Welding tool question

[LSU]

A friens's son is going to graduate from trade school. I'm looking for a gift

Young man will be a service tech but his folks are giving him a MIG welder/cart and Miller Helmet for graduation. He'll use it at his house,not at work.

What accessories would you recommend that I could give him as a gift?

Clamps?

Bender?

C clamps for welding?

I'm thinking quality stuff he'd use for a long time.

Online purchase with shipping would be preferred.

I'm not a welder so all suggestions are welcome.

Thanks.

 

[AZ_Catskinner]

A pair of welpers/Mig pliers (Channellock now makes a USA set that will last a lifetime).
C-clamps (I really like the Wiltons with the copper coated screw for welding
Vise Grips (too many is never enough)
A 20lb ABC fire extinguisher (don't know how many times I've seen people doing hot work without an extinguisher around).

 

[rodknocker]

A nice pair welding gloves, apron, books to help.

 

[78Bird]

Welpers
Good gloves
Good jacket
a couple welding caps (go under the helmet, protect your ears, and help with sweat), they are cheap so having a couple lets you rotate them through the wash.
clamps of all kinds
If he's doing automotive work, sheet metal clamps.

All of those are really helpful if you do a lot of welding.

 

[5mall5nail5]

One of the most necessary tools for me after the welders was cutting - a HF bandsaw or a decent chop saw would be AWESOME. I don't know if that's within your budget or not.

 

[Buckgnarly]

Channellock 360 all the way!

 

[kyrbz]

This is one of my favorite and most used welding clamps -

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200342938_200342938

A less expensive 4.5" version that I also use a lot -

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200491414_200491414

 

[bigderrickk]

A good welders spike hammer. Also, he will need to source his gas bottles which are very expensive. Perhaps theres a gift card from his supplies company that he would appreciate.

 

[5mall5nail5]

You don't need to supply a bottle - you rent one. Its not very expensive. I think my 300+ CU costs me $42 a year.

Also, with MIG, you don't need a hammer - you're not knocking flux slag off like a stick weld would.

 

[Murphy4570]

Wire brush, welpers, etc. Welding gloves. Extra spools of welding wire would be good too. Basic steel .035" wire would be fine. Name brand stuff only though, HF welding wire is real crappy.

 

[Jim Johnstone]

I'm surprised no one suggested a 4.5" angle grinder and a stack of grinding discs.

 

[dr_clyde]

I highly recommend an assortment of clamps. My favorites are the L clamp style by StrongHand tools.

A grinder is a welder's best friend. It will cut stock, grind bad welds, wire brush, sand, polish, ect. My personal favorite is the 6" Metabo with the auto-balance. The 6" size has a 12.5 amp motor, but isn't much bigger than a 4.5 or 5 inch grinder. Plus you can always run smaller discs on a bigger grinder. I use mine daily and am considering purchasing a second so I don't have to change discs as often.

 

[lilredex]

You don't need to supply a bottle - you rent one. Its not very expensive. I think my 300+ CU costs me $42 a year.

Think long term, how many could you buy after ten years of that?

Bought my O/A tanks thirty years back and have had my MIG tank for ten+.

Leasing is a waste, in my book.

 

[dr_clyde]

Think long term, how many could you buy after ten years of that?

Bought my O/A tanks thirty years back and have had my MIG tank for ten+.

Leasing is a waste, in my book.

Agreed. My welding supply won't lease. They say it's a rip-off. My T size cylinders of argon are $318.00 OTD with the first fillup free. $35 to refill. (for those who don't know, sizing nomenclature changes between suppliers. At my welding supply, T is the second largest ones you can get for argon. Full, they are very, very heavy.)

 

[ddawg16]

Besides the above clamps....I get a lot of use out of the magnetic square....the one that holds a piece at a perfect 90 deg angle....better than a second pair of hands......

 

[Murphy4570]

Agreed. My welding supply won't lease. They say it's a rip-off. My T size cylinders of argon are $318.00 OTD with the first fillup free. $35 to refill. (for those who don't know, sizing nomenclature changes between suppliers. At my welding supply, T is the second largest ones you can get for argon. Full, they are very, very heavy.)

I agree with your agreement.

My gas supply house just charges me for refills. They don't charge me any bottle rate, unless I jump up to a bigger bottle. I filled a very large bottle of oxygen last week, cost $25.

 

[luvit]

an additional angle grinder would be nice, which would allow a brush cup on one so he doesn't have to remove his cut-off wheel to add the brush cup..
.

 

[5mall5nail5]

Think long term, how many could you buy after ten years of that?

Bought my O/A tanks thirty years back and have had my MIG tank for ten+.

Leasing is a waste, in my book.

