Welder

[Thumbcocker]

I took welding in high school in the late 70's. We used Lincoln stick welders. I am not a welder. I can stick metal together where it will hold most of the time if conditions are close to ideal.

I would like to get a welder of some type to to basic repairs on stuff around the place. Probably 1/4" thick max maybe rarely 1/2". I have no experience with wire or tig welding.

What type of welder would y'all recommend for someone with this background? Price is a consideration.

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[sparky45]

The old Lincoln "crackerbox" is still available and for a reasonable price, it's what I use. Check Craigslist or local For Sale ads. Think I paid $125 for mine.

[AMG]

Go with a cheap stick welder. Use some 6011 rod.

[farmerjim]

Get a cheep HF gas MIG. It is the easiest welding there is for thin steel.

[Winger Ed.]

Nothing wrong with a decent stick welder.
And if ya get to doing different things, there are more kinds of rods available than there are different kinds of MIG wire.

For doing 'around the farm' sort of things, it's hard to beat the simplicity of a Lincoln or Miller 220 volt wire feed.
With a basic understanding of the principle, you can teach a teenager to use one in a few minutes.

[country gent]

The old Lincolns are still available the newer inverter models are much lighter and easy to use. One big thing to arc welding is to keep the rods dry. The buzz boxes have done a lot of welding over the years. For limited use and lighter work you might even look at Harbor Freights line. One thing I do is buy rods as needed this way they are fresh dry and correct for the job.

The old lincoln 225 will do a lot of welding but joint prep and metal prep are important. Dad had the century version of it he bought ( demonstrators model) we used that machine for 35 years and my brother took it when dad passed, it is "rattling and banging" a lot more now but still lays a good weld.

Another addition to consider with the welder is a welding table

[Stewbaby]

If you don’t need to go over a quarter inch, one of the harbor freight flux cores are a great easy and cheap way to get into it and then you can always upgrade later.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210925/ad355706c32a232df6d765c279c11f05.jpg

[farmbif]

lots of good used welders show up all over the country on govdeals.com. ive got stick, mig and tig welders, last count, I think was 7.
if you can find an old miller 200 mig welder. it lays down some sweet beads, and a lot of the Lincoln mig machines make it very easy to add a spool gun if you ever want to expand into welding aluminum. mig is very easy to put down great welds but for best results you would use shielding gas such as stargon for steel.
the smaller wire feed welders that use only flux cored filler material/welding wire, splatter real bad compared to using shielding gas. plus the cost of flux core welding wire is pretty high.

[farmbif]

I wish I were in Houston area,
there's more than one. and these are very nice machines
https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemid=3&acctid=21127

[JM7.7x58]

The vast majority of professional stick welding is done with A welder that can supply DC+ current. Most of the Lincoln Tombstone “cracker boxes” will only provide AC current. Lincoln did offer a Tombstone that had both AC and DC.

My at home stick welder is a Miller Thunderbolt that is both AC and DC. I also use this as a power source to scratch start Tig weld. They are also much more adjustable because of the hand crank current adjustment. These units can be found used on Craigslist for around $300-$400 dollars. They offer the at home stick welded a lot more versatility.

[Shawlerbrook]

I’ll second the flux core welders. I was where you are last year and ended up with a Hobart Handler flux core machine. I made repairs on 2 small 4’x4’ ATV trailers and a mower deck on an old JD mower. My welds aren’t pretty but they are strong. Stick with the Lincoln.035 flux core wire and your learning curve will be steep.

[bakerjw]

Look for something used and avoid Harbor Freight. Buying from them is sending money to our #1 enemy.
CL or other sites.

[MaryB]

I went with a Klutch multi process(mig, tig, stick) welder with spool gun for aluminum. Pretty much a do it all welder... https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200833067_200833067 they have a lower cost 90 amp version if you want cheaper.

[Winger Ed.]

flux cored filler material/welding wire, splatter real bad compared to using shielding gas.

I use a lot of .035 flux core, and as cluttered as my shop is:
I'd often push enough stuff out of the away to a clear a spot on the bench to weld some little something 'real quick'.

With the splatter balls bouncing all over the place, I soon developed a rather intimate relationship with----- FIRE!!!

I also started using anti-splatter spray. It was sort of expensive at the welding supply place.
I read the label one time, and hmmmm,,,,, it has exactly the same ingredients as Pam cooking spray.
Hey,,, save a buck where ya can.:bigsmyl2:

[Finster101]

Too bad you are not closer. I would give you a stick welder that I am not supposed to use after getting my defibrillator.

