Which welder to buy?

[JRuel]

Hi all.

I'm looking to learn how to weld. Mostly will be light duty stuff, body work and I'd love to learn how to weld aluminum for fixing my jet boats. I only have 110 in my shop but can likely get 220 if needed.

Is there a machine that will do all this? What would everyone reccomend? I don't want to break the bank but would like some decent quality.

[BigChevy]

I would look up the Lincoln Square Wave Tig 175. Priced around $2,000 and capable of Stick and Tig welding.

[flint guy]

Look at some of the smaller miller inverters. You will need 220 most likley, but can get away with the portable plug ins on 110v for some tig and light stick work 100 amp max I believe. Any mig (wire feed welder) will do everything you ask, but will require different sheilding gas for alum and steel. You would also need a spool gun as aluminum is very hard to feed in most cases in a regular mig gun. To get the quality you will need to weld a boat of most kinds you wont get away with cheap. Alum requires quite abit of power.

Im a pretty good source of info, if you need any q,s answered.

[Taco]

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...9230_200479230

and

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...6040_200476040

[Twisted Canuck]

I'm a big fan of the Miller machines, I have a 185 Millermatic Mig unit that I sure like. With the spool gun for aluminum, gives you flexibility, and less money than the tig with more versatility IMO.

The Hobart Unit that Taco posted is basically the same Miller at heart, but less money. Paying more for blue paint may be an ego thing....

[skidderman]

I have the millermatic 252 with spool gun. Do't use it a lot but it sure is nice. If you weld aluminium you will also need an argon tank. These are not cheap but if you can pick one up used they are top notch. Used to try to weld aluminium with a cheap welder and it was frustrating. Hard enough with a good one as welding aluminium is much different than welding steel.

[Trochu]

Not sure how much your thinking of spending, but the Lincoln 140 (mig, no stick) goes on sale regularly at Canadian Tire for $500.00. Not sure about aluminum capability (i think it would work if you bought the spool), but if your looking for light duty on 110, it will be really tough to beat. Do not buy the Lincoln 120.

[zero_eight]

Millermatic 211 is a dual voltage unit so you can use it on 110 now and 220 later on when you get your electrical sorted out. Can also be used with a spool gun for aluminum.

[Mountain Adventurer]

I prefer the miller inverter, full capabilities for any given situation. I have put this machine through hell and back,even running wide open voltage for days at a time,probably ran a weld from red deer to Edmonton with no issues.I miss my machine. I LOVE MILLER cost $3500

[Kim473]

Don't buy CT or any place like that. Go to a welding suply store or whole sale. Much better machines and supplies. A place that will service them also. Gonna pay a little more but worth it IMO.

[JRuel]

Thanks guys!

Lots to think about and a budget to work towards!

Awesome! Thank you!

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by BigChevy

I would look up the Lincoln Square Wave Tig 175. Priced around $2,000 and capable of Stick and Tig welding.

I too would recommend getting a tig/ stick machine. There are a lot of mig fans out there but for personal use I'll take a stick machine any day. Regardless of what you think, I can promise you that most of your welding is going to be on mild steel. Also, after a flurry of welding when you first get the machine it will probably sit there in the corner of your garage collecting dust until.. wham! You need it NOW! And that right there is where a stick machine outshines mig, sitting neglected for ages and being pressed into action at a moments notice without any hiccups. As well stick does a better job on dirty, painted, rusted up scrap steel which is generally what I'm using at home.

Even for MIG one needs relatively pure argon to weld aluminum, and I prefer a mix for welding steel, using mig I would need two different types of gas. Using tig (I've even had good results welding aluminum with stick) means I only have to need to pay for one bottle (besides my cutting torch).

My take on brands is this... Lincoln makes some of the best, and worst machines I've ever used. Every miller and ESAB machine I've ever used has been good, especialy ina cheaper machine I would avoid Lincoln.

[KUDUHNTR]

There are aluminum electrodes out there that will work 3/32 and 1/8 diameter,
depending on the weld position, with overhead being the most difficult for the welding rod, flat and horizontal will work with adequate results. I agree that the miller inverters work great, my self for aluminum i prefer tig, as you have more control, however you will need high frequency and argon and a tig torch, and the material has to clean, although the high frequency will help to clean the surface, you should still try to remove all the surface oxides first, which will make for a cleaner weld. with either welding process ( tig or stick ) you will want to practice before you tackle your own! If you need any more info, pm me and i would be happy to help you as I have lots of experience welding aluminum!

