haroldy
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S 219 what 120v mig did you buy?????
My first welder for a green old guy
- Thread starter powerscol
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Buggs67
Veteran Member
This is the way I'd go. Lots of people with welding experience here and he's getting different (conflicting?) advice. I'm in the same boat and this sounds good to me.
s219
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I got a Hobart Handler 140, primarily because it had a better quality feed system than the competitors at the time. Since then, Longevity has really improved the feed system on their MigWeld 140, so that is a better value I think. I got the Hobart for $450 on sale with a coupon, while you can get the Longevity for about $330 from Home Depot online.
Came very close to getting a Hobart 190, but that is 220V only and I wanted at least partial 115V capability in case I take the welder to a relatives or elsewhere where I can only have access to a standard outlet. Hobart's dual voltage model is the 210, but that got out of my price range. So the 140 got the nod.
s219
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I took a tech school welding course at night when I was young, and it was awesome. Also was a great bunch of guys to be around. My dad and his employees and everyone else in the class was 40+ in age, while I was about 17-18. I got an education in welding as well as life. After that course, we fabbed a flat bed frame for a truck, which was quite a project, but what we learned made it doable.
Shield Arc
Super Member
Another way to go for a welding education. Run an ad in the local newspaper, or Craigslist. Asking for someone with equipment and welding experience. One hour of one on one instruction is worth about a week in welding school with 30 other guys wanting the instructor's attention!
Carol in CA
Member
FWIW. I found my welding instructor through Craigslist. Has seminars for up to four people or one on one. Less expensive than a semester at a local community college and much more individualized instruction as well. First class this coming Saturday. Can hardly wait!
Shield Arc
Super Member
That sounds great! 
I've had several guys come over to my shop for some one on one. They all say it really helped them out.
I've had several guys come over to my shop for some one on one. They all say it really helped them out.
Big Barn
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SA, most guys leave my shop shaking their heads also.... Unfortunately not necessarily in a good way.That sounds great!
Terryjuddspaintballs
Silver Member
My dad welded professionally right out of HS, joined the Navy because he thought it would be cool to weld underwater, wound up in BUDS and forgot how to weld (or so he says) He never really taught me to weld, just the very basics. He gave me free reign to weld whatever I wanted with his welders, but I hated always asking him what settings to use and how to set it up and I eventually just gave up.
Then, in adulthood, a friend who worked as a welder for 30 years let me play in his shop for a while. He showed me some things on an older mig welder, let me play around some more, then we started building a couple things for me to use. I picked up on it pretty quickly and he left me alone to finish the projects over the next couple of weeks.
Then my dad decided it was time to buy a new mig welder with a spool gun. He gave me his Hobart Handler 180. I bought a gas tank and started going to town in my garage. I may not be the best at it, but I can get by with my mig welds. I do wish to buy a stick welder soon and do some thicker metals. I might go take a class on that...
Long story just to say that a few pointers from an old timer and a lot of practice gets you a long ways towards getting proficient at it.
He never really taught me to weld, just the very basics. He gave me free reign to weld whatever I wanted with his welders, but I hated always asking him what settings to use and how to set it up and I eventually just gave up.Then, in adulthood, a friend who worked as a welder for 30 years let me play in his shop for a while. He showed me some things on an older mig welder, let me play around some more, then we started building a couple things for me to use. I picked up on it pretty quickly and he left me alone to finish the projects over the next couple of weeks.
Then my dad decided it was time to buy a new mig welder with a spool gun. He gave me his Hobart Handler 180. I bought a gas tank and started going to town in my garage. I may not be the best at it, but I can get by with my mig welds. I do wish to buy a stick welder soon and do some thicker metals. I might go take a class on that...
Long story just to say that a few pointers from an old timer and a lot of practice gets you a long ways towards getting proficient at it.
Sodo
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If you decide to learn stick first it will be a long road. Stick-welding thin stuff (sheet metals) will take months to learn, you will really have to WANT to stick-weld. You won't wanna stick-weld anything less than 1/8" thick, for a LONG time. And will need to think of birdpoop as "art" for awhile.
I learned when I was a teenager, then hadn't done stick in 30 years then picked one up and welded like it was yesterday (like riding a bicycle). There are some projects that "require" stick welds (like welding up a bumper for an old Jeep ). Or as others have mentioned, dirty, metal with thick rusty scale, or welding outside in the wind. I bought a stick welder a year ago, haven't used it yet, but I will.
I predict you will be much happier, much sooner, with a MIG. Your projects will look much nicer. You could make nice welds in one afternoon, especially if you get help. My recommendation is just get a MIG, start into your projects and get stuff done. Learn stick later if you have time or want for nostalgia. Sounds like you have 220v, that helps some but you can weld up to 1/4" very nicely with a good 110v MIG, which will be more portable, if that's useful to you.
With MIG, you will need to choose between flux-cored and gas-shielded. I would buy a MIG that can do both. The eqpt for gas shielded will add something like $300 to your welder cost but will produce better welds, and you can add that later. Yard art is a good way to learn, the more projects you can think up the quicker you will learn.
I learned when I was a teenager, then hadn't done stick in 30 years then picked one up and welded like it was yesterday (like riding a bicycle). There are some projects that "require" stick welds (like welding up a bumper for an old Jeep
). Or as others have mentioned, dirty, metal with thick rusty scale, or welding outside in the wind. I bought a stick welder a year ago, haven't used it yet, but I will.I predict you will be much happier, much sooner, with a MIG. Your projects will look much nicer. You could make nice welds in one afternoon, especially if you get help. My recommendation is just get a MIG, start into your projects and get stuff done. Learn stick later if you have time or want for nostalgia. Sounds like you have 220v, that helps some but you can weld up to 1/4" very nicely with a good 110v MIG, which will be more portable, if that's useful to you.
With MIG, you will need to choose between flux-cored and gas-shielded. I would buy a MIG that can do both. The eqpt for gas shielded will add something like $300 to your welder cost but will produce better welds, and you can add that later. Yard art is a good way to learn, the more projects you can think up the quicker you will learn.