Question for those of you who know about welders

C

Craig

New member
RE: Time waster

I've been thinking about getting a welder. I know absolutely nothing about welding but I want to learn. I don't want to spend huge cash either. What should I look for in a welder that will be easy to learn on but will still be capable of welding most things related to vehicles and around the house? The first thing I plan on using it for is a front bumper.

While I'm on the topic of welders, last summer when I was up camping, a 4wd club came through. One of the guys in the club busted something and needed to weld it to get his vehicle back. All the guys in the club took their batteries out of their vehicles, hooked them all up together and made a welder. They must've had about 8 batteries hooked up. How does this work?
 

first, as for the battery welder... i've seen it... it works well... but it may not be the best thing for the batteries. It basically adds up the current from all batteries... high current = high heat, which is the principle behind welding... if you have enough current to melt the metal, you have a welder

if you want to get a welder that is really easy to learn with, and something that will work for everything, and last a long time.. go with a 220v MIG... the high amp mig welders are REALLY easy to use, and you can learn how to use the various settings... but these welders are huge, cost a lot, not very portable, and require a 220v source

if you want something to be portable, 110v, inexpensive (kinda) and manageble... go with a 110v, somewhere around 135amp mig welder. They don't quite have the current potential of a 220, but they get the job done. you sometimes just have to take your time a little more and get things to burn correctly. its a good way to learn.

whichever way you go... GET A MIG.. and make sure it is a MIG, and not just a wire feed welder... the gas is crutial for learning
 
RE: vehicle year

... On the subject of welders... I have a welder, never welded, what kind of welder do I have? Haven't examined it, it's old school, 220, bout the size of a small refrigerator, a Hobart... Has two very large knobs, one switches from AC to DC, the other has all sorts of mysterious numbers and settings... So, what is it, how does it work? THere's a foot pedal to it, and the other bits, I have not examined... There are gas tanks next to it, which may or may not be related to it, like I said, I haven't looked, and the garage is in a bit of a shambles as my grandpa was not himself in his final years of using it...
 
RE: jeep return?????

Hobart has a new machine out that I'm probably going to get so I'll have one at the house. The only place I've seen one is at one of the local welding supply stores. It's a 130amp machine and comes with all the leads, regulator, and a cart for a little over $400. It's the same price as the Miller sitting right next to it, but the warranty is the same and the Miller doesn't come with the cart. No matter what wire feed welder you buy, you'll need to purchase a gas bottle to make it MIG. That's why so many people mess with flux, the bottle is an extra expense that beginners usually don't want to invest in.....BUT......go ahead and get the gas setup. It's so much better than flux, and learning is easier too. Flux is best left ot the guys doing heavy field repair, and in my opinion it takes more skill to produce a proper weld than it does with gas.

Saurian- It sounds like you have a TIG machine, but it should have more than just the two knobs on it. What does the "torch" (part you hold in your hand) look like?
 

Saurian, it sounds like it is just a pile of junk....and is pretty much worthless. I'll give you $25 for it.


Sorry I couldn't resist. But yes, what does the torch look like? If you happen to have a picture of the thing, we could tell exactly which machine you have.


But as for Craigs question...yes, you most likely want a MIG. If you go with a 110v unit, you won't be able to do anything that is really thick. But, 220v units are pretty spendy. However, if it's something that you'll be using a good amount and plan to be keeping it for a long time, 220 might be something to look into. You'll never be dissapointed with it and won't ever need to upgrade.
 
Jeep Tj Trick

Sounds like 220 is what I'm looking for. I want something that's gonna last me a lifetime that'll be useful for pretty much anything I ever need to weld for automotive use and around the house. I don't wanna buy something that a year downt he road I'm gonna be unhappy with because I'm limited as to what I can do with it.
 
Ya, I've made that mistake many many time, and that's why I brought it up. The only problem is the price. But, I still think it would be a good investment.
 

Re: RE: Re: What is your "stupidest" or "wors

I was getting ready to post a similar question.

I have been considering buying a stick welder. The reason would be that they are cheap and can weld a thicker steel for the money. I understand they are harder to learn, but have seen it done several times and it looks like once you have it down it is pretty ez going.

I want to be able to weld 1/4" steel and not spend $1000 on a welder to do it. I can buy a stick welder for under $300 and be good for 1/4", right?


Is there a reason I should NOT buy a stick welder???
 
shifter broken

This is the one I was looking at, $249 at Lowes:
http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=98103-000001703-K1170

I'm thinking that thing should weld at least 3/8", maybe even 1/2" but I don't know.

A stick welder uses a welding rod instead of a wire feed. No gas, just a stick and leads.

Migs are alot more popular and from what I've read, a lot more forgiving to the novice, but unless I'm missing something I'm going to learn how to stick weld.

If I'm making a mistake someone point it out!
 

anybody knows where i can get 32" inch tires for ship

Before I make my comments on the subject I present the following caveat: I'm below a novice when it comes to welding (I'm an idiot).

I have a "stick" welder (220v) and my dad purchased a clark mig 130en(110v) several months ago. We use the flux wire on the clark.

I've used both these welder a lot. For a novice the clark is by far the easiest and I have not had any problems welding with the flux wire. I do ok with the "stick" if the metal is of desent thickness and the same thickness, otherwise forget it, it will be strong just not pretty and I like pretty. Unless you are planning on doing some structual welding and really need the "beef" I'd go with a wire welder, and as far as the flux wire I think anyone with an IQ in the positive will be fine. I submit myself as an example. You do get a lot of splatter due to the flux, gas makes clean up a lot easier. But for the novice I wouldn't worry about the gas, just get a welder that has that capability incase you ever want to weld aluminum or stainless.

