My first welder!

[beee85]

ok so here is the deal, my birth date is coming on august 8th .

so i want to buy a MIG welder for myself. don't know how to weld, but i sure as hell want to learn! my dad has done welding back in his days and hes an old man, so i barely talk to him about WORK period, he just wants to watch t.v..

anyways, so i was reading a post on "whats a good first welder"
and guys on here were saying that you should not skimp on welders,
they kept saying to buy Lincoln, hobart or miller.

oh yea i NEED the welder! why? because i have a 67 nova with rust that needs to be cut out! and new metal patched in! my friend says bondo it, and i say nooooo...

so i was thinking the hobart 187 because alot of guys were saying that its the best bang for your buck.Or is there a cheaper welder that i can get, to do body work on my 67 nova? Give me old man advice thanks!..

 

[Professur]

Beat your friend with a stick, then go buy yourself a Red, off white or Blue machine and be happy. the Miller has the easiest learning curve with the 'auto' settings. But you don't learn much using them. Fortunately, there's a manual setting too. Best of both worlds.

I own a Linc.

 

[rburke65]

Yes you want to spend the money and go and buy a Hobart, Miller or a Lincoln and don't screw around with a HF welder or a Bob's welder or..............whatever kind of welder. Get a big bottle of Argon gas mix and enjoy. Trust us....buy it right the first time. The price is soon forgotten but the quality will last forever!

 

[beee85]

Beat your friend with a stick, then go buy yourself a Red, off white or Blue machine and be happy. the Miller has the easiest learning curve with the 'auto' settings. But you don't learn much using them. Fortunately, there's a manual setting too. Best of both worlds.

I own a Linc.

lol

Yes you want to spend the money and go and buy a Hobart, Miller or a Lincoln and don't screw around with a HF welder or a Bob's welder or..............whatever kind of welder. Get a big bottle of Argon gas mix and enjoy. Trust us....buy it right the first time. The price is soon forgotten but the quality will last forever!

again i keep hearing this.. must be for a good reason!

thanks for your input! *walks away saying hobart hobart lincoln miller miller miller hobart......

 

[Falcon67]

I have a Hobart Handler 140. It's a very good machine for a great price. I have used my 140 for the same - everything from patch panels to subframe connectors to a roll bar install, but the 140 is marginal on real live .125 wall tubing. It'll do it, but things have to be "just so". I keep .030 wire in the machine and for 80%+ of what I hack on around here, I can just open the mix bottle, plug in the welder, bleed the hose, engage the wire roller, put on the helmet and start gluing metal.

If I did things like heavy chassis work, back halves and roll cages on a regular basis, I would have bought a 187 or larger. The 187 is more expensive and requires 220V power, but would be a good choice for a "buy once" kind of home machine. X2 - these units come with the regulators for gas, so get a cart, an auto-dark helmet, a big bottle of tri-mix and you are good to go.

Also - buying a good brand will help if you decide to go bigger because it will have better resale value than a no-name or off brand unit.

 

[sberry]

There are off brand machines that do work but its hit and miss, the Hobart 187 is a sure bet and is almost twice the machine as a 140 for another 150$, great pot odds and excellent machine with great arc, as good as any.

 

[78Bird]

If your budget allows, I think the Miller 211 is the ultimate hobby welder right now. Autoset, Dual voltage (110 or 220), and a compact form. Not the cheapest thing, but you're covered for anything on a car or light truck from thin sheet to frame work. I want one....

I have a HH140 and it is great, don't get me wrong, but it is not as feature rich as of couse with only 110v it's limited on the thickness of metal that can be easily welded.

 

[Major Ramifications]

Don't overlook Craigslist, local classifieds and pawn shops for welders. I started with a cheap almost-new 110V Craftsman MIG and happily sold it for what I paid for it years later when I finally stepped up to a Hobart Handler 210.

 

[rsanter]

I currently have miller, lincolin, and century welders and like them all

I dont have one but am really impressed with the miller auto set MIG welders
if I was going to buy another one, that is what I think I would buy

bob

 

[beee85]

thank you all for your input,I am taking notes. i will keep you guys posted.

 

[Bigpigdave]

As others have mentioned, please consider a used Lincoln, Miller or Hobart machine. They're not as exciting as a new welder but that excitement wears off in a hurry and the extra money is gone forever. Use what you saved to buy a good helmet, consumables and clamps. You will need all of these things. If you can swing the money buy a 220 volt welder with at least 180 amps. You need at least that much to weld 1/4" plate with 75/25. Have fun and be safe whatever you choose.

 

[beee85]

As others have mentioned, please consider a used Lincoln, Miller or Hobart machine. They're not as exciting as a new welder but that excitement wears off in a hurry and the extra money is gone forever. Use what you saved to buy a good helmet, consumables and clamps. You will need all of these things. If you can swing the money buy a 220 volt welder with at least 180 amps. You need at least that much to weld 1/4" plate with 75/25. Have fun and be safe whatever you choose.

thank you sir! great input.. i will keep my eyes on craigslists!

 

[jbs]

so i was thinking the hobart 187 because alot of guys were saying that its the best bang for your buck.Or is there a cheaper welder that i can get, to do body work on my 67 nova? Give me old man advice thanks!..

I have a 187 and I love it. I didn't know how to weld either when I got it, but it has been very easy to learn on. I'm sure you can't go wrong with a Miller or Lincoln either, but the Hobarts are a bit cheaper, especially if you look for used or re-furb units. Mine was $499 at toolking.com a few years ago. They are more now, but still a pretty decent deal when they are in stock:
http://www.toolking.com/hobart-500525a-factory-reconditioned-handler-187-mig-welder-a-stock

No association, just good experience. As mentioned, craigslist is also a great place to look if you are patient. You can often get a cart, mask and bottle for minimal extra cost from someone who is getting rid of their whole rig. Good luck.

broc

 

[portcity]

im with 78bird, the miller 211 is a great machine all around imho. I want one for the dual voltage and portability. Id would advise going to the welding supply shops and ask for a demonstration, to see what you like. I prefer miller for mig, and lincoln for arc.

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

Lots of good machines out there. I have a Lincoln SP130, 220V, and I love it.

 

[sberry]

I have an SP130T, its old, probably 18 yrs or so, ran the snot out of it, now days they call them 175's, ha, but it has super good arc, better than my 255. Oiled the fan and replaced the tap switch, mine really ran a lot and still is my bench machine. I have several other machines but still use it for most light work.

 

[Craftman]

I have two lincoln welders

1. 220v ac 225 stick welder I dint have the chance to work with it allot since I didnt have time to plug 220v.

2. 140 mig pack its great runs n 110v I did allot of welding patch on the Jeep and It work like a charm! It can go up to 3/16 with multi pass

 

[bimmer1980]

I would recommend going and taking a class before you buy the welder.... It will eliminate a lot of frustration when you get the welder.

A lot of communities offer welding classes... some of the votech schools might also have some basic classes.

I learned in high school vocational welding class. It was the best time spent in high school. (I also did the whole trig, calculus, etc which helped in engineering school...)

Learning the basic skills will help you decide on what type of fabrication work you plan to do most and to pick the best welder.

I started an old lincoln stick welder. Then purchased a slightly used century 110 with gas. Eventually that lead to a Miller 200 tig, a miller regency 250 mig with spool gun for aluminum and a lincoln 250. This is all in my SD shop....

I'm now back to a well used century 110 with flux core until my garage is finished..... of which I only paid $40 to get used from craigslist.....

 

[beee85]

well guys i have AWSOME news..

i met a lady (awsome woman) that will teach me how to weld in her welding shop on saturdays! i am super pumped!

and thank you for all your input..

 

[Craftman]

This is the best turnout you could go for! and mybe you can HOOKUP!!

