Welders

[Cowboy832]

I am shopping around for a welder for my garage, but I really don't know what would be the best choice for me. I had considered making a grill guard and a flatbed for my truck, so I would need something stout enough to handle the thicker steel that would be used in that type of project. I also like the idea of playing around with aluminum some day, so I was thinking about a mig set up. I don't want to have to take out a second mortgage to buy it though, so any ideas???

 

[ndurbin]

I like Millers quite a bit. Their not cheap but ya get what ya pay for. I like the Linclon welders too, just as long as it's not the electricly controled ones. Hobarts aren't to bad either.



Nathan

 

[Cowboy832]

Ive checked out harbor freight. . seems like they have a lot to choose from, but I really need some specifics as far as specs. What is the smallest amperage I can get away with and still safely weld say 1/4 inch steel. I have done a lot of welding before on a freinds cracker box, but since relocating thanks to the Army, I dont have any resources around to borrow from, and besides, it is about time I got my own tools anyway . I plan on doing some "mild" body work, and some fabrication work such as bumpers, grill guards, and eventually a western hualer style flat bed for my truck. I also have a chevy 4x4/cummins conversion in the making sitting im my driveway. I have seen some really small welders like 87 amps, that Im not sure would do the job, to some larger 250 amp welders that may be too much. What do yall think?

 

[nickleinonen]

So 1/8" plate would require 125 amps, and so on

i usually when stick welding i use about that amperage for 1/4" plate... with 1/8" rod...



for mig welding, mine is kinda budget... it's an older miller one [migmatic 135 i think 10yrs old] and it's got 4 power settings. anything 1/8" or better, it goes to full . for thinner stuff like exhaust pipe, it'll go on level 2... flux core is messy after the weld. [lots of spatter]

 

[Hillbilly Hotrodder]

Bumpers, grillegaurds, a flatebd, and a budget..... all that adds up to a stick welder. Can't go wrong with a Lincoln AC/DC unit. They're cheap and reliable.



Only downside is, the aluminum work you want to do.



Keep in mind, MIG welding aluminum can be sketchy at best unless you invest in a spool gun for your MIG machine.



I have a smaller MIG machine and a Miller Bobcat stick welder. Between the two, I can handle most situations. I don't weld aluminum though.

 

[E7mack96]

Go with the trailblazer 301. It'll do you right, and you'll have a generator for when the lights go out.



Beautiful welds with it. And it won't break the bank.

 

[av8r]

IMHO: as a machinist (and welder) for 15 years, a 115 volt wire feed is a waste of money. They are toys. A 220 volt setup, while more expensive, is much more useful for structural steel welding (. 125 +) and can still do the light sheetmetal work. I've also seen people to incredible work on a simple Millermatic 225 (220v ac/dc stick).

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Yap yap yap yap . Keep in mind that I am a complete newbie with welding. I'd never welded in my life until 4 weeks ago. I inherited a Miller 230a 230v stick welder from my father in law several years ago but thus far have never used it. I've been wanting to buy a wire feed welder for a while and have been watching the prices, etc. Harbor freight has on sale right now a 230v 120a wire feed dual (gas or flux) welder for $199 - normally $399 ( http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=6271 ). I bought that about a month ago and it came with everything needed except for the regulator ($29) and tank. Not sure if you've welded before or if this is your first welder. They rate it to weld up to 5/32" and I've used it on 1/8" no problem. This is obviously a lower end welder but I figured that worst case I could use it to learn on and learn what I actually wanted/needed and sell it for very little (if any) loss when I was ready to upgrade. Thus far I haven't seen a need to upgrade - I've run an entire 2 lb spool of wire plus run through a 20 cu ft ar75 tank (plus some) and have been very happy with it. I also plan on doing a decent amount of aluminum welding and have dabbled in it with decent results using 100% argon (2nd tank). Now that I've got this down halfway decent I feel a lot better about trying the stick welder now and I figure between the two of them (plus the oxy/acetylene setup that I just bought ) I've got most of what I need covered. Here's a picture of an aluminum weld I did after playing around for about 10 minutes:



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Here's some pics of some steel welding I've done with it:



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Be easy on me - like I said I laid my first weld down 4 weeks ago and I'm learning on my own although some of the guys on here have given me great pointers and advice on pictures I've sent them.

