Beginner set up

[dwross]

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...

Good to hear from you again Dave. I am seasoned in many ways, but welding is not one of them. The closest I came to welding was silver soldering broken parts of office machines. It was a savior for old machines that replacement parts were NLA.
.
I will keep my eyes open for a used stick welder. I moved to the Denver suburbs from Illinois about 15 years ago. I retired from my business and we had to move where the grandchildren lived.Now I have a new granddaughter Illinois. I mention that because my daughter-in-law is from the Mpls/St Paul area.

Thanks again Dave for your insight,

Dennis

 

[Bunchgrass]

Let me, a hack welder with one class from 9th grade, point out that in addition to the technique stuff of laying down a bead, a mentor can help you get the settings on the welder right for your project/practice and the right rod (thinking stick here). It helps a ton to have all that stuff right when you're trying to get the actual welding part down.

 

[Bunchgrass]

Good to hear from you again Dave. I am seasoned in many ways, but welding is not one of them. The closest I came to welding was silver soldering broken parts of office machines. It was a savior for old machines that replacement parts were NLA.
.
I will keep my eyes open for a used stick welder. I moved to the Denver suburbs from Illinois about 15 years ago. I retired from my business and we had to move where the grandchildren lived.Now I have a new granddaughter Illinois. I mention that because my daughter-in-law is from the Mpls/St Paul area.

Thanks again Dave for your insight,

Dennis

Sometimes HS shop programs get to upgrade their equipment and the old welders end up for sale usually through some sort of state/district auction site ....... or if you know a shop teacher ...... I ended up with a very basic Lincoln tombstone/buzzbox AC only welder for free. They were just throwing them out into the dumpster.

 

[Beerslayer]

I agree with StuckRod. I learned to weld when I was 12. My dad bought a farm and realized he needed to be able to weld. He took me along with him to a Community College Adult Education Course at the local high school. He never learned to weld worth a damn but I did. He did the cutting and layout and I did the welding on the farm. We built cattle gates first then truck beds and trailers then wood stoves and horse trailers then truck bodies and equipment. The business we built is still going though I'm not involved and he's passed away. I actually had the same instructor who taught the college class when I got into high school. Great guy, a military vet. He was a great mentor.

Take any community college class you can get. It's a great start!

 

[Old Irish]

what Paul F said

 

[dwross]

Good points from Bunchgrass, Beerslayer and Old Irish. I will be checking out the community college when this COVID-19 issue settles down. I am high risk old guy. My last shop class a junior high class in 1957. Welding was not the subject.

Thanks to the three of you and stay safe.

 

[California]

Let me point out that in addition to the technique stuff of laying down a bead, a mentor can help you get the settings on the welder right

Yes! dialing in the welder when you don't know what you're doing can cause so much frustration that I suspect many quit at that point.

I found my ancient big AC stick welder not that hard to learn. The only variables are rod choice and size, then set the amps to what a chart suggests. Reading any welding guide will get you in the ballpark. Then experiment on scrap and compare the bead to example photos, and adjust amperage as needed. Watching a lot of Youtube vids will give a sense of what to expect.

After several years doing that and some successful minor projects, I decided to try the little HF 90 A 110V-AC flux welder for projects on light material. ($72 with coupon back then!) It seemed more convenient than rolling out the monster. But I never did get comfortable with the HF. It would burn through light material and not penetrate on heavier stuff. It seemed like there was a very narrow range of material thickness that it was suitable for. I went back to using the 240 V stick welder. Hopefully the modern black HF version works better than those blue ones did.

Later I got a used Century 110 v DC welder and ran that with flux core. The broader range of voltage adjustment, and wire speed (which controls amps), made this a proper working tool instead of a frustration-maker. I only sold that after I got a killer deal on the two other modern welders in my sig below, for less than what I sold the Century for. The stick welder (Grizzly) works great. The HF 180 - I'm still learning what settings give the best results. To me this one seems more complicated and takes more experimenting to get dialed in compared to stick welding. I should have taken a class years ago.

 

[dwross]

Califorina,

Really good information. Thank you very much. This is the kind of information we newbies need.

Thanks again!

