Ngreen
XS650 Enthusiast
I am looking to get a mig welder. I am a beginner but have someone to teach me. I don't need anything fancy but I want the option to run gas or flux. I want to spend only a few hundred dollars. What would you suggest?
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jchrisk1
XS650 Junkie
This looks like a good 110v mig welder for the money. I would definitely stick with one of the name brand companies as parts will be easy to find if you need them. This has everything you need to get started. Just need gas.
http://www.google.com/products/cata...a=X&ei=3ubOTpCxLKWl2AWX7tGXDw&ved=0CHwQ8wIwAA
http://www.google.com/products/cata...a=X&ei=3ubOTpCxLKWl2AWX7tGXDw&ved=0CHwQ8wIwAA
Personally, I wouldn't mess with a 110 unless you KNOW you are NEVER going to deal with anything heavier than sheet metal. IMHO, it's well worth the time and money to install a 220v welder outlet if you don't have one.
Haven't priced one lately, but my Lincoln SP-130-T was around $700 with a roll of general purpose wire, a bottle of Ar/CO2, a helmet and a pair of gloves.
Do yourself a favor and check the local Adult Ed for classes. With a MIG, it's very easy to make a weld that LOOKS good, but has little to no penetration.
Ask me how I know...
Haven't priced one lately, but my Lincoln SP-130-T was around $700 with a roll of general purpose wire, a bottle of Ar/CO2, a helmet and a pair of gloves.
Do yourself a favor and check the local Adult Ed for classes. With a MIG, it's very easy to make a weld that LOOKS good, but has little to no penetration.
Ask me how I know...
Salty Dog
XS650 Enthusiast
The key is power. I built my first bobber with a 110 welder however I had enough amps in my old garage to put down good and strong beads. I bought a house and hooked up my 110 welder and couldn't run a bead for the life of me and plus I was tripping the breaker every few seconds. I switched up to a 220 and its the best move I have made. My advice is find somebody who has a welder already and learn on theirs then when your ready you will know what you want.
I am Carbon
shade tree mechanic
at the shop i use tig and mig but at home I still use lincoln cracker box 220 volt ang 225 amps i just unplug the dryer and plug in my home made extention cord and I'm ready to weld
1974jh5
Curmudgeon.
I have a Lincoln 110V MIG Pak which comes equipped for flux core but can easily be converted for gas and aluminum. I got it at Home Depot a few years ago for ~$350.00, it's been replaced by the Weld Pak 125 which is $419.00 according to the Home Depot website. People have told me a thousand times it's a useless toy but so far it's done everything I've asked of it, including building roll cages from .095 wall tubing. When I did the first one, I made some test welds and cut them open to look for penetration, all was well. FWIW, a buddy has a nice 220v Miller with gas, auto set and all the bells and whistles but he and I can both lay better welds with my Lincoln.
It does need a lot of 110V power, I ran 20 amp service for that reason. I also use my head and try to limit myself to .120 wall stuff in stressed applications even though it's capable of .250. The thickest I have welded is 3/8" plate for a steering box bracket on a tractor; technique is most important on that. It's necessary to bevel both sides then fill it in. But on something that thick, yeah you'd be better off with 220V. I made a set of brake caliper brackets from 3/8" also, I tacked it with my machine and then took it to a local pro for completion just to make sure.
Stay away from the Harbor Freight/Campbell Hausfeld cheapies. Along with limited usefulness (hard to convert to gas, for instance) their worst feature is the wire is 'live' as soon as you flip the switch on. That can be very bad when you are, say, under a car getting ready to weld and inadvertently brush against something like the fuel tank.
The Lincolns, Millers etc do not power the wire until you squeeze the trigger.
It does need a lot of 110V power, I ran 20 amp service for that reason. I also use my head and try to limit myself to .120 wall stuff in stressed applications even though it's capable of .250. The thickest I have welded is 3/8" plate for a steering box bracket on a tractor; technique is most important on that. It's necessary to bevel both sides then fill it in. But on something that thick, yeah you'd be better off with 220V. I made a set of brake caliper brackets from 3/8" also, I tacked it with my machine and then took it to a local pro for completion just to make sure.
Stay away from the Harbor Freight/Campbell Hausfeld cheapies. Along with limited usefulness (hard to convert to gas, for instance) their worst feature is the wire is 'live' as soon as you flip the switch on. That can be very bad when you are, say, under a car getting ready to weld and inadvertently brush against something like the fuel tank.
The Lincolns, Millers etc do not power the wire until you squeeze the trigger.