 

[RDupree]

i've been a welder for 35 years,and i worked for airco for 10 years,buy a miller,a hobart or a lincoln. something you can get parts for. something that will hold a 30lb spool of wire(cheaper). now,aluim welding,you need to decide how thick or thin your gonna work with,thinner than 1/8th you need to tig it,thicker you need to mig it. a spool gun is the only way to mig aluim. i build sheet metal intakes and do a lot of port welding for a local race shop. this stuff cost money,but,it sure works better than the cheap stuff

 

[Cowboy832]

Thanks guys, and thanks Steve St. Laurent for the pics. I had actually been eyeing the same model at harbor freight, and after seeing your pics, I think that is the one I am going to go with. Its hard for me shop online and compare products when I cant actually walk into the store and look at them, so your experiences help out a lot guys. Thanks.

 

[fbaurley]

If I had to have one welder, for repair work it would be an ac/ dc stick machine. On a good machine, with adjustable arc voltage , it is possible to weld very thin metal with a low setting, and a small rod. To weld stainless, or alloy steel, just select the proper rod. You can weld aluminum also with decent results, if you are good. No matter what welder you buy mig or stick, buy one with infiitely adjustable amperage or voltage settings. The cheaper units are not infinitely adjustable, and just have click, or notch settings, every so many amps( stick), or volts( Mig). My personal choice would be a good stick/ tig machine, once a person has learned to Tig, they wont want to use the mig for thin material any more. A Mig is excellent for High speed fabrication of mild steel, but as far as a repair machine I think they are overated. For aluminum you'll also need a spool gun( aluminum wire needs to be pulled, and not pushed, and another tank with different gas). There are many people out there buzzing stuff together with Migs, that cant weld , thats why they like the Mig. They get a weld that appears good, but many times it not. Mig welding, is a good weld, but actually takes a good amount to practice to get good penetraion, and have a good weld.

 

[rbattelle]

Stick welders are so much cheaper than a wire feed welder. I'd really like to get a welder for some light fabrication work (1/4 inch steel or thinner). I am not an experienced welder (I took a short class on it once in 1996).



So my question is, is something like this a good choice, or is a wire-feed gas-shielded unit really far superior? I'm not interested in speed, and I'm willing to take as long as necessary to learn to make good welds.



-Ryan

 

[Eric_77]

I have a Miller Thunderbolt 225amp stick welder that I know has been in the shop for 25 years. Still works consistant and puts a good weld down. I would love to get a new welder but this thing just keeps on kicking out good welds so I can't justify it. I have only one rod we keep in the shop the 1/8 6011 and use it for everything 1/8 to 3/8 mild steel



The number one thing I did to improve my welding was buying an auto tinting shield.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

My welder is a basic Wards 230 amp AC/DC box - and I have an assortment of rod covering everything from 18 ga sheetmetal to the big stuff, including Cast Iron, stainless steel and aluminum - haven't found anything yet at a personal level I couldn't make or fix with it - sometimes maybe not the prettiest beads, but never any worries as to whether it would hold or not!



The wire welders are nice for lighter projects and specialized stuff - but I consider them more as a possible SUPPLEMENT to my stick welder, not a substitute or replacement for it!

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Harbor Freight also has a $200 TIG box... interesting.



I wonder if it has HF or if it is a scratch-arc box... hrmmm.



http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=91811



I'm 'this close' to ordering the GMAW machine that Steve bought.

I need to get my welding 'fix'... I've been having serious withdrawels.



Matt



On edit: I found more info on the Chicago Electric welders from Harbor Freight. It seems like they're Italian made and imported under the 'Chicago Electric' brand name only by Harbor Freight.



Their TIG box is definitely a scratch-arc box (d'oh!)... here's some specs (that aren't impressive at all... especially the weld thickness... seems REALLY thin... ):

Max weld thickness:

TIG welding: . 6MM TO 3MM (. 024" TO . 118")

ARC welding: . 6MM TO 5MM (. 024" TO . 197")



Electrode size:

. 047", . 080", 1/16". ELECTRODE INCLUDED: (1) 1/16"

Type: SCRATCH ARC

Internal solenoid for gas control.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

It's still working great for me Matt. I've put 3 spools of wire and 2 1/2 tanks of gas through it so far. Here's a pic of my first "major" project:



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I'm in the process of painting it right now - it came out great and I sure learned a TON doing it.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Thanks for the update, Steve. I think you should buy one of the plasma cutters that Harbor Freight has... that way I'll know if they're any good.



Matt