[BucksBoarsandBulls]

hobart handler 140. made by miller, just cheaper end. peavey mart sells em.

[Goater]

On sale now-- 50%
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/ma...l#.VOorzfnF-rM

[coolpete1]

check out a thermal arc before you buy one , me and a few other friends all have them and they are awesome . esab is by far the worst pos i ever used in my life , i wouldn't take one if it was free .

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by coolpete1

check out a thermal arc before you buy one , me and a few other friends all have them and they are awesome . esab is by far the worst pos i ever used in my life , i wouldn't take one if it was free .

Not sure what ESAB's you're using but I've used their migs (the old 250's are still one of my favorite compact mig welders), some of their bigger power source welders which got run wide open for major gouging operations without ever complainting, and even a real old buzzbox where the amperage was controlled by a movable shunt and various lead hookups. Never used an ESAB I didn't like. The only thing I've ever used from Thermal Arc was a plasma cutter, which I wasn't crazy about.

[coolpete1]

Originally Posted by Bushleague

Not sure what ESAB's you're using but I've used their migs (the old 250's are still one of my favorite mig welders) and some of their bigger power source welders, even a real old buzzbox where the amperage was controlled by a movable shunt and various lead hookups. Never used an ESAB I didn't like.

i cant remember the model number , we had one at work for a few years , only worked on 2 temp settings and the wire came out at the same speed no matter where it was set , and produced booger welds on everything , it was bought new and repaired more than once . now we have a lincoln to replace it and works great. my own welder is a thermal arc , it replaced a smaller lincoln but they were/are both good machines.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by coolpete1

i cant remember the model number , we had one at work for a few years , only worked on 2 temp settings and the wire came out at the same speed no matter where it was set , and produced booger welds on everything , it was bought new and repaired more than once . now we have a lincoln to replace it and works great. my own welder is a thermal arc , it replaced a smaller lincoln but they were/are both good machines.

I've seen some of their smaller units where the heat/wirefeed was all pre- set and adjusted on a single knob. Never used them but to me that seems like a recipe for frustration. Any of their industrial grade stuff that I've used has been excellent. The Lincoln power sources and bigger Power Mig units are pretty good, I've found the combo units that will do both stick and mig to be way more finicky than the straight mig units for some reason. Either way I like the Millermatic and older Mig Master units better.

[wolfed]

I would stay away from cheap knock offs. Miller, Lincoln, Esab, and Hobart all have good machines. I've welded lots with a miller backpack welder, they work very good, they have about a 80 percent duty cycle at 120 amp with a 1/8 rod. They cost a little over a 1000 bucks, you can use it in both 110 and 220, It works best with 220 of course, for about another 1000 bucks you have a mig and tig kit for that welder.

[MB1]

Originally Posted by JRuel

Hi all.

I'm looking to learn how to weld. Mostly will be light duty stuff, body work and I'd love to learn how to weld aluminum for fixing my jet boats. I only have 110 in my shop but can likely get 220 if needed.

Is there a machine that will do all this? What would everyone reccomend? I don't want to break the bank but would like some decent quality.

If you're mostly going to be doing body work I would highly recommend a mig machine. If you are going to learn with a stick welder on body panels you better buy a bunch of bondo because you will blow a ton of holes! Something to think about is gasless fluxcore wire, no gas required and you can open the garage door and have at it, wind will not affect the weld like it would with regular wire. Get your skills up with mig before you even try tig, there is lots of things that have to be perfect before you get a decent tig weld.

[dumoulin]

Originally Posted by Goater

On sale now-- 50%
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/ma...l#.VOorzfnF-rM

This the one I have. It's not heaven duty, but it works great on small projects. I built bumpers and currently working one a walking beam axle trailer for my RZR. It certainly doesn't have the juice to burn into 1/4" but will work on thinner material. I've burnt piles of wire and haven't had trouble with the feed or gun.
The guts are basically miller-like, but one of the feeder gears is nylon. Other than that it's pretty identical.

That said, you get what you pay for. If it craps out in a couple years, so be it. I could not justify dropping 800-1000$ on the identical miller version for what I do .