The clark welder is rated for 3/16, the next one up will do 1/4 but is 220V, which isn't a problem uness you want the 110v. Personally I wish dad would have purchased the hobart 140 which is rated for 1/4 and still operates at 110V and can be had fairly reasonable. Then I could have tossed the stick welder for good. I think the guy looking at the hobart is on the right track. Sorry for the long post.
 
I'll have to look at it, like I said, I have not looked into it in a while... It's an oldie, but goodie, my grandpa used it and it never let him down... I'll try to get some pics of it somehow... There are also a lot of switches up and down the sides of it... I might be going out there tomorrow to do some more work on the Jeep, so I will try to, if not get a picture of it, then at least a rough description, or a drawing :)

SO, what is mig, tig, all that... Is the welder only electric, based on what I have told you, or do the mysterious tanks next to it have something to do with it as well? I don't know what's hooked up to what, and I know that I'm not helping here, but I'll do my very best to get a better look at things when I am out there...
 

Thanks

I personally love Arc welders (stick). Once you get the hang of it, you can weld perfect beads all day long. I peronally like it better due to the fact that you have more control over everything.
 
RE: new rock garden = fun and damage

Oh, and if you look for used Arc welders, you can get them really cheap. If you're lucky to even find one, they're usually under $100
 
I just bought the Hobart Handler 135 - 3 weeks ago from Tractor Supply for just over $300.

Wonderful machine. It is a true mig, but since I bought it to weld up a patio cover with, I did not get the bottle or any sheilding gas yet, I am just using .30 flux core. It is very windy outside and the gas will not sheild the workpiece in the wind.
Migs are great for indoor shop use, but if you are going to use it outside, the gas can get blow out of the way, causing spatter and other problems.

I had little previos welding experiance and I cannot belive how easy and fun this machine is to use.
I have welded 5/16th steel with it sucessfully. Although I cannot tell how good the penetration was, it looks fine. I made a portable vise out of 2 inch pipe, a 15" wheel and some flat 5/16th stock for a base.
The brochue says it only welds up to 1/4, but I know they are just erring on the side of caution with the specs.

Hobart is made by Miller. It is their "homeowner" "rancher" style machine not really intended for heavy daily use like in manufacturing.
I was also impressed with the Hobart 5/3/1 warranty. I was considering a Lincoln at Home Depot, but the warranty did no compare.

I have welding a bunch so far and am 1/2 way through building a custom "chopper" 20" bike for my son.
I'll post pics when it's painted.
Good luck with whatever you buy.
 

I just bought a welder a couple months ago for my CJ project. I got a Clarke brand MIG 220V 180A model. I like it alot, but I have never used anything else, so I don't have anything to compare it to. Its definitely easy to use with gas or flux core.

I got mine from weldingdepot.com. I had never heard of them before, but they had the best price out there. I ordered online, got an email that my order had shipped about a half hour later. It was on my doorstep 2 days later. Obviously, I was pretty impressed with the service.
 
RE: Sorry XJ

I worked as a welder for some 10 years so I will try to clear some things up.

The stick welder uses electrodes/rods with a coating on them. This coating burns as the rods are consumed creating a gas to protect your weld from impurities. although they can be more challanging to a beginner the welds are really strong and work great for bumpers, frames, trailers, etc.

There are several different kinds of (wire welders) The two most hear off are MIG and Flux core. Some welders have the ability to do both. MIG stands for MEtal Inert Gas it uses a gas usually CO2 or a mix therof to create a shield around the weld to protect from impurities. Alhough easy for a beginner to use it does not have the same strength as stick unless you use multiiple passes and bevel your material in order for the weld to penetrate. Flux core is a wire that has a flux that burn to create a gas when welding similar to a stick but like a MIG is fairly easy to use but has usually fairly weak.

TIG stands for Tungsten Inert Gas It uses a non consumable tungstem electrode to throw a concentrated arc to the material in which the normal shied gas in Argon. TIG is by far the hardest one to learn. However once you do there is NO end to what you can do. The only downside to TIG is that it is slow. Penetration is the best. You can with practice weld to beer cans together. cosmetically to best weld you can get.

There are a few other processes of welding but these are the most common one used at home and automotive. They all have the strenghts and weaknesses. For the most part TIG welding works great for cosmetic sheetmetal and small intricate parts. MIG welding works OK for light to medium duty requirements. Flux core I only use in light duty requirements in which I have long seams to weld that really are not going to be under stress. Stick is great for medium to heavy duty requirments.

I have two welders and hope to have third this next year. I have a 110volt flux core that works great for like toolboxs some sheetmetal and things that will not be under stress. I have a combination voltage stick the will run off 110 or 220 that I use to do all my bumpers and rock rails anything that is going to be under stress. and I hope to have TIG soon so I can do all my fancy stuff.

My recomendation for some one who wants to make bumpers is a stick. Although more difficult to master your welds will be stronger and you wont break your wallet. A MIG will work for bumpers but it has to be 220volt and your material beveled to allow for maximum penetration. The 110 MIG welders say they will weld 3/16 to 1/4 material but with my experience has lacked the penetration needed to make a good weld. And with a 220 volt MIG expect to pay for it.
 
RE: Sorry XJ

Thanks for the info. Looks like it's either gonna be a mig that will do both flux core and gas or a stick. Although the stick is harder to learn I'm leaning more towards that route because of the price and it's ability to do stronger welds. Gonna have to look around and price them out. Thanks.
 

ROGLSTUBB,
Thank you for taking the time to explain all that.
 
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