Lets talk welders and tools

[NatersXJ6]

You are dangerously close to igniting the Miller vs Lincoln crowd... It is like Ford vs Chevy... Both do the job well.

So, as a 16 year garage amateur, here are my thoughts:

Go to a welding shop, ask them if their Lincoln or Miller rep has any factory refurbished units. I got $500 off my Lincoln that way. Buy tip dip, spatter spray, and some soap stones. Get an oxy-acetylene torch (as mentioned above). learn to torch before you learn to weld. practice a lot. Wear a good set of leathers. Drink a lot of water. Wear EARPLUGS! Sparks and spatter can go in your ears and grinding is dangerously loud. get an auto-dark helmet. amateurs are useless without one. Wear safety glasses under your helmet, it will get sparks inside. Get a welders cap... Smelling your own hair on fire is not entirely fun. Keep a water hose handy. Sparks and spatter can travel 20 or 30 feet and still be hot enough to get you divorced. use gas, not flux, but that has been well covered.

Learn to identify different metals. I have a nice set of Martensitic land rover hubs because I got cocky and tried to Weld in and drill/tap holes in a steel casting.

Thick stuff is easier than thin... You can crank the temp up and pull the trigger.

There is no substitute for experience. you need to get hands on. keep looking for those community college classes. They have them near you, I promise. be willing to drive an hour or so for classes, it will be a good investment.

when you do find a class or a mentor, ALREADY have your auto dark helmet in hand. You can burn out your eyes just watching, and won't be able to really see what is happening without a helmet of some sort.

Oh, I also hate the magnets with the switch... They are really hard to line up.

And always have a ball peen hammer around for tapping stuff into alignment.

lots of tips and tricks...

 

[RagnarD]

Non stick cooking spray works well for tips and other stuff you don't wany splatter sticking to.... Like threads on bolts

Even though I have a nearby CC with welding classes, I never took any. Hard to make the regular time allotment and they are not as cheap as regular classes. I am sure it is helpful but I still have not exhausted free online sources w/practice.

Weldingtipsandtricks on YouTube. Prob the best welding videos on YouTube, he has great shots of the actual puddle while welding. Miller has a lot of good info on their website as well. Lincoln probably does too.

 

[highdesertranger]

flux core is for welding outside in a breeze/wind. something you can't do with gas. highdesertranger

 

[Happy Joe]

I have Miller but have used Lincoln and they are good too.
My $02...
Take a class.
Use gas, If you go 110/120 volts use multiple passes on heavy metal and straight CO2 (more heat & penetration to help makeup for the light welder); but is not as easy to use as argon/CO2 mix. for welding light sheet metal the argon/C02 mix is easier.
If you booger the weld grind it out and re do it until you get it right.
I second the multiple grinders but NOT the H/F they are cheap and often smoke & die in less than 20 minutes of continuous use (sometimes even if you are careful).
A good grinder for grinding, a good grinder for cutting, a not so good grinder with a wire wheel for removing grunge & paint before welding (wear eye protection the wheels fling wires and dirt).
Prep is half the battle; especially with 110 volt welders its got to be clean with tight joints.
Do not use a H/F self darkening mask (I got flashed because like most chinese stuff they are not to be relied upon)
Outside I use a stick welder.
In the field I use 2 starting batteries, a #10 lens, a stinger and rod.
craftsman stuff used to be pretty good, any more its little better, if any than Harbor Freight on many items, IMO (do good comparison shopping) and look for craftsman made in USA tools used.
Enjoy!

 

[Xrunner]

I have Miller but have used Lincoln and they are good too.
My $02...
Take a class.

Lots of good advice in this thread but I definitely recommend taking a class...

A few months back I finished a personal interest welding class at my local community college and it's the best $500 I ever spent in regard to welding. It covered safety/torch cutting/MIG/TIG, 3.5 hours a night, 2 nights a week, for 7 weeks. Came out to something like $10 an hour for professional instruction, shop rent, and all the consumables/scrap metal you could weld.

The only downside was I got used to welding on some serious industrial grade machines, and now I'm wondering how I can possibly justify one for my garage shop!

On a side note I would hesitate to buy a used machine unless it was a smokin' (no pun intended) deal. Your local welding shop can help you keep an eye out for rebates and promotions which I've found will bring the cost of a new unit within a couple hundred bucks of a used.

 

[Scott B.]

OP, I recently started welding.

I went to my local supply house and talked with them about which machine to buy. They carry both Lincoln and Miller. The sales guy was a Lincoln guy, but recommend either. I ended up with a Miller 211 - a 110/220v machine. I also went with a Miller auto-darkening hood - my eyes are worth the extra money.

This time of year, Miller runs a factory sale (not sure about Lincoln.) Keep an eye on their web site.

Like others have mentioned, buy once and be happy. I think learning on a "better" machine is easier, too. Sure, I don't have the technique of stick welding, but I am only a hobby welder.

A buddy of mine from work came over and gave me some lessons to get me started. Sure, I have a long way to go, but my first project is complete - and hasn't failed yet! Tongue Box Mount

Enough rambling. Get your welder and have fun!

 

[SDDiver5]

Class option are few and far between where I live. The one class that is really well know will take me at least 1.5 hours to get there...another community college that is 30 mins from me states I need 25 hours a week in the classroom.

