StreetRoc85 350

Im interested in learning how to weld but i know absolutly nothing about it. Whats the best all around welder to buy? I saw craftsmans and lincons at sears, are those any good? I need something easy to use that i can weld brackets and stuff with. Whats the difference between MIG and TIG? And wire feed vs. stick welding? Whats that all about? Any advice would be greatly appriciated. Thanks guys

MdFormula350

my grandfather uses lincoln arc and mig welders

i think tig is for aluminum i think.

the mig uses gases in two tanks.

the arc uses electricity


dont know much more than that.

ksrammstein

I have a few friends' fathers who work at lincoln electric here in cleveland...obviously I am partial. Really great stuff they say, but I also hear that miller is top of the line also.

Timz2882

iTrader: (1)

Miller is so far the best ,that ive used. ive used Miller , Lincoln, Hobart, and some old ones. and Miller comes out on top weather its Mig,Tig, Stick, Plasma cuttin. all great machines. i have a Lincoln weldpak 3500 HD. its good for the $463 i got from homedepot. if i had the money and a close by dealer for Miller machines i would have gotten a Miller but the Lincoln is still good.

TA

iTrader: (1)

Mig: Metal inert gas-or wire feed welders. Decent all around, can be used without gas with rosin core feed wire, but the welds will be splattery and more porus. Good for home use, decent priced. Any name brand including Craftsman will be fine. You can weld aluminum with the inert gas.

Tig; Tungsten inert gas; Professional level stuff, inert gas use only, and you need to feed the weld rod in with the other hand (not wire feed). The nice machines have pedals to vary current while you are working. These machines are expensive and require a lot of skill to use, but the weld quality is superior. I've seen guys weld beer cans togther with these, all the way up to 3/8" steel plate. You can weld aluminum, or just about anything but wood with these.

Wire feed; See Mig welding

Stick welding; Old fashioned arc welding, with a burn-down electrode/welding rod coated with a flux. These are good for joining thick plates togther, etc, but are very splattery to use. If used properly, they make very strong welds. No aluminum, though.

Gas welding; Different than arc welding with an inert gas machine. This is perhaps the oldest welding method, and uses 2 bottles of Oxygen and Acetlyene, and mixes them into a flame. These are also used as cutting torches with a differet head. Used in muffler shops primarily, a fairly brittle weld, but great for lightweight tube and sheet metal. Will not weld aluminum (not well anyway)

I would suggest MIG for your purposes. If you have 220V service where you will use it, go for that, otherwise you will need a 110V unit to use at home. And be prepared to destroy a lot of stuff before you get the hang of it.

Good luck

Troy
So Cal

ede

somewhere in the above replies the basics are more or less spelled out. miller i believe make the best machines. read a book or two on welding, maybe take a class somewhere to get a better feel for welding and understanding of what all is invloved.

chopper

Ok, here it is plain and simple. Lincoln is hands down the best manufacturer of stick, mig, and tig welders period. However, they do not offer refurbished or factory blemished units so no deals. Most generally more expensive than Miller, which don't get me wrong, I use Miller welders all the time but Miller just nickels and dimes you to death with all the little extras you have to buy to set up a complete outfit. Lincoln welders come with what you need in a relitively high end package. You don't need to go buy things separately. For the non professional a Miller welder is more than sufficient. If you don't know what you're talking about as far as welders go see a salesperson at your local welding shop and ask questions about what they sell. They'll be more than happy to help you. Basically, all I'm complainin about is the fact that I can buy a $12,000 miller diesel generator/ stick/mig/tig welder and they make me pay extra for the tig pedal, stupid.

ede

ok here it is plain and simple miller makes the best welders period, except for GMAW-P. more professions use miller than any other welder.

chopper

That's simply because they're cheaper to buy, not because they're the best. Honestly we don't need to argue which is better Miller or Lincoln. They both make great welders.

ede

miller is better and more professional prefer miller, given a choice

fb305svs

Either is fine, here is the mig setup i have, which would be more than enough good for you to do all you will ever need it for-

http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Cat...eet.asp?p=7101

We have the "mig" conversion, which allows you to get away fromthat crappy *** fluxcore wire.

