Welder advice

[mark kosse]

I received as a gift a new lincoln 180hd. The few times in my life I've used a wire welder I struggled with it. Nowadays I usually only weld to repair an that is seldom now even though I have a ranch. Maybe 1-2 times a year. I'm good with a stick welder and have 2 tombstones.


I know this is hard to answer but should I keep the wire feed with that seldom of use? I'm thinking there are too many moving parts to not use all the time. What do you all say?

[John K Jordan]

I received as a gift a new lincoln 180hd. The few times in my life I've used a wire welder I struggled with it. Nowadays I usually only weld to repair an that is seldom now even though I have a ranch. Maybe 1-2 times a year. I'm good with a stick welder and have 2 tombstones.

I know this is hard to answer but should I keep the wire feed with that seldom of use? I'm thinking there are too many moving parts to not use all the time. What do you all say?

Mark,

To me a welder is worth having handy even if I only use it once a year. Caveat: I am NOT an expert at welding, but I have fabricated and repaired a lot of things successfully.

My first wire feed welder was a little Lincoln Weld Pack 100 - I used it with flux core wire to avoid messing with the gas bottles and because I was cheap. It opened the door wide to ways to do things I struggled with before. I found the longer I had it the more uses I found for it. I still have that little 110v welder and have since added a big AC/DC stick welder, a 220v MIG with gas, and a TIG (heliarc) welder. No, I don't weld every day or even every month, but when I want to make or repair something around the house or farm or for a friend, I'm set.

I used to be a welding inspector so I knew welds inside and out but until I got the little machine I never learned to weld! I learned everything I needed to get started from two books I bought at Home Depot, I think. (Learning the TIG was more involved but by then I had learned to weld with an acetylene torch which helped a lot)

If you are struggling with a wire welder there is something basic wrong. Are you using flux core wire or solid wire with gas? Exactly what issues are you having? The only moving mechanical part that might need adjusting is the wire feed inside the box. (Must be set for the correct wire size.) The two welding parameters, the wire speed and the current, have to be balanced to match the steel thickness. Then as long as you have a good ground, clean steel, and good wire it should be a matter of holding the gun reasonably close to the steel and moving the tip properly to lay the bead to get good penetration (and to keep from blowing a hole through the steel!)

If in doubt about any of this, an hour with an experienced weldor will turn you into an expert! Well, pretty much. I've had teenagers learn to make a reasonable bead with just a few minutes of instruction. (Of course, I set everything up for them.)

However, you are probably aware that besides the welding machine, there is the issue of how much you want to get into metalworking and the associated tools needed. You don't need much to repair things but more to do a reasonable job at even moderate fabrication. Me, I want to be able to do it myself and do it right now. For many people, taking the occasional job to a weld shop and paying makes more sense.

What I consider minimum accessories:
- Helmet (autodarkening is best)
- Gloves
- Hacksaw for cutting, or better, a Sawzall with bimetal blade
- Manual wire brush, or better, bench and/or angle grinder with wire brush
- Bench grinder, or better, angle grinder with disks
- Portable drill, and better, a drill press as well
- A few C-clamps and/or deep jaw vise grips

Moderate to heavy fabrication can make good use of more.
For years I did all my cutting with a sawzall with bimetal blades - I like the Milwaukee "The Torch" blades. Later I got a Portaband saw and then a big horizontal bandsaw. Oxy-acetylene torch with heating, welding, and cutting tips. Most recently a plasma torch. I have an abrasive cutoff chop saw but I hate it. Prep tools I use: bench grinder, drill press, angle grinder, angle grinder with wire brush, needle scaler. I keep three angle grinders handy with different wheels/brushes. A bench vise, vise grips, clamps, magnets. Welding table. Hydraulic press. Anvil. Compressed air. A big trailer to haul 20' lengths of steel stock!

An example of what I've used my welding for is this llama restraint chute. I commercial model is pushing $2000 but building it myself I added a bunch of custom features not otherwise available. (A restraint chute is used when shearing or medicating llamas and alpacas.)

llama_chute_welding_small_IMG_20140430_205654_255.jpg llama_chute_welding_small2_IMG_20140430_230957_378.jpg

Me shearing my llama Ixchel:

llama_shearing.jpg

JKJ

[Rich Colvin]

Mark,

When my father passed, I inherited his welding equipment. I'd not welded since 7th grade shop class (I was then 39 yrs old). So, I took a class at the local community college. Told them how I'd just gotten the equipment and didn't want to burn down the house.

They gave me a specialized class with only lab time. I think the cost was around $125. The instructor was great and I highly recommend this approach.

I didn't inherit a wire / MIG welder, but ended up buying one. Great tool that I use far more often than the stick or gas welders.

I kept good good notes as I am like John : I only weld 1-3 times a year. But when I need to do so, it's a great tool !

Good luck.

Kind regards,
Rich

[mark kosse]

Thanks for the relies guys! Let me re state the question though. I have 2 lincoln stick welders. I also have a horizontal metal bandsaw, a delta wood/metal bandsaw, a power hack saw, a Milwaukee 14 abrasive saw a full size cutting torch and other metal tools. I've built a lot of stuff from a cow to large pits. What I really want to know is will a wire feed welder go bad if not used much. Stick machines do not and 60xx rods last a good long time if stored right.

