TravisD
I needs more money
hey... my birthday is comming up and i really want a new welder but should i go for a cheaper no gas or the gas?
gas or no gas
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modelengineer
Lord of the noise
Gas. You can still use the gasless wire, but when you want to use gas you have the option.
TravisD
I needs more money
yep thats what i said!! THANKS
jr dragster T
New member
If you can afford it gas.
TravisD
I needs more money
how much would u spend on one?
lemegacool
got boost? :)
approx 1300 for a decent one with the small cylinder
TravisD
I needs more money
i was looking at a cheap 'o' one for 600, doesnt come with bottle i dont think, i dont really plan on using the gas but i would like the option
lemegacool
got boost? :)
i dont know for you in australia but in canada the littles miller/lincoln 180amp are about 1100$, and in us about 600$
Doc Sprocket
*********
As a welder, allow me to throw in my 2 cents. Here's the long version-
Your average Lincoln lunchbox is capable of doing thicker welds, amp for amp, running gasless (fluxcore). Mucho handy for structural junk, suspension, steering, etc. If you're forced to work outside, it can be a real bear trying to block the wind enough to keep it from blowing your gas away. The material you're welding must be quite clean, whereas fluxcore is more forgiving of contaminants. A gas regulator, cylinder, and the gas itself usually cost money, and add weight and complexity to an otherwise compact and simple system, especially for a newbie, who can eliminate fooling with a regulator while trying to learn how to weld. On the downside of fluxcore, the wire costs more (not a big deal of you're not welding a LOT) and the welds require susbstantial cleanup. I find a knotted wire wheel on an angle grinder works very well.
Short version-
Gas- fairly experienced operator with a decent budget, an enclosed shop, and a 240v circuit.
Fluxcore- Less experienced welder, lower budget, in the driveway, plugged into the garage door opener circuit (in the driveway 'cuz the garage is fulla junk
)
There's exceptions to everything but in my experience (six years of wire-feed welding under all conditions from nice table in shop to greasy rusted steel on a roof in a storm), that pretty much sums it. Cheers- Chris
Your average Lincoln lunchbox is capable of doing thicker welds, amp for amp, running gasless (fluxcore). Mucho handy for structural junk, suspension, steering, etc. If you're forced to work outside, it can be a real bear trying to block the wind enough to keep it from blowing your gas away. The material you're welding must be quite clean, whereas fluxcore is more forgiving of contaminants. A gas regulator, cylinder, and the gas itself usually cost money, and add weight and complexity to an otherwise compact and simple system, especially for a newbie, who can eliminate fooling with a regulator while trying to learn how to weld. On the downside of fluxcore, the wire costs more (not a big deal of you're not welding a LOT) and the welds require susbstantial cleanup. I find a knotted wire wheel on an angle grinder works very well.
Short version-
Gas- fairly experienced operator with a decent budget, an enclosed shop, and a 240v circuit.
Fluxcore- Less experienced welder, lower budget, in the driveway, plugged into the garage door opener circuit (in the driveway 'cuz the garage is fulla junk
)There's exceptions to everything but in my experience (six years of wire-feed welding under all conditions from nice table in shop to greasy rusted steel on a roof in a storm), that pretty much sums it. Cheers- Chris
motor_head
expert garbage picker
if you learn to weld with a stick welder then you will be able to weld with anything
you get better penetration with a stick and it doesn't matter as much if there's paint/ect. on it
don't get a 110v stick welder get a 220v one much better 110v ones are crap can't welt very thick metal at all
you get better penetration with a stick and it doesn't matter as much if there's paint/ect. on it
don't get a 110v stick welder get a 220v one much better 110v ones are crap can't welt very thick metal at all
Kaptain Krunch
Pro Junk Collector
Not true. My dad welded stick for years, picked up a mig and couldnt lay a bead worth ****. All the welding processes are different.
jetlag
New member
I bought a Hobart Handler 187 and made an extension cord so I could plug it into the dryer outlet. Eventually I plan on doing some heavy duty mods on my 1973 Toyota truck, so the bigger welder was required.
A friend of mine found a Hobart Handler 140 (110v) on craigslist for only $200! It was a year old and in great condition. That is a great place to find tools.
I started with the spool of fluxcore wire then moved on to gas and solid wire.
Maybe it's just me, but the fluxcore seemed easier to learn. This MIG has a different feel to it.
A friend of mine found a Hobart Handler 140 (110v) on craigslist for only $200! It was a year old and in great condition. That is a great place to find tools.
I started with the spool of fluxcore wire then moved on to gas and solid wire.