Should have done it in college when I had a chance.

 

[Sikocycles]

As much as I want a Miller it is out of the budget. My local HD sells the Lincoln and it 10 minutes from my house so I think that is what I will get unless I find a Miller for a good deal. Need to get 220 run to the garage. Will do 2 at the time. One for the welder and another for a compressor.
As for classes there is nothing around me. I one school has a cert program during the day that I cant do. I need to find someone to teach me.

This is all great info. Thanks a lot for the time.

 

[mccustomize]

As much as I want a Miller it is out of the budget. My local HD sells the Lincoln and it 10 minutes from my house so I think that is what I will get unless I find a Miller for a good deal. Need to get 220 run to the garage. Will do 2 at the time. One for the welder and another for a compressor.
As for classes there is nothing around me. I one school has a cert program during the day that I cant do. I need to find someone to teach me.

This is all great info. Thanks a lot for the time.

You can teach yourself, get some 1/16 or 1/8" strap and cut it into 1" wide strips, then just practice practice practice.

I used a Lincoln 125 for a good while and welded all sorts of stuff on trucks up to 1/4", it was all about stitching in 1-2" increments and moving slower than you would with a 220 machine. However I would get a 220 machine to start with and you won't ever hit the need for more duty cycle as a home hobbyist. The 220 machine will have a way better duty cycle since it will be turned down compared to a 110 machine.

Welding is addictive, but always strive to be better, never settle for "it's on the backside, that will be good enough" Grind it out and re-weld it, the good thing is once you start to get the hang of it it becomes muscle memory.

Spend more time on your set up than the actual weld time. Move your hands and body through the entire weld before you turn the machine on to make sure you don't snag anything.

Invest in a quality hood, it makes a world of difference.

WD40 is great for spatter control, just make sure you clean it with something before you paint the part after welding.

Feel free to PM me with any questions, I've been welding going on 15 years now.

 

[Herbie]

Class option are few and far between where I live. The one class that is really well know will take me at least 1.5 hours to get there...another community college that is 30 mins from me states I need 25 hours a week in the classroom.

It's too bad things got out of hand with the UCSD Craft Center - they had a great into to metal work class (open to the public) that was reasonably priced. That's where I learned. That said, as much as I learned there, my welding really improved dramatically when I started watching "how to" videos on youtube, and just practicing what I saw there. Ultimately there's no substitute for experience anyhow, and most of the common welding problems (speed, heat, etc.) are easily diagnosed (again, via youtube).

 

[Scott B.]

As much as I want a Miller it is out of the budget. My local HD sells the Lincoln and it 10 minutes from my house so I think that is what I will get unless I find a Miller for a good deal. Need to get 220 run to the garage. Will do 2 at the time. One for the welder and another for a compressor.
As for classes there is nothing around me. I one school has a cert program during the day that I cant do. I need to find someone to teach me.

This is all great info. Thanks a lot for the time.

One other item: The Welder's Handbook by Richard Finch is a good instructional book. I got my copy from HD, but you can get one on Amazon as well.

He is an easy to read and understand author, with many years of experience.

 

[Sikocycles]

So my job has a Millermatic 210 they are not using. It it worth buying? If so what is a good price. Looks like a 3 phase plug.

 

[SDDiver5]

It's too bad things got out of hand with the UCSD Craft Center - they had a great into to metal work class (open to the public) that was reasonably priced. That's where I learned. That said, as much as I learned there, my welding really improved dramatically when I started watching "how to" videos on youtube, and just practicing what I saw there. Ultimately there's no substitute for experience anyhow, and most of the common welding problems (speed, heat, etc.) are easily diagnosed (again, via youtube).

Very true, experience is the best way to learn. I want to take a class more for safety and general knowledge. The basic do's and dont's.

Edit: Don'ts? Dont's? I don't know which it is...if any.

 

[Cummins_expo]

So my job has a Millermatic 210 they are not using. It it worth buying? If so what is a good price. Looks like a 3 phase plug.

211 is a great little welder built in intelligence ( autos set feature) This will be great until you understand/hear a perfectly dialed in machine based on external factors:
Heat/Material/Type

It probably a large 220v plug ( it comes with both)

I rounded up.. You said 210 not 211 oops

 

[Louisd75]

So my job has a Millermatic 210 they are not using. It it worth buying? If so what is a good price. Looks like a 3 phase plug.

The 210 would likely be complete overkill for what you're wanting to do. That being said, it won't hold you back should you decide that welding is a lot of fun. The current version of that machine retails north of $3000. I'm not familiar enough with the evolution of that model to say for certain, but the current one can do MIG, TIG and Stick and works on 120V and 220V. Any chance that your job would let you borrow it?

I've got a Millermatic 211, which is MIG only. It runs about 1/3 the price of the 210 but it does everything I ask of it.

One issue I've run into when using my machine on 120 is that I've yet to use a breaker that could handle prolonged welding. Most residential 120v outlets that I've plugged into just don't like the amount of power required and I find that I don't get very far with a weld before the breaker opens. I really have to pay attention to the thickness of material I'm working with and I know that I need 220V if I'm welding more than 1/8" thick. You may have more capable breakers, it's just something to keep in mind. FWIW, I have a gas dryer and run the welder off the 220v outlet now regardless of material thickness.