My my problem with mig has been I never could see the pool with the large tip. As I get older it gets harder to see any pool. I watched a video on flux core wire feed and they were running it without the tip so that was promising. I'm always welding outdoors so I will be using flux if I keep it. I have a 10' X 30" section of 5/16" pipe that I'm going to build out to replace my 24" X 72" pit. This welder would be ideal if I stick with it but if it frustrates me I grab a stick welder.

it would be nice to be able to weld thin but I could by a 100.00 hf flux core unit to do real thin. Anything .125 and up I can handle with the stick. I just hate to have a good welder go bad from inactivity or to constantly be buying parts due to rusting.

thanks again.

[Rick Moyer]

Mark,

When my father passed, I inherited his welding equipment. I'd not welded since 7th grade shop class (I was then 39 yrs old). So, I took a class at the local community college. Told them how I'd just gotten the equipment and didn't want to burn down the house.

They gave me a specialized class with only lab time. I think the cost was around $125. The instructor was great and I highly recommend this approach.

I didn't inherit a wire / MIG welder, but ended up buying one. Great tool that I use far more often than the stick or gas welders.

I kept good good notes as I am like John : I only weld 1-3 times a year. But when I need to do so, it's a great tool !

Good luck.

Kind regards,
Rich

You were 39 in seventh grade!???

[John K Jordan]

...What I really want to know is will a wire feed welder go bad if not used much. Stick machines do not and 60xx rods last a good long time if stored right.
...I just hate to have a good welder go bad from inactivity or to constantly be buying parts due to rusting.

I can't imagine that being a problem unless you keep it outside or in a damp place. I've had my little Lincoln for ?? maybe 20 years, sometimes kept in a shop, garage, or basement. With other at hand welders I don't use it much but pull it out after a few years of inactivity and it has always worked the first time, I've never seen any rust or had a single problem. (except for running out of wire! - I've switched to 10lb spools) The wire is clad to prevent it rusting.

Two things I really like about the small welder (and the main reasons I don't give it away) are the portability and that it runs on 110v, unlike my stick welder. And even though my larger MIG and TIG can run on 110 when needed, I can pick up and carry the smaller welder with one hand and put it in the back seat of a car. I've used it around the farm plugged into several hundred feet of 12ga extension cord, at the barn, at a friends house. And when installing our security gate the installers' generator broke down in the middle of the job - I had already run 110v underground to the site so instead of delaying the project I grabbed my little Lincoln and finished the welding.

JKJ

PS, your additional information would have been useful up front.

PPS, I find the oxy-acetylene torch (with a small tip) is an good way to weld thin sheet metal.

PPPS, have you tried a magnifier lens in your helmet? I use this helmet - by far the best visibility of any I've welded with: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AAQ4ZPK

PPPPS, how do you build a cow?

[Mac McQuinn]

My first suggestion would be to purchase a good quality Welding fumes respirator, I use a 3M model which fits under my hood.
Mac

[michael langman]

A little mig welder compliments a 225Amp stick welder very well. The mig welder excels at sheet metal repair on snowthrowers, tractors,etc.
Nothing there to get old and unusable. I put a medium size trash bag over my mig welder to keep it clean.

[Mac McQuinn]

Thanks for the relies guys! Let me re state the question though. I have 2 lincoln stick welders. I also have a horizontal metal bandsaw, a delta wood/metal bandsaw, a power hack saw, a Milwaukee 14 abrasive saw a full size cutting torch and other metal tools. I've built a lot of stuff from a cow to large pits. What I really want to know is will a wire feed welder go bad if not used much. Stick machines do not and 60xx rods last a good long time if stored right.

My my problem with mig has been I never could see the pool with the large tip. As I get older it gets harder to see any pool. I watched a video on flux core wire feed and they were running it without the tip so that was promising. I'm always welding outdoors so I will be using flux if I keep it. I have a 10' X 30" section of 5/16" pipe that I'm going to build out to replace my 24" X 72" pit. This welder would be ideal if I stick with it but if it frustrates me I grab a stick welder.

it would be nice to be able to weld thin but I could by a 100.00 hf flux core unit to do real thin. Anything .125 and up I can handle with the stick. I just hate to have a good welder go bad from inactivity or to constantly be buying parts due to rusting.

thanks again.

Mark,
You can pick up a magifier for your hood which will allow you to see much better. The gas cone you're referring to shouldn't really hinder your vision, perhaps the wire stick-out is set too short. When you're welding, make should you're in the most comfortable position to hold the Mig gun, see your work and view the Mig gun's wire coming out. Working with flux core wire will help you see a bit better as it burns hotter although make sure you have a fan set on low nearby to push the fumes/smoke away from you.
Mac

[Bruce Wrenn]

Depending upon your age, you might want to pick up a set of reading glasses from Dollar Tree. I like my auto darkening helmet from Northern. Like anything else, practice makes perfect. The Community College route is the way to go. You will "burn up" a lot more wire and gas than your costs, plus have somebody show you how to do it right.

[Rich Colvin]

Yeah, 3rd grade was the worst 4 years of my life ... (LOL)

[Joe Bradshaw]

Third grade was my favorite; that was the year that I got my drivers license.
Joe