First time welder advise

being that i have never picked up a welder before... this is why i ask you guys. i want to be able to purchase something from Lowes or HD that would be ideal for a beginner. what i want to do is do plenty of practicing and then move onto modifying my frame for my f100. i dont want to purchase something so outrageously expensive because i just might not have the knack for this and dont want to waste a bunch of money on something that i will only use a couple of times. but then again, i would like to have something that would be an all around good set up for a beginner. i could have a 220 outlet installed but again, i want to make sure that i have what it takes to weld and should probably wait to have that installed till i know for sure. thanks for the info.

You seem to want two different things. Ideally the 220 unit is the one you want. Because it will weld on a frame without problems. If you only invest in the 110 unit, and it turns out you like it, you will have to upgrade to weld on a frame.

If it were me, I would find somebody who has a welder, to let you run some beads, then if you feel like it is something you can do, buy the 220 unit, and a bottle of gas, and weld away.

Check Craigs List for a used one. You probably can get a 110 volt for pretty cheap. Try it out, if you get the hang of it up grade to a 220 and sell the 110 on Craigs List again.

then which one should i shoot for? mig, tig, stick... etc?

There is a Lincoln welder at Lowes that is MiG, it is set up for gas, which means you still have to buy or rent a bottle. It has been the cheapest/best deal for a while. But there are also plenty of online sources, and Miller makes a fine machine too. But ideally any top name mig welder, that hooks up to 220 and uses gas, (not flux core).

I would buy a mig welder.You will really need a 220 unit if you are going to do any frame welding.You will also want a gas sheilded unit.The one that requires a argon bottle(75/25 mix).Learning to weld is just like you were learning to ride your bike for the first time.You will need to practice alot with scrap pieces till you get the hang of it.But it will come to you rather quicker than you think once you learn how to read the puddle.

As for which brand to purchase.It would be a good idea to buy a name brand unit.Buy the biggest and best unit that your wallet can carry.If you dont you will most likley regret it.Miller and Lincoln are your best bets.As all of your LWS will carry the consumables and the gases that you will need in the future.

I myself prefer Miller.I have had a Miller 210 for some time now and its been a great welder.I have welded just about everything up to 1/4".


Now as far as the putting a plug in the garage.If you have a clothes dryer out there.You already have the plug.If not its about a 45 min job or much less. If the breaker box is there or on the outside wall of it.

Here is a place that you will learn alot from.There is more information here about welding and will answer most of you welding questions.A great bunch of guys too, that are willing to help.

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/communities/

okay, i can get this one for $290

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100039229

but as it says, is wire fed. what does it take to convert over to a Mig? and is it worth it? and if i am reading correctly, its not 220???

and by the way, my breaker box is clear on the other side of the house and my dryer.... well, its two stories up. my two car garage is under my two story house. and i HATE electricity!!!

flux core

trust me welding with flux core on body panals is crap and frames!!. im a welder by trade and when i thought that i would try flux core (cheap route) what a joke it looked like ****. but the licoln 175 is perfect i weld up to 3/8 with it. and weld 16g just fine.

custom cabby said:

and by the way, my breaker box is clear on the other side of the house and my dryer.... well, its two stories up. my two car garage is under my two story house. and i HATE electricity!!!

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Okay, back to basics. MIG is wire feed. That one you found is gasless, and is 110, not 220. Let me track one down for you that would be all the things you would want, but still not the most expensive.

Here is the first one. They don't mention gas but the regulator is in the picture. Comes with flux core wire, throw that away
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=256723-1703-K2481-1&lpage=none

2nd one
http://cgi.ebay.com/Lincoln-Power-M...14&_trkparms=72:1205|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318

thanks bonehead! i dont know what im going to do now. i really wasnt wanting to spend that much but .... i dunno.

bonehead... what about this???

http://cgi.ebay.com/LINCOLN-WELD-PA...14&_trkparms=72:1205|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318

That looks like a good one. In fact I have one of those, and it works great. New they have a 3 year warranty. I don't know about the seller, but the machine is a good machine.

Bonehead is lightly pushing you in the direction of a better welder.
He is wise to do that.
Soon you will be welding pretty good and life will be great. Then you will need to weld something that pushes the limits of your machine, and now your stuck.

If there is anyway possible, allways get the better or bigger welder. As he said "you wont regret it"

Just my $.02, good luck.

maddog said:

Bonehead is lightly pushing you in the direction of a better welder.

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Just hate to see all that buy a welder, sell a welder, buy another welder, stuff when If this one does not work, it will sell just as easy.

That first welder that Bonehead posted would be a great welder for anyone...........Note that it is "spool gun ready". It's a quick change to Aluminum welding!
I think we are all in the same boat on this one............we just don't want to spend that much money on a welder. Everyone has said the same thing, don't get a 110 welder and I have to agree. There is a place for these under powered welders but you don't want to learn on them..........much easier to learn on a good welder. Get the best you can, nothing wrong with a used one. Good luck.

T2T said:

That first welder that Bonehead posted would be a great welder for anyone...........Note that it is "spool gun ready". It's a quick change to Aluminum welding!
I think we are all in the same boat on this one............we just don't want to spend that much money on a welder. Everyone has said the same thing, don't get a 110 welder and I have to agree. There is a place for these under powered welders but you don't want to learn on them..........much easier to learn on a good welder. Get the best you can, nothing wrong with a used one. Good luck.

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Good point T2T, spool gun ready. That is a big thing if you only plan on buying one welder. Aluminum welding is very handy.

Bonehead said:

...Comes with flux core wire, throw that away...

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Use it first for several hours of practice. Then when you can't get it and start to think you'll never get welding, throw on the gas and say 'Wow! This is easy! I can do this!'

EDIT: I think the 220 outlet is his biggest problem. Need to straighten that out.

just chiming in

I am a welder by trade also. I have 2 - Lincoln PowerMig 225s, one set up for running .035 wire, the other is running the same but has a spool gun. They will weld anything and everything they come across. I also have a Lincoln Ideal Arc from 1978 running .045 wire. But they can be pricey, especially if your only doing this as a hobby.

I would reccommend a Hobart Handler 140, its a 110v that you just plug in. I have one, and i love it. If you have a good extension cord it comes in very handy. It can weld up to 3/8. And it is the only welder i use when i do body work. This welder can also be used to weld aluminum, just switch the spool and hook up an argon tank.

However, alot of people dont believe that a 110v welder is a good heavy duty welder. I have to agree with that, if the person welding doesnt know what there doing. Then again, if someone doesnt know how to weld they shouldn't be doing frame work. 110 or 220 wouldnt make a difference.

Do get a MIG welder! Do not get flux core wire!

just my 2cents, Joe

just to clarify, i am not expecting to jump right into welding on my frame. i just stated that is what i want to do after i learn how to do it correctly. im sure everyone starts somewhere and with something... it just so happens i have yet to do that and want to.