Beginner questions

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When my dad passed away many years ago I came into possession of his Sears Craftsman AC/DC stick welder. It has set out in the storage building for years until I recently decided to pull it out and play with it. To my surprise I found that sticking metal together is fun and relaxing, at least to me.. Since I am on the downhill side of life I decided to treat myself and just bought a Millermatic 211. Because my wife and I are caregivers to a 97 year old family member with Alzheimers I haven't worked with it as much as I would have liked to.  But this thing is so awesome that it makes me look like I know what I'm doing, which I don't....kind of like a welder for dummies.  To prove how inexperienced I am,  I need to ask a couple of questions. First, I have been playing mostly with bed frames that I have come across and also some angle iron purchased at the big box stores. Where do you guys get flat stock and is it sold by the pound or by size or how? Second, when you are welding 2 pieces of different thickness together do you set your machine for the smaller or the larger of the two? Thank you.
Reply:Originally Posted by roadrashWhere do you guys get flat stock and is it sold by the pound or by size or how? Second, when you are welding 2 pieces of different thickness together do you set your machine for the smaller or the larger of the two? Thank you.
Reply:Good morning, Roadrash.Welcome to the forum. So you got welding fever? Then you are at the right place.I'm just a hobbiest and have been enjoying welding for over 3 years. I have learned a lot, but still a long way to go. This forum is a great resource. Lots of pros here who will answer your questions and help you with your projects. Another great resource is the Miller Student Training package. You can order it here:   http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/tools/      . The best $25 you will spend, delivered!You will enjoy your MM211 for sure! Generally, set it up for the thicker metal, start the puddle, and wash it over to the thinner metal. A little practice and you will get good results."Watch the puddle" is the best advice I know. It takes a little practice to understand what this means, but instead of watching the arc, focus on maintaining a puddle of molten metal, and move the puddle to make a good weld with good penetration on both pieces.As far as where to get some steel, I have had good luck with a local scrapyard. They let me walk around and pick out any items I want, and pay about $.20/pound. Sometimes they have perfectly new drops, the short pieces left from jobs. I have seen pallets of 2.5"x 2.5"x3/16"x 4' angle iron still banded from the steel mill where some business cut off 16' they need and scrap the drops. Also, shop around local industrial suppliers. Spend a little time and money with them and get to know them. Often they will give you pretty good price for even small orders if you take time to get to know them. My guys will even deliver to my house at no charge if you give them a day or two to add to another order.Try to learn the stick and MIG, post some pictures of your projects, and get ready to have fun!Burt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 12010FtDrillBit.com