welding arc or mig? want to learn.

[colinrmitchell]

I've got a big Lincoln 220V tombstone. It works pretty good all-around. It was only like $225 at Lowe's. I weld 1/4" suspension parts with 1/8" 7018 rods and everything seems to hold up pretty well.

I'm not very good at welding thin things, like wire grates or sheet metal. I have a habit of burning through.

I have no formal training or anything, just practiced a lot and had a buddy who does know how to weld check my work.

I will say that the best money I spent was on one of those auto-darkening helmets. The difference is night and day for a n00b like me.

 

[dcampbell]

found a tututorial on miller web site . looks like some basic stuff, but alot more than I know. looks like some charts on amps and settings for different thickness of metals. I would ask my cousin to teach me cause he has the arc ,but he cant weld worth a crap. even I can tell that. my dad used to weld for GM for years so I know what a good weld looks like even if I cant make one, I wish I would have asked him to show me how before he passed on , but I wasnt expecting him to be gone so early. Just as a side note ; hang with dad alittle more theyre gone to fast, those of you who have lost a parent know what Im talking about. You dont know how many times I have said man my dad could have fixed this in a heart beat. I never knew how much I didnt know until after he was gone.

 

[Beanmachine7000]

So, if you wanted to get a welder, and only planned on getting one, what would you suggest? TIG? I've heard you can weld most everything with a TIG, but they are terribly expensive right? I'm confused, lol...

 

[martin]

If you know what a good weld looks like and you have access to a welder you should find yourself some scrap quarter inch steel and a box of rods and go practice for a few hours. once you sort out welding quarter inch flat plate you will pick up the rest with practice. watch where the molten pool is going and make sure it goes where you want it.

 

[WNY964x4]

you can weld alot with TIG , the problem it is extremely difficult to do , it takes a long time to get the handle of TIG welding , if you buy a mig and arc machines you can do everything you san with tig , alot easier

 

[WNY964x4]

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.

yea , i believe all of ours were millermatic 185's , they are like a 700 or 800 dollar machine

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.

you cannot add a migh setup to a arc machine , but you are correct that it can be converted to tig

 

[Beanmachine7000]

Ok, I thought there was some stuff you could only weld with a TIG, so I guess a nice MIG is the way to go?

 

[Doofy]

My biggest problem with welding is that I just cannot see, even with the auto darkening hood. I can make an excellent weld that sometimes just wanders away...

 

[dcampbell]

For all the guys that dont know how to weld: like me you should commit to learning this year, I cant tell you how many times through my life I could have used that skill. made trailers , fixed bumpers , brackets , frames for buggies, the list goes on and on. Thanks to all the guys who responded, Im going to learn .going to buy some rods tommorow for arc. I have arc available but Im going to look for mig , maybe rent one a couple times a month.

 

[BlackBII]

I use stick on almost everything I do that is structural, 7018 or 7024

I have a 220v Mig that I use sometimes, welding up exhaust n such.

Mig is 'easier', but I think one can make better and stronger welds with a stick.

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

you cannot add a migh setup to a arc machine , but you are correct that it can be converted to tig[/QUOTE]

WNY964x4
how much money you wanna put on that?

miller suitcase 12VS part # 195500
as long as the welder will do AC/DC and reverse pol. add a bottle of argon and your in the show.
hot lead goes to the 12VS (the wire feed) and the ground goes to your work.

 

[ChesterSPL]

Mig

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

yea , i believe all of ours were millermatic 185's , they are like a 700 or 800 dollar machine

Millermatic 185 is a 220v welder, not 110v.

I have a Lincoln 180 (pretty much the same unit) and I love it.

 

[Mutant Pony]

I highly recommend that you learn MIG first.

I learned to stick weld first, I had been welding for many years before I tried to use a mig. I had a hard time getting the hang of the mig. I was expecting it to act like a stick.

I recently bought my first mig welder, Lincoln 140. I only use it for sheetmetal and exhaust. I have a Miller 225 thunderbolt AC/DC for everything else.

 

[Kdawg532]

you cannot add a migh setup to a arc machine , but you are correct that it can be converted to tig(/Quote)
WNY964x4
how much money you wanna put on that?

miller suitcase 12VS part # 195500
as long as the welder will do AC/DC and reverse pol. add a bottle of argon and your in the show.
hot lead goes to the 12VS (the wire feed) and the ground goes to your work.

yes sir my nieghbor has a lincoln with a set up like that,