What welder for a beginner?

[lkeuten]

I'll agree with what is being said here. Go with the biggest welder you can afford and one of the name brand ones. The plus with the big name brand ones is that they will hold their value and you will find consumables easier and cheaper. Definitely get one with gas capabilities and get the largest bottle you can, cost per cubic foot is much cheaper on the large tanks.The small 120 volt welders will get you there but it takes a lot of skill and experience. One thing that needs to be mentioned is duty cycle on a welder. This boils down to how many minutes out of ten you can weld before you have to stop and let the welding machine cool down. The small 120's have a very short duty cycle averaging about 2 minutes out of 10, The larger ones ( 220 volt,170 to 210 amp) will hit 3 to 4 out of 10 depending how hot you are welding. and the really big boys will hit from 60 to 100%duty cycle. An autodark helmet is darned near a necessity in my book and here again go with a name brand one, one that includes battery power and the more sensors the merrier. Do take a welding class or have an experienced welder coach you it will get you up and running faster. Just my $0.02 worth.

 

[lkeuten]

Just another thing I want to mention here, I have a millermatic 140 and a Hobart187, They both came with real cheesy ground clamps like the kind you find on a cheap set of jumper cables. I changed these out to 300/400 amp clamps and it made a big difference in both welders. Easier to start, deeper penetration, and a way smoother wetter weld.

 

[Gerry]

Just another thing I want to mention here, I have a millermatic 140 and a Hobart187, They both came with real cheesy ground clamps like the kind you find on a cheap set of jumper cables. I changed these out to 300/400 amp clamps and it made a big difference in both welders. Easier to start, deeper penetration, and a way smoother wetter weld.

this is very wise advice. You wont believe how much a GOOD earth clamp can effect a weld.
G

 

[Old Rotor Flap]

Northern Tool ?

I bought a Stanley blower at Ace Harware for $53.95. A couple of days later I got a Northern Tool catalog where the same blower was listed at their discounted price of $59.95... plus shipping.

I'll gues the welder is one of those Cheap Chinese Communist Conscritped Child Cruelty Conflicting Capitalism Crap.

The Northern catalog is good for starting a fire in the kitchen wood stove.

 

[Don'tCallMeJimmie]

ORF, Northern Tool does sell brand-name stuff too - you just have to look for it. And sometimes its a bargain.

They have outlet stores here in NC, I've managed to stay out of one so far.

I got a factory reconditioned Hobart 140 from Northern Tool for around 350, shipped and would have bought the 180 if I could have figured out how to pull 220 out of a full breaker panel... Full warranty from Hobart on it, the paint was touched up but otherwise like new.

I think the funniest product I ever saw in a Northern Tool catalog was the money belt that was a simulated pair of stained tigtey-whitey's though. Seemed more JC Whitney genre than NT to me.

 

[Gerry]

Northern Tool ?

I bought a Stanley blower at Ace Harware for $53.95. A couple of days later I got a Northern Tool catalog where the same blower was listed at their discounted price of $59.95... plus shipping.

I'll gues the welder is one of those Cheap Chinese Communist Conscritped Child Cruelty Conflicting Capitalism Crap.

The Northern catalog is good for starting a fire in the kitchen wood stove.

9 Cs in a row. Man if I got that at school my dad would have beat me but good.
G

 

[RPM]

I highly recommend this welder from these folks. We buy a lot from these guys and there is no problem at all. Free shipping and no sales tax. It doesn't get any better.

My link

 

[PotvinGuy]

Outstanding responses, thanks guys. :kiltdance:

RPM, I really do like the looks of that Millermatic 180 you linked. And I have the 220V 30A service. So I can run the space heater or the welder. Dontcallmejimmie, I had the same problem, full panel; an electrician wanted to replace the panel with a bigger one for $$$$. I found some double breakers that take one space and give two circuits, so I used them to free up enough space for the 220 breaker. Got cable at Home Depot and did it myself for $150 bucks total.

I believe I'll find a short course, look around for pricing, and spring for a big Miller or Lincoln, a big tank of gas and an autodarken hood. Then get a bunch of scrap and start practicing.

Youngster, thanks for the offer and I look forward to doing some welding with you. As soon as the weather warms, I'll come your way, and we can go on down to TEA's to check them out. I'm hoping they can custom fit some seats to the bucket.

Oh, do I need a spoolgun to do aluminum (Gerry, do you say aluminium )? Or is it just convenient?

 

[RPM]

On your electrical stuff. Here is a little trick we did. We put up another building, just to do the plasma cutting in. We needed a lot of power there. So we put a 100 amp breaker in the main panel in the big shop. Ran a HEAVY wire through conduit to the new building, to another sub breaker box. The smaller box can handle 100 amps total. You have all these circuits, but all that stuff does not run at the same time. When we are plasma cutting the whole operation pulls about 80 amps. Each machine is on a separate circuit. So you could run your heater and your welder at the same time with no problems.


Were is ExJunk he is an electrician.

 

[Don'tCallMeJimmie]

PotvinGuy - A spool gun is "optional" but consider the bird's nest you will probably face. Imagine pushing a 6' long overcooked strand of spagehtti thorough a straw and a welding tip with a little drag. Now push the same noodle through about six inches -- that's the benefit of doing 'lomienum with a spool gun. Plus quicker changeover because you don't have to swap out your liner in the whip. You have to have a dedicated liner for aluminum or you'll contaminate the wire.

Mike, you know how it is with we tech professionals; we're curious and learn a little about a lot. I can pull a circuit for something like a new microwave, lights, or to give my son a dedicated 20a drop for his "office", you know computer, tv, umpty-thousand game consoles. But pulling a high-current drop is a little out of my comfort zone, as is a panel upgrade.

The worst part my story?

The box and the neutral bar are full - of double breakers. Somebody must have slipped the inspector a hundy when the house was built.

My neighbor tells me that when my house was built, it was a $300 upcharge to put in 200a vs 100a service. Yep, the original buyer cheaped out. Makes no sense to me at all in a house with AC and electric range and electric dryer. Should not have even been an option to do 100a, IMHO.

Oh well, ex lives there now and the house goes up for sale soon.

Ron - tiny suburban lot, no option for an outbuilding.

Next one...

Thanks though, guys.

 

[benT]

Before we had a separate shop, all the car building was done in Dad's 1-1/2" car garage. We did not have any room in the 100a panel so we resorted to putting dryer plugs on the cords. This worked well when the dryer was in the garage. When it got moved out, we just split the circuit and installed a dryer outlet in the house and kept the old one in the garage. Every time we had to weld, we made damn sure to not run the dryer!

Here's a shot of the ole man welding up something on the back of my frame... this was with the Hobart. It think it was a 175 or something. It was a good little welder and with it we built 90% of my frame.

 

[Youngster]

Unless you are going to be doing a lot of welding I would suggest an "S" size bottle. I get $ to ^ months out of one if I don't forget to turn the gas off when I'm done for the day.

I agree with Jimmy. The spool gun is more trouble than it's worth if you done have a lot of use for it. I can push .023 wire all day long with out any problems. I like .030 wire for general use in my wonderfull 185 Hobart.

Ron

 

[PotvinGuy]

PotvinGuy - A spool gun is "optional" but consider the bird's nest you will probably face. Imagine pushing a 6' long overcooked strand of spagehtti thorough a straw and a welding tip with a little drag. Now push the same noodle through about six inches -- that's the benefit of doing 'lomienum with a spool gun. Plus quicker changeover because you don't have to swap out your liner in the whip. You have to have a dedicated liner for aluminum or you'll contaminate the wire.

Mike, you know how it is with we tech professionals; we're curious and learn a little about a lot. I can pull a circuit for something like a new microwave, lights, or to give my son a dedicated 20a drop for his "office", you know computer, tv, umpty-thousand game consoles. But pulling a high-current drop is a little out of my comfort zone, as is a panel upgrade.

