Best Welder

[UK4X4]

Hobart 140 here and love it- 1/4" is solid

3/8" steel and you need to be creative..............I normally just use gasless wire-----yep takes longer to clean up, but I also don't need to keep buying gas.

I'd be happy building bumpers with mine.......oops here's one I built earlier..

 

[spressomon]

Many, many moons ago we started with Oxy-Fuel/Acetylene until we "mastered" brazing and then welding with rod; this included using different size tips for different thickness metal as well as heating for bending.

Then once we were proficient at that we were allowed to progress to stick arc welding. And finally after showing our proficiency on a variety of different projects we then moved into MIG. It was a great process to learn the capabilities and limits of each welding technology.

If one has the time, interest and available classroom resources I can only suggest this pattern of learning as I believe it is the best as it relates to welding. However just finding a trade-school these days that offers short courses in welding is all but gone. And being able to afford all those different set-ups for a home-brew learning on the fly approach is beyond most budgets and garage space.

I would love to play around with TIG...being, for me, the last step in the welding technique process.

As others have stated I think MIG is fine for most garage mechanic/handyman projects including building bumpers, sliders, etc. as long as you either get some tutelage and/or read a couple different welding books. And practice ,practice, practice: No substitute for burning lots of beads!!!

FYI: I bought, several years ago, a new MM175. I wanted to at least get a 220V machine. And it has paid for itself over a variety of different automotive and household projects. Having said that, and knowing there isn't much the MM175 won't do for most garage type mechanics, I wish I would have upgraded to the then 210 or even the 250 for even better overall control. Buy the most welder you can within your budget...as others have stated you will end up using far more than you predict today!

 

[Antichrist]

What's the disadvantage to Helium? Sounds like it would be better overall. Just a higher price?

Well, depends on what you're doing. I've never welded mild steel or stainless with 100% He so can't say directly. That said...
It causes a hotter arc so you'll have to adjust your procedure to allow for it. Not in and of itself bad I suppose, but could be annoying if someone else is using your welder who isn't used to it, or if you're using someone's that with Ar or Ar/CO2.
It's much lighter so your shielding gas is blown away easier.
You have to set up differently if you're using it to purge a vessel for welding.
Will seep out of smaller leaks than Ar will, so you could potentially lose more.
You could have dumbasses coming over to talk funny, potentially suffocating themselves.

This is for TIG. Ar is fine for MIG welding Aluminum.

 

[chuck45]

The best bang for the buck would be a Hobart Handler (made by Miller). I have the Hobart Handler 187. It's a 185 amp 230 Volt unit.
Info: http://www.hobartwelders.com/products/wirefeed/handler187/

I recently bought a Hobart 210 Handler and am quite pleased with it. One of our fabrication welders from work had a chance to use it recently and he was impressed with it. He mainly uses much larger Miller and Lincoln MIG and stick welders at the shop (and diesel driven stick welders on our mobile trucks) and was surprised by how smooth it was. It's a far cry from my old Lincoln 225 AC "Buzz Box".

I also treated myself to a Hypertherm Powermax 45 Plasma cutter and love it.

 

[ntsqd]

Having used Helium with a TIG on aluminum I'd guess that price is the biggest factor against using it. The case where I used it was in a casting that the available machine, even after a heat-soak pre-heat, barely had enough power. Switching to helium made the weld possible in a controlled manner rather than running the machine bent over against the pin.

I recommend it to guys trying to MIG aluminum with small machines as it does help, but they need to go in knowing what the limits are.

As has been said already buy as much or even a little more machine than your budget can stand.

 

[monele]

Just to add one more to the mix, I may buy the new Millermatic 211 if my deal on the 250 doesn't come through. Why? It is basically a repackaged DVI in the small frame (140, 180 size) but still a 210amp welder, has 30% duty cycle at 175Amps and is dual voltage. May be the coolest hobby welder ever. Cyberweld has it for $970 with free shipping. (no I don't work for them I just buy a lot from them)

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Just wondering... So I'm building an expedition trailer, picked up about 600lbs of steel, and looking at ALL that welding I have to do, and much of it will be out of position and or inside elbows... I wonder if this job would be better tackled with a MIG machine?

Ok, I know it would be better. But would it be beneficial enough to go out and invest in a Lincoln 180T or 180C?

I don't really pay attention to the actual speed when I'm TIGing. I just have at it. But, the Miller website says about 12" per minute for the 1/8" steel I'll be using. How fast would a MIG machine go? I guess there are other factors to consider. The TIG will require less grinding because I can use just the right amount of filler to get good penetration, but not a lot of buildup on a joint which I need to stack another tube onto. But, MIG will be so much faster to get welding. Just grab the gun and pull the trigger. With TIG I have to get my chair, set up the pedal, grab my filler, try to get comfortable... I supposed I could stick weld it but, I hate stick welding.

