beginner welder

[Matt]

yeah if you will finish this civic for me

[Mach1]

will you teach me to tig?

I'm no Matt but I am happy to show you if you want to make the trip out here.

On the mig question, buy a good welder, I got a craftsman one and I could never figure out why I couldn't weld worth a shit with it, well the motor couldn't feed the wire at a consistent speed so it was a nightmare. I have a Miller but prefer the arc on a Lincoln. I welded this with my Miller 180.

[lowthreeohz]

170 might be a 110v welder, my old roommate built his trophy truck business with a 140 Hobart and skills.

[jw33]

I would buy a used Miller before I bought a new Chinese piece of shit to learn with in the garage. I would also buy a MIG with gas to make things simple and it probably has the most uses around a garage. And buy a book on welding just to sort learn how all the different processes work and what you are doing with your machine.

[dcs13]

Go BLUE. Love my Millers. I added a Millermatic 140 last year, and its awesome for sheetmetal stuff and lighter gauges. I've never had a lick of trouble out of any of my Millers. Consumables can be sourced locally. I actually bought the 210 from a member here, was new. Watch craigslist for good deals or order online from cyber weld.

[jtm98snake]

Miller 211 all the way. Runs on 110v and 220v get a bottle of shielding gas and you're up and running.

[4EyedTurd]

Miller 211 all the way. Runs on 110v and 220v get a bottle of shielding gas and you're up and running.

What this guy said. While heavy as hell its still portable for when you let your buddy borrow it. I bought an old Italian brand mig from a board member and it got me by but you couldn't find consumables.

[bubbaearl]

be forewarned . mig welds can look real pretty and not hold shit. round up scrap and weld together then try to break it. it's easy to run a bead with wire but getting penetration is still all important .i have 2 hobart wire feeds and a miller tig. excellent machines.
do not run on wall sockets! dedicate a feed for it.

[Baron Von Crowder]

be forewarned . mig welds can look real pretty and not hold shit. round up scrap and weld together then try to break it. it's easy to run a bead with wire but getting penetration is still all important .i have 2 hobart wire feeds and a miller tig. excellent machines.
do not run on wall sockets! dedicate a feed for it.

yup. I took 4 years of welding classes in high school (before they killed off the programs) and we were tested by welding together plates, then putting the press and seeing if the weld broke or the metal around it.

[bird_dog0347]

CWO I see you're in Frisco... I'm not too far (down eldorado at 423) and you can come check out my miller and see if you like it and want to buy one.

[bubbaearl]

shop class in high school ? you must be a old bastard ....... god forbid they should actually teach kids something worth a damn.

we were proficient at first aid and blister popping .

[Baron Von Crowder]

shop class in high school ? you must be a old bastard ....... god forbid they should actually teach kids something worth a damn.

we were proficient at first aid and blister popping .

I just turned 34, Duncanville had a great vocational/technical department back then. I took everything except building trades. Ag, paint and body, auto mechanics, and welding. My senior year was English, government/economics, and then shop classes. They are the only reason I didnt either take the accelerated program to graduate early or just drop out. Apparently the instructors and admin knew that, even though I kept it to myself. I found that out when I was hired by the principal a few years back to replace the paint and body instructor. That was in March, and in May they killed the program.

[CWO]

CWO I see you're in Frisco... I'm not too far (down eldorado at 423) and you can come check out my miller and see if you like it and want to buy one.

I may take you up on that once I get closer. I amq uite a ways away from wasting anyones time in person yet. Hell, nothing will happen at the rate I seem to get things done. Haha. I appreciate it.

shop class in high school ? you must be a old bastard ....... god forbid they should actually teach kids something worth a damn.

we were proficient at first aid and blister popping .

I had (4) years of Auto Shop as well, Class of '90. Hardly counts now. This was my only experience welding, and then it was oxygen/acetylene.

be forewarned . mig welds can look real pretty and not hold shit. round up scrap and weld together then try to break it. it's easy to run a bead with wire but getting penetration is still all important .i have 2 hobart wire feeds and a miller tig. excellent machines.
do not run on wall sockets! dedicate a feed for it.

Great advice, thank you.

[bird_dog0347]

I may take you up on that once I get closer. I amquite a ways away from wasting anyons time in person yet. Hell, nothing will happen at the rate I seem to get things done. Haha. I appreciate it.



I had (4) years of Auto Shop as well, Class of '90. Hardly counts now. This was my only experience welding, and then it was oxygen/acetylene.



Great advice, thank you.

Anytime man, just let me know! I do plan to build another firewood rack for my buddy here fairly soon and I'll let ya know when I start on that.

[bubbaearl]

i leaned to gas weld in shop . we also learned woodworking and how to fix stuff. imo gas welding teaches you how to mate the metal. from there it is all the same.