Welding Question

[Holzster]

Hello all,

I need help, I have not welded before but I would like to start, nothing big just a few repairs, etc around my 23 acres.
I need to know what kind of welder to get. nothing big or fancy just something easy, reliable, inexpensive.
Any ideas?

Thanks
Holzster

 

[bobodu]

Boy Howdy...did ya ever open up a can of worms here...LOL!
For general dinking around,you outta be able to find a good used stick welder for $100.Look for a name brand (ain't gonna get into that part...) 150amp and 230 volts.I WANNA MIG!!! I ran short of welders around here due to the owners taking theirs home for their new shops and a barn fire.Had a little welding job that I really wanted to get done and bought a 100a/230v from Homier for $40.There was no shipping because the world H/Q is just down the road.It does the job but shuts down to cool after 1 stick.I am satisfied for $40!! Hey!! I just thought of something..bought a 3/4 ton Chevy for $50.Needs some simple work and gas tanks...gonna put that up in trade for a welder!!! Geez...I glad you brought this up!!
See....even the new guys are invaluable...WELCOME!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Syncro]

Like the previous poster said, a can of worms.

My suggestion would be a simple stick welder, you can buy a brand new Lincoln AC 225 complete with helmit and everything you need at Hone Depot for about $200. It will last a life time and will handle most jobs on a farm easily. Its not for real thin sheet metal, but it will sure weld up heavy stuff like farm equipement with ease.
I bought one almost 40 years ago (same model that you can still get, that says something about the design) and it still works great. The stick rods are also cheap. For a first welder on a farm that would be my No. 1 choice.

 

[PineRidge]

We're using the same welder that Syncro suggested. We bought ours from a friend over 10 years ago for 100 bucks and it works great with the heavy stuff. It's also easy to operate and your welding ability will increase as you practice a bit. We have given ours a real workout in the past year around here. Guess we gotta stop breaking stuff.

 

[EastTexFrank]

As the others have said, this could get downright contentious but here's my thoughts on the subject. Please remember that this is coming from a really bad welder.

Just for sticking (sorry about that) things back together on the farm, a stick welder is probably the best choice. The only problem is the availability of 240v power to run it. For example, if something breaks at the farm and I can't fix it with the little 110v MIG, I have to load it up and haul it over to my house to use the stick welder as there is no easily accessable 240v at the farm. There are smaller 110v stick welders out there (I think I saw a Campbell Hausfeld at WalMarts) but I don't know anything about them and besides, if you want a machine with any "beef", it really has to be 240v. I think that if I were limited to a 110v machine, I would probably stay with the little MIGs. They're more expensive but are a little easier to use. They're really good on the thin stuff but can be overpowered by heavier farm iron without a lot of beveling and multiple passes. Their duty cycle also tends to be rather short but that will be true of any 110v machine.

OK guys, shoot me down in flames. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[keeney]

I would say that if you really want to do heavy welding where 240v power is not available, then you need a gas or deisel powered generator/welder setup. Now you are talking some bigger bucks.

I have also seen vehicle-engine-belt-powered welding setups that off-roader's find useful for fixing busted suspensions in the middle of nowhere. They are basically a large alternator.

- Rick

 

[Bird]

Yep, you'll get lots of "opinions" as to what's best to start with. My first was buying a little portable Mapp gas/oxygen rig (cheaper than acetylene and the salesman convince me it was safer since I'd be keeping it in an attached garage). And it actually worked quite well after I learned to use it. Then I used one of the Lincoln 225 AC and really like it, but when I bought something to use on the farm, I didn't want to spend much money, so I bought a little 110 volt "Miller de Mexico" stick welder with a 10% duty cycle. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Slow? Yep, but since I didn't get in any hurry, it did everything I needed to do, was light enough to carry around easily and I really enjoyed using it. My brother told me it wouldn't do for the thickness of metal I used for the brackets on my FEL bucket to mount the 4' forks, but I did it anyway and never had a weld break. Now everyone says the MIG is better and I think they're right from what I've seen others do with one, but I only tried one, one time, and didn't get the feed speed right and really didn't care for it.

 

[hazmat]

I highly suggest you take a class at the local vocational school. I got 60 hours of training for $180. Got to try stick, MIG, and TIG welding with an instructor telling me which knob to turn up/down. If you don't have the time to commit to a formal class, find a buddy to come over for a Saturday & show you the basics.

Welding is truely a combination of art and science. Stick is heavy on art, low on science (just plain aren't that many knobs to turn). MIG is lower on art, high on science - there is less "technique" more "setup". TIG is high on both.

Stick excels at steel 1/8thick and up
Smaller MIGS are great for sheet goods & can add aluminum capability for extra $ (spool gun)
Larger MIGS are great for sheet goods & structural steel & aluminum (with spool gun)
TIG will weld everything (must get AC for Aluminum) - but you gotta pay to play - big bucks. Most, if not all, TIG machines can run stick as well.

One thing that should be noted is that DC stick welding is "easier" (striking and maintaing the arc) than AC stick welding, but a DC stick welder costs more... (example Hobart 235 amp is $500 vs. $300 for AC)

After using the pro-quality machines at my class, there is no way I'd get a 110V machine.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I highly suggest you take a class at the local vocational school )</font>

I think that's good advice. What little welding I've done, I learned from reading a book, playing with the equipment (practicing, I meant to say /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif), and watching others. I am, by no means, a welder, but I managed to stick a lot of metal together, never had any break, and could always grind off the stuff that looked too bad. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Dargo]

I learned how to weld on an old Lincoln AC welder and used that for years. It finally got to where it was passing to the great welder in the sky, so I had to buy another. This time I bought a nice Hobart welder that does AC and DC. Man! If I'd known how much easier it is to weld with DC, I would have dumped my AC welder long ago. With a good DC welder and some 1/8" 6013 rods, I could have my daughter making lovely, smooth as caulk, welds in 1/2 an hour.

Now, even with a nice DC welder and the 6013 rods, it still will take a bit of practice to do vertical welds and overhead welds, but it can be learned fairly easy. I've never had my "new" welder over on the AC side. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Working on a bush hog and some other items, I burned through two 10 pound boxes of 1/8" rods in one day! Just for the heck of it, I had a 1/4" rod (don't know where it came from, but it looks giant) and tried to weld some 1/2" plate with it. Even cranked all the way up, my 235 amp welder wouldn't burn a 1/4" rod. It must take a beast to burn those!