hello welding web. I am new to this forum. I would like to get into welding and to do that I would need my first welder. My main goal is to eventually build up some exhausts for my motorcycle and maybe weld a little on the frame. What am i looking for in a welder that will be capable of those things and then maybe a little more?
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xy-acetylene setup with a selection of welding tips. absolutely the best way to get into welding.you'll learn puddle control without the obstruction of the smoke that comes with stick and fcaw, and spend the least money for the most versatile equipment.
Reply:MILLER or LINCOLN wire feed, 100 to 180 amps, 125 or 240 volts. Home depot has a few good ones, ( lincoln 175 weld pac hd $629 ) the local dealers can help as well. Stay away from cheap machines of other brands. They have poor support and low duty cycles. -they burn up and you can't fix them. The cheapest lincoln is the weld pac hd, lists at $269 at home depot, this does not use gas, welds only with flux core and will weld up to 1/8 inch steel. I have one like this at home. I bought it to repair things around the house, (handimig) it runs on a normal outlet, or 2500 wat generator. It takes some skill to use properly but has served for about 6 years and 30 pounds of flux core wire. (I have welded 1/4" wall pipe and 5/8" steel rod, slow but possible) As explained below it will probably do what you want but with limitations. Fair starter rig. If you just want to weld steel and stainless, the little 125v migs are good, use straight co2 and solid wire for the cheapest weld cost for trailers, bumpers, furniture and fences. straight argon and stainless wire if stainless is your bag, like bike exhausts. Argon will work with solid steel as well. Look to spend between $500 and $1000 for the setup, with tank. Get a machine with a solenoid for gas built in, if you don't want to buy the tank immediately. Then use flux core wire, it is more spendy for the wire, but you don't need a tank. It will weld carbon, chrome molly and stainless, but the stainless will rust. Cost can be well under $500 for the set. You can add a tank later. With a millermatic 120 or 180 and a spool gun, with an argon tank, you can weld steel, stainless, or aluminum. the 180 has more power for thicker material. The 180 with a spool gun will lay good beads on 1" thick aluminum blocks and plate scraps. and good steel beads on 1/2" steel plate scraps. We have tested a millermatic 180 and spool gun extensively with straight argon on stainless, carbon steel chrome moly, and aluminum, as a "pit cart welder" for student use the past two years. It works well on all materials to 1/4" thick. We have not tested the 120volt version. It should work well, with up to 1/8 to 3/16. This 180 setup would have a retail of about $1400. The 180 runs well with a 5 kw generator.I think that you would get frustrated with stick on thin material. And the tigs are a little spendy for good ones. Well, maybe the smaller MILLER inverter tigs, but they would still be 2-3 times as expensive for a starter rig. And aluminum welding with tig takes ac, about $1800 at the cheapest. Practice is cheap, bike frames are spendy.past work toys; lathes,mills, drills, saws, robots, lasers ironworker, shears, brake, press, grinders, tensile tester, torches, tigs, migs, sticks, platten table, positioner, plasmas , gleeble and spot. Retired June 30, 2009.
Reply:Originally Posted by weldbeadoxy-acetylene setup with a selection of welding tips. absolutely the best way to get into welding.you'll learn puddle control without the obstruction of the smoke that comes with stick and fcaw, and spend the least money for the most versatile equipment.
Reply:And I hate to disagree with both of you. Brazing is not a safe way to repair any motor vehicle other than for sheet metal repair. It is not strong enough.The small weld paks are not capable of handling anything but the lightest jobs.The Import stuff isn't all that bad. There are problems, but usually relatively simple things. The unit either works or it doesn't. The Lincolns at Lowe's and Home Depot are foreign made. I would in fact start with a higher performance import unit in an off name. No, it doesn't cost much to get one fixed as the unit is cheap to begin with. Most of the time, they will simply replace a problem unit. With Lincoln or Miller, they take your unit and ship it for repair and return it to you. That's fine but I'd rather have a unit to use.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:Everybody has a good pointI started working on relatively thick stuff, then had to buy a wire feed to work on thin stuff later on down the road. My wire feed spends a lot of time gathering dust.You sound like you're starting thin, and maybe wanting to move to heavier stuff later.I guess a GOOD wire feed flux core/mig capable welder might fit the bill. Wire feeds in the high amp range do a good job on heavier dimension plate if used right. You'll have to drop big bucks to get a machine capable of the amps.Stick welder won't work real good on exhaust pipes So that's out. It depends on what ya wanna doIt's a lot of money to get started. Don't be afraid of the cheaper 110 migs. They will do a decent job up to the point you need to do heavier metal. Starting layout on a 110 with gas setup, and bottle will be somewhere in the 6-700 range by the time all's said and done if buying new stuff."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:I can't really tell you which to get, i can only relay my own experience. I've only been welding for two months, just so you know that its not expert advice (all posts above mine ARE expert advice, though)i started with gas welding, aka oxy/acet welding. i thought welding means fire, and tig/mig/stick welding was for wimps, or people who are afraid of fire. It isn't difficult... like anything else, its easy to get started. But it is difficult to get good. all my projects turned out pretty strong, but i'm afraid to take close up pics of welds. since you mentioned you want to do some exhaust pipe welding and welding on motorcycle frames, it will be helpful to know what material the frame and exhaust are made of. if they're made with aluminum, you want to start with tig or mig welding. if they're steel, you might be able to get away with gas welding. I dont have steel frame motorcycles, mine are all aluminum frames.it will also be helpful to tell us how far you expect to go in welding. "what welder should i buy" type questions pop up on this forum all the time (heck, i probably posted a couple). without this key piece of info, it's difficult to determine which welder is right for you. If you're only gonna be welding things onto your frame and welding some (or a lot of) exhaust pipes and NOTHING ELSE. then perhaps mig or tig would be best suited for what you want. Gas welding, in this case, might take awhile to get good (but you get to play with fire). in the end, you would be able to weld steel frame.I've since moved on to tig welding and have gotten over the flame addiction. it's very civilized and gentlemanly... not to mention it's versatile. Tig welding, depends on the machine you buy, will weld a lot of various types of metal. hope this is helpful.
Reply:I think first you need to decide which process you want to use (stick, wire, or tig) and then decide on the machine. You may want to enroll in a local vo-tech program with a basic intro to welding class and get a little experience and training on each process and then decide from there which process you prefer.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
