Total rookie diving in and have questions...

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Hi,Thanks for reading my post. Frankly if I was a seasoned welder I'd probably be sort of turned off by the complete and utter welding rookies like me, but any guidance would be appreciated.So literally I'm a complete rookie. Never owned a welder, have always needed little brackets and so on but have always hired a fabricator friend to weld stuff for me. Time for me to do it, there are just too many projects I end up not doing because I don't want to deal with my fabricator friend.I've taken a 2 hour MIG and 2 hour TIG class. My plan is to buy a welder and dive in head-long and build something immediately. I'm actually fairly confident I can pull it off, but what do I know?The first project I want to tackle is a rack system to carry my hang glider on my 2006 F150 SuperCab 8' bed truck. The idea is that the Thule roof support bar I installed already will act as the center support, and then I need a front support (that will mount to the tow receiver I installed on the front of the truck) and a support in back, in order to secure a 12" x 20' piece of plastic (PVC or similar) that I'll slide my 19 foot hang glider into. The pipe with the glider inside won't be terribly heavy...maybe 125lbs total, give or take.For the rear support what I want to do is mount a vertical bar to each of the side bed rails, and the have a horizontal go between those two bars...effectively creating an upside-down "U". I'm thinking about doing this with aluminum, maybe 2" x 2" square tube? Then on the bed rails weld the square tube to a plate that I'll bolt to the bed rails?I suppose I can save my question about the front mount for another thread, because as you'll see by my next question I'm already WAY ahead of myself, I know. I don't even own a welder, so that's really my first step. But, the type of welder I buy is sort of dependent on what your opinions are on the material I should use. I've been researching and checking out three welders. The Miller 211, and both the 181i and 252i Thermal Arc Fabricators. I love the idea of having both a MIG and TIG so that I can TIG aluminum, but do either of the Thermal Arc welders do AC or whatever I need to TIG aluminum? If I buy the Miller 211 and get the spool gun, is that a realistic setup for the type of racks I want to fabricate? After this project, maybe a welding table and misc steel brackets etc up to 3/8" I'd guess. I have both 110v and 220v available to me as well, so that's not an issue for me. The 252i looks like a total beast but at $2000+ that's a bit pricey...although I don't mind spending on something I'll have forever.I should add that I can really just as easily use steel, except aluminum would be lighter since I don't plan to have this rear rack (or the front one) on the truck all the time.Lots of questions I know, sorry! Any help would be much appreciated.THANK YOU!
Reply:Aluminum is harder to weld well than steel. Since you are starting out, stick with steel. You will have better luck and a better end product. If you can't make a nice one with steel, chances are your alum one would be 5x worse. I'm not saying it can't be done, just that you will need a longer learning curve to get up to speed with alum.All of this is assuming you plan to do alum mig with a spoolgun. The learning curve is far shorter than if you want to do alum tig. I'm pretty sure both those thermal arcs are DC only tigs ( I know the 252i is) That rules out AC tig with them. If you decided not to run alum tig, they look like a nice idea. Not sure what's available right now as far as hooking up a spoolgun to do alum with one of those yet however.You could certainly build what you want in either steel or alum with the MM211, assuming your skills are up to the task. It's a very nice machine for the hobbyist.Your glider may weigh 125 pounds or so but 20' of 12" pipe will add a fair amount of weight as well. It will not surprise me at all if you need help getting a 10' chunk of schedule 40 12" PVC or SDR up on that rack. I've never done 12"  in long lengths but the 8" I've worked with isn't light at all. Also be prepared to get your wallet out. That stuff isn't cheap.  Lighter weight pipe is available, but then you will probably have to look at full length rails to help support the pipe and it doesn't hold up to abuse as well..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:DSW is absolutely correct about the different materials representing different challenges.  Maybe start with steel and refine you technique then move into aluminum and continue your practice.  The learning curve is a little steep but can and has been climbed many times before even by dummies like me.  So your desire is possible, just practice a bit more to get the result you are looking for.  Above all do not be discouraged, some days will be good and others not so much, but you will continue to make progress every time you fire up your equipment.  Have fun and welcome to the forum.BobI'm spending my Kids inheritance, I dont like him that much anyway!!!!!!Enuff tools to do the job, enough sense to use em.Anybody got a spare set of kidneys?  Trade?
Reply:seems like the welding table should be the first project. it will let you build something that is useful and can be used when you fabricate the  truck rack. it also lets you weld and get use to your machine on something not as critical as a truck rack, just a thoughtbobs77vet/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:Thanks guys. I pulled the trigger on a Miller 211. Thanks!
Reply:good choice thats a nice piece of equipment,   before you buy a tank for it make sure you can pick it up.......i use a smaller tank then most just becasue my back hurts moving big tanksbobs77vet/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:Go Steel.  You said the rack won't be on your truck all the time anyway.   I'm still waitng for a good quality brand Mig/tig/stick that is DC AND AC.   It will probably never be produced because it will take up market share on other products in manufacturing lines.TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum