I've been tyoing with the idea of learning to weld for more than a couple of years, but whenever I buy tool they're usually for woodwork.

In high school I did a bit of arc welding and some brazing. I wouldn't say I* was any good at either one.

My eye hand coordination is not bad because I'm a carpenter by trade.

I had always felt that wire feed was the way to go.

But TIG seems more versatile, although the learning curve steeper.

I'd like a portable unit (probably a Miller) that can run on 110/120 but could also run on 220.

So I'm asking for advice...

TIG, Wirefeed, or ?

220v wire feed will get a LOT of things done for you and teach you about welding inexpensively. i suggest 220v over 110v, 220v makes and keeps an arc easier at a given power level. spend the extra few bucks on a decent one. i have a mediocre craftsman 110v and getting parts for it is a PAIN. i should have bought a lincoln, as the local gas supply place sells and keeps lincoln parts.

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86gt-turbo 10.8@123-pte67gtq, 91 galant-turbo 12.8@106-14b

You might want to sign up for some welding courses before you buy a welder. I'm not saying that to discourage you... I'm saying that the welding courses will provide you with a wealth of information about various types of equipment, techniques to use, what does/doesn't work for you.

And often, while the teachers won't specifically promote one brand, or try to lead you to purchase a specific item... they can help you analyze what you might need.

I took an oxy-fuel welding/brazing course last fall for the hell of it. Great learning experience, and the teacher was willing to show our class (of 6-8 people) other equipment. Towards the end of the course I had completed all the little learning sections, so she (yes, a professional female welder) set me up on one of the TIG machines. Got a chance to work around with mild steel on TIG.

The oxy-fuel course was good for teaching the heat/cool cycle method needed to get control of your torch and filler (if using any). Made it easier when I went over to the TIG machine to know how to combine the use of the filler, torch, and foot pedal (or just filler and torch). And I tell you, the high-frequency start is pretty friggin cool. TIG machines can get very expensive with all the options they can get. Really overkill for the weekend fabricator.

Look up your local college... check out their 'continuing education' flyer... which probably just came out for the fall/winter period. Everything from music lessons to engineering classes to scrapbooking. Some classes even apply as 'credit classes' if you were to go back to college at a later date for something related.

We've got a 110V Lincoln... which gets the job done most of the time. A 220v would be nicer... but at the time, it was Dad's decision which one we got, and he liked the portability of the 110v. Meant being able to take it to the cottage, take it pretty much anywhere, and not having to worry about whether or not there would be a 220v plug.

I've done lots of body work with the 110v mig, and even some minor cage work with it. I wouldn't want to do a lot of cage work with 110v... you need to crank it up to get good penetration, which cuts down your duty cycle a lot.

^^I'm in the same boat. I'm going with a 110 just for ease of use....not too many places to get 220 except the back of washing machines (At least for me). And its pretty much just for the future rally car, so portability (and again, finding 110 on the road vs 220) is key.

MIG just because its easy as swinging balls and I don't need anything to be that neat.

it seems that I can get something decent locally on craigslist for $350-$500 used (lots of milller, and Lincold Electric), even with a bottle of argon, so I'll probably go that route.

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Jon Burke - KI6LSW
Blog: http://psgrallywrx.blogspot.com/

I'm going to tell you this, and you (like most people) will probably ignore it anyway...

It is cheaper to pay for the welding course than to spend the money on:

-electricity
-gas
-scrap metal
-consumables (welding wire)

So if you figured you would teach yourself welding, you are choosing the more expensive route. (This assumes the machine is free). The courses are heavily subsidized by the colleges compared to their "true costs".

In any case, your question is, unfortunately, practically unanswerable. It would depend what you're trying to do as to what the best device is.

TIG, yes, it's very flexible.... but welding something dirty (like some bent sheet metal) is a super pain
MIG: (wire feed, with gas) weld dirty stuff easily... but not that fancy aluminum bracket you were thinking about
Stick: Great for those new ramps you're putting on your trailer... but not that 22 gauge fuel cell cover.

Of course, I immediately expect someone to say "I weld dirty stuff with a TIG" "I weld aluminum with a MIG" and "I weld thin metal with a stick". And all that is true. You can also chop down a redwood with a hatchet.