Make sure to get an argon co2 mix, i get better welds with this than just co2...

Asides from that, get or make a cart to hold the bottle and the welder. Make sure to get gloves, and a full face helmut (you will get the worst sunburn you have ever had on your face if you use goggles or that stupid thing they give you which is only good for watching...)

Also, look around on licolns site- they have some GREAT articles on the basics of welding.

I have been welding for quite a few years now, and i can't stress how well this welder welds- and its cheap. I've done everything from thin guage sheetmetal and body work to exhuast work, and bracketry with this machine. It COMFORTABLY welds 1/8" steel, and ive even done 3/16ths with it (used a bigger wire, and preheat)

Hope this helps ya out, an arc welder is kinda old school these days however, we have "big sparky" hanging out in the shop however incase we need to weld something big...

The tig machine is definately the premium machine, but the cost is way high, and is a terrible welder to start on (at least with the tig process anyways, many tigs do everything, arc and some do mig too with a wand swap...)

ede

if you want or need tig, or GTAW, you can add an air cooled torch to a stick, (SMAW) welder.

icecold

i'm glad to hear that millers are the best as i just purchased a millermatic 251 and sold my lincolm weld pac 125.i know that its not going to be possable to compare the two but i had very good luck with the lincon and only swiched to miller for the reasons ede stated--seems more pros use miller than other brands.and after comparing the 255 lincon and the 251 miller i chose the miller
pete

Timz2882

iTrader: (1)

good choise on the Millermatic, we used those at school alot and they worked great until u ran out of wire

askulte

I'm very happy with my Lincoln Square Wave 175 TIG, and the inexpensive Motorsports Welding courses they offer at the Lincoln Welding School. I'd love to pick up the Invertec 205 welder, for portability. It's only about 40 lbs, can run off of 110/220V, and does everything the 200 lb square wave 175 does. Too bad it's about $2400...

ede

i love inverters but they'd be cheaper if they were made out of gold. the cost is unreal conpared to the size of the package they put them in.

MikeC.86Roc

iTrader: (10)

I bought a lincoln SP - 135 plus about a year ago and didn't know much about welding then at all. It's awesome, portability with 110 V operation and good enough to weld up to 1/4". This welder will make a novice like me lay a bead down like a pro! I love mine and all total with the MIG setup and tank rental etc. it was about $600.

One tip, buy your welder from a welding shop! Fleet farm or Sears stuff is nearly impossible to get parts for even if it does carry the Lincoln name. The dollars you save in the long run will not be worth it!

TVP

hey all ...

I started welding in high school circa 1981, started playing with MIGs in 1990 , TIGs about 2 years ago ... I've played with millers , Lincs , old industrial transformers , wire feedguns etc etc ... when it comes down to the bottom line ..it's just a box .. might as well get a chdeap one that can do the job !!! I got a Century 200 amp MIG ..under $900 !!! (northern) Tweakco (sp?) wire gun (one of the best and you can get parts EASY !!).. runs more bead than ANYONE can plant in ANYTHING I've ever used , at full duty cycle !!! With the 110 volt and small 220v boxes, you'll find yourself running out of power before you run out of seam so you say .. I'm just doing small stuff ... the small boxes only have 4-6 heat setings and 5-10 wire feed speeds , you'll want INFINITE heat setting and wire speeds ... once you get the hang of it .... you'll also want one that can feed ANY size and type of wire too !! that's how you get almuminum done with a MIG ..mine requires a "gun liner" , I think the aluminum will "gaul up" inside the sleeve ... and straight argon gas instead of a mix with co2 ...

one of the best tools I own !! it's so good , I make and fix other tools with it !!!


TVP

ksrammstein

What do you guys know about this?

Why can they sell them so cheap?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=6098

Triaged

Because it is made in China...

