First welder?

[Anonymous No.1603397]

I've never touched a welder and I've only seen a few youtube videos, but I want to learn and I have the chance to get a welder within the $100-$150 range for free.
Should I go for the hazard fraught flux 125 or the amiibo arc140?

I've heard learning stick is harder but that it's the best place to start, but at the same time flux wire welding seems like it would take less effort to learn and I could start making things faster.

[cummy No.1603398]

>>1603397
>flux or stick
>aids or cancer

[Anonymous No.1603399]

Flux is definitely the way to go if you want to start on easy mode and have good consistent results. Point and shoot, simple hand rotation and good flow. Fpr stick youre gonna control feed with your hand at the same time which can be like rubbing your belly and patting your head but its not too complex either, you just have to take care of your rods. Theyre sensitive to humidity so they need to be in an airtight space. Not too complex but just one of those little things that help with consistently learning with similar stuff. Other than that, its just practice practice practice. good luck familam

>i like wire because less to change out, walk up, open bottle and flip switch, weld.

[Anonymous No.1603402]

>>1603398
well what process would you recommend?

>>1603399
Thanks for the advice! How difficult is it to tune in the feed speed on a flux welder? Because I feel that could be similar to the frustrations of speed with a stick welder

[cummy No.1603404]

>>1603402
>well what process would you recommend?
What are you trying to weld???

[Anonymous No.1603408]

>>1603404
Mild steel from home Depot

[cummy No.1603411]

>>1603408
Don't buy metal from home depot, for the 20 dollars you pay for a 1x1 piece of 1/4in plate you can get 40lbs of pipe or tubing or angle iron or plate from a steel yard scrap pile.

What are you making, what are you doing?

[Anonymous No.1603413]

>>1603397
I have that black one and I like it. I can half ass use a stick but the cheap harborfreight stick will convince you that you are absolutely retarded. It wouldn't make you a better welder like a cheap set of tools might actually make you a better mechanic.

[Anonymous No.1603414]

>>1603411
Good advice on the scrap yard metal, I'll definitely do that.

I figured I'd start welding stuff like tables and chairs and build up to making more tools and eventually stuff like go karts.

[cummy No.1603416]

>>1603414
You should really see if you can make the stretch to get a MIG over a fluxcore, it's just not a fun time using fluxcore machines, especially if you plan on ever welding anything under 1/8th inch.
Check Craig's list and offerup for a welder, I've got all my gas cylinders off offerup for like 20 dollars each when the weld supply shop told me 350 dollars for a full customer owned tank.
I'd honestly rather weld with oxy acetylene over fluxcore lol, it's more versatile.

[Anonymous No.1603420]

>>1603416
But most of what I'd be making would be between 1/8" and 1" steel. I wish I could find a better used welder but I've been searching for a few weeks and there hasn't been anything under $500.

Are there any real benefits to stick or is wire welding superior in every way?

[cummy No.1603424]

>>1603420
Stick is cheap and simple, no need for a gas bottle, reliable, no moving parts, dead ass simple, you barely even need to clean what you're welding, it'll burn through paint and rust. It's the ultimate down and dirty get err done welding process, it's not the prettiest but it works and it's cheap.
Fluxcore is similar to stick weld in those aspects but easier to use, slightly more expensive, both are good for doing structural fabrication like making a staircase or mezzanine or some industrial type shit like that.
If you're working on cars or something more intricate and detailed I would never ever consider a stick welder, that's mig and tig all the way.
Mig will make WAY nicer welds too, they come out beautiful once you get it down.

[Anonymous No.1603516]

If you want to learn to weld properly and have some versatility, get the stick. It's harder to start with and sometimes a pain in the ass, but it's always something you can fall back on.
On the other hand if you just want to make things quickly from new materials, flux is probably a better choice.

[Anonymous No.1603522]

>>1603397
>hazard fraught
Stop talking like that shit heel.

[cummy No.1603526]

>>1603516
Stop watching AvE
Your post is invalid.
Both are valid welding processes, neither is above the other, both are useful and valuable and used widely in all industries.
>it's more difficult to do x so you should pick that
Wtf kind of logic is that lol

[Anonymous No.1603536]

>>1603526
Because there are principles of welding that are necessary in stick that you won't necessarily pick up by mig alone but understanding them will improve your ability and quality.

