Mig Welder suggestion

[brian.pierson]

Okay all,

First off, I do not have experience with welders so I am looking for suggestions for a good one. I am looking to buy one that I can use and not outgrow but I am not looking to make this a business either. I am building a shop at my bother's house. He has welding experience but not a pro either. We are planning a 220 run into the shop. I am looking to be able to put together tooling for my LG and such. What would you suggest that I should be looking at. I will start looking for a used one and go from there.

Thanks for the pointers in advance.


Brian Pierson

[Glenn]

Stick is the old standby, and the crackerbox (less than $300) has built more stuff that will ever be listed.

Lincoln Welders
Miller Welders
Hobart welders

Mig is generally for thin-tin unless you get a mig welder the size of a VW Bus (ok almost that size).

[clinton]

The Millers are nice, they have a wide "sweet spot" meaning that your amperage and voltage settings do not have to be just right to get a nice smooth weld. Lincolns are good, the older ones are better I have an SP 200, that was like brand new when I got it for $750 good welder but your settings have to be just right or it does not run smooth (I think that is why the guy I bought it from never used it)
Watch craigslist or maybe try weldingweb or AWS forums for a used machine in the 200 - 250 amp range, millers do come up but not often out here
I kind of like the older machines before all the digital read outs, I think there is less to go wrong, all the electronic stuff can go haywire and you have to take it to the shop for repair. The older units are just a transformer with a couple of rheostats, less to go wrong and easier to fix

[Mainely,Bob]

For someone with limited to no experience with welding machines I usually suggest going to the local welding supply and asking about rebuilds or trade ins.That way you get some kind of a warranty and can also bring it back if you find you need to upgrade right away because it really doesn`t fit your real world needs.

The other thing taking this approach does is to build a relationship with the folks you will be getting all your tech support and consumables from. Try getting good advice (backed by experience) and tech support from a "big box store" or an Ebay seller.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

My suggestion is to sign up for a welding course at your local community college, or adult school. This will give you an opportunity to try different types of welding, so you can make a better decision for your applications. Personally I love my TIG welder, I have 2, and I also have 4 MIGs. A TIG doubles as a stick welder which is a plus.

Stick welding is great for heavier items,is relatively simple to use-after you get the motions down, simple equipment, and relatively low cost to operate. Can produce a lot more splatter than other types of welding necessitating a fire free zone. Rods need to be kept dry. Welds can easily be done outside. Easy to switch alloys - just change the rod. I would also go with an AC/DC machine instead of a buzz box, just more versatile. Stick is the one method that I had the hardest time to learn, but once I had good instruction at the college it all fell into place for me. Now it feels pretty easy.

MIG has speed, easy to learn how to operate, easy to tack with, no slag to chip (with bare wire, core wire has slag), and can do heavier materials with a big enough unit. My Miller MP65-E is 650 amps and weighs 1,000#, my Lincoln Sp-100 is 100 amps and weighs about 70#. I wouldn't build a beefy trailer with the SP-100, but I would with the MP65-E. The welders are more complex, and have consumables that add cost to the weld; gas,tips,liners. Welding outside with a cover gas needs to be done on a calm day, any wind will cause you fits unless you use core wire. A bit more work to switch from steel to aluminum to stainless, as wire needs to be pulled, rethreaded, and gas needs to be changed from CO2 to Argon.

TIG has high precision, slower, total control of the heat, totally clean welds, takes some time to learn how to make really pretty welds-but fairly easy to weld with, great for thin stock, and welding stainless, aluminum, magnesium, and other non steel alloys. TIGs are also stick welders, so it is like getting 2 for 1. My Linde TIG is 350 amp, my small Miller Dialarc is 250. Both have radiators, and run water cooled torches. Consumables are tungsten electrodes,gas, and torch cups. Welds need to be done in a non breezy area, same as MIG. Easy to switch from SS to alum. to steel t whatever.

Each welder has its benefits, and its disadvantages. It all depends on what you want to do. For light materials a MIG is beneficial

Just having 220 in the shop doesn't mean that you can weld, you need enough amps for the size unit that you get. I would say at a minimum 100A service, and up the wire size 1 to 2 sizes for a welder outlet, helps to keep them cool. My 350 amp TIG will draw 99 amps on maximum draw.