Not many, because I'd need to pay to have the bottle certified over and over on my dime. $42 a year and about $5-60 to refill plus they inspect, certify, swap out the valves, etc. You're talking T size? That's tiny! I am talking about this:


Big bottle by Jon Kensy, on Flickr

I don't know where you're buying a 330 CF (L) size cylinder for $300 ... but I think you're confusing whats we're talking about. I think a 330 is like 500 - 600+ to buy, I'd have rented/leased it for almost 15 years before having to buy it

 

[5mall5nail5]

I agree with your agreement.

My gas supply house just charges me for refills. They don't charge me any bottle rate, unless I jump up to a bigger bottle. I filled a very large bottle of oxygen last week, cost $25.

That's because you have small bottles. They require ID and account for large bottles and HAVE to charge you for large. I have a couple small bottles that I "own" but go through them like nothing.

 

[ndoran]

Agreed. My welding supply won't lease. They say it's a rip-off. My T size cylinders of argon are $318.00 OTD with the first fillup free. $35 to refill. (for those who don't know, sizing nomenclature changes between suppliers. At my welding supply, T is the second largest ones you can get for argon. Full, they are very, very heavy.)

At home I use a 55 cubic foot tank filled with C25 which I bought at Praxair, total cost including gas and 13% tax was $185. I also never need to worry about the tank date expiring which can be an issue at home depending on how often you use it. The tank size is good for home as it is easy to transport, I can lift it easily and keeping it in my garage does not cause any insurance or other issues (transportation of compressed gases residential garage etc).

 

[GeneralDisorder]

Not many, because I'd need to pay to have the bottle certified over and over on my dime. $42 a year and about $5-60 to refill plus they inspect, certify, swap out the valves, etc.

That never actually happens because rather than fill your empty bottle they just swap it out with an already filled one. So certification, bad valves, etc never happens in the real world. They build the cost of these services into the price of the bottles and the price of the gas.

Bottles are expensive though - I agree with that. Still I would rather own and not have to deal with paying a lease, etc. Just personal preference - I don't use credit either personally or in my business and I buy what I need rather than renting or leasing. The banks in this country are far too rich already and don't need any of my money in the form of interest. There's a reason that it used to be called "Usury" and was denounced by many philosophers and religions right along with ****** and murder.

GD

 

[Zeke]

You don't need to supply a bottle - you rent one. Its not very expensive. I think my 300+ CU costs me $42 a year.

Also, with MIG, you don't need a hammer - you're not knocking flux slag off like a stick weld would.

All welders need a hammer, maybe not a slag chipper/raker. Any good non HF tool is good, It will be hard to avoid duplicates, so make sure the return process is easy.

In school, these were the bests Vise Grips to have:

 

[5mall5nail5]

That never actually happens because rather than fill your empty bottle they just swap it out with an already filled one. So certification, bad valves, etc never happens in the real world. They build the cost of these services into the price of the bottles and the price of the gas.

Bottles are expensive though - I agree with that. Still I would rather own and not have to deal with paying a lease, etc. Just personal preference - I don't use credit either personally or in my business and I buy what I need rather than renting or leasing. The banks in this country are far too rich already and don't need any of my money in the form of interest. There's a reason that it used to be called "Usury" and was denounced by many philosophers and religions right along with ****** and murder.

GD

My buddy owns a 140+ bottle and they don't swap it, he drops it off and picks it up as they send it out for fill. I use AirGas - they don't pull your chain but they can't swap out bottles for rent/lease customers (read: businesses) and end up with a private owned expired/empty bottle in stock. I can see their reasoning for it.

You can own your bottle, I'll lease mine. The best part is if I move or give up welding I just turn the bottle in and they pro-rate my lease fee. I don't have to move the damned thing with me or bother trying to sell if expired, etc.

All welders need a hammer, maybe not a slag chipper/raker. Any good non HF tool is good, It will be hard to avoid duplicates, so make sure the return process is easy.

In school, these were the bests Vise Grips to have:

Well, any mechanical worker needs a hammer. I think the guy above was talking about a slag chipper, which isn't really applicable to MIG welding. I have one and never use it because I MIG and TIG.

 

[ZRX61]

This is one of my favorite and most used welding clamps -

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200342938_200342938

A less expensive 4.5" version that I also use a lot -

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200491414_200491414

Identical to the ones from Horrible Freight which have the advantage of being half the price.



I remember a friend telling a group of us many years ago that he had bought a welder, we all chipped in for a 5gallon bucket of water figuring it would be the most useful thing in his garage.

 

[Buckgnarly]

OP, was this a coincidence, or is Northern tapping into your brain?

http://www.northerntool.com/

 

[Brad54]

For a gift, it's REALLY hard to go wrong with some good swivel-pad Vice Grips... get an assortment. They're expensive, because they're worth it.

If you'd like to make him something too, as a personal gift he might appreciate, go get a couple lengths of 1-inch or so copper tubing, about 8-inches to a foot long.
Smash two- to four-inches of one end flat, then give it a 30-degree bend from the handle, like a spatula, and give the other a nice gentle curve. If you'd like to make a third, flatten the end as with the others, and gring/cut the end into a point.

