Beginner set up
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Thirdroc17
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First off, I'm a chicken scratch welder, NOT an expert by any means. You might try watching a lot of youtube videos to see what people are doing. Remember though, a lot of those self proclaimed experts are no more of an expert than I am. Take everything they say with a grain of salt.
The only bit of advice I might give, since I recently got a DC welder, after 50 years of AC welding, DC is the way to go if you can afford it. Though I'm sure the real experts can site a zillions places AC would be the superior choice.
The only bit of advice I might give, since I recently got a DC welder, after 50 years of AC welding, DC is the way to go if you can afford it. Though I'm sure the real experts can site a zillions places AC would be the superior choice.
dstig1
Well-known member
There are other questions to better help get you started. First off what do you need or want to do? Farm repairs? Artwork? Building equipment? Car work? The answer to what equipment varies a lot by what you are looking to do. If you have multiple needs, then you could be looking at 2 or more types of equipment to cover everything. Another big issue is training/learning. Welding is very hands-on and having someone there to show you and help guide you makes for much quicker and less frustrating learning. There may be classes at a local technical or community college you can take. And learning one kind of welding will help you a lot in learning other processes, so whatever you can find for a class will help you in any case. You can come a long way on your own, especially with all the Youtube videos (at least the good ones). Jody at Welding tips and tricks.com is a fantastic video resource. But hands-ion 1-1 help is the best. Also facilities - what do you have available for work space? And of course, good old cash - how much are you willing or able to spend on things?
Thirdroc17
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Well said.
There really is no "one best", of anything.
sonny580
Well-known member
No REAL best,--It all depends on what you want to weld, how much you want to weld, how fancy of equipment you want to buy, what type welding do you want to concentrate on,--stick, ( the best) or wire, or, gas. all take different equipment and way different skill levels to master, with wire being the most expensive and the hardest to do. ----- I do a bit of wire on stuff that is not important, but stick on the heavy stuff that could affect someones safety IF it broke.
I would suggest that all of you beginners see if you can get some hands on welding with the different types of welding and see which one appeals to you the most. You can go from there to other areas.
As for watching videos,---FORGET that, its a waste of time,-- best way to learn is like I did,---just go do it! ---Don't worry about stuck wire or rods, or burn thru, it all takes practice and IF you are serious about welding,--NEVER give up and never look back! Welding is something you will always find useful.
I would suggest that all of you beginners see if you can get some hands on welding with the different types of welding and see which one appeals to you the most. You can go from there to other areas.
As for watching videos,---FORGET that, its a waste of time,-- best way to learn is like I did,---just go do it! ---Don't worry about stuck wire or rods, or burn thru, it all takes practice and IF you are serious about welding,--NEVER give up and never look back! Welding is something you will always find useful.
I think the best place to start is with an adult education course. You will not be a professional when you are done, but you will get the basics and can try various different welding types while learning.
Try stick welding.
Try wire feed.
Try TIG even...
A person NEVER loses out when they invest a little in education, I mean one repair project for yourself and it would have paid for the class over that of paying someone else to weld for you.
flyerdan
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Wire feed is the easiest to run by far, the learning curve will be quicker with less frustration, especially with a little guidance. The biggest detriment to stick welding is that people get frustrated because the rod sticks so much, that's usually compounded by machines with low open circuit voltage and inexperience. For many years, I had the ubiquitous Lincoln 225 tombstone, it has something like an ocv of 16. I bought a Miller 300 from a neighbor and it has an 80v ocv and it starts and runs arcs sooo much better. My Hobart Tigwave runs stick as well, nice and smooth, once again high ocv.
Another mistake that people make on stick is just using one hand, Hold the rod holder with your bare hand and used the gloved hand to guide the rod. Much less sticking and easier to control.
Another mistake that people make on stick is just using one hand, Hold the rod holder with your bare hand and used the gloved hand to guide the rod. Much less sticking and easier to control.
Paul F
Member
i learned a lot by watching this guy's videos
get them coming into your email inbox every week and you will up your game.
Welding Tips and Tricks - TIG, MIG, Stick and a pantload of other info
Down and Dirty Welding tips and tricks , No PhD's allowed
www.weldingtipsandtricks.com
California
Well-known member
Tell us a little more and you'll get more specific advice.
Do you have a shop with a minimum 30 amp 240 volt dryer outlet nearby that you can power a welder from?
Hobbyist? Hobbyist with relatively unlimited budget?
Artist who will make art for display? Or farmer who needs to cobble broken stuff back together stronger than it was, in a desperate hurry to finish the harvest as the rain approaches?
Building a trailer or jeep modification where a bad weld could cause a disaster?
I'll echo the advice to watch hours of Youtube to get a general idea of what your work should look like. Don't buy hardware before that.
And most of all get training from the local community college or an experienced friend if you can. This will bypass many hours of trial and error if you try to go it alone.
For me, if I were starting out now with a comfortable budget I would step up to a modern wire welder with digital display that you set for thickness etc and it dials in the settings. Spend money and jump over the beginner confusion. (But I'm cheap, I wouldn't follow my own advice
).
