welding arc or mig? want to learn.

[dcampbell]

All you guys that can weld I need some advice. I want to learn to weld ,to fab up bumpers hitches and such. Im not sure if I should concentrate on arc or mig? Ive heard mig was easier, but can I weld a reese hitch with home mig? I plan on doing alot of practicing either way before I try anything important. I was wondering what thickness a mig could weld(home version 110) I cant really afford a bigger one. my buddy has a arc , I can buy a bunch of rods and practice on that one too.

 

[Shran]

110 = 3/16 mild steel max

MIG is easier, cleans up better, and in my experience is cheaper in the long run. Stick welding definitely has its uses, though. I'd learn that first.

 

[dcampbell]

what do you mean by mild steel?

 

[krugford]

Regular everyday normal steel. Most of the steel you're going to come across is considered mild steel. It comes in many compositions and forms. It can be easily welded without problems.

If you're gonig to be welding on a hitch or anything else that thick, you're going to need 220V. Any 110V mig isn't going to do anything above 3/16", and that's with flux cored. If you're running shielding gas, you're max is about 1/8".

 

[Milker]

i can dop both, not pro but mig is easier. its nicer, and cleans up easy.

but i have a mini mig like yours and i like it but i cant do think metal

with and arc you can do thicker metal and stronger

 

[4x4junkie]

Regular steel (1010, 1020, etc.).

For Chromoly steel (4130, etc.) you need a TIG.

A 110V flux-core wire-feed welder will handle metal a bit thicker than a MIG using gas (should be good for up to 3/16" or so. I wouldn't trust it on anything thicker).

A 220V MIG will let you do so much more though (like that Reese hitch).

Edit: too slow

 

[dcampbell]

so if you were going to invest in just one 220 mig or 220 arc? is there a difference in wire feed welding and mig?

 

[WNY964x4]

110 = 3/16 mild steel max

MIG is easier, cleans up better, and in my experience is cheaper in the long run. Stick welding definitely has its uses, though. I'd learn that first.

Regular everyday normal steel. Most of the steel you're going to come across is considered mild steel. It comes in many compositions and forms. It can be easily welded without problems.

If you're gonig to be welding on a hitch or anything else that thick, you're going to need 220V. Any 110V mig isn't going to do anything above 3/16", and that's with flux cored. If you're running shielding gas, you're max is about 1/8".

Regular steel (1010, 1020, etc.).

For Chromoly steel (4130, etc.) you need a TIG.

A 110V flux-core wire-feed welder will handle metal a bit thicker than a MIG using gas (should be good for up to 3/16" or so. I wouldn't trust it on anything thicker).

A 220V MIG will let you do so much more though (like that Reese hitch).

Edit: too slow

we used nothing but 110 mig machines using sheilding gas a college and i welded 1/4" steel with it , it just depends on your settings , amperage and how good you are with the gun , and arc welding is not that bad once you get used to it , by the time i was done with welding i was pretty good at arc , and that was a 3.5 week course where i had to learn mig , tig , arc , cutting , and plasma use

and mild steel IIRC has a tensile strength of 60k psi , but newer cars use HSS which has a 100k psi tensile strength

 

[dcampbell]

welding courses offered? hmmmm, I need to look into that.

 

[WNY964x4]

well it was part of my automotive curriculum , but they do have a completly seperate welding course , a nicely equipped welding lab with some talanted welders , they made a reese hitsch , plus recievers with hooks and clevis' on them for a friend of mines ram 2500

 

[Capt Jay]

220v arc, ac= $250
220v arc ac/dc= $500
220v mig= pricesless ( I mean that it's as much money as you'd like to spend) They are thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.

I use a 220v ac/dc arc and I have a 110v mig. It's a very good combination. Smaller finer applications I use the mig. Thicker applications, including welding rear ends, I use the arc. Remember also if you preheat the metal, you can weld thicker metal with the mig. I sometimes torch the thicker stuff with the oxy/acc and then just do it with the mig.

 

[metalmacguyver]

There are cheaper 220V mig welders out there. Mine is a Hobart Handler 187 that I picked up for $600. By the time I finished adding the tank and stuff I was at close to 1000 including stocking up on consumeables.

 

[Doofy]

I have the Hobart Handler 140. Does an excellent job up to 1/4". With patience and skill you can make welds that will hold just about anything. Most of my welding is trying to keep my snowplow functioning. I'm getting better at beefing it up. Actually plowed twice this season without breaking something!

 

[Shran]

we used nothing but 110 mig machines using sheilding gas a college and i welded 1/4" steel with it , it just depends on your settings , amperage and how good you are with the gun , and arc welding is not that bad once you get used to it , by the time i was done with welding i was pretty good at arc , and that was a 3.5 week course where i had to learn mig , tig , arc , cutting , and plasma use

It depends on how good of a welder you get too. Mine is rated for 3/16 max and while it does work, it's still a piece of shit $200 welder. I definitely have to examine my welds very closely if I'm working with anything close to 3/16. The thing that makes it hard for me to use it more is the thermal overload deal...real annoying when you're almost done with a bead.

I also have a 110v AC stick welder that I picked up for $30. It looks like somebody took the leads off of one of those cheap battery chargers and attached them to my welder. I am just waiting for the insulation to burn off because they get really hot. It is a real handy little welder to have around though because it's tiny and weighs like 15 pounds.

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

a good place to start is a Lincoln or Miller stick with AC/DC and reverse polarity.
then you can add MIG and TIG setups to it later.