Which type of welder would you recommend

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Hi all,Brand new, well sort of, to the welding community, but have been doing a fair bit of both blacksmithing and bladesmithing for a year or two.  I'm fabricating a few things right now, and they all involve the welding of thick plates of steel.  My first project is putting a 1 inch plate of 4140 onto a 4" x 6" x 12" chunk of hot rolled mild steel to make a homemade anvil.  Now, knowing that failure would be the end game in mind, I tried to MIG weld the 1 inch plate of 4140 onto the chunk of mild hot rolled with a Harbor Freight 90 amp welder.  What can I say.  It looked good and I could pick up the "finished" anvil (the big chunk is encased inside a chunk of cement) on end.  However, with this fully in mind, after about 15 to 20 hammer blows forging a piece of steel, bam, there it was.  The welds broke apart as I was expecting.  I figured that little welder wouldn't get the penetration needed for something like that.  Ok, now that the back story is complete.  My question(s) to you experts, is this.  Which type of weld(er) would have more penetration to get these two steels to NOT break apart after some hammer blows?  I'm wiring up the garage for 220, but was wondering if a TIG welder would be the better machine for applications of this type, or could I get it done with a more powerful MIG welder?  Good penetration in thick pieces of steel to be welded.  I'm also aware than an option would be to hard face the top of the mild hot rolled.  I know my skills aren't up to par for that, though.  If I could get a local welding shop to do this, do you think that would be a better option than trying to weld two steels together?As usual, price is an issue, or else I wouldn't be trying to fabricate my own anvil   Thanks in advance.RobLast edited by Rob Nabakowski; 04-23-2012 at 02:18 PM.
Reply:My $0.02 you're looking at to much expense to get your own gear for this, seeing as how you're "building your own anvil". I would go talk to your local show and find out what they would do, and the price for each. Chances are they'll probably weld the two pieces together because it's far less timeconsuming. Getting the 220 wired up is a good step, from them I'd go with a stick machine for that thick of material. No matter what you get, you're going to want to pre-heat that thick of metal to get the best penetration.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Thanks, ThorsHammer.  So a stick welder may be the best bet for applications like these?  As I mentioned above, this is just the first such project.  I'm also going to build a power hammer and have access (cheap access ) to some 1 inch thick pieces of steel, approximately 20-24 inches long that welded up would make a more than satisfactory anvil for the hammer.  Thanks again for the reply.
Reply:Unless you are going to be welding stuff over 1/4 - 3/8 on a regular basis, I'd take it to a shop.  If you plan on welding heavy plate, make sure when you wire for 220 you put in sufficient wire and breaker to handle the big amps a big machine will demand.If you're doing sheet metal, 1/8" and under, then you probably want a wire welder.  Or you can think about an OA set up.  Above 1/8, an a/c buzz box would be the next step I'd look at up to 1/4" or so.  You might want an AC buzz box on top of a wire welder.  Sheet welding with a stick is not all that easy.
Reply:Thick materials are probably best done with a 220v stick machine, however they could be done with a large mig ( 250 + amps). For someone looking to do forge work, I'd probably suggest looking for a nice used 220v stick machine on CL. Basic AC only units go for $50-150 usually vs $300+ new, and the better AC/DC units usually start at about $300.If you are serious about getting into welding, you might want to look into a night class at a local tech school or community college. When you sit down and add up what you get for the class, wire/rod, materials, electric, access to other equipment ( plasma, O/A, shears etc) not to mention instruction, a class is usually stupid cheap. Most instructors enjoy it when students bring in projects once they get the basics down. It shows they have a real desire to learn.Add your location to your User CP at the top left of the screen and you might find someone here who's willing to help you out with this. Also post up some picts of your project. there's a lot of guys here who love to do forge work and would enjoy seeing what you are building..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:Try to find an old AC225 Lincoln, they can be had for $50-$100 on Craigslist and will do all you ask of them. If you get lucky an AC/DC one will pop up for short money as well.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."