[jonp]

I just bought a cheap 165amp ac/dc welder on Amazon. $75 so wasnt expecting much but it does seem to work on the ac for thin stuff. Its to go with my HF Wire i got on sale for $80 or so and worked great on the mower deck

[Kraschenbirn]

My Miller 'Cricket' (115V, flux-core wire) has met my needs for close to 30 years and it's welded about everything from 1/16" sheet metal to 1/2" plate with acceptable results. (The 1/2" plate was repair of steel targets from our club range and required multiple passes). Miller dropped the Cricket a few years back, replacing it with a more sophisticated (and expensive) model but there are used units around and parts/service are still available.

Bill

[bangerjim]

I have 2 of those old red Lincoln AC "stick burners" I started out with 40 years ago (spatter and slag everywhere!) and never use them anymore after using my MIG wire-feed welders! The argon gas (no flux core wire) surrounding the wire fed to the welding tip gives a perfect shield and give you the smooth spatter-free welds you see done by professionals. Minimal clean-up with maximum strength. And the welds are a work of art! But it DOES take skill and some practice!!! A stick burner will give you mud dauber-type welds with just about any level of experience.

God luck on your quest for welder that will give you good service and the quality you want.


banger :guntootsmiley:

[labradigger1]

Sounds like a 140amp Hobart, Miller or Lincoln mig will do most of what you need. 1/2” will be pushing it with multiple passes expected.
Lincoln still makes a good ac/dc/dc- tombstone welder and they work great.

[country gent]

On heavier than recommended metal a preheat of the weld seam will help aid penetration and flow. It actually will help most welds

[lancem]

I'm a steel structure builder, Hobart 140 with an added on spool gun. Been using it for years and can have anybody making excellent welds with it in 15 minutes or less. Mig is my suggestion.

[DougGuy]

I been behind a hood over 50yrs. Gobs of xray work, pressure vessels, shipyards, offshore in the Gulf, fab shops, paper mills, power plants, chemical plants, refineries, LOTS of US Navy vessels from aircraft carriers and guided missile cruisers to submarines, fingerprints in DC, all that stuff.

A wire feeder with 75%/25% Argon/CO2 shielding gas and .035" wire is great. 220v is better than 110v any day of the week. Anybody can weld with a mig welder, there are 2-3 things it does NOT like, paint, rust, oil, wind. If your metal is clean and shined with a wire brush or wheel, and you are out of the wind, you will love the mig it's the spray and pray of welding procedures. It will weld gaps much larger and much faster than a stick rod will, which should be a big help to a newb.

You can run fluxcore wire without the gas or with it which will approximate what you can do with a 7018 stick rod only 4x faster than stick. You can use 309L wire and weld stainless, or weld stainless to carbon steel, pretty neat stuff I have used a ton of 309.

I would only buy Horrible Freight as a last resort. Lincoln or Miller and nothing else, look in Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace to see what's near you, and of course the big box home improvement stores and Tractor Supply sell new machines, gas, and electrodes.

It takes a bit more experience to weld with stick I think than mig, but if you are going out into a muddy field to weld on a plow or bush hog, yes stick without question. It's also cheaper to get into stick than mig so you gets what you pays for mostly.

[ebb]

1/4 inch and under MIG over 1/4 thick stick. You need 2 at least. I now have 3 MIG, Stick, and TIG

[jim147]

About every farmhouse around me has an old Lincoln buzz box sitting around. I only fire mine up if I need to burn a quick hole or cut something off without getting the torch out. I have one of the cheap 220 volt migs and it fixes mowers and tractors with just a little clean up with a wire wheel or grinder.

[Hossfly]

I bought a welder Generator 4KW and it welds good and can power your house with enough to run refrigerators fans tv and lights. Lincoln have had it for 22 years. You just got to keep an engine up and running tho. If I was buying another would get electric start one, kinda hard to pull, also added a 5 gallon tank so it’ll run longer on a fill up.

[Mal Paso]

Hobart Handler 140. Runs on 120V and will do 1/4" and more with preheat. Owned by Miller now, uses the same tips. Reliable!

The new Lincolns have a computer to help you weld, no thanks!

I have a Lincoln Tombstone for hardface and stick.

[buckwheatpaul]

I took welding in high school in the late 70's. We used Lincoln stick welders. I am not a welder. I can stick metal together where it will hold most of the time if conditions are close to ideal.

I would like to get a welder of some type to to basic repairs on stuff around the place. Probably 1/4" thick max maybe rarely 1/2". I have no experience with wire or tig welding.

What type of welder would y'all recommend for someone with this background? Price is a consideration.