[wheatball]

I weld for a living, I bought a thermal arc 181 I can mig, stick and tig it's great for the price. I bought it from baker gas in the states and saved a couple hundred bucks; bought an aluminum spool gun there too and saved hundreds. the mig is great for new fabrication, be sure to bevel your joints. If I got to weld on some ****ty rusty hitch switch to stick, its a great setup. I highly recommend it. Correct me if I'm wrong but I do believe thermal arc invented the inverter welder. Also recomended it to a friend and he loves it too. you can get bigger ones too.

[JRuel]

Originally Posted by dumoulin

This the one I have. It's not heaven duty, but it works great on small projects. I built bumpers and currently working one a walking beam axle trailer for my RZR. It certainly doesn't have the juice to burn into 1/4" but will work on thinner material. I've burnt piles of wire and haven't had trouble with the feed or gun.
The guts are basically miller-like, but one of the feeder gears is nylon. Other than that it's pretty identical.

That said, you get what you pay for. If it craps out in a couple years, so be it. I could not justify dropping 800-1000$ on the identical miller version for what I do .

Had a look at this one earlier. For the price, how can I go wrong? I've almost got enough built up in gift cards to grab one. I suppose at least this one would get me into it, and once I get half way decent with one I can step up to welding aluminum and the like?

Since its so reasonably priced a guy could spend more on supplies.

What would a guy need for supplies to get going with something like this? Thinking of building a tub trailer, and maybe fixing up some body on an old truck if I get good. This machine seems like it would be capable of that?

[JRuel]

OR, step up to something like this with a spool gun to do aluminum as well?

http://www.bakersgas.com/cgi-bakersg...ad5762beb9f6be

[dumoulin]

Originally Posted by JRuel

Had a look at this one earlier. For the price, how can I go wrong? I've almost got enough built up in gift cards to grab one. I suppose at least this one would get me into it, and once I get half way decent with one I can step up to welding aluminum and the like?

Since its so reasonably priced a guy could spend more on supplies.

What would a guy need for supplies to get going with something like this? Thinking of building a tub trailer, and maybe fixing up some body on an old truck if I get good. This machine seems like it would be capable of that?

You can get gas, but I ise flux core .9 wire. It's a bit slower as you have to chip flux off after welding and as part of the prep work to restart.

I also bought the stand, welding pliers and snips, tip lube, wire brushes, chisel hammer and a good helmet. The kit does come with some of these items including a stand, but they are junk or subpar.

[coolpete1]

if you want to spend less pick up a lincoln from home depot or can tire that comes with the gas kit, then pick up a bottle of mig mix from oxypro or something and you will be more than ready to build stuff . flux core produces a strong weld too but its smoky , draws way more power and isn't as much fun .

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by skidderman

I have the millermatic 252 with spool gun. Do't use it a lot but it sure is nice. If you weld aluminium you will also need an argon tank. These are not cheap but if you can pick one up used they are top notch. Used to try to weld aluminium with a cheap welder and it was frustrating. Hard enough with a good one as welding aluminium is much different than welding steel.

spool guns are the way to go hands down. they're quicker, easier, and you get shocked less

tig is nice for small precise work and stick is fine it's just not as cool. it's hard to fail with stick anytime except that you need to stop and swap rods and a spool gun can keep going.

preheat so you get consistent welding aluminum can change in the blink of an eye. spend more time cleaning than welding it will save you time in the end.

[masalma]

So this guy won't cut it? Lol


http://www.princessauto.com/en/detai...er/A-p8209686e

[Drewski Canuck]

I am a hobby welder largely out of necessity as I wanted to repair and build things and did not have the money to pay professionals, or even get their interest, in the little stuff I did.

I am not a professional welder.

Having said that, a Lincoln wire feed Flux Core (Mig pack 15) running on 220 V has been a life saver.

I also have an old Buzz Box tagged Mastercraft, but who knows who built it, that has burned a lot of rod over the years. It takes time, patience, and some instruction to use, but has delivered great results.

I think you want to stay away from aluminum until you have some basic skills, then get some instruction. At that point buy the bottles and get the gun and the spool and play on scraps for a few weeks first with the wire feed. Lots of courses for the amateur at NAIT.

Get the best auto darkening helmet you can afford, proper leathers (Princess Auto), and remember safety first!!!!

Drewski