My advice: if it's car related, start with ignoring 110v. You'll only frustrate yourself. You can build a big 220v extension cord with parts from Lowes to get from the dryer to the garage. I'd recommend MIG because of the features/quality that you can get for the price. I wouldn't worry about "portable" very much since 99% of your welding will be in your garage, and other people who want welding done will come to your garage.


Cheers,
ANders

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Grassroots rally. It's what I think about.

yeah, there's got to be a class around me somewhere....

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Jon Burke - KI6LSW
Blog: http://psgrallywrx.blogspot.com/

I took a Tig class and it was worthless. In fact, we dropped it after three days, they refunded and recharged us like five or six times, then submitted it to collections without ever actually sending bills. Awesome.

RV extension cables can be found for like $10-15 for a 50 ft. 10 gauge thrree wire, heavily insulated at Harbor Freight on occasion. Get the correct ends from Home Depot or Lowes to plug into your 220V welder and dryer outlet.
I put a 220 outlet in my driveway direct from the breaker box. Just doubled up with the stove's breakers, but as long as I don't bake a cake while I'm welding I should be okay.

Millermatic 220V mig all the way. Let's see, we have four identical ones in our group of friends. Salta Motorsports uses it for most of their cage work that they don't do with their Tig. Mine's done three of four cages now and a bunch of the little stuff. Easy to use and setup, reliable, can weld a diff with no problems. Important stuff you know.

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Grant Hughes

+$800 and I won't be doing any cage work, I'm not that ambitious. Unless one of your four friends wants to sell theirs used?

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Jon Burke - KI6LSW
Blog: http://psgrallywrx.blogspot.com/

Buy a good one now and save money later. You can afford it.
When you coming out this way again? We never did go get a beer.

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Grant Hughes

dammit, you're going to talk me into spending more money!



re: next trip.....not sure, but I'd like to...Vail was pretty nice that weekend I was there.


I just looked at welding classes at the local community college near my office....all they had was advanced welding theory and practice (15hrs/week lab work)...LOL,

https://websmart.smccd.edu/prod/bzwkschd.p_course_popup?vsub=WELD&vcrse=211&vterm=200808&vcrn=83064

I'm sure there's something a bit more basic around here.

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Jon Burke - KI6LSW
Blog: http://psgrallywrx.blogspot.com/

I started my rally car work with a Tig. Now I have a Mig AND a Tig. The Tig is nice, but the Mig is more versitile. Anything super important/aluminum/has to look nice gets the tig, everything else gets the mig... which still lays nice beads if you move the gun right/pulse/have black magic haha.(note I am NOT a great/pro/super welder. I can hold my own and I trust my welds)

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Welcome to the cult of JVL drink the koolaid or be banned.

Eff this thread you spend too much $$$$

I have a Clarke 130EN from weldingdepot.com

$400 OTD came next day with regulator, auto darkening mask and more. 110v put that bitch in the box truck I cruise around everywhere I go plug into lamp posts and weld crap in the street.

If it is for rally cars, it should be totally portable so you can fix stuff anywhere awesome you are doing something.

Shoot, that thing even starts the arc powered by my inverter. My inverter squeals, but it is still mint.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/2008 12:39PM by MattJohnston.

^^ Who the #$%#@# is this guy?

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Jon Burke - KI6LSW
Blog: http://psgrallywrx.blogspot.com/

Jon Burke Wrote:
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> ^^ Who the #$%#@# is this guy?


Not the one you are thinking of. There's an extra T.

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Grant Hughes

Anders hit the nail on the head. I am completing the second quarter of an evening welding class at the local community college and the class structure has been very valuable. The classes were more designed people looking to get into the welding trade but after explaining by interests to the instructors they have modified some of the lab requirements to meet my needs. And the only thing I had to buy was the book.

They supplied all of the tools, hoods, gas, gloves, machines, welding consumables, etc.

And when you spend 4 hours a week laying down mig beads you can burn through a lot of steel and wire that I would otherwise have to pay for. Plus I get the added bonus of having a pro, my current instructor has been a welder for 20 years, there to tell me what I am doing wrong and correct my technique. Also, school has a whole pile of parts for the machines so if you mess something up you just pull a brand new part off the shelf.

The only disadvantage of the school is that I might be spoiled by the $5,000 lincoln digital inverter machines that were donated to the school by the company. Plus they do everything mig, tig, stick, with one machine.