Drill a few holes in the handle, like semi-trucks have on their exhaust stack covers.

He'll use these for backing holes in sheetmetal that he needs to weld. The holes in the handle dissipate the heat so he can hold it for a long time while welding. Without the holes, the copper becomes a heat sink and it'll get to hot to hold even with gloves.

You'll be SHOCKED at how much he uses those welding backers, and he'll think about how smart you are every time he uses it!

-Brad

 

[justanengineer]

That never actually happens because rather than fill your empty bottle they just swap it out with an already filled one. So certification, bad valves, etc never happens in the real world. They build the cost of these services into the price of the bottles and the price of the gas.

My supplier does the same. We "buy" bottles from them once, then you swap them out regularly and there is no lease fee, just the cost of a refill. There are no outside bottles being introduced to their system, no loss on their end if I lose/destroy a bottle, no bs fees/lease/rent to pay if I keep it a week or five years, and they will return my money when I change suppliers or decrease the number of bottles I have. Similarly, I once paid the local beer depot's keg deposit (I "bought" a keg), and then just swapped kegs/paid for a refill every time I ran low, but didnt need to pay another deposit nor did they need to refund said deposit until I got rid of the kegerator.....Some people I swear work hard to justify being ripped...

As to the OP's question - definitely a 4.5" angle grinder. Milwaukee IMO is the best, or at least something with a BIG paddle that can be easily controlled on/off using heavy stick gloves and is dead when dropped. Just say no to "always on" angle grinders.

 

[5mall5nail5]

My supplier does the same. We "buy" bottles from them once, then you swap them out regularly and there is no lease fee, just the cost of a refill. There are no outside bottles being introduced to their system, no loss on their end if I lose/destroy a bottle, no bs fees/lease/rent to pay if I keep it a week or five years, and they will return my money when I change suppliers or decrease the number of bottles I have.

This is true at my AirGas as well... however, go try and get them to do it with a 330 cubic bottle.

 

[Murphy4570]

That's because you have small bottles. They require ID and account for large bottles and HAVE to charge you for large. I have a couple small bottles that I "own" but go through them like nothing.

My Argon and Argon/CO2 mix bottles are the same size as your small bottle of oxygen pictured. The large bottle I spoke of is the same size as your large. Maybe having a shop account changes the picture as far as renting/buying bottles goes, as I use that.

 

[ZRX61]

If you'd like to make him something too, as a personal gift he might appreciate, go get a couple lengths of 1-inch or so copper tubing, about 8-inches to a foot long.
Smash two- to four-inches of one end flat, then give it a 30-degree bend from the handle, like a spatula, and give the other a nice gentle curve. If you'd like to make a third, flatten the end as with the others, and gring/cut the end into a point.

Drill a few holes in the handle, like semi-trucks have on their exhaust stack covers.

I use magnets to hold mine in place, got a whole bunch of them thanks to a plumber leaving a 6-7ft length of 1in copper pipe at my house after he did some work. Various radius by running them through a slip roller

 

[5mall5nail5]

My Argon and Argon/CO2 mix bottles are the same size as your small bottle of oxygen pictured. The large bottle I spoke of is the same size as your large. Maybe having a shop account changes the picture as far as renting/buying bottles goes, as I use that.

Yup, it does. The fact that you have an account means they know where to charge when you don't bring the bottle back. Since I don't have a business account with a line of credit or any billing terms, they want to have some activity on the account so it shows up. $42 or $48 is their fee. AirGas will not sell/rent you a 330 cubic bottle without an account and you cannot open an account as an individual - it took much persuasion on my part. The small 140 bottles are cake, those are the circumstances you describe where you buy it once and you're done - I have the same with all my 140s. Its the 330 that was challenging. Start back purging stainless and a 330 goes FAST.

 

[djb2]

If it's a present, get something that will last and he'll remember fondly. Perhaps with an extra touch that's a little beyond practical.

That suggests a leather apron with some decoration, or a few tools with his name engraved.

 

[03protege]

Didn't read the above but..

Good pair of welding gloves (can be had for about $15 and WAY better than any HF pair)

Magnetic right angles, seriously awesome. When I discovered these my world had been rocked. http://www.harborfreight.com/weldin...ter-inch-multipurpose-magnet-holder-1939.html

A nice welding brush is necessary for mig welding imo. I picked a nice one from Home Depot for cheap. By nice I mean loaded with bristles, the cheaper ones that look like an early hair transplant experiment **** eggs.

Clamps and locking pliers of various sizes I have found to be invaluable.


A good one I bet no one has suggested..... Get him some metal!

 

[Ozzie Oswald]

I agree with multiple 4 1/2" grinders. I keep 4 of them at my welding spots, one for a grinding wheel. one for a cutting wheel, one for a cup brush and one for a stringer bead brush. The cords get tangled at times but they sure do come in handy.