 

[mrpriceisright]

Many good suggestions here, right on the money. I started welding 50 years ago on oxyA fixing up rusted out car frames, but I am still a welding newbie/hack, my welds are rarely pretty but they usually hold. Recently retired and moved to the country. Found the need to weld lots of different things, from aluminum awning poles to tractor bushings and all things in between. My latest project is tig brazing a cast iron pump cover.
First and foremost you do need to decide what it is you are looking to weld. both the materials (mild steel, stainless, aluminum) and thickness (thin or half inch) will directly influence the welding equipment you need (amps and voltage).
There is so much to learn in terms of filler materials (rods and wire types), gasses, equipment, settings and technique for each metal.
You can likely pick up some starter equipment to learn on, cheaply on craigslist or offerup. I got a Lincoln tombstone stick welder for $40 at yard sale, a Miller 320ab with HF for $110 at a college sale (old school, only downside - it weighs 850lbs!) and the harbor freight mig welders are usually quite cheap also. Put off buying that fancy new $1500+ welder until you've figured out what you really want.

Stick is a good place to start, so is MIG (considered to be the easiest to do, but setting up and keeping the gun, wire and feeder running properly can be a pain).
Stick is simple to set up and great for basic stuff, you just need to determine which rod to use and what amps to set.

Youtube I find a great resource. As previously mentioned weldingtipsandtricks is great, weld.com is very knowledgeable.
I recently watch this one about learning welding - check it out :>>>.

weldingtipsandtricks

Clear Arc Shots and Plain Talk to help you Pass a Test, Fix Stuff, Build Stuff, Get a Raise, Build a Better Life. Disclaimer: These videos are intended for e...

www.youtube.com

Weld.com

We teach the art and science behind welding and fabrication. "Behind the hood" arc shots get you up close and personal with the weld. In addition to showing ...

www.youtube.com

I have been gradually migrating towards TIG, which feels like returning to my OXYA beginnings and has the best control over the welding process.

Good luck

 

[California]

One point that belongs in 'Beginner Setup' advice is: you need an angle grinder, preferably three of them. Everything you weld has to be cleaned up to shiny metal. Any imperfection - rust, mill scale, paint - will resist flowing, making a skip or small hole. Grind before welding to get a bevel and pure clean metal. Grind after a first pass if your bead is uneven, not unusual for a beginner . Grind the first-pass weld to clean metal to accept a second pass.

The three angle grinders I mentioned have different wheels - stone, flap disc, wire brush. The flap disk can prep rusty metal without making gouges, and can smooth a finished weld for a better appearance.

 

[axeman79]

I’ve never welded. I want to learn. What are the best resources and rigs to start?

As a previous beginner, I found that starting with a relatively cheap stick welder that did DC welding was convenient. I purchased a used Lincoln AC/CD Tombstone and just started buying thin rods in 6010, 6013, and 7018. My first welding was on an old plow share for a couple of months to get the hang of it and test out different settings. I watched a lot of videos and read some books and talked with experienced welders. After I got the hang of it I got a multipurpose welder that does both stick and Mig. Now I can weld most anything that I need to for equipment and such. If you are mechanically inclined, stick is not that difficult. making your welds correctly and straight, and getting proper penetration takes practice.

 

[kenmbz]

I was looking at the HF125 for an Art project and also for possible add ons and repairs to a small tractor. I have seen some videos but it's been years since I did any welding (stick about 30 years ago). If I got this I would need gloves, Helmet, some brushes (drill wire brushes I have). What else for a beginner and light user to get for basic welding ? Metal for the art project would probably be 3/16 carbon. What would I use to cut this and angle grinder or cutoff wheel (yes it's been that long since my last foray into this)

 

[k54frog]

I'll be following this because I too bought the 125 wire feed welder from HF. It's still in the box as is the helmet. Need to get it out & start fixing stuff starting with the riding mower deck. Thanks for the info.

 

[CA_Bgrwldr]

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.

Before buying a stick, I would swap in a the 0,35 wire, bevel the edges of some 1/4" practice material, and see how the HF machine does, it might work for what you need, plan, for it to do.

 

[CA_Bgrwldr]

Metal for the art project would probably be 3/16 carbon. What would I use to cut this and angle grinder or cutoff wheel (yes it's been that long since my last foray into this)

Grinder with a cut-off wheel, or metal chop saw, would be the cheapest. If you have a circular saw, you can get a metal cutting blade for them, like for the grinder, but unless it is a worm gear driven saw, or you are left handed, it would be best to stick with a grinder or chop saw. If money isn't a determining factor in the tools used for cutting, and with art being part of the project, I would look into a 110 plasma cutter, not sure how good the HF ones work, but my Hobart 12ci Airforce, will cut 1/4 with a little patience.

