welding help please

[dealm9]

i have never welded before, but i have been reading up on it lately and am thinking of perhaps asking for a welder for christmas, and then take some welding classes maybe. do any of you have any suggestions for welders. i would be using it for building and modding smokers. I have a uds right now but in the future i plan on building an offset smoker. i have been reading up that mig welding is easy to do and is ideal for beginners. would that be good for my purposes? are there any down sides to mig welding? if i am going to put in a lot of money to a nice offset to build, i do not want to use a weaker weld just because it is easier. any help would be much appreciated.

[Hoosier1960]

Both Miller and Lincoln make nice units. My fav is the Millermatic 211. Here is the link to it. http://www.millerwelds.com/products/...p?model=M00245
You can get these around 1050-1100.

[colonel00]

I am no pro by any means but I have dabbled and built a few projects (see the carts in my signature). I started, and still have, a little MIG/Flux core welder. It does alright and can penetrate up to 3/16". This is fine for minor projects like UDS's and my carts. I would highly suggest checking out craigslist and finding a used one cheap so that you can get learn without a huge investment. Once you get a better feel for what you are doing and if you take some classes then you will be better prepared to know what you will need next. If you are truly wanting to build an offset out of some thick gauge pipe then you will definitely need more power. I would think you would want to get a stick welder for that type of project. There are plenty of people on this forum build smokers so they can better answer that question.

[kihrer]

Originally Posted by dealm9

i have never welded before, but i have been reading up on it lately and am thinking of perhaps asking for a welder for christmas, and then take some welding classes maybe. do any of you have any suggestions for welders. i would be using it for building and modding smokers. I have a uds right now but in the future i plan on building an offset smoker. i have been reading up that mig welding is easy to do and is ideal for beginners. would that be good for my purposes? are there any down sides to mig welding? if i am going to put in a lot of money to a nice offset to build, i do not want to use a weaker weld just because it is easier. any help would be much appreciated.

I'm no expert either but with a Mig welder you want to stick to clean steel. Painted or rusty steel are difficult for even good welders with a Mig.

[OutlawSwine]

For a general light - medium duty shop welder, you cannot beat a Hobart 140. It all depends on the thickness of steel that you will most often be working with. This welder works great up to 5/16 thick, plus it is 115v so you don't have to deal with 220 if you don't already have a circuit. You can use it flux core or mig. You can pick them up brand new for under $500.
This is my "go to" welder for around the house duties. I have built several cookers with this (2" square tube frames). Unless you are wanting to do some heavy duty stuff, I would strongly suggest this unit. You can always trade up, if need be, after you get more experience.
I have had smaller Lincoln and Miller welders in the past, but they do not perform as well as this Hobart. If you want to go with a larger unit then you may want to look at Lincoln or Miller.
PM me if you have any questions.

[bluetang]

I have an old buzz box and never got the hang of a stick. Not the machines fault. Bought a MIG a while back and love it. Not pretty, but I can weld. Seems that ya got to go slow, hit a small bead every 3 inches or so to keep the heat down....or warp-age. Not a welder by any stretch, but the MIG was worth every penny to me. It's a small Lincoln, 180.

[Skidder]

I'm in the same situation as you. I've never welded in my life (55years old) but have always wanted to. So I found a great deal ($500.00) on a Hobart 187 so I grabbed it. Anyways I went to the Miller and Hobart web sites and studied all I could. They have great mig welding videos to watch. Well I finally fired it up last week and actually welded two pieces of 1/4" mild steel together and it held. Best thing that I would do is talk to a real pro welder. He'll give you tons of great advice and might even teach you a thing or two. Another thing I would think about as I did was to buy a 220 volt welder versus a 110 volt. I took advice from many telling me you can always turn the welder down but you can't turn it up if it's not there to turn up. Glad I did too.

[mbshop]

i seem to be the odd ball in all this. but if you are going to do just small projects then get a gas setup. learn how to weld with that then if you have a need then get a mig. you can do a lot more with a gas unit rather than a mig. cut, weld, heat up stuff, etc . i had an auto shop and had both. the gas unit was used waaaay more than the mig.

[Jroussel]

Hi everyone, I new to this forum and I'm in the same situation also, I e been looking at the Hobart handler 140 and even call Hobart and talked to one of the techs and he said the 140 is a great machine. I eventually wantto build a nice size offset smoker also and was thinking about getting it after x-mas, tractor supply has them for $469 right now.

[jeffjenkins1]

Dude, you are in the backyard of one of the greatest welding manufacturers and welding schools, Lincoln Electric is on St.Claire, by 228th st. That is were I got my certification in TIG welding.

They sell the welders and have a welding school there.

Heck, I can come up one day and show you the basics. I have trained enough welders in my days as a fitter and machine builder.

As far as weak welds go, no process is stronger than another as long as you use the proper process for the job. You can get just as strong of a weld with GMAW as you can with SMAW or FCAW. Start off with properly prepared steel and you are a step ahead.

As far as gas welding goes, it is slow and the metal around the weld will be weaker than the weld itself. I don't know of anyone that uses gas welding for production. Too many variables to get a consistant weld. That being said, I can show you that too.

Just my 2¢.

Jeff

[Skidder]

Call as many TSC you can to see if they have a 187 laying around. I got mine for $500.00 out the door. I had to call six stores but finally found one. Super deal too considering they usually want $679.00. A 140 will sell on sale for $469.00 plus tax and put you over $500.00 it's a no brainer.

[Skidder]

Wow I would take advantage of that offer in the beat of a heart. That's a super nice gesture to say the least.

[Flavor Gangster]

Linclon and Miller are the way to go. I am by no means a tradesmen in this area, but I have built all of my cookers. I enjoy it a lot. I think a greeat starting point would be the 180 series from Lincoln or Miller. It gives you that extra umph. I currently have a 135 Miller and 180 Linclon. The 220 V is the way to go. Its that 1 notch above all the 140's that are 110V.
They are all under 1000 new.
I would stay away from hobart, the parts not available as much. If you need tips for a lincoln you can shoot over to home depot. Trust me it comes in handy.

Have fun. It is a lot of work.

[Skidder]

Beg to differ. Hobart is made by Miller even the gun says Miller on it. (edit) yup just went out to the garage my Hobart 187 gun says Miller.

[martyleach]

I've got a little Lincoln but wish I had a more powerful version that would let me use gas while welding. Occasionally, I have a need to weld stainless. Without gas around the weld, no way.

I would stay away from stick welders just cause it is probably more than you really need. Even with my little Lincoln I am able to get by, albeit slowly...