What Kind Of Welder For Newbie?

whoa i learned how to weld in 9th grade shop class and been doin it ever since and rob you just schooled me. personally i prefer a stick over a mig anytime. im using a Sears & Roebuck AC welder from 83 and theres nothing i cant make it do, but id deff upgrade if i actually had a garage
 
Thanks alot rockcity. Learning a crapload here.
 
This is a good thread. I just want to reiterate one of my points (#4). The most expensive way to get a good tool is to buy a cheap one, then replace it with something slightly better, than replace that with the one you should have bought in the first place.

If you buy a stick welder and get good with it I suspect you'll eventually add a mig welder and use the mig 90% of the time. However, the stick will still have value for thick stuff or hard to reach places. That's why I keep mine. It's cool that stick takes more talent but it's also cool that a guy with my limited skills can focus more on cutting pieces to the right size and angle instead of the welding.

Welding with a mig is only slightly more difficult than using a hot glue gun. :)

Edit: Not that I'm a great welder. It's just that I still appreciate how "point and shoot" the mig is.
 
when inquiring about class, let the teacher know you plan on gaining experience in welding and want to lean the basics.

Most community college programs want to teach you to be a professional welder and make you go through all classes. Thats good, but what about someone that just wants to learn the basics???

I tried taking a class at the community college about 10 years ago and it was a waste of time. Had me cutting rectangle templates out with the torch all class for 2 weeks:shaking: After 1 month and zero welding, I dropped the class and bought a welder and learned myself...

Maybe I was in the wrong class, but basically, unless I took another class after that, I would have not learned anything and wasted lots of time.

Talk to the teacher and make sure you are in the correct class
 
Just a FYI I have a nice Miller stick welder for sale in the misc section. I bought it two years ago and tought myself to weld with a lot of practice. Last week I bought the biggest baddest motha I could afford in a MIG welder. I got a Millermatic 251. I am definately glad I started with stick because I think it teaches you a lot more about what the metal is going to do as you weld it. I have not used my new MIG much yet but I am sure it is going to be great. NO MORE CHIPPING!!!
 
Take a class at a community college like upnover said. I took one spring semester and learned soooo much. I spent at least 3 hours a day with a welder in my hand. It's definately worth the cash. I'm starting a welding job Monday because I took the class. I do recommending practicing with stick until you're at least halfway decent with stick. It'll make you much better with MIG.

As for a machine, if you're gonna be doing a lot of 4wd fab work, you're gonna want a bigger machine, something that runs off 230v. Stick welding is just as good strength-wise, but I like MIG for ease of use and the way the final weld looks. Those little Millermatic 130 and Hobart 135 MIG machines aren't gonna get the job done when you start using steel bigger than 3/16". Personally, I'd go for a Millermatic 251 if you can swing it. I fell in love with that machine in class, and I'm gonna be using the 250 at work. They're great machines.
 
Not to hijack, but, what do the numbers on the welding rods mean? i.e. 6013, 6011, 7018 etc. I'm sure they refer to what the rod is made of or the coating on the outside, but is there a general rule of thumb like higher number=thicker steal? Also any ideas as to what a slightly used lincoln ac/dc 225 is worth?
 
rattlecanpaint said:
Not to hijack, but, what do the numbers on the welding rods mean? i.e. 6013, 6011, 7018 etc. I'm sure they refer to what the rod is made of or the coating on the outside, but is there a general rule of thumb like higher number=thicker steal? Also any ideas as to what a slightly used lincoln ac/dc 225 is worth?
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i for get the break down of the number but it's tencil strenght and welding position and something else if i remember right.
 
rattlecanpaint said:
Not to hijack, but, what do the numbers on the welding rods mean? i.e. 6013, 6011, 7018 etc. I'm sure they refer to what the rod is made of or the coating on the outside, but is there a general rule of thumb like higher number=thicker steal? Also any ideas as to what a slightly used lincoln ac/dc 225 is worth?
Click to expand...


the first 2 numbers represent the tensile strength of the weld. For example, the "60" in 6011 represents 60,000 pounds tensile strength per square inch of weld.

the second number represents the weld position, flat, verticle, overhead, horizontal.

the last number represents what the flux is composed of
 
Cool thanks for explaining that. I was welding two pieces of flat steel first with a 6013 and it worked great, then switched to a 6011 and it wouldn't weld worth crap. The arc just kind of burned a hole in the steel and when it did weld it had no slag and looked like crap. I tried adjusting the amps both up and down 2-3 notches, but it didn't help. Once I got too low the stick just stuck to the steel. What am I doing wrong?
 
the 6011 should be run aroun 95 amps DC, straight polarity. However, it can be used in AC and reverse polarity, it welds best DC straight.

the 6011 should weld very easily. It tends to spark ALOT. The 6013 tends to weld better with the amps up a little more

Rob
 
The amps would also depend on the size of the stick. I weld 3/32 6013 at 90 amps, but 5/32 6013 at 135amps.
 
Ahhh, that's my problem. I was welding ac at about 135 amps. Guess I'll have to go try it out. (Soon as I get home at a resonable time.)
 
I WORK IN THE WELDING SUPPLY BUSINESS. THERE IS SOME GOOD INFO IN THEESE POSTS. I WOULD ASK WHAT ALLOYS AND MATERIAL THICKNESSES YOU
WANT TO WELD ON.
A STICK WELDER WOULD BE THE LEAST EXSPENSIVE MACHINE TO PURCHASE.
IF YOUR LOOKING TO BE ABLE TO WELD SHEET METAL AN ENTRY LEVEL STICK MACHINE MOST LIKELY CANT BE TURNED DOWN TO A LOW ENOUGH AMPERAGE TO PREVENT BURN THROUGH.
IF YOU WANT TO WELD ON 3/16-1/4" METALS AN ENTRY LEVEL MIG MAY NOT HAVE THE DUTY CYCLE TO DO WHAT YOU WANT. DUTY CYCLE IS THE AMMOUNT OF TIME YOU CAN WELD IN A 10 MINUTE PERIOD. MOST 115V MIG MACHINES ARE RATED AT 20% DUTY CYCLE AT 90 AMPS. THAT MEANS YOU CAN WELD 2 MINUTES SOLID AND THE MACHINE WILL HAVE TO COOLDOWN FOR 8 MIN. AT THE MAX. 135-140 AMP SETTING YOUR DUTY CYCLE DROPS TO 10%.
IF YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO WELD ALUMINUM TIG IS GOING TO BE YOUR BEST BET. OR LOOK FOR A MIG YOU CAN ADD A SPOOLGUN ON.
TALK TO YOUR LOCAL WELDING SUPPLY FOR INFORMATION OR GO TO MILLER'S OR LINCOLN'S WEBSITES YOU CAN LOOK AT DIFFERENT MACHINES AND BOTH HAVE FORUMS TO POST QUESTIONS.
PICK A NAME BRAND MACHINE SO FINDING PARTS AN SERVICE WILL NOT BECOME AN ISSUE.
IF YOU LIVE IN MOORESVILLE CONTACT ROWAN CABARRUS C. C. THEY HAVE A GOOD WELDING PROGRAM WITH KNOWLEDGEABLE INSTRUCTORS.
HOPE THIS HELPS.
 
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