Maybe it's just me, but the fluxcore seemed easier to learn. This MIG has a different feel to it.
greasemonkey85
New member
i agree 100% with toystory. i took 4 years of welding and fabrication during votech and he is right on the money. don t waste your money on a stick welder, it isnt worth it for what we are doing if you are going over 1/2" think then yeah it would be nice to have.
i bought a lincoln pro 140 2 years ago and it is great. i got it at lowes on sale for $500 and then another 20% off with a coupon. it has both fluxcore and gas capabilty. i only use gas for aluminum and stainless steel. the fluxcore you can weld up to 1/2 inch i believe, at least i have with multiple passes. you will get better penetration with flux core over gas as well. i do everything from exhaust work up to 3/8" thick differential covers on my jeep, and those take a hell of a beating!
oh the lincoln pro 140 is the biggest 110 volt welder you can get from lincoln. if you want to invest the money, get a name brand miller, hobart, lincoln, etc.... DONT BUY THE HARBOR FRIEGHT ONES..... I KNOW!
i bought a lincoln pro 140 2 years ago and it is great. i got it at lowes on sale for $500 and then another 20% off with a coupon. it has both fluxcore and gas capabilty. i only use gas for aluminum and stainless steel. the fluxcore you can weld up to 1/2 inch i believe, at least i have with multiple passes. you will get better penetration with flux core over gas as well. i do everything from exhaust work up to 3/8" thick differential covers on my jeep, and those take a hell of a beating!
oh the lincoln pro 140 is the biggest 110 volt welder you can get from lincoln. if you want to invest the money, get a name brand miller, hobart, lincoln, etc.... DONT BUY THE HARBOR FRIEGHT ONES..... I KNOW!
TravisD
I needs more money
yea i have a 140amp stick and i sort of want a mig, i learnt on the stick and can lay nice beads but still need a little more practice on angled welds, I weld great at school with there 240amp welders and junk.... but they wont let us even touch the mig!! i dont even know why we have it, it never gets used, we have two, a smaller one (with gas) and a really big one also with gas, but none get used, the smaller one has fluxcore and its very tempting to use it!
greasemonkey85
New member
yeah it was the same way in school with me. we had 30 or so 240 amp lincoln arc welders and one huge lincoln mig with gas. it was a $10000 welder though too. once there for a year or 2 we got to use, so the dumb kids who thought they would goof off in shop wouldnt screw it up. infinite power and wire speed, had spot, stitch, and full weld control (timer) and all kinds of adjustment.
we started on the arc welders and did all kinds of stuff. did a 1"x1" penetration test. weld a bead, about 5 to 6 then rotate and start again, and again, and again. about 6 layers then cut it in half to see if you have good technic. you could tell real fast if you were doing it right. little bubbles would show up. then we started doing butt welds. they went in this little press, but it pulled on them. when it broke the pressure gauge would record it. it all depended on bevel of the joint, angle of rod, and amperage, etc etc. learned alot in there though took 4 years, started on stick and oxy-act torch, did mig for 2 years, and lathe, foundry, plasma cutter, and tig for the last year. i was there by myself and was graded on a independent study for the last year. and look what i do now, tires! ha
we started on the arc welders and did all kinds of stuff. did a 1"x1" penetration test. weld a bead, about 5 to 6 then rotate and start again, and again, and again. about 6 layers then cut it in half to see if you have good technic. you could tell real fast if you were doing it right. little bubbles would show up. then we started doing butt welds. they went in this little press, but it pulled on them. when it broke the pressure gauge would record it. it all depended on bevel of the joint, angle of rod, and amperage, etc etc. learned alot in there though took 4 years, started on stick and oxy-act torch, did mig for 2 years, and lathe, foundry, plasma cutter, and tig for the last year. i was there by myself and was graded on a independent study for the last year. and look what i do now, tires! ha
TravisD
I needs more money
yea i first started oxy first then stick and lathe's are fun, but our school is only small so we doing have much gear, we got about 3 small metal lathes 4 wood two migs and about 5 240amp stick welders, and more stuff (dont know what there names are), lots of air tools but we could do with some more stuff!!
I wanna make alot of stuff but my teach is a bum lol, its good when hes not there, every one goes off and does there own thing, i was making some mufflers for my 6.5 clone, still need to oxy them tho
and speaking of jobs i still dont know what i wanna become, any ideas?
I wanna make alot of stuff but my teach is a bum lol, its good when hes not there, every one goes off and does there own thing, i was making some mufflers for my 6.5 clone, still need to oxy them tho
and speaking of jobs i still dont know what i wanna become, any ideas?
TravisD
I needs more money
hey guys ITS MY BIRTHDAY and just like i wanted i got a mig welder!!! im happy, AND ITS GAS!!
its a Cigweld Transmig 135 MIG
u can check it out here or google it
http://www.justtools.com.au/prod1312.htm
will use it when the sun comes up.
its a Cigweld Transmig 135 MIG
u can check it out here or google it
http://www.justtools.com.au/prod1312.htm
will use it when the sun comes up.
Kaptain Krunch
Pro Junk Collector
You think your school has a small shop? We have one shop class, with a drill press, wood lathe, table saw, chop saw, and planer, nothing else...
Anyways, happy birthday, but who needs sun to weld? its bright enough.
TravisD
I needs more money
i tryed out the brand new welder and well i need some pratice lol, ok off to bed for me,
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