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Thumbcocker, My old gasoline Lincoln welder bit the dust so I only needed a good cracker box welder and after much research it came down to Lincoln electric, which is still made in America, Forney (made in Italy), and Chinese crap......I went with the AC/DC Forney and have never regretted that decision.....it is very easy to use and well made. The reviews were good and the only thing that I can suggest is buy the wheel kit and you will be happy.....the leads are heavy gauge and very long as is the power cable......the warranty between the Lincoln and the Forney were the same if my memory serves me right. I am not a welder by trade but it is an excellent choice.....if ya go any questions please email and I will give ya the particulars....have a good hunt on this quest!

[rbuck351]

I have a Lincoln ac/dc, two migs( 220v and 24v dc), a Miller ac and two Oxy/acet sets. The one that gets used the most is the Lincoln. Most of my welding is with 1/4"or thicker.If I was going to stick with 1/4" or thinner I would probably be happy with a mig.

[DougGuy]

Hobart Handler 140. Runs on 120V and will do 1/4" and more with preheat. Owned by Miller now, uses the same tips. Reliable!

The new Lincolns have a computer to help you weld, no thanks!

I have a Lincoln Tombstone for hardface and stick.

Yeah I forgot, manual only, knobs and switches, no digital "command center."

Forgot about the Hobart Handler 140 MIG, I use one of these often and it runs good BUT you gotta keep the extension cord short and heavy gauge. We run .035" wire that comes from Tractor Supply in 10lb spools. I replaced the whip and gun on this machine with a 12' that cost $65 from ebay and now it runs like a Cadillac.

[Buck Shot]

Hard to go wrong with an older 220V transformer-based stick welder -- Idealarc, Dialarc, Thunderbolt, Hobart Handler -- and personally I would look for an AC/DC model. The older transformer machines are generally bulletproof and last for generations. The newer inverters, not so much.

That, and some 3/32" and 1/8" 6010 (6011 if AC only) and 7018 (7018AC if AC only) rods should cover an awful lot of needs.

I also wouldn't rule out an oxy-acetylene rig, which would allow you to cut, braze, heat, etc., in addition to welding. Better yet, get BOTH! :mrgreen:

Good luck with your choice.

[metricmonkeywrench]

Not a pro, but ended up with 2 a little wire feed 110v Lincoln fluxcore wire feed bought as an open box and a relic 220v Montgomery Ward given to me for re-wiring a horse trailer. Between the two I get about everything I need welded done. The wire feed is great for small quick jobs and relatively simple to use. The Montgomery Ward is great for bigger jobs and has a 100% duty cycle, so I can keep jamming rods into it till I’m done on the bigger heavy jobs that occasionally show up.

[Mal Paso]

Yeah I forgot, manual only, knobs and switches, no digital "command center."

Forgot about the Hobart Handler 140 MIG, I use one of these often and it runs good BUT you gotta keep the extension cord short and heavy gauge. We run .035" wire that comes from Tractor Supply in 10lb spools. I replaced the whip and gun on this machine with a 12' that cost $65 from ebay and now it runs like a Cadillac.

Every time I haul the welder out to weld a gate or something I wish I'd gotten the 2 pound roll of wire instead of 10. LOL (a Honda 3000EU powers it)

There is some awful flux core wire from you know where, watch out. I got a roll that was rebranded Lincoln.

Doug is right about power. All plug in welders run so much better close to the utility transformer and connected with big wires. The inverter welders do better but power is critical.

[MaryB]

It is easy enough to make a very heavy extension cord with little voltage drop. Not cheap though! Made one for my friend so he can use his flux core mig welder all over the yard, cord is 50 feet long. Went with #2 stranded wire ran inside a heavy rubber tube(think it was meant to be hydraulic hose...). Less than 1% voltage drop... I told him what to get, wire, a heavy piece of flexible tubing, and the proper connectors. It hangs out on the light pole where the 220 volt drop to the garage is. He is always fixing n old cars to flip, welding frames etc...

[remy3424]

I say get a used Linclon red box off craig's list or a auction. Mr/Mrs Thumb has arc welded, no new learning curves. No tanks (I don't know anyone personally that uses flux core wire), no replacement tips...just rods and a slag hammer. One dial for amperage and pick a rod. Less surface prep than Mig also.

[DougGuy]

Here is a few of my "pet" projects for 2021. They don't bring stuff when it needs repair, they run it until it literally falls apart then and only then do I get them..

Everything in these photos was done with Esab 1/16" 7100 Ultra dual shield wire, it's flux cored wire and also uses gas for shielding. I use 75/25 pretty common mix for mig, 75% argon 25% CO2.