It'd cost me $1000 for a nice machine, driving up the cost the trailer. But, I do know that this is a purchase that will be useful for life.

Opinions? Money *is* an object so I don't want to be foolish. But, I have a LOT of welding to do on this trailer.

 

[chuck45]

I learned to weld with an oxy acetylene torch then went to stick welding and now MIG. I have never welded with TIG. I don't weld at work but we do a ton of custom fabrication at work on our trailer mounted pump unit's (million dollar units with one to three engines of 500 to 2300 HP and pumping at 15,000 psi) and all is done with MIG. I don't believe we have a TIG welder on site. Perhaps if I was going to build a roll cage I might think about learning to TIG weld and buying a machine. For your expedition trailer I think MIG would be just fine. I purchased a Hobart (built by Miller) 210 Handler and it works great. I thinkI paid about 850.00. I've never bumped up against it's duty cycle and it has a very smooth arc. Whatever you do get a 220-240 volt machine. BTW I find there is vertually no cleanup grinding with the MIG welder as long as you have it dialed in. About all I ever need is a light hit with a flap wheel.

Good luck on your trailer. Are you thinking of getting a Plasma cutter?

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Don't get me started on the plasma cutter, please! The wife is already unimpressed at the new welder idea.

Just have a chop saw for now.

 

[chuck45]

Don't get me started on the plasma cutter, please! The wife is already unimpressed at the new welder idea.

Just have a chop saw for now.

Well a chop saw is a pretty slick thing to have too. I got tired of lugging stuff to work to use one theirs so I just picked up a Dewalt chop saw. I really like it.

The plasma cutter just makes me grin :bike_rider:; especially as I could never get good enough with a cutting torch to leave a good weld ready edge. But the Plasma cutter with a template or straightedge is so slick. To say nothing of how little it heats the metal in comparison to a torch.

But 'nuff said........good luck on your project. Maybe your other half will see the light.:sunny:

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Yeah, I saw some plasma cutters for only about $1000. Hmmm....

I looked at the consumer Lincolns, the 180T. For $650 I wasn't terribly impressed. Lots of plastic parts, and only 5 voltage selections. I could get the 180C, the industrial model with continuous voltage selection for $950 so I think that's the way I'd go if I bought one. None of the industrial stores are open today so I couldn't pick one up. And I'm also stuck with only having some left over ER70S2 filler rod.

So, I picked up 10lbs of 7018 rod, and I'll give that a shot. I just have no idea how I'd TIG a frame together with it on the ground. I can't use the foot pedal that way. I might tack it together with the rod, then pick it up to a working height and TIG the rest. We'll see how it goes.

Well, enough procrastinating, I've gotta get a car back together and out of the garage before I can start welding!

 

[dustboy]

If I needed some fancy parts cut, I could just take a CAD file to the metal shop down the street from work..they have a nifty CNC plasma cutter and it wouldn't cost much to run a few parts on it, compared to the cost of buying a cheap handheld plasma cutter. Everything else I can use my chopsaw and band saw.

 

[chuck45]

If I needed some fancy parts cut, I could just take a CAD file to the metal shop down the street from work..they have a nifty CNC plasma cutter and it wouldn't cost much to run a few parts on it, compared to the cost of buying a cheap handheld plasma cutter. Everything else I can use my chopsaw and band saw.

But, but, you've just given up the reason to have another tool. Seriously I can see your point but I've found that the plasma cutter is so quick and so clean that I like it much better than I thought I would. The scarfing tip is handy for "dissasembling" too. The chop saw certainly has it's place, especially dealing with tubular goods, but the plasma does too. A great thing about the plasma is that it doesn't heat the metal you're cutting near as much as a cutting torch and with shielded consumables it's much easier to get good straight or curved cuts. And being able to make templates out of wood is a real plus as I can use my Jet bandsaw or a jigsaw to cut anything I can draw. Clean the template up with some sandpaper and you're good to go. I think owning one is a real plus. I bought the Hypertherm Powermax 45 and have been very pleased with it. The quality brand entry levels are about 1000-1100 but I decided it was worth it to take one step up into the 1500-1600 range for the additional clean cutting capacity and severance capacity.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Well, I've been getting on with the project. I haven't even opened the box of stick rods. I managed to tack the frame together on the ground using some funky gymnastics moves to work the foot pedal. Actually I used my knee in many cases. Then I lifted it up onto jackstands to finish weld it sitting down. I also figured out how to do vertical TIG, and I have to say... I was intimidated at first, but after I tried it, it's actually kinda easy. I've got some really good vertical welds now. So, I've just TIGed the whole thing together.

It's slow as sin though. I don't mind it so much for the structural things, but I have a LOT of seam welding flat panels on that's taking forever.

 

[chuck45]

It's slow as sin though. I don't mind it so much for the structural things, but I have a LOT of seam welding flat panels on that's taking forever.

That's where a MIG welder shines. :sunny: