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I'm new to welding


GregFarz78

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Need some suggestions on what type of welder I should look into purchasing, I'm somewhat familiar with the various kinds as I've worked in a machine shop before but I never used one myself. I would be using this to do body work repairs, and some light fabrication around the house. Can anyone make some recommendations? I know harbor freight has some cheap ones but I want something decent doesnt have to be top of the line but something quality that will meet my needs and I won't have to upgrade in a few years

 

oh and I do plan to take a welding class looking forward to that :-)

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i have a millermatic 135 and i love it....it's 110 but nice and portable. it does all the body and light fabrication work i need....but they say no one ever wished for a smaller welder...but i love the portability...if a buddy needs help...just throw it in the back of the car...and we can setup shop at his house.

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Either of the above are good welders. If you're doing thinner stuff (1/8" thick and less) then the 135 or I think they have a 140 now is a good choice. I have one and LOVE it. Fantastic machine, worth every penny. If you're going to be welding 1/4" thick stuff for the house, the 175 is the better choice, but you need a 220V outlet to plug it in.

 

Bottom line is get the best welder you can afford. A good welder makes a HUGE difference in the quality of your welds.

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In my opinion only, the build quality of the current Lincoln Migs is a little better than the equivalent Millers. I also think that with a stated purpose of welding on light sheet metal the Lincolns have a better arc-start, and "feel" better while laying down a bead. Specifically, in a 110 or low-level 220 welder I definitely suggest going Lincoln. However, the current line-up from both Miller and Lincoln is pretty solid, concentrate more on getting the best deal you can rather than the color of the cover. Make certain that you get a continuously adjustable voltage control.. the cheaper 110's will tend to have tapped voltage dials. Miller is pushing their "Auto Set" 140... a gimmick that controls settings based on a reference table... which you can do equally well manually. Miller also just announced a cheap spool gun in response to Lincoln's which has been selling very well. Miller's gun will run you $300 and change, and is a very good quality unit, but I have had no issues with Lincoln's "cheap" unit either. One last thing... you can get some pretty good deals on last years models currently... but the Lincoln 140c and 180c have a wire feeding system that is FAR superior to the previous models, and is probably the best on the market right now. I don't really recommend the older Lincolns due to this, unless the deal is just too good to ignore.

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I bought a cambell house, or somthing like that, it was all i could afford at the time....this has nothing to do with the thread btw..... but anyway, it was only a 70 amp haha, i was tryen to weld things for my first time, and it kept over heating and switching off. So being my tinkering self, i decided to intercool my welder lol, so i tore it all apart and got this ridiculous set up going and it was waaay cool, but through some unknown malfunction the only thing i managed to cool was the safety thermostat, haha, so im their welding thinking man this is working great when all of a sudden BANG!!!, i melted all the insulation off the transformer and shorted it, lol. but now i thing im gonna get the welding and cutting tips for my sedalene oxy torch so its all good. haha

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just some info,

your far better off to stay with the name brands, as the quality and parts availabilitys far better.

you can do much better work with a good welder than you can with a cheap P.O.S., so don,t scrimp, buy the best you can afford, youll have a good welder pay for itself many times over in a few years

 

a oxy-acetolene torch can do a great deal around the shop in skilled hands

a decent 180-250 amp mig will do almost anything youll need to do, but aluminum, especially thicker aluminum (1/2" like brackets or block repairs)really is better done with a TIG or mig in the 250-350 amp range

you will be amazed at the deals on larger used industrial style welders that are available if you take your time and shop, ask your local; dealers and welder repair guys for leads on guys trading in older welders or upgrading, just be aware that you can,t use a THREE PHASE welder on most home current.

look in the local papers classiffied section and the local BARGIN TRADER mags, and ask at welding shops, most of those shops KNOW whos looking to move, upgrade, or go out of business

 

http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv

 

https://weldingsupply.securesites.com/cgi-bin/browsecatalogs.pl?UNDEF::

 

http://www.htpweld.com/

 

http://www.weldingdirect.com/tig252helsys.html

 

youll be far better off taking a class on welders and working with other guys welders untill you get a good feel for what works in your particular applications, IM no expert, but I have been welding for 35 years with lots of differant equipment, Id strongly suggest a minimum of a 220volt /180 amp welder, if youll be welding frames,roll cages, suspensions,rear differentials ETC.

 

Ive seldom (never) seen car guys who do most of thier own work ,regret buying a decent name brand welder.

btw having a nice MIG or TIG welder is nice but I got by for many years with just an oxy-acetolene torch and a 230 amp stick welder, so don,t think its mandatory you drop huge bucks on a welder, yeah its really nice if you can but one of my first good welders was purchased as a group/club deal where several guys each kicked in couple hundred $ to get a welder none of us could afford individually, and it was a USED 300 amp stick welder, it was well worth the expence but it was hardly the best available.

yet it served mostly as a good teaching tool, functioning mostly as an example of how to weld badly, untill you read up on welding, get some classes and find experianced welders to instuct you in the skills necessary

 

having a local corvette, or hot rod club and BEING ACTIVE in that local corvette or hot rod club HAS ADVANTAGES

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