 

[California]

... would probably be 3/16 carbon. What would I use to cut this and angle grinder or cutoff wheel

I often use a portable band saw but I don't remember cutting anything that heavy.

I also have an accessory from Northern Tool that mounts an angle grinder to make a chop saw. But cutting a 5/8" round bar was more than HF's cheapest $9 angle grinder wanted, this smoked it.

 

[dwross]

Many good suggestions here, right on the money. I started welding 50 years ago on oxyA fixing up rusted out car frames, but I am still a welding newbie/hack, my welds are rarely pretty but they usually hold. Recently retired and moved to the country. Found the need to weld lots of different things, from aluminum awning poles to tractor bushings and all things in between. My latest project is tig brazing a cast iron pump cover.
First and foremost you do need to decide what it is you are looking to weld. both the materials (mild steel, stainless, aluminum) and thickness (thin or half inch) will directly influence the welding equipment you need (amps and voltage).
There is so much to learn in terms of filler materials (rods and wire types), gasses, equipment, settings and technique for each metal.
You can likely pick up some starter equipment to learn on, cheaply on craigslist or offerup. I got a Lincoln tombstone stick welder for $40 at yard sale, a Miller 320ab with HF for $110 at a college sale (old school, only downside - it weighs 850lbs!) and the harbor freight mig welders are usually quite cheap also. Put off buying that fancy new $1500+ welder until you've figured out what you really want.

Stick is a good place to start, so is MIG (considered to be the easiest to do, but setting up and keeping the gun, wire and feeder running properly can be a pain).
Stick is simple to set up and great for basic stuff, you just need to determine which rod to use and what amps to set.

Youtube I find a great resource. As previously mentioned weldingtipsandtricks is great, weld.com is very knowledgeable.
I recently watch this one about learning welding - check it out :>>>.

weldingtipsandtricks

Clear Arc Shots and Plain Talk to help you Pass a Test, Fix Stuff, Build Stuff, Get a Raise, Build a Better Life. Disclaimer: These videos are intended for e...

www.youtube.com

Weld.com

We teach the art and science behind welding and fabrication. "Behind the hood" arc shots get you up close and personal with the weld. In addition to showing ...

www.youtube.com

I have been gradually migrating towards TIG, which feels like returning to my OXYA beginnings and has the best control over the welding process.

Good luck

Thank you for your advice, I am adding it to good advice I have already received. I will check out the videos also.

 

[dwross]

One point that belongs in 'Beginner Setup' advice is: you need an angle grinder, preferably three of them. Everything you weld has to be cleaned up to shiny metal. Any imperfection - rust, mill scale, paint - will resist flowing, making a skip or small hole. Grind before welding to get a bevel and pure clean metal. Grind after a first pass if your bead is uneven, not unusual for a beginner . Grind the first-pass weld to clean metal to accept a second pass.

The three angle grinders I mentioned have different wheels - stone, flap disc, wire brush. The flap disk can prep rusty metal without making gouges, and can smooth a finished weld for a better appearance.

California, you have just added to your previous good advice. I understand about the angle grinder. I will need to get another. I already have two.

 

[dwross]

As a previous beginner, I found that starting with a relatively cheap stick welder that did DC welding was convenient. I purchased a used Lincoln AC/CD Tombstone and just started buying thin rods in 6010, 6013, and 7018. My first welding was on an old plow share for a couple of months to get the hang of it and test out different settings. I watched a lot of videos and read some books and talked with experienced welders. After I got the hang of it I got a multipurpose welder that does both stick and Mig. Now I can weld most anything that I need to for equipment and such. If you are mechanically inclined, stick is not that difficult. making your welds correctly and straight, and getting proper penetration takes practice.

AXeman79, Thanks for reinforcing the advice of other members. It is helpful to know all of us are having similar learning experiences.

 

[dwross]

Before buying a stick, I would swap in a the 0,35 wire, bevel the edges of some 1/4" practice material, and see how the HF machine does, it might work for what you need, plan, for it to do.

Thanks for your suggestion, I will try it.