welders

[trucker n]

im looking to get alittle welder for the hobby just dont know where to start is only going to be some small stuff plate and 1/2 inch square tubing that kind of thing just dont now what welder stick tig mig what brand lmk if you guys can help me thanks

[ihbuilder]

a lincon 100 wire welder . you can start it with flux core wire , but I would suggest converting it gas /mig

[Bodyman]

ive used all three. best for small is a mig. i have a Miller 110volt unit. came with the cart and gas and 1 spool of wire. by changing out the wire and gas you can weld aluminum,stainless, or steel. i have stainless wire in mine and a tri mix gas.just dont use a mig if its windy as it will blow the gas away. stick is good for large items. tig is good for small items also but costs more. i used a tig on the fuel tanks,when we had to repair after a crash. some welding houses will let you practice to see what you like. i woundnt
get one at a home center, it might be cheaper but to get some support there wont be any.
steve

[Brian in PA]

I have a Hobart 140 w/gas conversion. It works beautiful. For the money it is a good machine. I got it at tractor supply for about $500.00 a few years back. If your gonna use this for your hobbies do the gas , the flux core will splatter all over your work.

[ihbuilder]

I hate to say , I've always been a lincon guy till my local weld supply sold me on my miller 210 . But I did a lot of body work with my little lincon . I started on a lincon (tombstone) stick welder then mig but with the hobby work I got to get into tig with some of the stuff I'm starting to do . The little migs (whatever bran) are a good starting machine . personally I could care less for anything flux or flux cored , pain in the butt to clean up for finnish unless you sand blast it .

[Bodyman]

well said ih i had a lincoln 110 which worked good. tried a miller 120 and the diffrence
was amazing. give my son the lincoln and bought the miller. gas is the only way to go

[Lil Giants]

Gas mig with .023 wire is best for 18 guage or thinner. And be sure it has a cold wire trigger, much easier to use.

[pugs]

I've just got a Miller econotig that does stick and tig (used mostly on the farm) Want to get a small mig someday for the little every day stuff, but I get by with the tig when I'm in practice.

[td9clyde]

i use a lil lincon mig with the gas i am like steve (IHbuilder) anything flux core will splatter bad and flux core seems to burn hotter and burn through the steel faster and the splatter is really bad i would say big R, tractor supply , rual king store are all a good place to look i use .30 wire on everything

[mazdaparts]

I would find the local welder supply house or gas supply house (they carry welders most times) and see what they recommend. Try some out and see what works best for you and your budget. You can't beat having a place to get parts for your tools. We have a small lincoln 135 for our shop. The only thing that went bad was the sleeve in the line. Took it in and got it fixed, back at work the next day. You may want to look in to a welder that can accept a spool gun if you want to weld alot of aluminum. My motto is do it right the first time and you won't have to do it again.