Need a starter welder
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Tin Foil Hat Wearin' Fool
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From: Austin, TX
Need a starter welder I have very little welding experience but I would like to start learning how. Im not looking to be able to weld 1/4" plate just some 1/16 MAYBE 1/8" stuff. I mainly just want something semi cheap to mess with and teach myself. I learn better by teaching myself and having someone talk to e rather then reading or taking classes. Also the bigger kicker is it has to work off 110 since the garage at my apt complex only has 110 outlets. So what should I get, keep in mind I know NOTHING rreally about welding so links would be helpful. Thanks
lincoln electric Power MIG 180C you should be able to find it for like 400 and you will never need another welder... or if you areon the cheap go to pepboys and get a standard mig flux core welder... good luck...
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From: bethel PA
the 180c is 220 isnt it? the biggest 110 volt welder Icould find back whe nI bought mine was a hobart 140, Im very happy with mine, if you really want to weld get one that uses shilding gas atleast, flux core isnt worth it. the only use for flux core is if your trying to weld outside and its windy, normally it would blow the shilding gas away, you can still weld with flux core in the wind, just looks like you did it with a stick welder for the most part.
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Tin Foil Hat Wearin' Fool
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From: Austin, TX
Did some research and the 180c is a 230 from what I read. Ill look up the hobart. Im not really looking to spend alot of money on one since in about 3 years I will have my house and shop and I will buy a good TIG, stick and MIG so I can build anything, Im just looking for something to get the basics nailed down so when I get a "good" welder I will be able to use it to its ability.
a couple of weeks ago I was at the welder supply refilling bottles, they had a new miller welder on the floor. I believe it was the # 140 or 145. Either way I took a look at it and I must say it is something for beginners, or as the guy behind the counter said, "completely idiot proof" It looked like a nice piece. If I didn't have people around to teach me welding, I probably would have bought it for myself. wait, let me get off my lazt ***. . .http://www.millerwelds.com/products/...c_140_autoset/ there we go. Not so much on the cheap side, but a great welder for beginners.
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Tin Foil Hat Wearin' Fool
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From: Austin, TX
What started all this is I have to build a new trans crossmember for my 80e conversion and the local shops want way too muh for the little work that is involved so I figure why not put that money totwards a welder and do it myself. Would a stick setup be good for build the crossmember? I want something that is very versatile. Ill be using it to build deer stands and hog traps too out of 1 1/2" square tubing so it needs to weld that to. Im going to a lcoal welding shop next week when I get back from vacation and asking them I jsut want to be semi educated so I dont get "taken advantage" of. If a 700$ welder is going to be alot better then a 400$ welder then Ill spend the extra bucks because of course I dont want to waste my money on something that I cant really use for anything but thin metal. I will also be building bumpers for my truck which will consist of 3/16" plate and .15 or so wall thickness 1" OD tubing for the bumpers. So I guess you could say I need a welder that can do alot of different things. Just looking to see what everyone has and is happy with and for those who have used several different ones which one would you recommend to start off with. As I said before I will be doing alot of reading and trial and error myself so it has to be semi user friendly. TIA
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Tin Foil Hat Wearin' Fool
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I think Im going to end up with the Miller Millermatic 140, its a good welder from what I have read and the local shop has had good luck with them so far. What accessories should I get? Obivously hood, gloves, cart and bottles but what else? Also what size bottles should I get?
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From: bethel PA
get a photocell hood, you can pick up a cheep one for around 100 bucks anymore and there so much nicer than a standard one, I have 2 diffrent bottles for mine, I have a 80cf mixed tank 25/75 mix for steel, then I have a 20cf tank thats straight argon for Alu welding. the size of the tank depends on how much you weld and if you can get it local to you or not, a 20cf tank should last a small 2 lb roll of wire, I get the big 10 lb spools of wire for mine, I have a welding supply store right beside where I work so getting tanks filled for me isnt a big deal, but i like to know that my tank is full, theres nothing worse than working on a project and running out of gas.
