which welder for novice??

I am wanting to purchase a welder. I have had only a very little experience in welding. Just enough actually to get myself in trouble. I want to be able to use a 110 outlet to power the machine. I will be welding mostly small jobs around the home. Want to eventually build some iron fencing. I think at most, the thickest metal I will be working with will be 1/4 inch. Can anyone suggest a welder (will probably buy at local Home Depot, they sell Lincoln) that would be good to get my feet wet? I have been told to go Mig.....Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Reply to
Tmccart128
Loading thread data ...

I started with a 110V Lincoln MIG and still have it. The only limitation for your situation is insufficient penetration. Even running flux-cored wire, 1/8" thickness mild steel is the top end for a single pass.

For what you propose, a 220V MIG is a better answer in a single machine. There are several reasons why you should not get the welder at a home center. Go to an actual retail welding supply dealer for the explanation.

My second welder (for whatever the 110V Lincoln won't do) is a Miller Bobcat. It WILL handle 1/4" material and I have built about 50 feet of steel fencing with it.

If what you want to buy is a car, a Yugo IS a car, but most folks don't buy them for several reasons.

Reply to
Thomas Kendrick

Buy what you think you will grow into in a couple of years. Buy a brand name. Unless ALL you EVER want to do is very light thin sheet metal, get a

220v. MIG. A 110 just won't cut it if the material is very thick, and thick means over 1/8", and that isn't very thick. Remember, you will be gaining skill. If you buy something you will outgrow soon, or is a cheap-o, you will soon be down at the welding supply shop buying a REAL welder, and you will have lost most of the money paid for a smaller or cheap-o welder.

Been there. Done that. Got the T shirt.

Buy quality and cry only once.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

Is there a reason why you must limit yourself to 110 volts?

If you can go to 220 your choices will be much, much greater.

The other comments re going for a more skookum (do people in the States use that word?) machine are true and written from real experience. As a newbie you cannot (normally be expected to) realise that a 110 machine really is very limited even for a beginner.

A common experience is that once a beginner gets the basics, they then expand their ideas into projects that they could not even have imagined when they knew very little about welding.

You said you want to do 'small stuff around the house.' When I think of that, I think: shelf brackets in the garage, a small trellis to hold up some plants, a steel gate (with welded on hinges), garden hose hangers, brackets for that wooden-beam swing set you want to make for the kids, and the fence you mentioned. (Make that fence and neighbours may very well want you to make them one too.) You may also want to make a welding table with steel legs and top. Cart for the welder? Heck yes.

I do 'stuff around the house'-type welding. I weld heavy stuff (1/2", 1", etc.) all the time in my simple projects. In my experience, it would be terrible if I was limited to max 1/4 inch.

I have a stick/tig machine but all that stuff above could be welded just as well with a good wire feed machine (MIG) too like a Miller 175. All that could have been done with a basic good stick welder too such as the Lincoln 'tombstone (see this example on eBay:

formatting link
.The tombstone welders are well-regarded for what they are and the model has been around for a very long time. You are likely to see them for sale all the time in your local classified pages. A lot of experienced welders say that machine is not a bad choice when on a limited budget.

Hope this helps takes you up the learning curve a little.

Ciao, David Todtman

Reply to
David Todtman

a 110 V lincoln promig 135 at Home depo will do a lot of stuff around the house, including building metal fence, (unless you live on the ranch and want to build a mile long 4" diam oil drilling pipe material fence ) it is limited to 1/8- 3/16 material at the most. the nice thing is that you can plug it is anywhere and it is portable. once you get good at using it than you will want to move up to a 220V better machines. at that time you can sell your 110V and get a 220 V or just keep it as a portable welder. it can do flux core and solid wire with gas. contact tips and nossles, small spool wires are readily availbale. The new hobart 140 will do the same but it is miller/hobart brand. A slighly better choic would be a miller 175 which is a 220V but than you are stuck using it from dryer outlet in the garage.

Reply to
acrobat-ants

In a single pass, yes. With multiple passes, you can weld any thickness. Just keep in mind that with these little machines, doing multiple passes is where their low duty cycle will limit you because once you are done with one pass, you'll likely start right into the next pass with very little rest time for the machine. Take your time and give the machine some rest time and you'll be able to get lots done with it.

Shawn

Reply to
Shawn

"Shawn" wrote

So, I can weld together one inch plates if I just use enough passes?

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

In theory yes, in practice........... not really!

To weld the heavy plate you have to do multiple passes so the low duty cycle of the smaller machines will give you LOTS of time to drink coffee while the welder cools down. A bit sneakier is the problem that newbie welders cannot get good, consistent, void free welds. When you stack on

5 or 10 passes all of your little mistakes add up.

Ernie L. on this NG is a master welding instructor, did a 1" plate on a small welder as a demo. Took him most of a day to get the job done.

Net: Except > "Shawn" wrote

Reply to
RoyJ

Good weldors can do a lot of things. But one thing they do is use the right process for the metal they are welding. And thickness is a big factor when choosing the right process.

You can get steel to stick together with JB Weld. You can get steel to stick together with a 110v. wirefeed. I just don't suggest it over welding it properly.

My favorite for one inch plate is 6010 root with 7018 filler. My personal favorite test is open root, vertical up. A piece of cake when you've done many times, and get the hang of it. And pretty, too.