The worst part my story?

The box and the neutral bar are full - of double breakers. Somebody must have slipped the inspector a hundy when the house was built.

My neighbor tells me that when my house was built, it was a $300 upcharge to put in 200a vs 100a service. Yep, the original buyer cheaped out. Makes no sense to me at all in a house with AC and electric range and electric dryer. Should not have even been an option to do 100a, IMHO.

Oh well, ex lives there now and the house goes up for sale soon.

Ron - tiny suburban lot, no option for an outbuilding.

Next one...

Thanks though, guys.

The house we just left in Ardmore,OK had two 200A panels. The owner/builder was in the trade and apparently got everything at cost, so the whole house was overbuilt, with elaborate moldings, fancy windows, granite, etc. The panels were each only 1/3 full. I was going to build a shop next to the house, but then we got transferred to MN :cold:

 

[Don'tCallMeJimmie]

The house we just left in Ardmore,OK had two 200A panels. The owner/builder was in the trade and apparently got everything at cost, so the whole house was overbuilt, with elaborate moldings, fancy windows, granite, etc. The panels were each only 1/3 full. I was going to build a shop next to the house, but then we got transferred to MN :cold:

Bummer does not even cover it... I hope you found something good up 'dere, eh?

I've had to make 3 self-moves in the last 12 months, just to keep working, so I am all too familiar with that pain. My household and project are in storage and if things don't get all twisted up again, I might be able to get settled and back into it this summer.

My living situation currently sucks but being unemployed would suck exponentially more, so I'll take it. :wall:

 

[CrAlt]

heres another tip.
Take 2 bits of steel, set them at 90* and run a fillet up them. Let them cool down on their own and then set one side in a vice and use some grips to work the other bit forwards and backwards until it breaks.
Now take a look at the weld thats given up and it will give you a clue to penetration and how strong the weld was. Also if the weld gives up on the first movement... its not a weld.
gerry,

I don't have 220 so i was stuck getting a 120v unit. I got the hobart 145 years ago at Tractor Supply. ZERO issues with it. I wouldn;t weld together a frame or on a rear axle but its done everything else. Floors, exhaust, body panels, brackets, etc..
Even hung 2 full 1/4's on my '69 dodge.. I thought for sure the 10,000 spotwelds (on-off-on-off-on-off-on-off-on-off) would brake something but it held out fine.

Got the gas kit and miller consumables fit it. Made in the usa.

The big thing about 120v units is that they draw a TON of current. I had to wire in a dedicated outlet at the house then buy a 10 gauge extension cord to run from the house to the garage to power it. The junk 14/2 underground feed to my garage couldn't cut it. If I knew I would have had to do this I would have just gotten a 220v unit and ran a 220v extension cord across the driveway..

 

[Old Rotor Flap]

9 Cs in a row. Man if I got that at school my dad would have beat me but good.
G

Gerry buddy,

If I got nine C's my ol'man would have figured I cheated or bribed the teachers.

Have you seen the old TV show "Cheers"? The best line I ever heard was uttered by Woody who was washing glasses at the other end of the bar when Sam, Norm..... NORM!! and Cliff were talking about high school. One of them said... yeah, when I was 18 and just got out of high school..... Woody turns around, laughs and says 18? when you got out of high school? ( another laugh) Hey, did your ol'man know the Principal?

Cheers, (appropriate?)

Doug

 

[benT]

I highly recommend this welder from these folks. We buy a lot from these guys and there is no problem at all. Free shipping and no sales tax. It doesn't get any better.

My link

These guys are actually Indiana Oxygen Corp here in Indianapolis. We've bought our Miller 252 welder and Miller Spectrum 375 Plasma from them. Great folks as RPM has said. The Ebay price is actually cheaper then the walk-in price. To get the ebay price, we actually had to order it online and have it "delivered" to their dock for pickup. I would also highly recommend them.