OK, so I'd love to get a welder & read every post about them, but the info gets kinda scattered. Somebody set me straight on my general perceptions here please This also seems like a really frequent topic, as we all have great ideas & see the fabbers here making so much cool stuff.

Stick welder = fairly low cost, good penetration (able to weld thicker metals) steeper learning curve, doesn't work well for thin metals like sheet metal. Has 'sticks' of metal that melt into the joint, if you are welding a lot you have to keep replacing them.

Mig = pricier, easier to learn. Work well on thin metals, but to weld the thick stuff, like bumpers you need to buy the higher amp models, & really need to go to a 240v machine. Seems like anything under about $600 is mostly good for light duty type stuff. Uses a spool of wire & comes with a gun that feeds the wire at an adjustable rate. There are parts in this gun that can get finicky over time or have trouble with certain types of wire, depending on the quality of the feeder. Can be equiped with gas that flows around the end of the wire to help in windy situations?

Tig = big bucks, great for aluminum. ????

JB Weld = cheapest of all, may not be the best long term choice for roll cages???

Important ratings:
Duty cycle = how long you can weld, vs how long the machine needs to cool off? Is this controled by the machine, ie it just shuts off after x minutes & is ready to go again after y minutes?

Anyway, help me & hopefully others out. I'm starting to think that a stick welder & the learning curve are the way for me to go.

 

I picked up an Arc Welder for cheap a little while ago and had a chance to use it during a downhill derby construction we had a little bit ago. Kind of hard to do without any formal training but it was fun when I could get something going

 

the good brands are hobart, miller, lincoln

wear safety gear.... full thick outfit (i have a jumpsuit thingy) long guantlet syle glove, full face mask... i know also wear hearing protectors the whole earmuff kind... there was an incident recently where i was working on my exhaust and got a piece of spatter in mey ear... that was well over a month ago and my ear is jsut now starting to scar over.... also welding is loud.... keep water nearby... you can easily catch stuff on fire and not realize it with the mask on

 

Ear plugs.

Water.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER(S)!!!

Stick takes a lot more practice to get good at it.

MIG/TIG etc just take more expensive machines, but are in reality probably easier to learn. If you can stick, I would think you can do any of it w/ a little practice...I'm signed up for a refresher welding class that starts Aug. 22 and I'm stoked about it. I haven't welded in almost 15 years...

 

I wouldn't worry about the duty cycle. You really won't hit that wall unless you are in a production shop. But get one with the penatration to weld the material you are going to use. If you are going weld 1/4" plate get one that will do upto 1/4".

Unless you are doing 10 foot welds......The heat warp from a weld that long won't be pretty

But by putting in a new electrode in a stick you give the machine a break. So you

Stick welding is pretty because you are moving the rod closer and in circles or ziz-zags down the weld while trying to keep the arc happy. Sounds complicated but so does driving a car if you have never done it before.... it just takes practice. Lots and Lots of practice. To be honest I think stick welds look better than mig welds....

Ac/dc stick welder will let you weld thiner metals but cost more $....

Wear saftey glasses under you hood...... those red hot berries can bounce around a bit.

If the difficulty of a stick is a turnoff stay away from a TIG. Think of all you do with the stick with a foot switch plus one hand holding the electrode and another holding the filler rod.

If you are going to do a lot with aluminimun you can get a mig setup to weld it for less than the cost of a TIG. but aluminum itself costs too much. unless weight is a critical concern.

 

When you buy try

http://www.weldingmart.com/

AWESOME prices on Lincoln machines and FREE shipping too! I bought my Lincoln SP-175 plus there and had it the same week.

 

Oh and FWIW you might look at the Linconl 135T. Should get you thru 1/4" mild stuff on 120v and for less than $500.

My .02

 

Isn't Hobart just a rebadged Lincoln or Miller?

 

Yes, it's made by Miller.

 

Good info. Might need this when I get the $ to get a welder.

 

ESABs are really good machines, they're Swedish (I think) and are really high quality. Auto dimming shields are worth their weight in gold (IMO) definately worth the extra cost. I think a good mig is the way to go you've got a good range of materials, thicknesses and applications.

 

hobart, while once being its own brand, was bought out by miller and are now their "budget" class machines. basically the same as their miller equivilants, but have plastic instead of metal pieces in less-critical places.

 

So in light of all this.

used Lincolns and Millers at work. Also have used stick as well as migs. Can actually weld with both and hold my own.

Looking at buying a welder in the next couple of weeks and looking at a 115 volt Hobart 140 vs a Hobart 180 ampb 208 volt.

Think I am answering my own question, but the 140 will handle a 1/4 steel and the 125 won't..

Also a little leary of using a 115 volt welder as I am planning on using it to make trailers, sliders and bumpers.

What has been others experience using a flux core wire vs a gas shield?

 

never hurts to get the most powerful machine you can afford(as long as you have the juice for it).

i've got a 110v harbor freight flux core welder. it'll do the job, takes a little practicing with it to make non-boogery welds, but not too bad for $120