Welding advice ?

[SSGOldfart]

This is getting pretty ridiculous.

You think??

[Kenstone]

You think??

Well that and the OP has not posted since page 1 and we're on page 3
With the posts on last 2 pages mostly starting with geezer speak like:
years ago
when I was a teenager
I grew up
I'm old school
etc.

[45workhorse]

Guerilla glue?

Duct tape and bailing wire!!!

[curdog007]

An old blacksmith once said to me "I like having you here. You listen". Maybe that's what the OP is doing.

I used to go to that old blacksmith's forge to listen to his geezer speak, because he was good, and even at a young age I knew if I listened to him the learning curve might not be quite so steep.

He had another saying he liked a lot "When mouth opens, ears close".

[Shawlerbrook]

Again, thank you for all your advice. Leaning toward a 125 amp wire feed welder and definitely getting an auto darkening helmet and the Finch book. When all this Covid crap ends might look into some training at the CC or BOCES. Again, thank for all the helpful advice.

[10x]

An old blacksmith once said to me "I like having you here. You listen". Maybe that's what the OP is doing.

I used to go to that old blacksmith's forge to listen to his geezer speak, because he was good, and even at a young age I knew if I listened to him the learning curve might not be quite so steep.

He had another saying he liked a lot "When mouth opens, ears close".

My grandfather was a blacksmith. I was 11 years old when I met him. He spent 3 weeks at our home and during that time he would fire the forge and "putter". One of the projects he did was make chain, starting from 3/8" steel rod that he salvaged in the 1930's. He used the forge, a cold chisel, a hammer, and a hardy.
He cut the rod, formed the links, and welded the links using the forge hammer, anvil, and hardy.
I was fascinated and amazed. When I asked him why he did it, he said for fun. He also said to teach me that if "one man can build it, another can fix it, or if you can not fix it, another just like it can be built".
My uncle looted his tools so they are gone , but I still have hand forged ice tongs for hauling out 70 lb blocks of ice that he built, and a cow bell.
He needed a coat hanger so he took a 16" length of 3/4 willow striped the bark off of it, formed it to a curve, dried it, formed a hook out of 3/16" wire, and made one.
I use it for hanging USB cables in my office.

[john.k]

Any kind of wirefeed needs regular use ...or it simply wont work......The beauty of the stickwelder is it works after a 6 month layup ,rods left on a shelf in an opened packet .....conditions maybe not ideal ,but still good enough for average steel repairs.

[elmacgyver0]

If you are set on a wire feed welder spend a little more and get one capable of using shielding gas.
You can still use flux core but can add gas if you decide you like to weld and want to progress a bit.