What kind of welder are you using?

[skokie]

Ok I have decided that I am going to get myself a welder. I have talked to a few people and have some ideas about what I am lookng for but I am curious what people on the board are using and what they may recommend for a rookie. So let er rip

[FRENCHBLUE72]

millermatic 135 I just love the little blue machine it does everything I need it to

[krue]

Hobart Handler 135 (built by Miller but slightly less expensive). Does great work. Picked it up 2nd hand with regulator and co2 bottle for $300.

[Alexis]

Miller MillerMatic 135!!!

[Nixon]

Skokie,
I got a Handler 135 and krue is right it is less expensive and work absolutely awesome. With miller you are paying for the name. I got mine at Tractor Supply Company which are all over Texas. Doubt Cali has them but I could be wrong. There are a lot of good deals on them on eBay and if you search for Hobart 135 on the web you will find some good prices at various tool supply and welding supply stores. Alot of them will ship free. Don't have any recommendations on websites because its been about a year and half since I bought mine.

[skokie]

Krue
What do you mean by co2 bottle?

[krue]

Originally Posted by skokie

Krue
What do you mean by co2 bottle?

You can weld fluxcore (no gas) or with a regulator I can weld with plain old co2 shielding gas (cleaner than fluxcore) or for the cleanest weld you use argon /co2 mix which is what I am going to get when I get the money to spare.

[incoma]

I just bought one at Harbor Freight for $175. It's a Chicago Electric 131, gas / no gas option. I think the 2 year warranty cost another $30. The sale ends on those on the 18th. I still haven't decided if I'm going to keep this one. I'm interested in learning to weld, and since the local votech schools don't have evening classes I was going to learn on my own, but still haven't decided if this is what I want to do. Over the last 10 years, I've only needed something welded like 1 time. I can't justify the welder for that kind of use. I just want to say that I know how to...

[Brainchild]

I have 2 Linocln welders Handy core and a Arc welder
Very satisfied with both.I have had the arc welder for a couple of years,and one like it for several years before that.I like Lincoln gear,so I stick with it.

[1971 Cheyenne]

Millermatic 175, co2/argon mix. Love it.

[Nixon]

The Hobart comes ready to weld with a free spool of flux core wire. Krue is right though. It comes with the attachments to add gas and you should really work on your truck using a gas shield. It makes cleaner welds and less splatter to clean up after the fact. With gas you have to turn it up a little hotter though, so you may have to play with your setting until you get the right amount of heat without burning through the metal. Of course if you weld it like ebfabman shows, you will be laying a lot of spot welds until the metal is "stitched" together. You be laying long runs of beads because that heats the metal too much and can cause warpage.

[wxman1]

Lincoln Electric Pro MIG 135! Bought it at Lowes to about $450.
You'll need a bottle of Ar/CO2 gas which will cost about $60
bucks for a small bottle. Refills are around $18.

I'm a 1st time welder, but this machine makes it almost easy.
However...if your welding sheetmetal...patience, technique and
accurate settings on the welder are absolutely essential.

Jim
Mt Juliet

[skokie]

http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=prod...8-1703-K2159-1

That was one of the ones I was looking at. Do you have to use gas?

[Alexis]

If you can deal with dirty welds. The differance form using non-gas and gas welder is like night from day. I highly suggest getting a gas welder.

[Iminocca]

Lincoln SP100T - 110v gas/gasless wire feed (it's the industrial version of the Weldpak series). I used it occasionally for the first couple of years with flux core wire before I bought an argon/co2 bottle...wow! what a difference! Go with gas, go with gas, go with gas! You will NOT regret it.

I believe with most of the Harbor Freight/low $$$ welders the wire is hot all the time, so it's possible to inadvertantly strike an arc...no bueno. Lincoln and Miller machines don't do this.

[skokie]

Sounds like the gas is the way to go. What is it that the gas does ot help in the welding. After reading that it sounds like a stupid question but hey how else do you learn?

[lock]

Another Hobart Handler 135 here. Northern tool often has them on sale with a free cart! Pick up a bottle for it and your all set!

[passthebuck]

lincoln sp-135 plus. Its been nothing but an awesome gas mig welder, VERY controlable, quality machine & well priced. I totally got my monies woth.

[walker]

Gas for a mig welder shields the molten puddle of metal. It is the same as the slag on the stick electrodes, or the flux in the flux core wire, except it is much cleaner. Argon blends are cleaner than CO2. I have a Millermatic 185, a Miller Trailblazer, and an O/A rig. I learned to weld with gas and it taught me a lot about the puddle. Then I moved on to stick welding, learned a lot about penetration, fit up, and amperage. MIG is by far the easiest route to go. Look at some pictures, find a welding BB, post some pictures of your welds, and you will recieve advice o'plenty. I am partial to Miller products, but there is nothing wrong with Hobart, Lincoln, et al. I would stick with a brand name that you recognize, so you will be able to get parts for it for a long time. Also, stick with american made wire, the cheap stuff will splatter more.

[botboy]

I started out using my dads ??? brand stick welder, learned how to do thick metal, but wanted to be able to do cleaner welds

My grandpa (who kicks ass, btw) bought me a lincoln weld-pak 100, and some spools of flux core wire

After pretty much getting to the limit of what flux-core could do, I got a friends dad to score me a regulator for argon/co2 (he owned a big machine sales co), then I bit the bullet and bought a CO2 bottle, my welding skills with mig are getting better every day, pretty soon I'll be starting on a new truck and shaving doorhandles, gas filler cap, and probably drip rails using what I've learned.

Also, I just bought a nice miller plasma cutter, what a fun toy. Managed to talk down the guy selling it (who bought at wholesale for $1200) to $450.

[raphyel]

I bought a harbor freight gasless mig, and I have has good results. The only problem is as people said it leaves a lot of slag that had to be ground off after you finish. I got a gasless because it was 125.00 on sale. There is a way to prevent the slag from sticking, and that is to brush a grease on the metal surrounding area to be welded. I have some pics of where I welded floor patches and I am very proud of the way my welder worked. But just keep in mind if you get a harbor freight gasless, PICK UP AN ANGLE GRINDER AND SOME GRINDING WHEELS TOO! But, all in all the grinding is not a big deal to do. it takes ten minutes.

[pbmcauliffe]

Miller MM210 mig and Miller Syncrowave 180sd tig

[67ChevyC10Stepside]

the welder i use is called Fusor......sells for 44 bucks at API.

[1972C10]

Ive got An Old Air Products 250 amp AC Arc Welder that is hooked up and gets used It looks identical to an old school miller where there laying sideways and the crank and lead holes are on the front.

Ive got a relativley New Miller ThunderBolt 250 Amp Ac Arc Welder that sits in the store room cause the plug is different that what i have lol too lazy to make an adaptor or get a new plug and change it out

And for wirefeeding I Have A Hobart Handler 135 Same components/Warranty as a millermatic 135 Its on flux now but when the 10# spool runs out im gonna get a cylinder and run non flux since I use it Indoors all the time ,,

For delicate projects I have a century 100? Not really sure but it has eleventy five thousand voltage settings and is very good for thin metal/body work.

[jugernot]

I have been thinking about getting a welder and found a craftsmans. What do you think of this one.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...&bidsite=CRAFT