O.T....Need Welder Help...

[Derek Arita]

I've never done a lick of welding, but I'm feeling the bug and know how handy the ability to weld can be. Been looking at a Lincoln 125 or 140, but the cost is way to high for a casual user like me, as I have a $500 budget. That leaves me looking for a used unit and hopefully, with all the accessories, like gas bottle, leathers, etc. When I lived in So.Cal, I'd get on The Recycler and find dozens to choose from. I'm new to the Sacramento area and haven't got a clue where to look, besides Craigs List. Anyone up here know where I should be looking?

[Adam Herman]

I have a hobart handler 140 that works quite well for small home projects. I have fixed the snow blower, made hidden shelf brackets and modified antique wrought iron with it. Much cheaper than a Lincoln. I think i paid under 400 4ish years ago. hobartwedshop has them for 419 right now. It's a great little machine and easy to learn on.

[lee cox]

I recommend taking a welding class at your community college. You learn good habits from the beginning. This will also give you good incites to welding and allow you to chose your equipment more appropriate.

[Morey St. Denis]

Have you got ready access to 240 VAC power in your shop / garage; dedicated circuits and wiring rated to potentially 30 Amps? With consideration to acquiring a used industrial welding unit, you'll also come across many configured for 3 phase AC power...

[Derek Arita]

I do have 30A circuits. It believe I want to be staying in the lower range of the 220v units, because I'll be an occasional user. The class is a great idea and I've been looking for short courses, like maybe an 8 hour starter course. Can't do the semester type, because of time commitments.

[John K Jordan]

I've never done a lick of welding, but I'm feeling the bug and know how handy the ability to weld can be. Been looking at a Lincoln 125 or 140, but the cost is way to high for a casual user like me, as I have a $500 budget.

Derek,

One option (perhaps looked down on by "real" weldors!) is the Lincoln Weld pack 100 available from the big box stores. That, plus an auto-darkening helmet, gloves, and some flux core wire will get let you get started well within your budget and weld things that are not too thick (easily up to 3/16 with multiple passes).

I used one for at least 10 years before got new Miller mig and tig machines. I still have it - since it plugs into 110 and is portable it's the one I carry when I can't bring the welding to the shop (and the one I will lend to select friends). With flux core wire you don't need to deal with bottles of gas, etc. The tradeoff between flux core and mig is the flux core is messy - more spatter, less pretty welds. However, it is certainly capable of good penetration. Wire welding is about as easy to use as a glue gun - it's also a great way to get distract teens from their phones.

Wire welding with gas IS a lot cleaner. You can add gas to this welder but I never felt the need for it.

I did a lot of repair work with this little machine - with care it will weld relatively thin sheet metal. A friend of mine used one for his car mod hobby; I cut out and replaced a portion of rusted door panel on my old 1975 farm truck. I've welded pretty thick steel with multiple passes - bevel the work properly and grind and wire brush for clean steel after every pass. I used it to build and repair lots of things in the shop (including a welding table), make ramps, repair a trailer and other farm equipment, and reinforced a trailer hitch on the old truck. (Before someone panics at the potential safety issues, don't worry, I was QA and a welding inspector and well understand the issues.)

Another option might be gas welding with a torch. This is a LOT harder to learn that wire/mig but even I was able to so anybody can. After some practice it was my favorite method for thin sheet metal. It was good practice for when I finally got a TIG welder since the way you add the filler metal is similar. You can start with one torch size and add more later. You can rent oxygen and acetylene bottles. An advantage to having a torch setup is you can use it to cut too. Before I got a plasma cutter I cut a lot with a torch, once to shape a railroad rail into an anvil - that was exciting...

JKJ

[Doug W Swanson]

I have a Hobart Handler 140. It's a great welder for the price and the nice thing is you can use it either in the flux core or MIG capacity. I used mine as a flux core for a few times until I bought a gas bottle and then went MIG with it. Plus it's only 120V so there have been a couple of times where I wheeled the welder over to a neighbors house and welded up a few things for him. You probably won't be able to do that with a 240V welder.

JMO

[Dave Macy]

This may sound crazy, but I bought a MM175 2 yrs ago and just watched youtube videos and taught myself. It's not that hard but if you're doing something structural, you need to make sure you do the right prep (like milling your board).... prep leads to good penetration. I'm teaching myself tig now too. My friends go home and play video games but I go home into the shop.

[John K Jordan]

This may sound crazy, but I bought a MM175 2 yrs ago and just watched youtube videos and taught myself. It's not that hard but if you're doing something structural, you need to make sure you do the right prep (like milling your board).... prep leads to good penetration. I'm teaching myself tig now too. My friends go home and play video games but I go home into the shop.

