Which Welder?
 

I am wanting to purchase a Welder. The only problem is I know nothing about them. I have welded with a stick welder, I think that was what it's called. So the question is, which welder should I buy to weld metal to metal? You know, the things we need to fix on our machines. When I look at them, they are flux welders, mig welders and on and on. And you guys know I get confused very easily. :bigeyes:

I'd recommend something 220v with gas, I've never been much of a fan of flux core wire.

110V Flux core MIG will do most repairs, but not well. Flux core MIG's don't weld very good compared to shield gas. If you go with shield gas, there's a lot more expense.

I agree with Tim.

Honestly Ronnie, unless you plan to practice and get good, it isn't worth the expense.

Your best bet is a MIG or a Multiprocess who can do MIG/dcTIG/Stick, now the brand...Let's say Blue/Red/White/Yellow (Miller/Lincoln/Hobart/Esab)

Like everything more is always better but for a hobbyist welding 3/16" single pass a 140A 110V welder is more then enough as long you respect the duty cycle of the machine. Flux core is good to weld outside in windy condition. Now for inside welding the use of shielding gas is recommended, I personally use a mix of 75% Argon/25% CO2 (C25) to weld steel with my MIG for a good penetration. I use pure Argon with my dcTIG to weld steel and stainless steel.

Thermal arc Fabricator line who is now a Esab brand who used to be sell under the name Tweco got a nice little Mutiprocess for a fair price ($599), they perform pretty well, here links to Esab site and Youtube Video.

http://www.esabna.com/us/en/products...=V430015&tab=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W0feaXCJTM

You can do yourself a favor and try finding adult classes in welding in evenings or weekends. There's so much to learn that taking the course is worth the time and expense to gain some knowledge and to do so safely. In my area, there are a few technical schools/colleges that offer this class. Generally once a week for three hours for 6-8 weeks. Like everyone else... I'm with shielded gas MIG welder.

To expand on Ronnie's inquiry, focusing in on the Amperage. I see MIG's from 100A and upward. For the Hobby or DIY welder, what is a decent Amperage Unit...??

Seems the "review" sites seem to favor three brands....Miller, Lincoln, and Hobart. Your thoughts....??

:bigthink:

I have a 220 volt 175 amp Miller with gas. Love it.

I borrowed a small 110volt MIG welder with flux wire from a friend to repair some combine sieves (very thin material). It worked pretty well and if I did enough light work, I'd get one. As for me, we've got a 60 year old Marquette buzzbox stick welder and I use Lincoln 6011 rods. I'm generally welding 3/16 and thicker materials.
The one thing I see with MIG machines, a lot of people don't use them properly--they just squirt molten metal onto 2 pcs and call it welded, looks like caulking. You REALLY need to consider some classes at a tech school. FWIW if you plan on welding mower decks, they can be some of the worst things to weld up because the material tends to be thinner from rust deterioration, and severely rusted as well. For the record I am not a welder, but have spent the last 27 years working closely with them. One of my first jobs in a machine shop was weld prep and clean up for parts that were show chromed. Having said that, I am somewhat biased when a fellow tells me he can weld, having spent so many years around professionals, that is the standard I use.

My Hobart Handler 140Amp was the highest amp 120v welder available when I bought it. It had 4 heat range settings and the new model has 5. It has the click knob for heat and the fine adjust for wire speed, no need to go so high dollar IMO. My Advice is Buy a small bottle of 75/25 mix gas and never look back, flux core wire is too messy and smokes bad. This welder will weld comfortably most at home DIY projects. I've welded 1/4" and bigger in a pinch but needed to preheat with a torch. I've had many spools of wire through it with zero problems. It's small and able to be toted around and you don't have to wonder where you're going to plug it in.

I have a 250 Hobart champion for the big stuff but I feel a 120v welder is all you need Ronnie, bought my small one at TSC. I would stay away from the cheapy HF combo arc/mig/pressure washer whatever unit as I've known a few guys that have had issues with them a year or so down the road.

There's some decent YouTube videos for the beginner welder as well but as john stated a tech school class is the way to go

Edit: I just read above and below and some guys have same/good advice

The "big 3" are the most commonly bought most people. Of the 3, I'd personally rank them lowest to highest in this order: Hobart, Lincoln, Miller. Hobart makes decent machines, but I've never been a fan of their MIG's. They make a good stick welder. Lincoln makes a very good machine for the DIY guys. Miller is the best of the 3. You will pay more for a Miller. If you want a high end welder, go with an ESAB. They really don't cost much more than a Miller, sometimes less, but it's harder to find dealers for them. If you don't have much experience welding you will likely burn up tips both the shield tip and the wire tip. If you buy a welder at say TSC then they will stock the tips on the shelf, so they are easy to get.

A good size welder that will do most anything "Cub" related would be in the 100 amp range. Do your self a favor, and don't go less. Most MIG's are set up as DC machines, so you don't need the amperage that you would if it was an AC machine. As far as the power supply to the machine, if your home shop supports it, do yourself another favor and go with a 220V machine. The 110V units don't have a high output and will still require an isolated plug with a high amp rating (like at least a 20A isolated circuit). The 110V unit's usually have a very low duty cycle.

Duty cycle is important. It's what divides the "good" from the "cheap" machine. For those looking to learn, duty cycle is the amount of time that you can weld, in minutes, in a 10 min period. So, a welder with a 30% duty cycle can weld 3 min, but then has to cool down for 7 min. A 100% duty cycle machine can basically run without stopping. Not many DIY people need that high of a duty cycle, but depends what your doing. I have a very nice Lincoln 220V (input) 125A (output) MIG. On the highest setting, the duty cycle drops to like 60% or so. I've overheated it more than once. Nice thing is, the machine knows when it gets too hot, and it won't let you weld. If I choose to run that machine, I usually open the hoods and set a box fan blowing on it to help keep it cool.

Hope that helps.
I own 4 or 5 welders. Stick and MIG. I have Lincoln, Miller and ESAB, ranging from 125A to 250A. My favorite is the ESAB 250. What an awesome machine. ESAB to Hobart is like comparing a Snapper rider to a Kubota compact.


BIG NOTE: MIG welders DO NOT like rusty metal. You will have to grind any rust off with a grinder before welding with them. A stick welder will burn right through rust, but you really have to know how to weld to run a stick with thin metal.