[cummy No.1603540]

>>1603536
What principles are those?
I've done both, and mig and tig

[Anonymous No.1603570]

>>1603540
Not that guy, the only thing I can think of is the constant current/voltage of mig vs everything else.

I've mostly done mig and stick and I'm not sure what the dude might be talking about. I guess there's also faffing with the feed rate as you're beginning.

[Anonymous No.1603577]

>>1603398
Thanks for emphasizing the 4chan attitude is complete balls for anything other than shitposting

[Anonymous No.1603579]

>>1603526
>>1603522
cummy, why are you so inconsistent with your trip? why do you suck ass

[cummy No.1603595]

>>1603577
Wtf are you talking about lol, I already saved this dude hundreds, if not thousands of dollars by steering him away from home depot as a source of steel for projects and/or learning
>>1603411
You choose to only see the negativity in my posts, completely ignoring all the help and knowledge I supply.
>>1603579
nobody here suckin ass but yo momma with my dingle berries stuck in her teeth lmao

[Anonymous No.1603597]

>>1603595

what's it like having the maturity of a 10 year old

[cummy No.1603601]

>>1603597
Reply again

[Anonymous No.1603604]

OP here

So I'm guessing that for my purposes I'm gonna want the flux 125 because so far no one's given me any real reason to ever learn stick?

[Anonymous No.1603619]

>>1603399
>open bottle and flip switch, weld.
>open bottle
for flux core wire?
stop giving welding advice now.

[Anonymous No.1603622]

Find an old Lincoln electric tombstone buzz box and learn to stick weld first.

[Anonymous No.1603623]

>>1603622
What's your logic for doing this over going to flux core initially instead?

[Anonymous No.1603625]

>>1603619
U dumb

[Anonymous No.1603629]

>>1603623
Few reasons. First, it's /diy/, he's new and not likely wanting to spend a lot. $200 will get you a good quality, used stick welder, or a piece of shit whose cheap ass gun and wire feed system that's going to have to shouting obscenities. If something goes wrong with your stick weld, it was most likely your technique, not your shitty equipment with a bunch of moving parts.

You can weld up high easier

You often need a stick cert before you get your wire cert

And it's cheaper to by a small bin of rods than a whole roll of wire when you're dealing with an uncommon materials scenario

[Anonymous No.1603634]

>>1603629
You make some good points, but since all my welding will be on mild steel and won't be anything truly structural, is it still worth it to try and learn stick as a hobby?

[Anonymous No.1603653]

>>1603634
>but since all my welding will be on mild steel and won't be anything truly structural, is it still worth it to try and learn stick as a hobby?

not him but:

depends on how thicc the steel is. if it is 3mm or less then stick will burn through it very easily but for thicker plate I'd take stick over flux core any day of the week because I find it much more forgiving in letting you take multiple runs. if you nail your root run then it's easy to lay flat filler runs on top until you fill up the plate.

[Anonymous No.1603695]

OP here, is it even worth getting the HF flux 125? It's an AC output machine and I've read that flux core is supposed to be DC output.

Maybe I should suck it up and learn stick?

[Anonymous No.1603712]

>>1603526
Stop being an absolute fucking retard, then maybe I'll write a serious response to your crappy post.

[Anonymous No.1603716]

>>1603695
If it really is AC output, then yeah, you should probably avoid it.

[Anonymous No.1603721]

>>1603579
>It's inconceivable that more than one person dislikes that know-it-all Canadian.

[Anonymous No.1603723]

>>1603716
I don't really understand what the difference between AC and DC is, but someone on a welding forum says that flux core on AC is basically just glorified brazing. Is that true?

[Anonymous No.1603734]

>>1603595
Bro, you replied directly to two of my posts, one with your trip and one without>>1603721
baka

[cummy No.1603754]

>>1603712
Stay mad faggot lol

>>1603734
>>1603721
Lol I fucking love how this dude is so asspained by me that he thinks I'm sandbagging, it's great

[cummy No.1603758]

>>1603754
Lol fucking phone
Samefagging*

[Anonymous No.1603813]

>>1603723
>Is that true?
No.