I see a lot of good welders on my local Craigslist at very reasonable prices. For a home shop I would suggest a 200-250 amp MIG. And look at the duty cycle, that is how much you can weld in a 10 minute span. 20%=2 minutes, 50%=5 minutes, on up to 100% which is no stopping required. I love my little SP-100 though, and it gets a ton of use since it is so portable, and plugs in everywhere being 110v. I mainly run core wire at the moment due to the fact that I am welding outside a lot. I have welded up to 3/8" with it using weld preps, and multiple passes. Core wire will give you deeper penetration than bare wire will, but at the cost of slag. Now if I have a structural application I would use one of my other welders.

[Timothy Miller]

If you are only going to have one welder and it is going to only be used in a shop I would second the idea of a MIG in the 200 to 250 amp range. Second choice would be a Oxy/Ace rig often over looked old school way but very versatile you can braze, weld, heat, and cut your going to want one of those anyway regardless. You can use old coat hangers as filler rods and its very handy to temper tools with . Third choice would be a arc welder cheep rugged and makes strong welds get an ac/dc welder generators are very useful. Tig is also very good but you will need a lot practice to get good and they are the most expensive units generally.

[wolfstudio]

If your novis use a wire feed. I weld up to 1/4" steel with my little lincoln mig pac 100. grind bevels, tack, check for straightness then run a root and run "C" or cresent moon pattern (this will give you the row of dimes) over the root at least the thickness of the metal welded. This is what I do unless I am welding thicker stuff I use my lincoln ac/dc stick welder.
You will use .035 flux cored wire and .035 tips for the larger stuff 5/16" or 1/4" set the heat to the "D" range and wire speed to 2.5/3.0 also DO NOT USE AN EXTENSION CORD! (if possible) remember there will be a voltage drop so, your setting will no longer be the "D" it may drop to a "C"ish or a "B" ish depending on how long you Xcord is and what guage.
Take your time, be safe, ventilated and NEVER weld galvanized or plated metal. You can get metal fever (poison)!!! Its not just a cough you have for a couple days.............ITS BAD ****!!!....and it happened to me.

Have fun and good luck......The Wolf

[arftist]

If you want to buy one machine you will never outgrow, go with a 250 amp mig. ESAB is simply the best, there is no comparison, period, hands down, but you get what you pay for. Lincoln, miller or hobart would be O.K. too. Stay away from most of the other brands.

[Spears]

I own a Millermatic 250 mig that I bought 12 yrs ago just before they came out with a digital readout on the front. The same machine is still available today and for good reasons. Yes I am biased but considering how easy this machine makes welding steel 1/6” thick all the way to 1/2”, I couldn’t stake a claim that anything was any better. I’m sure any brand name will do the trick, but used up trash and off brands wouldn’t even be on my list. If you buy something reputable and take care of it, I’m sure you can’t go wrong.

Considering the availability of parts, I’m glad I went with Miller. It does no good to own something hard to get parts for. Mail order shipping costs and gasoline are through the roof right now so buying something sold right down the street could be a great advantage and definitely should be taken into account. Good luck! Spears.

[brian.pierson]

Thanks for the responses one and all.


I will do more research into makes and models and let you all know where I go.


In response to some of the comments but in no general order:

This started from a discussion with my brother when I brought over a O/A torch kit that I had picked up in a big box store on sale. I know he had used O/A in the past and thought it was a good place to start. When I said I wanted to learn, then the discussion went to electric rigs. I have wanted to go to a CC to take classes but my traveling schedule for work has been killing that idea so was hoping he would teach me. He said that it would be easier to learn with a wire feed setup but didn't know the best way to go. I brought it here to ask and answer you have. Now I need to research what the shop will need to power it safely. Thanks for the suggestions on the used market and checking a local welding supply company. I will have to find one local to my brother as he is about 3 hours away currently but hoping to take care of that this summer by moving there.


Thanks again for the advice and I am as always humbled by the breath and willingness to help out that I find here.

Brian Pierson