I started with a 40cf mixed tank and it wasnt bad, if you have shops like I do around you you can buy bottles and trade them back in for bigger ones if you want to down the road so if a 40 isnt big enough for you you could swap them like i did, they gave me what I paid for the bottle and I just paid the diffrence between the 2 of them, if you can do that id start with a 40 if not and you can shell out the cash for an 80 right off the back do it, your tank can never be to big. as of right now I dont see me moving up to a 120cf tank for my welder, I like the 80 you can still take the tank with you with out fighting with it, if your friends find out you have a welded and your like me you will be making house calls with the welder to fix stuff for friends so a 120 would just be to much to take with you.
I started with a 40cf mixed tank and it wasnt bad, if you have shops like I do around you you can buy bottles and trade them back in for bigger ones if you want to down the road so if a 40 isnt big enough for you you could swap them like i did, they gave me what I paid for the bottle and I just paid the diffrence between the 2 of them, if you can do that id start with a 40 if not and you can shell out the cash for an 80 right off the back do it, your tank can never be to big. as of right now I dont see me moving up to a 120cf tank for my welder, I like the 80 you can still take the tank with you with out fighting with it, if your friends find out you have a welded and your like me you will be making house calls with the welder to fix stuff for friends so a 120 would just be to much to take with you.
Last edited by lethal93ta; May 21, 2007 at 11:04 PM.
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From: Mefis
Originally Posted by 1slow01Z71
I think Im going to end up with the Miller Millermatic 140, its a good welder from what I have read and the local shop has had good luck with them so far. What accessories should I get? Obivously hood, gloves, cart and bottles but what else? Also what size bottles should I get?
Originally Posted by 1slow01Z71
I think Im going to end up with the Miller Millermatic 140, its a good welder from what I have read and the local shop has had good luck with them so far. What accessories should I get? Obivously hood, gloves, cart and bottles but what else? Also what size bottles should I get?
I dont use gloves all that much (I use vice grips to hold things if necessary) , but investing in a self-darkening mask is SUCHHH a good investment. when your laying a bunch of spot welds if your doing any body work, its really annoying to flip the mask up and down, and if your lazy like me and just shut your eyes, you will actually get sunburn around your eyes if you do a lot of welding in a day. A self darkening mask makes welding soooo much more enjoyable.
The gas will last forever, get C25, Im not sure how big my bottle is, im guessing 20lbs because its the same size as a 20lb nitrous bottle.
Originally Posted by 383LT1S10
I have the Hobart 140 and I love it. If set up properly it will weld 1/4" just fine. I just used mine yesterday moring to weld up my transmission crossmember.
Originally Posted by mark.deady
lincoln electric Power MIG 180C you should be able to find it for like 400 and you will never need another welder... or if you areon the cheap go to pepboys and get a standard mig flux core welder... good luck...
Originally Posted by Loudmouth LS1
Where can you find that welder for $400, i've been lookin into gettin a welder and wanted that one, but it was like $650 in lowes, so if I can find it for $400, i'd rather save the money!
Hey, what do you guys think about this welder?
http://store.weldingdepot.com/cgi/we...WE6524P-8.html
It come with a regulator, cart, auto darkening helmet, and a tank for $551.80 which seems like a hell of a deal!
I'm going to be building a turbo kit for my camaro soon and one of my buddies is gonna help me fab the kit up, but I feel bad making him do all that work and figured if I can pick up a decent welder cheap enough and learn how to do it he could help me and it wouldn't be so much work on him, so you think this welder would work to fab a turbo kit, some of the piping is gonna be pretty big, think the downpipe is gonna be like a 5" pipe if i'm not mistaken.
http://store.weldingdepot.com/cgi/we...WE6524P-8.html
It come with a regulator, cart, auto darkening helmet, and a tank for $551.80 which seems like a hell of a deal!
I'm going to be building a turbo kit for my camaro soon and one of my buddies is gonna help me fab the kit up, but I feel bad making him do all that work and figured if I can pick up a decent welder cheap enough and learn how to do it he could help me and it wouldn't be so much work on him, so you think this welder would work to fab a turbo kit, some of the piping is gonna be pretty big, think the downpipe is gonna be like a 5" pipe if i'm not mistaken.