# Plz help me figure out what kind of welder to buy



## thehammer01 (Oct 20, 2010)

So,FlyingHammer,you are going to buy a welder.I'm the Hammer, and I've got a little advice for you.
Let me start by saying that I am a blacksmith(5th gen), and a Home Depot associate, so I'll aproach this more from the blacksmith angle. I own four welders, of various sizes, from several different companies... Lincoln, Miller, and Hobart.
Here in Atlanta, many of the places that I purchase supplies have their produts set up in a "try it before you buy it" several times a year, and you can go play with the toys. They are run by the manufacturer, so you'll only get their products, but across the board, most of the machines have comparable features, in a specefic range, so you can test them out in your price and power range. Then you can compare features with other manufacturers.
We only sell Lincoln at Home Depot, but I have a Lincoln 180 that I use as a portable welder. It runs on 220v and will plug into most dryer outlets, and I have made two pigtails to accomodate other outlets that don't match the plug that comes with it. That being said, I would definately get one that runs on 220v regardless of the manufacturer... you'll be happier down the road. The more power it has, the greater the welding capacity, and it will work better on small things with the heat range turned down.
Most of the welders will work with or without sheilding gas, but come with all the necessary parts and information to make the conversion.
I wouldn't suggest a stick welder because they are for bigger things, and can be a little tricky for the novice. 
In short, I'd recommend hitting some welding supply places and see if they will let you try some welders, and getting some literature on any you are interested in, and start comparing options from the different companies.
I hope this helps, and good luck.
Ray the Hammer


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## forresth (Feb 19, 2010)

what materials are you hoping to weld?
thicknesses?

are you set on a type? MIG, TIG, ARC?

I'm thinking you'll want MIG if your budget allows.

I am also looking to get something myself too soon. I'm leaning toward a Miller, possibly a large gas powered model because our current generator is crap and I might need to weld in the field from time to time. I'd also like to learn all 3 types of welding eventually so I'd like a machine that can do it all.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Ayuh,... For a beginer welder, you really can't go to wrong with a 110V, 140amp wire-feed welder...

It'll weld up to 3/16ths" quite nicely....
If you have plans to weld Heavier steel,...
An ole Linclon Buzzbox Ac/ Dc is my go-to stick welder....


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## forresth (Feb 19, 2010)

Bondo said:


> Ayuh,... For a beginer welder, you really can't go to wrong with a 110V, 140amp wire-feed welder...
> 
> It'll weld up to 3/16ths" quite nicely....
> If you have plans to weld Heavier steel,...
> An ole Linclon Buzzbox Ac/ Dc is my go-to stick welder....


a 180 amp 220v machine isn't much more, and he has a 22 outlet.

I currently have a Clarke 135 amp 110v flux core welder I picked up cheap. the big ones at school are much nicer.


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## WirelessG (Mar 22, 2009)

I agree on the 220, especially if you can get it to work with the 220 plug that you have available. Worst case is have an electrician pull an outlet off of your main breaker outside.

Being a novice is fine, but this is not a skill that you will master in an hour (it's not like farting around with a soldering iron). You need to get proper instruction and practice and you need to understand the processes so that you can use judgment, even if you are only welding shovel to a plow to make a mailbox holder. You may be able to find a course at a local community college. If you do take a course, they will start you on a stick welder. If you can master a stick welder, then a wire feeder will be a breeze. Stick welder are not necessarily for "bigger things" as you can adjust your stick size and amperage.

A gas fired welder (which is typically a stick welder) does serve as a generator, which can be handy (but check the specs as they often put out a dirty current that is sufficient for an electric grinder, but damaging to a plasma TV). They also run $3k and up brand new. A little Home Depot cracker box may do what you need. You need to think about what sort of material you want to weld and size the welder accordingly.

My suggestion - look around for a used stick welder with some capacity and cut your teeth on that. If you want to move up, you can do so later and resell the stick welder if you choose. Lincoln, Miller, Hobart, and ESAB are all good welders, although I will always be partial to Lincoln.


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## merle (Dec 18, 2007)

I took a course at our vo-tech school and then bought a mig welder and a tank of gas. If you want to learn drill some holes in a piece of metal and fill them in. when you can do that and make it look good your set to go. Good luck with your endeavor.


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## forresth (Feb 19, 2010)

WirelessG said:


> A gas fired welder (which is typically a stick welder) does serve as a generator, which can be handy (but check the specs as they often put out a dirty current that is sufficient for an electric grinder, but damaging to a plasma TV). They also run $3k and up brand new.


I noticed you have to move up a bit in the gas hierarchy to get ones that are made for MIG too, and you have to get separate wire feeder to plug into them (tack on another grand).

I'd never heard they were "dirty" before. I'll have to look into that. That is one of the problems with the current generator. The power is too dirty to work with the cordless tool chargers, believe it or not.

Millers gas units run a dedicated generator for electricity (11kw or so) and dedicated 3 phase windings for the welder half of it, all driven by the single Kohler V-2. I'd think that would keep it fairly clean, but maybe a separate small inverter generator for "clean" power needs might make more sense.


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

depending on what you will be welding and how much you use it, an arc welder may actually be the best welder for your purpose. Yes, it has a greater learning curve than a MIG welder but, the MIG has a lot of negatives for an occasional use welder.

1. you have to buy standard sizes of spools of wire. That means you are going to have to remove the spool and bag it when the welder sits.

2. if you only need a small quantity of wire for a special metal, you still have to buy one of those standard sized spools. Often times you end up with wire just laying around you will likely never use.

3. more parts to have problems with, especially if it sets around unused for long periods of time. Liners are very susceptible to dirt and general contaminating that gets drug into them from the wire. Drive wheels often corrode when setting around in less than perfect storage conditions.

4. different specialty metals require different gases or gas mixes. Again, left over material that might never get used plus the cost of buying or renting a tank for the different mix. 

and arc welder is generally more versatile than a MIG. You do not have a gas shield (easier to use in windy conditions). It's pretty much plug and play. If you get a DC welder with a low current setting, you can weld metal about as thin as you can with a mig. You can buy relatively small quantity specialty rods for unusual metals so you don't have a lot of wasted material. There are things you can weld with an arc welder you cannot weld with mig.

there are good points for each type of welder.

as to training; out local vo-tech offers classes in each type of welding so you do not necessarily have to start training on arc. If you don't have an arc welder, that would be kind of a waste.

I saw a flux core welder mentioned. Personally I would stay away from flux core. It tends to put the worst of the mig and arc welders in the same machine.


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

FlyingHammer said:


> Looking for recommendations on a general-purpose home welder. I'm a complete novice with welding, but pretty handy otherwise. I just need to be able to do some occasional repairs and possibly some light fabrication. I need something relatively easy to operate/maintain and not too expensive. What type of welder should I be looking at? I have a 220 outlet available in the garage (50A breaker & #6 wire).


I had the same question a few years ago. We have a local school called Boces that had classes in welding. The taught you arc, oxy/acetylene, mig and tig. You welded for 3 hours for 10 classes. After, I bought a Hobart 140 mig welder as the main unit. I think it cost about $500. and it came with a welding cart as a bonus. I bought it online. I use it for body work on old cars and light/med fabrication. The learning curve for mig welding is pretty easy.
If you can take some classes, it will help you decide the correct unit. These classes are taught by guys who weld for a living( at least in Boces) 
Ron


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