ILoveMyPatty Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Okay so I'm looking to buy a welder. I want to make a roof basket and some other things, but I have no experience at all. I have $400 US but don't want to spend it all. http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortments/pro...D=1159388459311 (Sorry about the long link, I dono how to make it "Click Here") I'm thinking about that one... only $300 canadian... Anyone have a suggestion? Are there any good books out there for beginner welders? Also, would I be able to make a bumper with this welder? What maximum/ideal thickness metal are we talkin about with this welder. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Since you're asking of opinions, I'll share mine: Those cheap Taiwanese wire feed welders are not worth purchasing. Reliability is poor, replacement parts can be difficult, and performance is disappointing. They just make laying a good bead impossible. Disposable Wal-Mart tripe. You will regret buying it and will be giving it (or throwing it) away within a couple years. Buy quality, use it for years. Buy crap, regret it immediately. Unfortunately, decent inert gas wire feed setups (GMAW) are going to cost you over $1000 by the time you get gas, hood, gloves, consumables, etc. If you have only $300, I would suggest hitting yard and estate sales! Maybe you can find a good Robart, Miller, or Lincoln wire feed for that. You can DEFINITELY find a good 220 volt stick welder (SMAW) set up that will do you well for decades for that. And have money left for a welding class! A 115 volt welder will be fully capable up to 1/8" plate. Thicker than that, it will not provide enough heat to make a really quality weld - regardles of what manufacturers or sales pukes may try to tell you. With care and technique, you can do pretty well on 3/16" with a 90 A unit (like Lincoln SP-135 Plus, the minimum GMAW I would recommend), but any more than that and I really doubt you can get a bead down as strong as the base metal (which is the goal of a good weld - for it to be as strong as or stronger than the base metal). Using flux core wire and no gas may get you another 1/8", but if you're going to use flux, I say just get the stick welder and have more power for less $$$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmgar99 Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 (edited) Here's mine....its a Harbor Freight special Chicago Electric Dual MIG 131....Like MWS said, you get what you pay for....i can weld 1/8" no problem, but any thicker and i have toi pre-heat and use sheild gas, but it's not easy! I wouldn't do any suspension or frame welding with it, i bought for all my small house projects and to practice for work. At work we use 7 Different Miller units...don't remember the models and 4 different Lincolns....From what the welder guys tell me they like all the units, but they each have their limitations. If you plan on doing some serious frame or suspension welding, then save up and get a good unit like MWS said. If you only want to do some small sheet metal work and maybe some non critical brackets, then the unitl ike mine will do....but you'll quickly outgrow it. Happy hunting.... Edited September 28, 2006 by kmgar99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveMyPatty Posted September 28, 2006 Author Share Posted September 28, 2006 I just wanna be able to make a roof rack and or light bar(s)... that kind of stuff... maybe rock sliders if I get good enough. But lots of my friends want stuff but dont have money to buy it.. I figured if I got a welder I could make some of the stuff I want, then make stuff for a couple of my friends for a small fee... I'm not wanting to do any frame welding or suspension work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmorgan4 Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 Making a roof basket *should* be fine assuming it doesn't fly off on the interstate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 i've welded a couple of times now just renting a lil dinky 110 wirefeed from sunbelt...my buddy who is a welder by trade did 1 floorpan in my scout and i watched and he gave me some pointers and i did the other 1 and just welded some other crap togehter trying to get some good beads and after about 2 hrs i went from the crappiest weld i've ever seen to a decent looking weld (not exactly nickles laid over but a consistant bead) it was also galvenized steel to reg sheet steel and he said that galvinized is harder to do than just reg steel to steel so i felt good about it.... buy some extra tips i only goofed up 1 got too close and the wire melted in the end Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 it was also galvenized steel to reg sheet steel and he said that galvinized is harder to do than just reg steel to steel so i felt good about it.... Galvanized releases some nasty toxic fumes when you weld it, be carefull. I usually try to strip the coating off first (since it will just burn off anyway otherwise). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveMyPatty Posted September 28, 2006 Author Share Posted September 28, 2006 So do you guys think that the welder that I posted the link for would be good for little projects such as roof baskets and light bars and whatnot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveMyPatty Posted September 28, 2006 Author Share Posted September 28, 2006 Woo, Harbor Freight has some good deals! I like it. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Disp...itemnumber=6271 That seems like it would do the job for me...? I just drew out plans for my roof basket, I didn't go out and measure the roof rop, I just drew... Didn't take into account the fact that I have 31s, and will be getting 33s sometime... Roof basket turned out to be 30" wide... HAH! I'm such a tool Dangit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96SE Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 Try www.princessauto.com Check the surplus/discounts online, and download the welding section from their catalogue for the regular stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmgar99 Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 Check out your local discount ad magazine....sometimes you'll find some nice beefy old stick welders or maybe even a wire feed for under $300. If you get a 115/120 Volt wire feed, you MUST have a dedicated 20amp breaker for it. If you tie into an existing 20amp circuit, you'll spend more time resetting the breaker than welding. Also look for a welder with an internal cooling fan, if it doesn't have one i can tell you how to add one. The fan will increase the length and depth you can weld without stopping by 20-30%. Most of the Harbor Freight specials don't have fans, but it's real easy to add one. Happy Hunting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 some good info. I'm also looking to pickup a welder in the fairly near future as I will need to build some sliders. What's the fascination with wire feed vs ye old stick welder? Sounds like the wire feed may be easier to use but much more expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Drift Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 Awesome thread, I want to get into welding too. And good question by K9. What is the difference between wire and stick? Pros and cons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 some good info. I'm also looking to pickup