Beginner shop welder?

[Justsaws]

There are tooooooons of very useful videos on YouTube that will walk a person through most welding general questions. Chances are if a person wanted to they could search for a video specific to the machine they are looking to purchase.

There are of course some perhaps less than good videos bordering on dangerous as well as sponsored videos that may be a bit misleading toward product reviews.

I am a back porch, basement, barn, driveway and sometimes grassy knoll welder that recommends spending some time on YouTube learning about the various machines and techniques.

Before buying any welder take the time to find local sources for supplies such as bottles, wire(price both flux and solid),tips, noozles, etc., they will push that Miller 211 well past the budget. Supplies from places like WalMart, TSC, Lowes, Home Depot and Harbor Freight can get you started but things like gas bottles tend to be much much much cheaper from welding supply companies.

 

[SCOTTS_4X]

I'm not a back porch welding expert. Why call people out like this? No need for making people feel dumb. Especially about welding on a chainsaw forum.

if I showed you a picture of a saw muffler and carried on about how I was going to port my carb would you correct me or let me go on and on about my carb (muffler) project? I bet I'd get straightened out by all the saw guys wouldn't I?

I tried to tell the guy it's two different things and people were using names and terms wrong and he insisted I was the one that was wrong because canadian tire had a Welder clearly labeled mig AND flux core capable. sorry for hunting anyone's feelings but if you're going to give advice on something you know pretty much nothing about then at least do a Google search and get your terminology right.

-scott

 

[Sepia]

If you give me enough time I could also find a turkey baster that doubles as a cutting torch. But just so I don't ruffle any feathers, I will be sure to specify that they are different processes so the OP doesn't try cut the turkey with the baster.

 

[fwgsaw]

if I showed you a picture of a saw muffler and carried on about how I was going to port my carb would you correct me or let me go on and on about my carb (muffler) project? I bet I'd get straightened out by all the saw guys wouldn't I?

I tried to tell the guy it's two different things and people were using names and terms wrong and he insisted I was the one that was wrong because canadian tire had a Welder clearly labeled mig AND flux core capable. sorry for hunting anyone's feelings but if you're going to give advice on something you know pretty much nothing about then at least do a Google search and get your terminology right.

-scott

You missed my point completely. You called everyone that replied on this thread a back porch welding expert. I'm just telling you that your information was wrong and misleading about that.

 

[Sepia]

I think that now that we have established who the true welding expert is, and who the back porch welders are, it is only fitting that the expert specify to the OP exactly which make and model welder he should buy, and further, explain to him exactly how he should use it!

 

[fwgsaw]

If you give me enough time I could also find a turkey baster that doubles as a cutting torch. But just so I don't ruffle any feathers, I will be sure to specify that they are different processes so the OP doesn't try cut the turkey with the baster.

Sometimes that's exactly what Google will get you. Lol

 

[Sepia]

Boy this thread sure went off on a tangent. My apologies to the OP for my participation in this **** show.

 

[SCOTTS_4X]

I know that there are plenty of welders here that know more than I do, yet none of them are chiming in telling me I'm wrong.

as for specifying a weld process/machine I'd be happy to if I were given some parameters other than $$. what will you be welding(material? application?) were will you be welding(inside? outside?) what voltage/amperage do you have access to? things of this nature help tremendously to tailor a welding system to the end user.

-scott

 

[bayard]

well this all very interesting. get the 211 and practice practice.i did my first welds in 1977[.stick] years of tig, mig,spray arc. you want the best you can afford. when you get better, get a spool gun and do aluminum. my current mig is a 24 year old miller 250 wire feeder with a spool gun.

 

[Franny K]

flux core mig...no such thing. it's either Flux core (fcaw) or mig.

-scott

Pretty much I do know gmaw is a solid wire gas shielded. Mig should mean metal inert gas but kind the definition may not be that specific for a majority of folks using it. fcaw is flux core arc welding of which you have the dual shield kind that generally uses 75/25 or pure carbon dioxide and also the self shielded flux core which is the reverse polarity from dual shield. Dual shield is great if there is no wind and the metal is thick enough. I seem to remember reading on the Esab site about some wire with a very little bit of additive in the core that came under the gmaw class.