Short term, the best resources and rigs to start would be to try out someone elses and see if it's something you want to invest in. If that's not an option you can go to a local welding supply store that has a demo room. They will let you spark up the place all you want. If not, go to one that will.
dwross
Member
I am a beginner.......an old beginner. I wanted to try my hand at welding knowing fully well that the proper technique requires practice, practice and more practice. I guess you would say I would be a hobbist. I hoped to repair or make things. The only thing I wanted to repair were the skids and blade of my snow blower. Because of my age and fixed income, I wanted to get in as cheaply as possible. Last Fall I purchased a Harbor Freight Flux Wire welder for less than $100....cheap. I spent that or more on a few tools and safety equipment. I practiced some, not enough, under my son-in-law's supervision. I did work on my snow blower parts because Winter was coming. I was successful welding new surfaces on the parts and they lasted through the Winter. The welding did not look good, but it was serviceable. With a little coat of paint, no one seemed to notice. And, repairing those parts saved buying new parts whose cost was nearly the price of the welder. Good justification for my wife.
I did learn a limitation which did not surprise me. I tried to weld a couple of parts for my son. They were much heavier metal than I had been work with. Of course the welds did not hold.
There are know repairs or projects on my calendar so all I have to do is practice.
I have read through this thread and will take many of the suggestions offered here. I am sure I will be back when I have a question or many questions.
Thank all of you for your posts!
I did learn a limitation which did not surprise me. I tried to weld a couple of parts for my son. They were much heavier metal than I had been work with. Of course the welds did not hold.
There are know repairs or projects on my calendar so all I have to do is practice.
I have read through this thread and will take many of the suggestions offered here. I am sure I will be back when I have a question or many questions.
Thank all of you for your posts!
dstig1
Well-known member
Dwross, you are probably running into the limitations of the cheap welder. It just will not have the power available to weld thicker metal. You can still use it on thinner stuff, but for thicker metal you will either need to preheat the work with a torch first or get a bigger welder for those projects. You can find stick welders used on craigslist quite cheap which will allow you to weld much thicker metal, but stick welding is not as easy to pick up as wire feed. You could also just get a bigger wirefeed welder, but it will cost significantly more unless you can find a good deal used.
California
Well-known member
My suggestion if you have a severely limited budget and a real need to weld heavy stuff occasionally, is keep watching Craigslist for a big old heavy transformer-based 220 volt stick welder at $50~60, no more. At that price you can eventually sell it for the same price so you you won't be out anything. Age is irrelevant because there's nothing sophistocated inside, only a huge transformer and a fan. Your mask, gloves, chipping hammer will still be fine with this. Here's a recent post showing what I use, and there is a link in that post to my stick and wire-welder projects.
That cheap, it will be AC only, so use only 6011 or 6013 rods. (6011 for deep penetration and blowing away rust and paint you couldn't grind off). Practice practice practice!
Welds made with AC will splatter slag all over, and look crude. We're going for strong, not pretty.
I think a lot of the fabrication for WWII was done with this type of welder, even in shipyards. Modern gear makes prettier welds but this is the cheapest way to make solid welds in heavy material, such as the hitch I'm welding on, in my avatar photo at the left of this post. I've been modifying or repairing my farm implements that broke due to overstress or rust over the past 15 years using this type of $50 welder, and then later using a wire welder for lighter stuff. Everything here has stayed welded, no failures. In contrast to my advice, if you can afford better then there's lots of advice here regarding modern quality gear.
That cheap, it will be AC only, so use only 6011 or 6013 rods. (6011 for deep penetration and blowing away rust and paint you couldn't grind off). Practice practice practice!
Welds made with AC will splatter slag all over, and look crude. We're going for strong, not pretty.
I think a lot of the fabrication for WWII was done with this type of welder, even in shipyards. Modern gear makes prettier welds but this is the cheapest way to make solid welds in heavy material, such as the hitch I'm welding on, in my avatar photo at the left of this post. I've been modifying or repairing my farm implements that broke due to overstress or rust over the past 15 years using this type of $50 welder, and then later using a wire welder for lighter stuff. Everything here has stayed welded, no failures. In contrast to my advice, if you can afford better then there's lots of advice here regarding modern quality gear.
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dwross
Member
Thank you for the advice. I will watch for more good insight from you and other "seasoned" welders.
dwross
Member
Your welding is serious business; maintainance for your livelihood and safety. I appreciate you taking the time to offer your valuable advice. Thank you,
dstig1
Well-known member
LOL. I'm not "that" seasoned but just a hobbyist with a few years under my belt. And I do a lot of reading and learning to try and get better. California's suggestion to find a cheap stick welder is a good one, but you will be lucky to find one for $50, at least around the Mpls/St Paul area. But yes, a stick welder can get you a lot of power for cheap $. Stick is definitely harder to learn than wire, but if you learn stick, everything else you try will be easier to pick up. The old saying here is "you can't use amps you don't have". In other words a bigger welder gives you more flexibility as you can turn it down from max, but you can't turn it up ABOVE max...
CA_Bgrwldr
Well-known member
What gauge wire were using, and what thickness of metal were you trying to weld for your son? Did you prep the edges or just try to weld them together?
dwross
Member
I am using 30 GA and have some 35 GA that I have not yet used. The metal is part of the manual seat back adjuster from a De Lorean automobile. There are three disks, each about 1/4," two of which. He wanted the mechanism locked in one position. I had no luck trying to weld the two movable disks to the stationary one. FYI, I ended up taking a different route. I drilled through all thre disks and put in a roll pin.
Thank you for taking an interest in a newbee.