Posted: 7/31/2007 8:28:23 PM EDT
|
OK Guys, I want to learn to weld. I have looked at teh community college route, but I work rotating shifts and don't think I could swing it. I thought of just buying a book and a welder and teaching myself. I've done some basic welding before, in Iraq, but wasn't very good at it. I'm looking to be able to weld steel to do basic auto repair and fabrication. This would be for a home garage shop, not anything for trail use, etc (that may come later, if I get good enough). What sort of specs or welders would you recommend? what are the decent brands, what are the shitty ones to stay away from? I figure I could probably swing 200-400 bucks for the welding set up, including supplies, helmet, etc. Is this too low of a figure? What is a good how-to-weld book that you would recommend? Help me figure out what I need, I can look at catalogs all day long but it doesn't really mean much to me. Thanks! |
|
The author of this book, Richard Finch, is the welding consultant to NASA! He taught welding at UCSB (IIRC). I got it aftyer a few years of welding. It teaches everything from the very begining to the most advanced stuff, IMO, it really made me a better weldor. books.google.com/books?id=EOiY7oHWXUUC&dq=%22richard+finch%22+welding&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=DgfEYIrFQy&sig=P2Mit8ELQnjPFezJ7-gIH-iaxDY I got this one first, they sell it at most hardware/farm supply stores here... My grand father was a weldor, so he basicly showed me how to run a beed one day, with a stick welder, from there I bought a torch kit (a good place to start, because you learn all about proper heat. I never trust a weldor who didn't start on a torch!), then I got a used AC Miller Thunderbolt stick welder. I keep threatening to buy a MIG, but IMO, all the "trick welding" is done with a torch or stick welder. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!!! |
|
For a welder: I'd recomend a large AC/DC unit (stick) That richard finch book above will tell you how to weld alluminum and other shit with a DC stick welder. You can easily get a lincon welder for under $400 at home depot. It is the big 220volt unit. Don't waste your time on little 110s from wal-mart. The one I have in mind gos up to about 225 amp on AC/150 amp on DC. (you'll need a good 60 amp 220 outlet in your shop, BTW) Now you talk about welding on cars.Most cars today use heat treated steel, your going to have problems welding it, mostly it will crack. It's all in the finch book. Don't weld on modern truck frames! I build stuff so I can bolt on. |
|
Buy a torch set up first. You can cut, weld, braze, and heat. You should budget about $500 for the torch and bottles. After you have the torch, then look into electric welders. I have the torch and hope to get a MIG welder next. However, I am still welding with my torch and haven't needed an electric welder yet. I've used gas, MIG, and stick and the gas is by far the most useful. You can weld a lot faster with a MIG or stick welder but gas can be used for far more things. |
|
If you have time poke around this site www.pirate4x4.com/forum/ There are lot of people welding. |
|
Since I am on my 6th welder, I can offer advice for the first time buyer. Buy a Miller. No reason to not start with Mig. I did quite a bit of gas welding on sheet metal when I owned gas and a stick welder(too hot for autobody), but it is slow and generates too much heat in the work. The very first time I borrowed a wire feed Mig with gas, I did more work in one day than I would have done in a week with stick or oxyacetelene. Simply amazing!! I started with a Miller stick, Victor Oxy Acetelene setup, Daytona Pocket Mig, Hobart 180, and then bought a Miller 251 for work. This week I will buy a Miller 180 and it will be a keeper for the home shop. The start up arc circuitry and all metal drive system on the Miller is worth the extra money. I traded off my Hobart last weekend for cash and a pressure sprayer. All of the welders paid for themselves many times over in money saved, that's for certain! Save up for an auto darkening Miller mask. It greatly reduces the learning curve and speeds up productivity immensely. I wish I had bought one 5 yrs. ago and will never be without one. A Millermatic 180 full retails for $958, but two dealers have them for $773 and $755. This welder will accept 4 or 8" wire spools and will weld 5/16" in one pass. It is a compact box and is a heck of a deal!! 55cuft mix gas is $125 and 150cuft is $180 filled. If you save for a good plasma cutter, you will rarely use oxyacetelene. I own all of them. |
|
I picked up the 180 last night and was welding quickly afterward. It is a very nice piece of equipment!! It is rated to 5/16" in one pass, but my first beads were on 3/8". It is plenty hot enough. Next I tacked some 24gauge mesh together with it (.024 wire). Nice! Welder, filled mix gas, and tax = $1024. Buy the best and never look back!  Yeah, I will post photos soon..... |
|
I am also a hobby welder and bought a Lincoln 110 MIG welder from Home depot years ago (about $360 , No gas setup). I love the welder for light use...EASY to weld with compared to stick, very fast compared to gas and it uses standard 115v power outlet. I do flux core wire. The above said, I will add the downsides. 1.) ****Take whatever the thickness the maker says the mig welder will weld ...and cut it in HALF to get a more realistic single pass welding ability. Mine said 1/4 inch but it is really a 1/8 inch welder unless I feel like doing a lot of setup or I have two sided access. 2.) Flux core wire is not nearly as clean as true MIG. Plan for the bottles in the cost if you really plan on doing thin work or other metals besides steel. 3.) Watch your breakers in the house if you plan to weld much. Be sure the line can handle it. Good luck! PS: get the auto dark helmet, they are great! |
|
I am also a beginning welder, and always wanted a welder at home for different types of home jobs. Mostly for car muffler and things like that. Well I went to harbor freight and purchased a 90amp / 110v unit for 99$ (with flux core wire included), regular mask is 6.40$. This unit is an easy setup with min/max switch and feeder control (yes min/max is a downside if min is too low, and max is too high, but for the things I will be doing it should be just fine). Anyway, I have tried to weld my muffler pipe, and other things to just see how good it works. Well for 100$, and non-gas welder it works just fine. Yes the weld is not as clean as with the gas but for mufflers it doesn't matter. So if you want to weld precision things with clean finish weld you will need a more expansive MIG or TIG welder, but for non-critical home applications cheap welder should be enough. |