Buying my first welder

Rockroaster

Active Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2011
Location
Charlotte
Just as the title says, I am looking to purchase my first welder. I am inexperienced, although I have welded a few times over the years, mainly just trying to learn. I want to buy one so I can learn, and eventually do my own work. However, after doing some research, I am not sure if I want MIG, or do I try Flux? Personally, I wouldnt mind the extra splatter I would have to clean, if it means I wouldnt have to have the big tank, and higher voltage, and more expensive MIG welder. I dont have much room in my garage, so a small package would be nice. I would only probably ever use it a few times a year, if that. Doing repairs to my rig, anything from exhaust work, to putting suspension brackets back on, and maybe even welding the cage in myself when I finally get to that point, and know how to weld properly.

I have read some good info via this page: MIG vs Flux-Cored Process | Lincoln Electric

So I see here that you can use a FLUX 115 volts, and still weld up to 1/4"? Versus a MIG, to be able to weld that thick I would need a 230 Volt. Anyone have any experience with this? Would be nice to buy a lower voltage welder, and still be able to do thicker stuff.

Any reason i would want to go with a MIG over Flux, or 115 vs. 230? If I can weld with a 115 FLUX up to 1/4", wouldnt that really be all I need to have? Instead of buying a 230 MIG to be able to weld the same thickness.

If I am speaking wrong on this, please correct me. Still trying to take it all in and understand it. But dont want to buy something that will only work for minor projects, and not repairs down the road.
 
Loganwayne said:
You can get a mig machine that can do flux and mig
Click to expand...

Yeah thats actually what I was looking at. Guess what Im really trying to get it, as can I do what I am looking to do, with a Flux 115? I would have the option to go the other way if I decide to later on then with that type of machine.
 
MIG Welder | MIG Welders | MIG Welding – Eastwood MIG 135 Welder

I have a shop full of Miller welders, and we still end up fighting over this one sometimes. I've welded 1/4" steel with .023 solid wire, and whereas it worked, I wouldn't recommend it for the novice. With flux it should have no problem. And on anything 3/16 or less, it's beautiful. Infinitely variable voltage control, yet very easy to get in the ballpark for a nice weld. It comes with everything you need to weld solid wire except for the gas and a decent helmet. If you want to weld with flux, just pick up a spool of .030 flux wire, install the proper tip, and get to it. All in all, it's a difficult deal to beat for the novice looking for a welder that will grow with them.
 
Something like the miller 211i would be nice, and would allow you to "grow into it". It can run off of 115v, or 220v should you choose to upgrade to 220 to get the full 200 amps.
The auto set features for wire feed are pretty good for learning, and you can adjust it manually when you get a little better and want to fine tune it.
It will also run flux cored if you didn't want to get a gas bottle right away.


MIG Welders (GMAW) - MillerWelds
 
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My price range is under $400, so unfortunately I cant spend anywhere close to $1k. Hence why i was looking at flux and 115, vs MIG, and 230.

Catfishblues, that looks like a great buy! I was looking at one at Lowes (although it was their crap brand, Bluehawk, and one at Harbor freight (again crap brand), with similar features to the link you sent. However if you use this one, and really like it, it seems like a better options vs wasting money on one of the others I just mentioned.

So sounds like something like this would be fine if I were wanting to use it to weld suspension components back on, or even a cage down the road, especially if using it as flux?
 
I've got a $100 flux core 115v welder that harbor freight sells... It works, I've welded 1/4" plate as well as exhaust pipe with it and it lays a decent bead(when the operator is anyway). It's about three or four years old now and I've probably ran 20-40 2 lb spools through it. I wouldn't recommend it for production use, since it's Chinese consumer grade. Oh and it's ac output. I've used the 220 unit they sell and it performs much better, but needs 220.
 
Those are all some good options that fit my range.

So guess what I'm really trying to find out now, is with a 115 volt flux, could I weld a cage? I know I see it says up to 1/4", but anyone have any really world testing doing that? How about with even a 115 MIG? My guess is from what I've seen that wouldn't be strong enough, and would need a 230. Like I said, it would only be used a few times a year, and would be used on work from exhaust up to suspension components, and possibly my cage. Just want to know now if I went with a 115 flux, could it do the job.
 
I've welded .120 wall DOM with the Eastwood running .023 wire. It's got the ass to back it up. It actually worked quite well, minimal spatter, and the penetration was great, even in off-angle joints where you have to hang the wire out. And if you do a cage, you will have some funky joints. I recommend much practice before you start welding things your life might depend on, such as suspension or cages. Seriously, don't jump into suspension and cage work without getting about 40lbs of wire through your welder first. Practice, man. Practice.
 
Oh yeah, I wouldn't be doing suspension or cage welding till there has been plenty of wire run through it, and even at that point not sure I would do it myself. But would be nice to know I could with the tools I have if needed. Or even have someone more experienced help me, using my tools.
 
You would get more bang for your buck spending that $400 on a mig welding class at your local community college. Most colleges offer day, night, and weekend welding classes of all different price amounts.

You will learn more having someone there to give you constructive criticism and guide you to making better welds.

This also gives you a time and place, as well as materials to focus on improvement.

It's difficult to force yourself to practice as much at home, and to make as big of improvements without an experienced eye watching and helping.

This also connects you with some contacts in the industry and just tell them that you want to purchase a machine soon.

With any luck, you can probably find a deal on a nice, but used machine from someone in the industry.

Other than that, I would buy an esab caddy mig 200. It can weld any material, with any wire. Solid wire or Flux core, aluminum, stainless, and silicon bronze.

It reads arc voltage and adjust output voltage to keep current consistent regardless of gun angle or wire stick out. This makes it exceptional for tube work with tight nodes and acute angles.
 
If you dont mind driving a bit, get out of Charlotte or Mecklinburg Co. and check community colleges in surrounding counties.
Forsyth Tech in Winston Salem has been offering sponsor paid ( free for you if you're unemployed ) welding classes for a long time.
Just be sure wherever you check, you look for beginner classes, the advanced free classes are sponsored by one or two companies
and are weld type specific.

Oh , and as far as welders go, I bought a used 220 arc welder for a hundred bucks that will weld as good as anything in the hands of a competent stick guy.

Everyone acts if wire feed is the be all end all of welding, when it's just another process.
Yes a much cleaner process, but still .....


Matt
 
My first was a Hobart handler 187. 220 powered and the only thing I ran through it was .035 flux core. Did the job well on the 5 or 6 rigs I built with it. It was more than your budget ($550) but I'm glad I made the jump to a larger welder instead of going 110.
I second the money going towards a welding class. Best decision I ever made was get pissed off with tech and go to Arclabs welding school. That introduced me to a whole new world of welding and played a crucial role in my choice of next welder.
 
Yeah I will probably end up taking some classes as well. I have some experience, but not much. Also have several friends that weld fairly well, and some family members that do it for a living, so that will help as well.

catfishblues said:
I've welded .120 wall DOM with the Eastwood running .023 wire. It's got the ass to back it up. It actually worked quite well, minimal spatter, and the penetration was great, even in off-angle joints where you have to hang the wire out. And if you do a cage, you will have some funky joints. I recommend much practice before you start welding things your life might depend on, such as suspension or cages. Seriously, don't jump into suspension and cage work without getting about 40lbs of wire through your welder first. Practice, man. Practice.
Click to expand...

Thats good to know. This may be the route I go since it fits in my budget, and you've had real life experience with it on tube. Thanks everyone for all the input!
 
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