[Anonymous No.1603833]

>>1603813
Then why is AC bad?

[Anonymous No.1603834]

I impulse bought a 120 volt, 80A max inverter stick welder.
It was on clearance at Tractor Supply so I got it for $60.

Its been sitting in a box for several months, I havent even opened it. Ive already learned how to stick weld, I wonder how well its going to do once I get around to it.

[Anonymous No.1603835]

>>1603834
That's a great deal! I got a bunch of cash for tutoring some tards in chemistry and the first thing I wanted to do was learn welding. Would you recommend starting stick?

[Anonymous No.1603836]

The eastwood 135 is a good start with a good warranty. also the hobart.

pls dont get harbor fright shit.

[Anonymous No.1603839]

>>1603835
If you're welding machinery or structures, sure.
If you're welding sheet metal and thinner steel, go mig
If you're welding stainless or aluminum, go tig.

[Anonymous No.1603842]

>>1603839
Tig doesn't do well on 3/8" stainless plate

[Anonymous No.1603856]

>>1603833
>Then why is AC bad?
The arc when welding AC starts and stops 60 times per second.
DC is a continuous arc and much smoother to use.
If using stick, you can choose rods intended for AC use for AC only welders.
On DC, some rods work better with DCEP while others specify DCEN
On MIG (with gas) you set for DCEP
On flux core DC you set for DCEN
On flux core AC there is no setting

[Anonymous No.1603874]

Started welding in December. Tried stick first...yuck. You'll thank me if you hold out and get a MIG welder.

[Anonymous No.1603880]

I'm the poster who started 6010 stick welding. It's challenging. I recommend working with someone who's had experience with it, and is good.

Tig is even more challenging.

Stick is...by far the cheapest if I can recall. You basically hook a welder to a stinger/holder, then scratch the surface of what you're welding. Too long an arc and there's fucking splatter everywhere,

[Anonymous No.1603896]

>>1603880
thanks for the advice. I wish I knew someone who was actually good, but instead I have a cohort of people who learned stick way back in highschool who want to "help me get started"

[Anonymous No.1603927]

>>1603416
>You should really see if you can make the stretch to get a MIG over a fluxcore

As much as I hate to agree with crummy, this. Once you have a welder you are going to find all kinds of uses for it and after about month two of using a flux core you are going to outgrow that shit and wish you spent the money on a MIG/TIG set up the first time. Same kind of philosophy with air compressors, don’t cheap out.

[Anonymous No.1604031]

>>1603856
>The arc when welding AC starts and stops 60 times per second.
I would hope not.

[Anonymous No.1604070]

>>1604031
>I would hope not.
You're right, it starts and stops 120 times per second.
mybad

[Anonymous No.1604072]

>>1604070
A nice frequency for AC is more like 200Hz, so 400 times a second, but not really because the plasma isn't going to break down that quickly even at 60Hz.

[Anonymous No.1604075]

>>1604072
It's a 60Hz welder - HF transformer.
The polarity of the arc changes with cycles.
Even though the arc isn't actually extinguished, the effect is going from EP to EN in sync with the AC current.

[Anonymous No.1604104]

>>1604075
>the effect is going from EP to EN in sync with the AC current.
I know what you mean, I'm maybe being a bit consomething - I forget the word - bit thought it worth pointing out that the plasma/arc is always there. I believe decades back when they needed to DC weld alu they'd pulse the arc on and off to 'knock off' the oxide layer.

[Anonymous No.1604119]

>>1603397

A welder actually worth buying is going to be about 5 times your budget minimum for a well used one. You'd be better off super gluing or epoxying than running a $100 welder on something you're actually going to put time and effort into

[Anonymous No.1604125]

>>1604119

Alternatively, if you aren't working with anything over 1/4 plate, have an open work space and you aren't going to be using it every day, you could buy/lease an oxy-aceteleyne bottle setup. This would also allow you to make torch cuts with the proper torch body

[Anonymous No.1604127]

>>1604125
>>1604119

I've seen people both on youtube and in real life using under $200 welders and they make some pretty neat stuff. If you aren't going into it as a diehard career and you just wanna have it as a hobby/toy I think it's worth it.

