Entry Level Welding Help

[DaveInColorado]

I 2nd the opinion that 110V wire feed welders have poor feeding. I used to think I could weld until I frequenly borrowed a friends 110V wire feed. Darn thing would only weld at one feed rate! Too slow and the speed varied, too fast and I couldn't figure out how to control it. I bought the AC/DC Lincoln from HD on a fire sale (!). It works pretty darn good for what I do. Someday I'll be able to weld small electrical conduit with it - but not yet. I need some carbon rods so I can practice brazing with it.

 

[HERKYEC130]

So if a guy has a work shed and he has a 15 or 20 amp breaker from his house. What are his options? I would like to maybe try my hand at this welding game again. It's been a few years but it would be nice to fix the mower deck or other things that get banged up.
Is there not enough power to try making some attachments? Is the feed from the house too small to get into any kind of welding?
I was looking at the wirefed welders at Northern Tools, but it sounds like a waste of money.
All these questions and The perfect place to ask them /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Thanks
Paul

 

[Soundguy]

If you have a 20 amp service on your 110 line at your shed.. you can run a small buzz box.. like the campbel hausfield I have.. It has up to a 70a output on 'high'. It has a switch on it for low or high.. and that determines what you need for feed line.. 15a service or 20a service. Low uses 1/16 rod, and high uses 5/64 rod.

Welding a lawn mower deck is well within the capability of this setup.

If your wiring is good.. and they used good sized wire to keep power loss low.. 20 amp will get you into a small welder.

Keep in mind that you won't be running a welder of an extension cord... unless it is a big huge beefy one..( like an airconditioner extension cord... ) and then.. I would only use the shortest possible... none of those orange household jobs...

The wire feed welders I saw are generally up 90a output on a 110 line.. using 20 a service. I don't have experience with any small wire welders.. so can't say how they may work.

Soundguy

 

[slowrev]

The cheap small wire welders are a lot of trouble in my opinion. Wire feed problems, short duty cycle, etc... but definately better than nothing. They will work ok for thin stuff, but I would not want to build a trailer or 3 point attachments with them, not enough penetration.... I still recommend looking for a used AC or AC/DC stick welder, and get an EL-Cheapo auto dark hood, even the cheap ones are great compared to the cheap fixed lens ones.
If you can find a deal on a used continuously variable output AC/DC stick welder of up to about 200 AMPs capacity it might be the only welder you will ever need. Unless of course you plan on doing sheet metal welding, then the wire feed or TIG ones are best. It is hard to come up with one welder that is the best for every application.

 

[KAB]

I have a small (110v) Miller mig welder. It either flux core or shielded gas. Many years ago when I ran a body shop we used this welder for close to a year because we were having problems with our larger (220v and much more expensive) welder. Using the flux core wire you can weld about 3/16 steel in a single pass thicker with multiple passes.

MIGS are easier to learn to weld with. Stick welding can do thicker easier.

I would go to your local welding shops and talk to them. They should be able to give good advice based on your needs.

All types of welding equipment have their pros and cons, define your needs and shop for one like shopping for a tractor, find a product that fits your needs, find a price that you like and make sure you can get service if needed.

Kurt

 

[Soundguy]

My comments were based on the guy saying he wanted to weld a lawnmower deck.. not build a trailer or 3pt implement.

If he wants to build a trailer.. he needs a 'real' welder.. and will pay a 'real' price.. no need to spend 500-2500 to just weld stuff like lawnmower decks though.. 100 on a cheap small stick welder is more that style..

Soundguy

 

[DMAND]

My son and I just finished the second of eight weeks of Community College "ARC Welding". It cost $60 plus $1.25 for insurance. Can't complain about the price. I believe that STICK WELDING is a great way to be introduced to welding. After 12 hours of classes I can weld. It is not alway pretty, but it holds and it can be ground down to a better appearance. Our instructor is willing to move us on to MIG and TIG after about four weeks. I am looking forward to learning a bit about those. My son has an old Lincoln AC stick welder (220-240) and a small (220-240) Century MIG welder.
He can weld but was not good enough to teach me so we are learning together. It is kind of fun going to school with your 36 year old son. I would definitely recomend the Community College night welding courses as a starting point. I would, also, recommend buying a helmet or mask with the instant darkening feature. It sure helps to be able to see how you are setting up before striking an arc. kind of like shooting in the dark with the older/cheaper constant dark helmets.

 

[Inspector507]

The only classes I can find around here are at the Adult Education Center. That course runs $500 just for stick/arc October through late April 2 or 3 days nights a week. While I'm sure it's a great class, I can't justify that cost.

 

[johnbilt]

Hi

I prefer the MIG welders. I have a small 120V Mig w/gas unit for sheet metal, and I upgraded to a larger 250A model for larger material as I progressed in welding.

I think one of the 175A / 220V is a great compromise in dollars and size. The 220v units have much more flexibility due to the power increase.

No matter what you choose, I would recommend that you invest in an automatic helmet. I resisted this for several years as an unnecessary expense. I was quite wrong !! The ability to see exactly what is happening is crucial. I used to get setup, flip my helmet, and pull the trigger. I usually takes a moment to get oriented and start welding. Sometimes quite a bit of wire can feed during this initial moment !!

The auto helmet will greatly increase your learning curve with any type of welding. Have you ever tied your shoelaces with your eyes closed ?? You can do it, but it takes a little extra time.

One extra comment. An inexpensive solution is one of the Lincoln AC/DC stick welders. The DC version sells at Home Depot for around $299 or $399. They penetrate well and with some practice you can make a decent weld. You have to chip slag and they make gads of smoke, but they are simple, bulletproof, and inexpensive. No sheet metal work though !

John

 

[jimg]

Usually the state tech school runs classes that are very affordable. Do you have a tech school close by? Sometimes they wont have a welding department but will teach welding as part of another trade (like HVAC, building or automotive repair).