/diy/ - Do It Yourself

You have no idea about welding, hm?

>>385231
I was under the impression welding sets were MUCH more expensive then 200, like in the thousands.
Have been rused?

What kind of welding do you want to do, Oxy-Fuel, or Arc Welding. In the case of arc welding I would start with SMAW Machine. I have a 1983 Miller DialArc 250p runs fine, no problems, parts are cheapish, consumables are cheap. The skills that go along with SMAW are more complicated than GMAW however this process is way more versatile. If your less inclined to SMAW you can go with GMAW machine Its easier to use than SMAW, however more expensive to run, and not as versatile. There is also GTAW which is hard as fuck to learn, can do almost anything and way out of your price range.

SMAW - "Stick"
GMAW - "Mig"
GTAW - "Tig"

http://www.harborfreight.com/welding/mig-flux-welders/90-amp-flux-wire-welder-68887-8494.html

start with a gas-less flux core wire feeder.this is the easiest.

>>385263
fuck all costly for materials, though.

OP, get a stick welder. you can do whatever the fuck you want with it, it'll do the job, and if you don't have rod you can literally weld with clothes hangers. Yes, they are a bit harder to get smooth welds with, but that's why you "practice".

Starting with an entry level wire welder will just leave OP with a shitty 20% duty cycle welder that can weld fuck all.

As >>385269 said go for a stick welder you can source an awesome one off kijiji for a reasonable price.

ehem. This is DIY, right? so why is everyone telling him to go all buyfag?

OP what you gotta do, is is pull apart a few microwaves, and then modify the transformers. BAM, instant spot welding.

Some things are left better non-/diy/ in my opinion something with 50+ Amps flowing through it is one of them. Just my opinion. Now if he wanted to buy a welding cart that's a different story.

Craigslist.

>200$

No

Buy a stick welder, preferably a DC capable one

It's gonna cost you more than $200 to get started. I'd suggest a Lincoln Electric stick welder. With a decent helmet it'll fun you close to 300 bucks, maybe a bit more but you'll have a very versatile welder.

I'd suggest taking at least a basic welding course first. It'll teach you the basics and likely give you an idea of different forms of welding.

I have been trained with Gas, Stick, Mig, and Tig, but I only own a MIG since it's more than I need for home use.

since op seems to know fuck all about welding, i think someone should point out buying a proper welding mask extremely crucial. assuming you like having the sense of eye sight

>>385356
This
I paid over 200$ just for my helmet

>>385231
warning: I am not a professional welder

random thoughts:
....the 110volt welders don't work very well, they can't put out much current. So you will need a 220v outlet, or you will need one installed. which adds expense.
....the cheaper electric welders also don't have very good heat controllability. A $500 mig works way better than a $100 mig.

If you can only have one welder, I prefer acetylene torch. A mini-kit would be around $300 with tanks.
From a hobbyist standpoint it is most-versatile but it can't do everything.... no one welder can, really. Every type of welder (gas, stick, mig, tig) is good at things the others aren't.

Anyone suggesting something other than SMAW for your budget is either a non-welder, complete idiot are trying to get himself electrocuted.

But seriously:
- There are decent SMAW welders fine for your basic purposes
- There are NO decent Tig/Mig for your budget. This includes gas which would make almost ~90% of your budget
- $50 visors/helmets are fine. Leather comfort straps are nice to have but not that important for the hobbyist.

>>385246
Nope. None what so ever.

>>385256
The picture that I used is about 260 USD but then again. I do not really know what I am talking about with welders.
>>385262
I want to make steel crucibles for my aluminum foundry because I found that soup cans are really just shitty for crucibles. Also I want to make some sculptures.
>>385364
Well, I do not need it to be super powerful. I just need it to weld some steel pipes together.

>>385392
So go with a stick welder then?

>>385426

SMAW is good for beginners. Anything you learn on stick is transferable to GMAW and GTAW.

You will need 2 types of welding rods to do 99.9% of everything you'll ever do. E7018 and either E6010 or E6011. 6010 and 6011 are so similar that if you didn't know which one you were using you wouldn't know. The difference between them is 6011 is AC/DC while 6010 is DCEP (Direct Current Electrode Positive) only. The cheapest and I mean the very cheapest stick welders out there are AC only, so if you get the very cheapest, you'll need 6011. 7018 are normally DCEP too, but they're also available in an AC type.

OP Do you have a 220v plug in your garage?
This is very important to note

>>385453
No. I will be having to work with a 110volt outlet.

>>385475
That limits stick welders a lot

The Hobart Handler 140 is a pretty good 110 Mig welder at a good price

>>385485
I found this. http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-25ecodZ5yc1v/R-202754573/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=welder&storeId=10051#.UQh_sr9qb30
Would this do for simple jobs? or no.

>>385475
I meant to say 115volt outlet.

>>385496
You're limited to very small electrodes and you have no control over the heat setting, but if you want to dick around with welding in your garage and have $110 to blow on a power source, then yeah, that'll work just fine.

When you actually figure out what your doing, you'll have more money left over to get something more universal.

>>385521
So it is a waste of money?

>>385532
its just very very limited with hard to find small ass rods

>>385532
>>So it is a waste of money?

Yes.

A decent home welder will be:

220volt.
output at least 110 amps.
be capable of AC, DCEP and DCEN.

There are lots of basic SMAW welders out there that can do this. For your budget you're going to have to look on craigslist.

so did I and boy do my eyes thank me.

Oxy-acetylene is the cheapest way to get decent welds. They show up used on craigslist fairly often.

Wire feed welders under 200 are shockingly bad and I would never suggest one. Stick welders annoy me almost as much as cheap wire feed welders.

The best option, of course, is to spend about 400-500 on a hobart handler with regulators and a tank.

>>385263
do not buy this POS welder. Avoid at all costs.

>>385591
>400-500 on a hobart handler

I agree
Or if he wants to go with stick the Hobart Stickmate LX235 is really good too

OP I would save up some money
It will be cheaper and much better in the long run

>>385543
>>385591
Well damn. I guess I will just have to wait until I get a good job.