Dave, you sound like me. Except being retired I don't go home, just down the hill to the shop next to the barn. Besides the mig and tig a few years ago I also bought a Hypertherm plasma cutter. Oh boy. Slices 1/2" steel like it's butter. Stainless used to wear me out (along with my saw blades), now it's like paper with scissors. My little welding room has a 20 ton press and a big horziontal band saw. I put the saw next to double exterior doors so I can roll it out and cut on 20' lengths of steel sticking out into the drive. That plus a big stash of surplus steel in the shed and a little machine shop in the next room lets me play on a whim. Good clean fun!

... it's only 120V so there have been a couple of times where I wheeled the welder over to a neighbors house and welded up a few things for him. You probably won't be able to do that with a 240V welder.

Just FYI, my Miller mig and tig welders have a 50amp 240v plug that I use in the shop, but they both also came with a 120v plug that lets you use them at a reduced current. I've had no need for that yet but it might come in handy. Darn things are heavy and with gas bottles attached it is far easier to just pick the little 120v flux core welder up by the handle and carry it.

I forgot to mention, for a welder used both inside the shop and out in the driveway, a fat extension cord makes life easier. I bought flexible cord and 50 amp fittings and made up a 20' long extension.

JKJ

[Bruce Wrenn]

I own a Hobart 140, along with a Miller stick machine from the late eighties. I use the stick more than the MIG. Bought the MIG to do a specific job, so it's cost was included in job price. The stick machine has a 50 amp plug, but on more than once, I have hooked up a 40 amp breaker in the panel where I was working. Direct wired in a 10 ga 100' cord , with 50 amp plug to match welder. This allowed me to put welder where I needed it. An auto darkening helmet from either HF, or Northern will serve you nicely. If you are over 40, drop by dollar store and pick out a pair of reading glasses. You can't weld what you can't see.

[Ronald Blue]

I am not going to make a welder recommendation but it sounds like you are wanting a home use mig. As far as taking a course. I can tell you an 8 hour course will only scratch the surface on welding technique. I have went through a couple courses and can tell you it's practice practice practice in the beginning and then as your skills progress you will do skill testing activities. I know you don't want to get that deep into it from the sound of it but it's also to some degree a "use it or lose it thing". You will remember technique but you are rusty at it. Just my 2 cents worth. One other thing the smaller migs are set up for flux core wire so a CO2 bottle isn't required.

[Rick Moyer]

I know probably less than you do about welding but I've been interested too and have been doing some reading. I think in your budget, albeit w/o adding the accessories, the Hobart 140 would be what I'd be looking at.
Having said that I'm very interested in the Hobart 210 MVP, but that's twice the price.

[lee cox]

I don't think a 110 volt welder will do you any good unless you want to weld sheet metal. My buddy had a Lincoln 140 110 volt unit. We decided to build a rack each for our Jeep trailer hitches before we went to the beach to hold our fishing rods and ice chests. I did the welding because he really did not know how to weld. We started with gas and switched to flux for a little better penetration. I never could get the hitch part welded right. A little later in time I used my 250 amp unit to re weld all the heavy stuff.

Using the small welder we would weld for a while and then wait because the duty cycle on the small welders is very low so you can burn out the welder running it wide open.

[John K Jordan]

I don't think a 110 volt welder will do you any good unless you want to weld sheet metal.... ...Using the small welder we would weld for a while and then wait because the duty cycle on the small welders is very low so you can burn out the welder running it wide open.

I think a 110v welder is good for a great deal more than sheet metal, but as you mention, you do have to work within the limitations. Besides paying attention to the duty cycle (clearly stated on the welders) the limited current limits the thickness of materials that can be easily welded with good penetration.

The 110v machine will easily weld the strong square tubing, angle iron, and rod commonly used for hobby and farm projects, for example up to 2" or so square with 1/8" wall. It will easily weld 1/4" thick square and round rod which takes much less heat than wider stock.

I've made things like ramps for loading 4-wheelers, repaired light farm equipment, modified and repaired trailers, made brackets, racks and hangers, and repaired countless things with the little 110v welder. A huge advantage is being able to pick it up and carry it to where there is no 220v or generator - basically anytime I can't bring the welding to the shop, for example around the barn and when installing an electric security gate for the farm.

Of course, a 220v machine is more useful. I can't remember whether I mentioned it in this forum or in a thread on same question in another forum, but both my Miller MIG and TIG welders will work on either 220 or 110v - simply snap on the appropriate plug. The welders have reduced capacity at 110v of course. If I had to have just one welding machine, I'd choose the MIG with 110/220v option. (BTW, I bought a model with Autoset - set the thickness of the material and the machine automatically sets the controls. This makes it so easy to operate, or at least get started.)

JKJ

[Mark Paavola]

Good morning Derek. I have an older Lincoln SP-100 110V welder and a newer Millermatic 211 110/220v welder. The 100 will work for lighter gauge material up to 1/8" with a single pass. The 211 will do up to 3/8" in a single pass. I live pretty close to you in Shingle Springs. If you would like to see either one just PM me.