 

[mrholeshot]

I recently retired and sold my big welding machines and just kept a 70's Lincoln 225 stick and bought a new Pro-Mig 180 Lincoln. That 180 is sweet. I kept the 225 because it's AC/DC and I can weld really thick steel with it (nuch better than the new 225) Next up is a spool gun for aluminum for the 180. You don't want to waste money on a cheap no name welder. If I didn't have a lincoln I would go miller

 

[monte433]

Buy the biggest machine you can afford, if not you will wish you had latter.
Ask me how I know Lol.

 

[blue dog]

I just wanted to say that i have owned miller welders for a long time and never had any issues with any of them. Currently i have a miller 180 and a miller 252. The 252 has digital readouts and adjustments. Being able to dial the machine in, in small incraments helps you get the exact weld you are looking for with the material you are welding. It all so seems to me that most guys out here in the west that are involved in the hot rod or auto fabrication world seem to use miller.

 

[beee85]

update:

Today was my first day of welding class, and all i could say is that I LOVE it!
I could not be more grateful for this opportunity.

Thank God for this day! I'm going to post pictures of the projects we are
working on at the shop soon!

 

[beee85]

This is the best turnout you could go for! and mybe you can HOOKUP!!

yea it is the best turnout, but no hooking up lol

 

[Dark Horse]

As its been said **MILLER** Lincoln or Hobart.
I run a Miller 175 perfect for my needs. Till I started playing with AL & Stainless, now I "need" a Tig.
The 187 is the Hobart equivalent to my 175. Mine is a few years old, now they call it the 180
I've never used it for sheetmetal work, only Bumpers, Tube work, and rebuilding frame stands

 

[myamoto1]

Don't overlook ESAB. I love my ESAB 250 - it makes me look like a super star. All of the machines mentioned are great choices. However, the one suggestion I didn't see was checking w/ your local welding supply shop. If they're primarily a Miller shop, you'll be miles ahead by buying a Miller. The relationship you build w/ you local shop is priceless.

 

[blue dog]

Here is agood little machine at a good price.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200328799_200328799

 

[beee85]

Ok guys,i know the welds are ugly, but remember these are my first!

but I have to say one thing...

welding is simply awesome! the possibilities.. : bounce:

this is the machine I'm using i love this thing (It's the first and only that i have used, like loosing your virginity, so i don't know how the other betties feel, guess i just have to get my hands on a hobart or lincoln.)

my first welds ever... i know they are ugly.. lol

first fusion welds

then tried welding thin metal , like 17 gauge and blew a hole. (i blew like 5 holes before getting the hang of it lol.)

then i tried welding thinner metal, pretending to weld car sheet metal, so trying not to warp it.

Then tried to get some pretty beads like some of you guys on here..

I could have grinded and polished it more but didn't want to waste anymore sandpaper. I was pretty happy with the end result!
now the possibilities of welding and fabrication are endless and its just simply amazing to be learning this skill.

 

[e-tek]

That's a TIG welder. Completely different than a MIG welder!!

 

[Krokodil]

Those welds are looking good. Keep up with the practice!

 

[beee85]

That's a TIG welder. Completely different than a MIG welder!!

yes, and tig seems to be more detailed and delicate than mig. I love the tig.

Those welds are looking good. Keep up with the practice!

thanks dude! cant wait to get better and learn more!.

 

[chevelle64]

You should get in the habit of cleaning your material better before welding, even for just practicing. Some people feel that as long as there isn't any rust, you're good to go. But there are a lot of contaminants, even on a shiny new piece of metal. This is especially important with TIG. Good luck .

 

[beee85]

You should get in the habit of cleaning your material better before welding, even for just practicing. Some people feel that as long as there isn't any rust, you're good to go. But there are a lot of contaminants, even on a shiny new piece of metal. This is especially important with TIG. Good luck .

this i must remember, thanks .

 

[s_ontario]

cleanliness is next to godliness

write that down before you forget