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[Huskerguy]

Identify all the welding supply places in your area. Tell them what you want to do and your shop size, electrical availability, etc. They get trade ins all the time and there are some really good deals to be had.

A friend did this and they fixed him up with a 110 welder, two sizes if wire, bottle of gas and the welding for around $100. I used to teach welding to students at a technical college for auto collision. I found the 110 welders (check your amps) to be able to accomplish a lot. They will let you practice as well to see. Don't be shy. I am not a big fan of the Flux core, prefer gas.

[Soundguy]

AC stick is easy.. especially with 3/16 and thicker metal using appropriately sized 6011 rods.

That said.. a small flux wire welder with new inverter technology can do some neat things on the metal UP to 1/4" and run on a standard household plug.

I have both a 325a ac welder for big stuff.. and that flux welder.

I have access to a large mig.. but for what I do.. the flux is fine.. and very portable.

[MaryB]

Flux is great for outdoor repairs where shielding gas would blow away. On my old lawn mower a friend brought over his HF $90 flux core welder and I ran 100' of #10 extension cord out to where the mower axle welds broke. Did a little grinding to get rid of the old crappy garbage welds(they were full of air pockets and corrosion inside the weld), hammered the axle back in place, laid down new welds on both sides(figured might as well do the other side, it was cracking) and off I went to finish mowing. Sure I could have drug it back to the garage and he could have brought over his mig setup but that would have been a pain. Splatter is easy to remove, grinders were invented for a reason!

[DougGuy]

I am not a big fan of the Flux core, prefer gas. There are gasless fluxcore wire and there is fluxcore wire meant to be used with shielding gas. Most call this dual shield, diff. mfgrs call it their own name but it's the same thing. It would win you over in a heartbeat if you ever ran much of it.

[jonp]

On heavier than recommended metal a preheat of the weld seam will help aid penetration and flow. It actually will help most welds


Here is a few of my "pet" projects for 2021. They don't bring stuff when it needs repair, they run it until it literally falls apart then and only then do I get them..

Everything in these photos was done with Esab 1/16" 7100 Ultra dual shield wire, it's flux cored wire and also uses gas for shielding. I use 75/25 pretty common mix for mig, 75% argon 25% CO2.

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Nice welds, Doug. Was that last on left done at their place in Henderson? How heavy an extension are we talking in post 29? Im getting sticking with a short 12g using 110v

[DougGuy]

Nice welds, Doug. Was that last on left done at their place in Henderson? How heavy an extension are we talking in post 29? Im getting sticking with a short 12g using 110v

I am using a 25' 12ga extension on the Hobart 140 and it welds good. Sometimes it's just a tad slow starting but the ground clamp is not very good either so if I fixed that it would start quicker.

So many things could cause current to drop and a rod to stick so I can't diagnose it over the forum, it could be everything from the wall plug to the electrode is good but there is aluminum wire inside the wall. Who knows.

[Mal Paso]

They make 100 foot 10 gauge 15 Amp plug cords, Harbor Freight and Home Depot have them. Really cuts the voltage drop.

[Buck Shot]

They make 100 foot 10 gauge 15 Amp plug cords, Harbor Freight and Home Depot have them. Really cuts the voltage drop.

Yep, I bought one, then cut off and replaced the ends with 6-50 connectors for 240V to run the plasma cutter or welder.

[lightman]

Here is a few of my "pet" projects for 2021. They don't bring stuff when it needs repair, they run it until it literally falls apart then and only then do I get them..

Everything in these photos was done with Esab 1/16" 7100 Ultra dual shield wire, it's flux cored wire and also uses gas for shielding. I use 75/25 pretty common mix for mig, 75% argon 25% CO2.

289413 289414

289415 289416

289417 289422

289418 289419

289420 289421

289423 289424

Nice looking work DougGuy! That kind of work separates the wannabees from the real welders!

[lightman]

I've welded a lot of stuff with a little Lincoln 225 machine. Used ones show up occasionally on swap shops and Craigslist.

[firefly1957]

Several years ago I bought a Harbor freight wire welder 170 amps max can use shielding gas or flux core wire unless it is something very thick I will not go back to the old Lincoln stick welder I still have !
The last project I did with it was replacing the bottom of a 82" skid steer bucket with a 1/8" (11 ga) 82X22 inch sheet of metal . Have done all kinds of welds I would have made a terrible mess of with the stick welder.

[andre3k]

I wish I were in Houston area,
there's more than one. and these are very nice machines
https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemid=3&acctid=21127Small world. I bought that welder. Picked it up a couple of days ago.

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