got my first welder

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so like the title says, i finally got my first welder. its a hobart 210 MVP paid $880 with free shipping, free cart and a $50 gift card from northern tool . it should be here sometime next week and i can't wait. all i need now is a bottle and a good helmet. i want to get a auto darkening helmet, what do you guys recommend? i don't want anything stupid because i won't be welding on a daily basis like some of you, but i'm just used to using a auto darkening i've also been looking on CL for a bottle and had a question. are they like propane tank, where they have a expiration date at which point you have to have it inspected? i wold really like to own my own bottle because it will probably last me 1 or 2 years haha.hopefully i can start my smoker project soon, then i'll finally have something to post, lol
Reply:I found this place with Google.  http://www.californiacylinder.com/7301.htmlThey seem to have good prices on cylinders, used/reconditions in particular... if they happen to have any.  Make sure whatever one you get, your local gas outfit will swap out for you.As for the hood, the blue flame hood from harbor freight is pretty good.http://www.harborfreight.com/blue-fl...met-91214.html"Great spirits have always encountered violent oppostion from mediocre minds."  --  Albert Einstein
Reply:Look on CL for welders and ask if hoods come with them.   Make an offer on the hood alone.I got my Jackson Hellraiser with the NexGen lens when I went to look at a plasma.  Its a $330 helmet, I got it for $60.TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum
Reply:Cylinders do need to be hydro tested usually every 5 or 10 years depending on the test done. The good thing is if you swap cylinders at a LWS, usually they don't charge for tests, especially if you are a regular customer. The test isn't all that expensive, maybe $20 or so if you have your cylinder filled and returned or if you bring in an out of date cylinder and they want to ding you for the test.I don't think I've ever had to pay for a hydro test for my gas cylinders that I exchange. I do enough general business with my LWS that they never even bother to look at the dates on any of my cylinders, whether I got the cylinders for them or not. I do have to have my personal SCUBA cylinders hydro'd every 5 years, and when you have as many as I do it adds up quick and seems here's always 3 or 4 that need to go in for hydro..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:As Razer said the blue flame is a decent starter hood. i bought one 6 years ago and just gave it to a young guy starting out. the batteries are still going strong. bottles come up in your are all the time on cl. just be sure to look and see if there is a name on the neck ring or stamped in the top area of the bottle. if there is i would steer away from it as it might be a lease, rental or stolen bottle some one is trying to off. if it is you won't be able to exchange it or refill it. there has been a lot of bottles stolen lately in the north state and they are showing up on cl in the Chico,Yuba city and Sac area. Chico high school had 12 bottles stolen a couple months ago. so be careful.225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw
Reply:You got a $50 gift card from NT. I'd look at their $139 wide view helmet. It has 4 arc sensors and sensitivity adjustment.Congrats on the new machine!PapaLincoln Idealarc 250 (circa 1962)Lincoln Weldpak 155 w/Mig KitLincoln Squarewave TIG 175
Reply:Good for you. It is nice feeling to purchase a new welder. Remember you have only one pair of eyes protect them with a good helmet.Good luck,Yakdung
Reply:thank you guys very much for the help.had no idea about the stampings on the bottles. would it just have a school or company name on it? also, how does the exchange work if i own the bottle? do they still trade me or do they just refill my bottle? i have been looking on CL but its like no one ever sells what i need until i don't need it anymore haha.as far as the helmet, i was looking at the blue flame from NT but should i get something with at bigger viewing window?thanks again.
Reply:Cylinder may or may not have a name on it. depends on the size and if it's a rental/lease cylinder or customer owned. It varies between companies.As far as how fills work, it works both ways. Some places will take your cylinder and either fill on site depending on the gas, or send it out to be filled and you have to come back and pick it up when ready. Around me there really aren't any places left that do it this way unless you need a special custom mix done. Most places will simply take "your" cylinder and give you a full one in exchange. If you owned the cylinder (typical with the smaller sizes), you now own the refilled one,  and the company now owns your original one that they will trade with someone else, just like the way it works with the BBQ propane cylinders you exchange at Depot etc.Larger rental/leased cylinders are a bit different. The company always owns the cylinder regardless who has possession of it. You take it in and they give you a full one, but they still own it. Usually most companies will only accept their own cylinders, and not ones from competitors. You will sometimes find people "selling" a larger cylinder that was a rental/lease.  These cylinders are frequently worthless if you don't have an account with that particular company, as once empty you can't get them filled. Around me almost all large cylinders are considered rental/leased cylinders. There are still a few customer owned large cylinders that crop up from time to time, but since there's no where to get them filled since all the small independent guys are gone, they are pretty much useless..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:thanks for the help guys. i'll call some welding shops and see if they have any bottles i can buy. i think a 80cu bottle would be fine for me. can you give me a ball park price on new and used cylinders?thanks.
Reply:I buy and sell cylinders quite a bit, and can usually buy 80 cuft bottles for $50 empty, and sell them filled for $175. I often times keep an ad on craigslist looking for welding supplies, and have been paid to take bottles away several times.Dynasty 200DXPassport plus w/ spoolmate 100victor 315c oxy/(act and prop)Miller digital elitemilwaukee power tools
Reply:sorry one more question.if someone is selling a full or half full bottle, how can i confirm that it really is? the regulator will only show you pressure but i won't have a way of telling how much gas is in there right.