[Anonymous No.1604128]

>>1603835
Honestly, stick is the way to go for quick and dirty garbage you'll probably do in the garage.
Learn it first as it's the most useful for the everyday guy, wont be invested in welding if you dont like it

[Anonymous No.1604167]

>>1604127
For sure this, a lot of the 'you get what you pay for' crowd here are almost suggesting you buy a workhorse that would really be used in a business/industrial setting. The main drawback to the cheap units are that they have shit cycle times, if you're welding anything substantial you'll be taking breaks on the reg. I agree with the stick suggestion, although it's easier to convert a tig to stick than the other way. I would not suggest a beginner hobbyist go north of a grand on anything.

On the old transformer units, they can be interesting but in general are a bit of a false economy, they're bigger and heavier and generally more annoying, HOWEVER are much easier to home service. It's even possible to turn a DC tig unit into AC IF it's of the old transformer variety. Personally not for me.

[Anonymous No.1604212]

>>1603397
if you are only going to weld some steel every now and then get the cheaper one, which should be the stick one. it should be good for most everything non-"exotic". you are gonna have to learn on either so, go cheap. learn and test on test pieces first, use same material as the ones you will weld afterwards

[Anonymous No.1604234]

Weld with stick = Has BIG DICK
Weld with mig = Wife is PIG
Weld with tig = Wife fuck NIG

[cummy No.1604340]

>>1604234
TIG is the best and most versatile welding process, sorry you're too poor for a decent TIG setup kek

[Anonymous No.1604400]

>>1604340
can't you jerry rig a stick welder to do tig?

[Anonymous No.1604412]

>>1603398
stick is great for budget diy purposes you gigantic fag

[Anonymous No.1604414]

>>1603619
>doesn't know there's a fuckton of flux cored wires that require shielding gas and others that don't
>stop giving welding advice now.
How ironic

[cummy No.1604416]

>>1604400
Yes but not having square wave DC, or a foot pedal, or high frequency start sucks fucking ass.
Scratch start tig is fuckinging awful, I hate using it.

[cummy No.1604417]

>>1604416
Square wave AC* kek
You also dont get pre flow or post flow settings, or a pulser

[Anonymous No.1604442]

Since there is no other welding thread up:
I am planing to build a 3d printer out of stainless steel profiles for its frame, since i got cheap access to them and i really like the look of those, but i dont have a welder to make a cube for the frame etc. Can i just j.b. weld that shit together? The tensions resistance dont need to be so good for a 3d printer.

Anyone got any experience?

[Anonymous No.1604450]

>>1604417
>Square wave AC
>>1604416
A lot of AC TIG units do not do square wave AC. Aside from the obvious that AC TIG is less common and more expensive than DC, units that use analog circuitry will tend not to have square wave output, or not good square wave. The more modern power electronics welders often even have an option to round out the square waves they produce to give that classic transformer feel.

[cummy No.1604486]

>>1604450
>A lot of AC TIG units do not do square wave AC. Aside from the obvious that AC TIG is less common and more expensive than DC, units that use analog circuitry will tend not to have square wave output,
I'm aware of this, I'm speaking of inverter units.
Nobody really uses or buys transformer machines at this point, there's nothing to gain other than 200lbs and a cool looking fridge sized box

[Anonymous No.1604496]

>>1603397
take the 150, save another 150 and buy a dc tig

[Anonymous No.1604512]

>>1604416
Welp, cummy just outted himself as shop bitch only, time to filter

[Anonymous No.1604530]

>>1604414
>fuckton of flux cored wires that require shielding gas
need a list, please

[Anonymous No.1604540]

Is it easier to start practicing on 110 stick or 110 tig? I have a machine that does both in 110 or 220 but I don't have 220 power yet.