I bought a millermatic 175...but I have a 71 4x4 k5 that will be getting heavy stuff welded. I think most people would do OK with a 110 unit. If you are looking to spend a bit less $$$ and still get good quality Hobart is almost exactly the same as Miller (built in the same plant) but it doesn't have a few features (that you most likely won't miss) and costs about $50 less.

cam-

I have sold welding equipment in Canada for five years now and I can tell you that those "Chicago Electric" machines are made in Poland or Italy not China and they are okay if you are strictly a once in a while guy. Century is made right in Minessota USA and are actually surprisingly good for the money. They perform about as well as Lincolns or Miller but are not quite as tough (read professional) but more strength=more $$$$. My personel machine is a Lincoln SP 135 Plus. Best of class on the market IMHO.

By the way FYI for you guys all hot to trot for the 220 volt machines... You are not buying a whole lot more welding capability with these. Sure they will weld 5/16" but a 135 amp Lincoln or Miller or even a 155 amp Century will easily weld 1/4"What the 220 volt units offer is more duty cycle for extended welding so save your money if working on cars is all you need it for.

In all Honesty look at Lincoln and Miller as Coke and Pepsi or GM and Ford. Once you get into any serious construstion sites Lincoln Rangers are Lincoln Classics are all you will see. Steamfitters and Iron Workers know their stuff. Walk into a steel fab shop and you will see mainly Miller or Union Carbide and these guys knoiw their stuff. Check out Nascar... Five years ago Miller everywhere Now its Lincoln. Sponsorship has more to do with it than who is the "best"

cam-

Of course I was reffering completely to MIG process above only. Anything heavier than 1/4" and you would be best/cheapest to buy an Arc welder. Mig is best all around for auto work. Its easy and will cover the most ground in auto materials and gauges.

ksrammstein

You seem to know a lot about welders...what would you recomend for someone like me that is going to use it to weld a roll cage, Sub-frame connectors, etc. I will be learning on it, but I do have a professional to help me get started. However, I am a full time college student and I don't have a fortune. What would be the best for my situation and money?

chopper

Well if you dont mind me puttin my 2 cents in, I'd say if youre on a limited budget then go with a Lincoln sp135 with the mig add-on and you'll be doing just fine for under 500 bucks.

cam-

As much as I hate to admit it... those Polish machines get the job done. Now I am not saying that they are nearly as good as a Lincoln or Miller or even Century but they do work okay. One hint I would suggest you check before laying out any $$$ is to make sure the model you buy has "cold trigger" This means that there will be no power to the wire until you pull the trigger. Many low cost machines have the wire hot all the time which does not affect the weld quality but it makes using them a lousy experience. Many supliers here Lincoln included have a test center that you may go and try the equipment before purchase so perhaps this is worth some investigation.

I would only advise going for an off shore unit if you are in need of a temporary solution. If you feel that you will be keeping it for a long time then I would look to Lincoln for their Mig Pak 10 model as this is the most cost effective quality machine you can buy http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Cat...eet.asp?p=7113

About double the money of the import specials but more than twice the quality and they hold an excellent resale value as well. Check out ebay there are lots of options available there too. Good luck be safe No gas tank welding!!!

chopper

I second that motion!!!

RebelTillDeath3

We have 4-5 Millers in our shop if that lets you know anything.

Also, don't be worried about learning, I learned in 3rd grade. I was taught by one of the best chassis builders on the East coast, my grandpa.

irocbirdbuilder

Its always funny when i hear people telling me how much better miller is than hobart. Miller and hobart are the same company one gets the miller casing and one gets the hobart casing. I got a hobart handler 135 that has a miller gun. I used my buddies millermatic 135 and it is identical to mine with a blue case. Lincoln is also good use lincoln powermig 300's at teh shop and so far no complaints. I'd get awire feeder easier to learn and fairly inexpensive a tig is nice but hard to learn and expensive. Right now i'm certified in arc and gas welding and will have my mig and tig cert. By next year. But go with a mig and dont go with a harbor freight one they'r epretty craptacular in the welding dept. Stick with the big names and you'll be alright. Most of learning to weld is hands on scrap metal practicing till you figure out the right combinations and your own style that your comfortable with.

cam-

Solid advice. Mig is the way to go for most auto related work. Much more cost effective than Tig and much easier to learn.

chopper

Yeah, you couldntve hit the nail on the head better.