Reply:Some gases use pressure as a measurement of fullness. Others, use cylinder weight. That's the simple answer. All the shielding gases that I know of will be measured by pressure.PapaLincoln Idealarc 250 (circa 1962)Lincoln Weldpak 155 w/Mig KitLincoln Squarewave TIG 175
Reply:since you are looking for argon/mixed gas, a full bottle will be over 2000 psi. usually up around 2200-2300. figure less from that point.225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw
Reply:Like stated, you can just bring a regulator to check pressure for 'fullness'.  I have a few 330 (the big ones) that I have bought.  I will only buy them if they don't have a name stamped on the collar.  They are more expensive to fill, but volume wise, are significantly cheaper.  Cylinders are really not that expensive, I usually just pick them up on CL when I see a good deal.  I paid $120 for two full 330s from a shop that was closing that were owned by the shop.  It's nice to have extras and if you are working on a decent sized project, it gets old getting small cylinders filled.  It's also nice to have at least one extra bottle so you aren't high and dry if you run out of gas...just like BBQing.
Reply:thanks for the info guys. i'll keep looking on CL. hopefully i can find one soon because my welder will be here on monday.
Reply:ok, great news, it finally cam in but without the cart so i have to call them today.first thing i'm gonna do is read the book cover to cover. well, kinda already started reading and have a question.the regulator says its for argon/mixed gasses. and you have to order a different regulator for c02. does that mean i need another regulator for 100% c02 or any mix with c02 in it? and why is this the case anyway?thanks
Reply:also, trying to decide between 2 helmets:http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...0403_200480403and http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...8675_200418675looks like they both have the same features. i like the blue one but i'm not about to spend $30 more just for the color.really looking to spend 70-80 or less, is there anything you guys recommend? besides these two.thanks
Reply:Originally Posted by superwelderok, great news, it finally cam in but without the cart so i have to call them today.first thing i'm gonna do is read the book cover to cover. well, kinda already started reading and have a question.the regulator says its for argon/mixed gasses. and you have to order a different regulator for c02. does that mean i need another regulator for 100% c02 or any mix with c02 in it? and why is this the case anyway?thanks
Reply:Originally Posted by superwelderok, great news, it finally cam in but without the cart so i have to call them today.first thing i'm gonna do is read the book cover to cover. well, kinda already started reading and have a question.the regulator says its for argon/mixed gasses. and you have to order a different regulator for c02. does that mean i need another regulator for 100% c02 or any mix with c02 in it? and why is this the case anyway?thanks
Reply:thanks for all the help guys.what would you run 100% co2 for? and i hope your right about the cart, i called them today and they said hobart is backed up and they'll ship it out in a day or 2 :/  i don't see why they wouldn't both go out together.as for the helmet, i was searching on the forums and a lot of people are running the HF ones but i've also read horror stories of them not darkening fast enough or at all and causing eye problems. i'm a cheap *** and i do get HF stuff lol but i think when it comes to this i'll spend the extra 30-40 and get a quality one. i have many HF tools and i've had just as many fail on me, this is one i dont want to take a risk on.
Reply:good for you .....thats a great price.  i just picked up a Hobart handler 190 last night and i am setting it up tonight.....the only thing that the manual didnt mention which i thought they should have was that the drive roller has both a knurled and a "plain V" groove on the drive pulley.  the knurled groove is for the flux wire (no gas) and the "plain V" groove is for MIG wire (w/gas).  tomorrow it  gets plugged in and tested.  as for helmets mine is a couple of steps up from HF and it is ok.  its hard to  argue with a good quality helmet since seeing what you can do is critical to good welds.  i have decided to use .035 Mig wire in this one and .025 Mig wire in my smaller Lincoln.  what size wire are you planning to use?  mine only came with one drive roller .030/.035  so  i guess we need to get some additional rollersLast edited by 37ford4dr; 12-02-2011 at 09:04 PM.bobs77vet/37ford4drEastwood digital TIG200HH190Lincoln Invertec 155sLincoln weldpak 100sears/craftsman (lincoln) 50a 240v buzz boxO/A rig Harris gaugesnexion cut 50 dxchicago electric (HF) 240v spot welder
Reply:I see the blue helmet has a bigger view window, thats why it is more$I like to say when it comes to helmets you get what you pay for!If you plan on welding for years ahead then get the one you want now.I'm old and cant see sh-t so the magnifiers are a must for me but some of the kids with good eyes say it greatly improves their welding also.  something to think about and the lenses are relitively inexspensive.  happy trails.AEAD 200LE, Lincoln precision tig 185, Millermatic 251, Spectrum 625 extreme, Victor torch , Smithy 1220LTD. and  Do all C-4 band saw ,  Always adding.
Reply:you bought a nice welder, dont cheap out on the helmet..  hobart makes some pretty nice helmets also.. http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...0563_200320563tackleexperts.comwww.necessityjigs.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/mach...dingequipment/