[Anonymous No.1604544]

>>1604512
that faggot outed himself a long long time ago

[Anonymous No.1604546]

>>1604540
is it inverter or transformer? not sure about tig but with stick inverters seem to be able to handle the lower voltage better. you can't even tell the difference with my everlast. on 110 i use 3/32 rods, no idea how well the 1/8 rods would work

[Anonymous No.1604563]

>>1603397
>Should I go for the hazard fraught flux 125 or the amiibo arc140?

see if they'll let you have this 160A
60% duty cycle at 160A
comes with 120v adapter pigtail
usable leads and clamps included

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ARC-160D-160-Amp-Stick-ARC-DC-Inverter-Welder-110V-230V-Dual-Voltage-Welding/152464117773

[Anonymous No.1604566]

how dangerous is 1000w at 9 amps?

[Anonymous No.1604602]

>>1604563
damn thats a lot nicer than the arc140. The dude who's paying me is giving me 70 flat, and then I have 30 dollars from another person I tutored so I will barely have the 100 for the arc140.

[Anonymous No.1604612]

>>1604602
>damn thats a lot nicer than the arc140
Yes, it's a really nice inverter welder.
I purchased mine for ~$150 delivered.
I already had a Lincoln AC225 and a MIG but really wanted a DC stick.
It's so quiet it's scary - I called the distributor because the fan didn't come on.
"Anon, you haven't made it work hard enough to use the fan."
"Get back to us if you have any problems."
I got serious with it and the fan comes on fine when it warms up.

[cummy No.1604639]

>>1604512
>>1604544
I'm better than you lol

[Anonymous No.1604679]

>>1604530
https://m.lincolnelectric.com/en-ca/consumables/flux-cored-wires-gas-shielded/Pages/flux-cored-wires-gas-shielded.aspx
And that's only Lincoln

[Anonymous No.1605230]

>>1604546
Thanks, I'll play around with the smaller rods on stick first. It's an inverter.

[Anonymous No.1605266]

>>1604563
>60% duty cycle at 160A
That's pretty good.

[Anonymous No.1605293]

>>1603397
just get 60% duty cycle

[Anonymous No.1605860]

My first welder, just make sure to use the good coat hangers

[Anonymous No.1607023]

>>1604639
>can't even scratch start
tig root on pipe is almost always scratch start, a prissy little shop bitch like you wouldn't last 3 hours on a serious job site

[cummy No.1607076]

>>1607023
I can scratch start, that's how I first learned TIG, it's fucking trash lol

[Anonymous No.1607593]

>>1603398

[Anonymous No.1607596]

>>1603414
Yeah man. Hell offer to haul off pickup loads of scrap metal for free with a buddy. Weld what you want and scrao the reat for gas and materials to keep welding and

[Anonymous No.1607608]

>>1603522
New Harbor Freight opens in town. Never been to one.
Keep a handful of sockets, wrenches, and specialty tools of craftsman, sk, mac, snap on, and knipex.
Sell my shit for $6,000 and a raptor. Sell raptor for $10k.

Buy all new shit and even more than i ever had for about $8,000. So much more new power tools and shop equipment. Buy 3 big hf toolboxes and change out slides on drawers for 200 pounders.

Trade a so-so assortment of tools off for an entire new shop full of new tools. Pocket $8,000 cash. Go buy $8,000 in welding gear and plate. Spend a week drinking beer and $1,500 in metal. Maybe $500 in mechanisms, wire, beer. Sell on payments for $5,000. Come and get it when it's paid for. $6,000 with 3 monthly payment skip forgiveness and delivery.
Spend 1 week drinking beer and fucking off with buddies. Tripple my money.

Give welderbros collective $1,000 cash per safe built split however they see fit. Give $1,000 cash if anyone brings me a customer that buys.

>mfw bored and jerking my dick. Harbor frieght made me enough to quit my job and ahitpost from a shop office while all bros are getting paid and i got fuckall for overhead.

Descent people paid well will treat their job like an investment and protect it at all costs like a mama bear.

Mfw make roughly 180k, grow company, basically do nothing now that machine shop manager bro semi retire and we built him an office.