a welder in the fairly near future as I will need to build some sliders. What's the fascination with wire feed vs ye old stick welder? Sounds like the wire feed may be easier to use but much more expensive. Yup, that's it. Wire feed is much easier to use, especially if you use shielding gas (GMAW). More controllable and skinnier arc, easy to see and control the puddle, no slag to chip and brush, never have to change sticks, easier to strike arc, convenience of having tip dead until you pull trigger. Once you get the hang of it, it is like spreading butter. Pull the trigger and push/pull the gun. It is especially nice on thinner steels. The big con with GMAW is that you have to use it in still air. If more than the slightest breeze, it will blow the shielding gas away. And without the shielding slag crust, vertical and overhead welds are more difficult. But with a little more practice and technique, stick can do just as fine a job. I have all 3 - oxyacetylene, stick, and MIG. I choose based on the job at hand, but find I am turning to the MIG 90% of the time. But if welding thick steel, definitely the stick as it has far more heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 Ok, time to resurrect this thread. I need a welder. I rent so it HAS to be 110V. This is for occasional personal use and to learn with. While I don't mind spending some $, common sense tells me to stay reasonable. I recognise brand names are good, but I specifically have a question about Clarke welders. Weren't they Clarke American; are they not American any more? I had thought they were a decent unit, not top of the line like Miller or Lincoln, but not K-Mart quality either. This is a break down of what I have seen, with about the best prices I could find maybe 10% lower. Millermatic 140: Good name with handy autoset and manual controls, smooth start and tip saver with reset on the torch. $640 http://www.weldingmart.com/Qstore/p003460.htm Lincoln Power Mig 140C: Good name with the best arc, dial settings, best build quality and cheaper spoolgun. $600 http://www.weldingmart.com/Qstore/p003454.htm Hobart Handler 140: Good name with handy purge features. $500 http://www.brweldingsupplies.com/brands/Ho..._id=26&ID=4 Clarke 130EN: Thought it was a good name. Includes cart, autodark helmet and argon bottle. $515 http://store.weldingdepot.com/cgi/weldingd.../WE6523P-8.html The others include a regulator, but the Clarke is a full package. Also, all the others list a 20% duty cycle at 90A while the Clarke lists 30% @90A and 20% full power. So, what do you think? Am I being too cheap, or is the Clarke something worth buying? (note, I'd probably get heavy duty stick welder later on) Thanks B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfisch1191 Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 Ok so I am a pretty good welder my dad has 2 Lincoln wire feed welders one he bought full price. one he got at an auction for 100 bucks he was mad because a week earlier he bought his brand new one for 700 bucks I think.. But also at school we have oxy wire feed and arc(stick) and a plasma cutter. I learned on the stick welders they are really good for learning. There are less components just strike and go. Don’t have to worry about wire speed getting the tip clogged or keeping your hand level. Plus 6011 sticks are pretty cheap you can get a 50-pound box (last you forever) for like 65 bucks. Also if you get stick make sure to keep the sticks in a dry place, if they get even a little damp you can tell the difference in the arc. And with enough practice you can do anything with a stick that you can do with a wire feed. Besides round tubing. Don’t go with the harbor fright. It will fall apart, even with light welding. If I were to buy a welder I would go with Lincoln miller or Hobart. but check out used ones in terms of welders older is better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 If I had your choices B I would get the Lincoln just because I know I can get parts locally easily for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrailChaser Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 B since you've been such a cool guy to so many people on here over the years. I'll sell you a Ready Welder at cost if you want to go with the best welder for the $$$. I'm sure you've already read up on'em, but if not here's a little description for anyone who's not familiar with the welder. It's a portable welder that fits in a large briefcase and uses 12v batteries for power.(it can also use a stick or mig welding machine for power) With two batteries and .035" wire it puts out about 230-250amps which is commercial grade power, and for more power you simply hook up a third battery in the series. This welder has far more power than anything you can buy and plug into an outlet at home, 110v or 220v. It is a wire feed welder that can weld with just about any size wire. It has a 100% duty cycle.(limited by the charge in the batteries) On two fresh batteries the company claims about 45mins of trigger down welding. I've personally ran thru three one pound rolls in a single charge and still had juice when I finished.(One pound of wire usually lasts about 15 minutes welding at an average feed rate.) I'll make a thread sometime in the future about me selling these and what I'll be charging including the NPORA discount. I was just made a wholesaler/distributer after the Ready Welder people found my crappy video on youtube and gave me a bunch of freebies. Feel free to PM me with any questions. Or email me at foremanmetalworks@yahoo.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Woooo...nice, Trailchaser! Let us know. I had a Lincoln Weld-Pak 100 for a while, it worked great with flux-core wire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Thanks guys, but I was hoping for input on the Clarke unit. Agreed GG, parts are consumable and needed. Still, it seems like I should get a basic MIG (with parts available) that can tie into the Handy welder and have everything covered from the get go. Any one esle, feel free to chime in!! Trailchaser, check your PM's... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 For the cart, make that your first welding test with the new welder. For the gas bottle, get one from the local gas supplier, a lot of times they do exchanges cheaper than refills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 *grunt* Good point. I'm going to have to reassess this a bit. I was still hoping for a review of the Clarke unit though... Thanks. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 So, no other welders out there with input? No one ever use a Clarke?? B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 So, no other welders out there with input? No one ever use a Clarke?? B The company I used to work for had a Clarke and a Hobart in tha back room, and a bunch of Lincolns everywhere and one Miller on the floor. The welders in the back room were broke, and never fixed in the 5 years I was there. About as close as I ever got to a Clarke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mookie Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 So, no other welders out there with input? No one ever use a Clarke?? B I have an old Clarke. I bought it used. It's been great for my uses. I have the option of the Gas hookup. Miller parts work on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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