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bergoff
XS650 Addict
Look on craigslist you can find a good deal. I picked up a 110v century flux/mig for $50. I'm not going to build a hardtail with it. But its good to learn on and make some pipes with it. The only thing I don't like is that the wire is hot but I'm getting the hang of it.
PetesPonies
XS650 Addict
Down, you are way off. A 100V MIG can do at least 3/16", some 1/4". But 3/16" is no problem. Not many people are going to weld thicker than 3/16". If you were to weld thicker metal, it still can be done with a 110V by doing it in steps. I have bought many 110V MIGs. I have had a couple myself and several for where I taught. Personally, I like the Clarke MIGs for value. I have owned two of them and had three more where I taught. They are quality machine for a good price. They held up better than the Lincoln MIG I had with teh students, that says a lot.
Salty Dog
XS650 Enthusiast
Sorry, I never put any suggestions up but I would say Miller or Hobart.
When comes to welding on a MC frame a 110 is more than sufficient, just make sure it's on a separate breaker of 30 amps and a Lincoln 140 HD is just fine.
Patches
XS650 Junkie
I'm stuck using a Miller Syncrowave 250 at my shop, but it seems to get the job done..... lol 
Ngreen
XS650 Enthusiast
For now I will just be tinkering around. May do some small stuff on the bike with help but def not anything structurally important until I have some time to learn. The maintenance guy at my work who is also a good friend now used to teach at a tech school so he offered to show me the ropes. When do you need to run gas vs flux?
340frontporch
Grandpa Butterfly
flux is something i hate working with. i run gas at the very least, tig whenever i can get into my shop though....
1974jh5
Curmudgeon.
Flux and gas can be used interchangeably, for the most part. Since the flux core has to expand into a shielding gas, it tends to 'spatter' more and needs some cleanup. I try to use pieces of scrap aluminum or similar to shield nearby areas since that saves some scuff time. It also leaves a hard flux residue which should be removed, if you get one of those welding hammers it has a pick on one end just for that.
Gas shielded is best for real thin sheet metal since the wire doesn't get as hot as the flux core. Having said that, I've spliced 20 ga sheet metal car fenders using .035 flux core wire with the 'stack the tacks' method. That's where you align the two pieces with an .040 gap between them, then you tack it, move 2" away and do another tack, you keep skipping around the seam until all the tacks are stacked side by side.
To me, the best part about being able to use either is that the welding shops are generally closed on Sunday afternoons and if I really really need a project completed but am out of gas then the option is there.
Gas shielded is best for real thin sheet metal since the wire doesn't get as hot as the flux core. Having said that, I've spliced 20 ga sheet metal car fenders using .035 flux core wire with the 'stack the tacks' method. That's where you align the two pieces with an .040 gap between them, then you tack it, move 2" away and do another tack, you keep skipping around the seam until all the tacks are stacked side by side.
To me, the best part about being able to use either is that the welding shops are generally closed on Sunday afternoons and if I really really need a project completed but am out of gas then the option is there.
I am Carbon
shade tree mechanic
this guy is using is stick welder
member3480
RICH
I used a HOBART 220 welder for the past 5 years and it worked well on cycle frames and doing some car work. But it all has to do with the duty cycle of the welder. Some welders will only lay down small lines then the weld does't take too good . So if you find a good 110 or a 220 either go take a class and see how its done before you invest money. I just sold my MIG and bought a TIG from EASTWOOD and it will do up to 1/4" They had a deal on EBAY for a TIG and Plasma for under $1200.00 and i gave it a shot and so far my buddy has used it to work on his Nova and the welds look good. So before you just go out a buy one see what you can do first in a class and what type of material you are going to use.
Ghetto
Bob it!
I have a Miller 212 and love it!
cros36
thread killer
dont go super cheap 'because your just learning' in about a week you will be pretty good at it and you will be kicking yourself in the teeth because now all you can do is a little sheet metal.
1974jh5
Curmudgeon.
cros36 is right, you'll be hatin' a cheapie pretty quick.
The guy in Carbon's vid was tack welding with no eye protection. Which reminded me: nothing (except practice) will clean up your welds as much as an auto dimming helmet.
The guy in Carbon's vid was tack welding with no eye protection.
Which reminded me: nothing (except practice) will clean up your welds as much as an auto dimming helmet.
im a certified welder and you should definitely not go cheap.. use a shielding gas mig unit. 220 volt . miller . lincoln . eastwood.. some hobart all make great machines for hobbyist . tig welding is great to learn if you have the patience for it . it takes the longest to learn . unless you have experience welding stay away from stick .. it takes a very steady hand and alot more knowledge on heat settings and changes depending on position of the weld .