Steve

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

that should be interesting...... 1 inch plate with a 110V mig?

multi pass or not you will end up with lots of cold bead. the weld bead (glob of metal ) will sit "pretty" on top of that cold base metal. (unless you apply some serious pre heat to that 1 inch plate first. the huge mas of a 1 " plate will suck any heat (amp) that a 110V could give it. your welding wire may melt but that base metal will not !!!!

guys....... please don't give false hope to beginer welders that a

110V mig will weld 1 " plate. it is simply just not happeneing.

Would you trust/( follow on a hwy.) a trailer assembled with

1/8"x1.5" angle iron , where they only used a 110Vmig? NOT me !!! lots of cold bead on that trailer. flux core or not.

however I would still reccomend a 110V mig to a beginner due to the fact that it is a good starter machine, portable for jobs around the house , will get you started on small jobs. easy to learn, if welding as a hobby does not work out for ya , you still not out of a bunch of money. however ....unlikely , it is very addictive.

I started with a 110V pro mig, moved to a miller 175 , miller 251, and settled on a miller 210. no regrets.

Reply to
acrobat-ants

"acrobat-ants" wrote

Just what the heck is it that makes this stuff SO addictive? Is it the flames? Being to see in the blinding light like a God? Is it the smoke? Is it being able to bend metal with your hands? (well, with the help of leverage) Is it the ability to make metal molten and control that reaction? Is it the ability to fix something that another deems totally worthless and restore it to value? Or just the massive ego high when one does so?

Or is it all of those?

Or none of them?

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

that s a good one....... beside making money with it........ for me it is the ability to join all kinds of shapes of metals making custom things that are not available anywhere else, repairing things that are otherwise unrepairable..... and yes controling that bright arc is a nice thing as well..... working that hot metal like a playdoh is nice it is a toy for a grownup that still wants to play and make stuff. and that is how it starts.....A/O, MIG, TIG, plasma. once you got those (or some ) the posibilities are endless.

Reply to
acrobat-ants

Holding a TIG torch with a 200 amp arc that is hot enough to melt steel instantly and moving it around as effortlessly as if it were is pencil is pretty addictive.

Being able to hack up a few pieces of scrap metal and weld them together in minutes into a bracket than can hold hundreds of pounds is addictive.

Mostly it's just power Power POWER!

On a related note, I haven't really looked since I use my Syncrowave for everything, but doesn't someone make a decent 120/240 MIG unit that can give you good power when running on 240, but also work at a reduced output when only 120 is available? It would seem to be a pretty useful feature and should be inexpensive to do on an inverter type unit.

Pete C.

Reply to
Pete C.

there it is brand new miller MIG DVI 110-240V

formatting link

Reply to
acrobat-ants

Ah, well then unless the price is really excessive that unit would probably top the recommended welder list for the beginner. Get them started on 120v and small stuff and then they can just find a 240v feed when their projects inevitably grow to need the extra capacity.

Pete C.

Reply to
Pete C.

Step one, take a class:) Step two, get to know your local welding supplier. I'm fortunate to have a really good shop in my area (B&R Welder Supply). They can go to bat for you to get machines repaired/replaced by the manufacturer. And they can offer all sorts of guidance about wire choice and things like that.

I see everyone saying 'get a 220v' machine. Which is what everyone told me, but I didn't want to give up the capability to do work where I wouldn't have access to that much juice. I picked up a a Miller DVI machine that runs off of either 230 or 115. No idea how it works, as I've only had it for a couple of weeks, and unless I want to weld my car to my motorcycle, I don't have anything to weld:)

Reply to
George Howell

I got one for Christmas. When it warms up a bit more, I'll let the group know how it works. FWIW, I'll be putting a 240v feed in my garage immediately, but wanted the 120 in case I go to a family or friends' house. IIRC, it was about $950 or so. (A little less than what was on brwelder.com because of being a local customer.) Since I've got his page open, that's only about $250 more than a Miller 175 (I hope nobody is suggesting a newbie go for the 135) and $250 less than a Miller 210, so it really does split the difference price wise. It has two drive rollers, I think the 175 only has the single. And you can get a kit for a spool gun later.

Reply to
George Howell

the only reason I would recomend a 110V MM135 or hobart 140 or lincoln promig 135, because you can just grab it by the handle and man handle it around your yard or garage or basement or what ever, put it in the trunk of your car and take it over to a friends house.

I wish that miller would put the DVI in the MM175 case. insted of the

210/251

lets face it if you got 220V in your garage and you have a DVI you will use it off the 220V circuit, no reason not to. the DVi is too big to move it from location to location, it is not really portable other than it can roll on the level floor. if you got a nice level drive way you can roll it out and use your

110V extetion cord. , and most hobbyist don't have a 220V long extention cord. but normally that is not the case or should I say it is not the case for me. my drive way is sloped and has grass at other places , so no rolling for me. there was 0 advantage to get a DVI.

the DVI is a good option (as mentioned above ) if currently you only have 110 V in your garage and thinking that you will wire in 220 V later.

Reply to
acrobat-ants

What he said about taking a class. Evening course at local community college. Learn on their equipment and consumables. Ask the instructor all your questions about what welder to get. Use that information, the comments here, and your in-class experience to make a more informed decision. Community college courses are great bargains for what you get.

Mostly: go for it! But as some others' comments suggest, you better watch out because welding can be addictive for some people.

Ciao, David

Reply to
David Todtman

I don't remember seeing anyone else make this recommendation, but it would be my suggestion as well. Oxy-fuel can be used to do an awful lot of things, will still be useful once he moves up, and has the advantage of really training you to create and manipulate the puddle.

I suggest the $250 portable rig with the small bottles to get started.

Reply to
Emmo

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.