As to post 1 with $800 to spend I would say look into getting a used Lincon V275s. It is a stick welder dc only that can also do dc tig just not with solenoids in the machine. It has enough power to run 7024 rod 5/32 or 3/16 that pretty much just hold and let the flux crumble instead of hold a distance. I did not really notice what sort of repairs/fabrication they had in mind.

The part about seeing what you are doing is accurate. You can really see what you are doing with tig. It can get frustrating and for someone who has gone through a number of the largest argon cylinders.

There generally is adult education courses one can take.

 

[drf255]

I see the usual fighting on the AS has hit this thread also. It's infectious.

To the OP:

In terms of process and overall use, get a Mig. You can't use the amps you didn't buy.

Buy a name brand with good support, which means MILLER.

You'll need a 220 50 amp outlet if you really want a versatile mig. On 110, no matter what you're told, you won't have the amperage to burn heavier wire.

Migs are Constant Voltage or CV. They are measured in amp output which gets confusing. A 110 volt 20 amp circuit can only put out 2200 watts. Energy cant be destroyed or created, it can only change forms. A 240V 50 amp circuit puts out 12,000+ watts. See where I'm going here?

Next choice is inverter vs. transformer. Inverters are smaller, lighter, use less power. But they have proprietary circuit boards in them that can fry after the warranty period and cost more than the machine to replace.

Next is amp output and duty cycle. Duty cycle is the amount of constant use during a 10 minute period that a machine can be in arc time. So you'll se machines that are cheap and rated at 200 amps for 10% duty cycle. So after 1 minute at 200 amps, the machine will shut off. You're supposed to stop before it hits that to prevent machine damage.

Isn't the end, if you're gonna go new and inverter, go Miller 211. Dual voltage and fairly good output. The customer service at Miller is bar none. Call them about a 30 year old machine and they'll treat you the same way as if you're about to buy a new one.

The best shop Mig arguably ever made is the Millermatic 200. It's what I recommend. It's a transformer and accepts all of the professional Mig parts. It was built when the USA was great and Miller gave the engineers the green light without the bean counters being involved.

The machine is nearly bullet proof. Parts are available for cheap, and you can fix it yourself. They cost around $700 used and they produce 200 amps at 60% duty cycle, the same as the MM250 does. IIRC, the max output is 280 amps. It accepts a spoolgun as well.

That's my vote.

 

[mesupra]

Do you have access to 220/240v? Or just 110/120V

 

[rocketnorton]

If you give me enough time I could also find a turkey baster that doubles as a cutting torch. But just so I don't ruffle any feathers, I will be sure to specify that they are different processes so the OP doesn't try cut the turkey with the baster.

 

[Sepia]

 

[fwgsaw]

View attachment 550242

That's one way to cut up a turkey and smoke it at the same time

 

[rocketnorton]

on a more serious note, my 1st welder was millermatic 130, 120v wire gun. can run mig or flux. used as intended - like a wild thing - it's been good. still have it. have since added syncrowave 200, ac/dc stick & tig. imo, the 200a "mig" is a good place to start. I prefer blue. the red vs blue is the gm vs ford argument. machines mentioned are "home shop" stuff. I might have some "professional" exp fab & weldin w/bigger & better, but these are what works for me.

 

[Sleepy]

View attachment 550242

Great idea!
What kind of chain do you recommend to reduce bone splinters?

 

[rocketnorton]

Great idea!
What kind of chain do you recommend to reduce bone splinters?

dull

 

[heimannm]

My colleague says Pete has the perfect solution for the beef in the cafeteria where we have been working this past week...

Mark

 

[Pioneer]

I was in the same boat, having welded as a profession in my early 20's and then quitting for 30 years. Having the desire to do light duty stuff around the house, I bought a cheap flux core wire feed 110V welder. The technique came back quickly and the welder does surprisingly well on metal up to 1/8 inch as long as you use good wire. The biggest problem is blowing the circuit breaker every time I turn it up close to max.
If I had money to blow, I would get a 230V ac/dc mig welder AND a tig welder for aluminum. On a tight budget, I would look for a used Lincoln AC/DC 230V for stick welding heavy stuff and stick with the wire core for the light stuff.

A sample weld with the el-cheapo wire feed and the cart I made up with used bed frames.