can always crank it down for the smaller stuff. If you have only stick welded, you're going to love the wire feed.

 

[s2k9k]

I'm no expert but have done a good bit of welding. There are many different kinds of welding and they all have their place. There are many different welders and they all have their opinions, my brother has TIG'ed for probably 30 years so he would say TIG is the only way to go. But I think for a good all around general purpose welder the MIG is the way to go. It can do almost anything and is very easy to learn, it is basically just point and shoot. Pull the trigger and you are welding. TIG is great and very strong and can make some beautiful welds but it takes a lot of practice, but once you got it you got it! But MIG is so easy and from the the little you said it sounds basically like just some spot welding or quick repairs and the MIG would suit that just perfect. I agree with going 220V over 110V for the extra power you will get for the heavy jobs, and if you can go with the gas in your budget that would be a plus. 

Whatever you decide on get a bunch of scrap metal and practice before you try and lay a bead down on something you want to keep!

 

[daveomak]

X4 on the 220v MIG....  Looks like they are all about $800....  Add a gas bottle and extra wire.... An auto darkening hood... gloves etc....  and the most important piece of equipment if you are older like myself.....  A pair of reading glasses from the store... full lens glasses that allow you to see clearly at 18" or so.... bifocals don't work.... you need to see the puddle clearly.... Just something I found as my eyesight slowly changed over the years....  If you can't see the puddle, you are screwed...    Dave 

 

[bluffton smoker]

RH - I am about 1 1/2 hours south from you on Lake Buchanan. I have a world of free time and have a Lincoln 180 220v MIG welder. (I found it on Craigslist NEW for only $450.)

I used to use a stick (arc) welder years ago. I can show you what you need to know in about 20 minutes. Bring a hood and we will burn a little wire. Lemme know...  Either way, go with a 220 volt machine. The little 110v machines have such a short duty-cycle, you won't be sorry. 

 

[rdknb]

I agree on the mig welding, also check the adult ed schools, many have welding classes

 

[bluffton smoker]

If I was looking again, I'd look at both MIG (wire feed) and ARC (stick) and purchase the most I could get for the money. There's times while building my smoker that I wished I had a stick welder. I am NOT a pro Welder by any stretch of the imagination. Just my $.02

 

[ribwizzard]

Ok,

Wanted to get a little info from you before I put my two cents in.

Go to lincoln electric site and check out POWER MIG[emoji]174[/emoji] 180 Dual MIG Welder - K3018-2,

I wont go into why I think the Lincoln welders are the best in this class of welder, but if you did your homework and compaired feature to feature on all of the models (like I do) you'll probably agree. The owners manuals will walk you through all the steps of setting it up and even give you welding techniqes. Videos are also available and I know lincoln includes them on some of the models.

A dual power input capable modle like this is handy to have, being able to weld anywhere you have a 120 outlet, but also can enjoy the duty cycle of 220 amp service will give you.

Most brands will give you everything you need to add a cylinder of sheilding gas down the road, and you eventually will want it. But you dont have to have it to start learning, and the flux core wire is more forgiving if you have a litttle rust or paint on what your trying to weld.

I would not recomend stick welders for what you were looking to do with it.

Tig is going to be much more expensive to start out with.

 

[ribwizzard]

And no, I do not own that model,  just took the time to do a little research and  thought it would be the best bang for the buck for what your doing.  My shop has two millers and three lincoln electric welders.  The millers are preatier, but the lincolns put out the better bead. Dont know what it is.

 

[rabbithutch]

Thanks to all! I'm thinking that 220VAC TIG is gonna fit my pistol, but I've got a lot of research to do to find out about the different brands and dual input units.

Bluffton Smoker, I might take you up on that offer to spend some time one afternoon. I'm looking at the possibility of a second trip to the hospital due to some crappy infection; so doesn't look like I can head your way anytime soon..

Again, thanks to all responders. I now have enough to research to learn about MIG vs. TIG vs. stick vs gas. Might even find an evening class somewhere.

 

[daveomak]

rh, morning....  TIG give the strongest welds.....   It is slow to weld with....  It also takes 2 hands and welding rod in the second hand to feed the puddle... You can weld 2 snuff can lids together with TIG....

MIG, you can weld one handed... has the wire feed in your welding hand.... you can weld 1/2" metal with a small gun with multiple passes...   

I have all three welders... TIG, MIG and Stick....  My go to is the MIG for  production work... TIG for thin stainless.... and Stick when I take my welder out into the field to repair some piece of farm equipment that has broken down...   

I have a Lincoln 175 square wave TIG...  A Miller Trailblazer that is Stick and MIG, and it also is a home generator for those days without electricity......   and a Hypertherm Plasma Torch....  I guess I have all the toys.... I love welding toys.... Oh yeah and Oxy-Acetylene also...  

Get them all and you will find you time in the shop will increase and it will be more fun.....   Dave