>mfw "hazard fraught" will make me a millionaire several times over while i litterally just lounge around and shitpost all day

[Anonymous No.1607611]

>>1607608
uh huh

[Anonymous No.1607618]

>>1603526
FUCK I HATE AVE. Can't stand that yankee leaf faggot.

Find real guys to watch that arent cucks

[Anonymous No.1608200]

Got me this one for 120 euro
It welds 4mm rods at max amperage, once I put it through 4kg of 3.2mm rods and it did fine
I don't use it everyday but the times I do I can't complain

[Anonymous No.1609239]

>>1607618
cummypost

[Anonymous No.1609261]

Are harbor freight welding rods any good?
They are really cheap

[Anonymous No.1609292]

If you aren’t using a shielding gas you’re not gonna have a good time

[Anonymous No.1609469]

>>1609261

Dunno about the hazard freight ones.
but the 6013 3.2mm is like 20 bucks a tin and weld fine.
Ofcourse a oerlikon or a lincoln welds better. but not 3x the price better

[Anonymous No.1609471]

>>1609469
the ones I buy here at the other side of the pond i mean

[Anonymous No.1609489]

>>1604340

tig is for flambouyant gays larping while they tack weld some prefab exhaust they bought for a piece of shit car they know nothing about

you havent seen shit and theres a reason TIG is only used in extremely specific applications

just because you're trash at fabricating anything that isnt already drawn out by an engineer but good at flicking your wrists around like a faggot while he makes shiny and pretty little welds doesnt make stick irrelevant

i am confident to speak for everyone on this board when i say this;

i take shits i think more highly of than you, take the hint and realize nobody wants you here

[Anonymous No.1609490]

>>1609489
>while he makes shiny and pretty little welds

if that triggers you so badly, you should seek counseling anon. you have issues.

[Anonymous No.1609500]

>>1609489
This post right here is why most welding should be minimum wage. It attracts the dumbest high school dropouts.

Wont be long till the Mexicans steal the welding jobs too, wont be too hard

[Anonymous No.1609983]

>>1609489
>TIG is only used in extremely specific applications
If by "extremely specific applications" you mean things like "stainless steel assemblies that the client wants to look clean" then yeah sure.

[crummy No.1610030]

>>1609489
>tries to flex on me and it backfires
YIKES
looks like you got brain problems lol

[Anonymous No.1610304]

Total noob in welding here:
What do I need to get started when I need to weld sheet-metal for exaust-repairs and stuff like that?
My muffler is in a pretty bad condition and I won't pads inspection that way, OEM parts are unavailable and since it's not exactly a popular model the aftermarket sucks.

[Anonymous No.1610311]

>>1610304
5/64 th rods. Almost definitely special order.


Unless you live near my Walmart. They keep em in stock. Crazy as that seems.

[Anonymous No.1610316]

>>1610311
I don't live near any Walmart.
We used to have one like 10 years ago, but they cut their losses and left my country.

[Anonymous No.1610318]

>>1610311
What does 5/64 th stand for?
Is that some kind of aloy or something?

[Anonymous No.1610320]

>>1610318
5/64 of an inch

[Anonymous No.1610321]

>>1610320
They're skinny little fuckers that run on bassically zero amps. You could probably burn them with a 9 volt battery.

[Anonymous No.1610322]

>>1610304
Get a cheap MIG or if you can find a set of oxy/acetylene tanks and a torch, youshould be able to weld any sheet metal. Just need some rods and your all set.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6HVJHsOGa0

[Anonymous No.1610329]

>>1610320
Ok, never realy used non-metric units.
>>1610322
Is there anything special to consider about the gear if I buy it?
Do I need anything besides tanks, torch, rods, goggles and gloves?
The welding process looks kind of simmilar to soldering with a blowtorch, if I can do that, will I be able to weld with that?
Can I weld aluminium with it as well?

[Anonymous No.1610339]

>>1610329
Better off with a MIG. Oxy welding is pretty expensive in most places. It’s also got a steep learning curve

[Anonymous No.1610353]

>>1610339
I looked around a little, CFH SF 3100 costs ~80€ including gas, oxgen and goggles while MIG welders cost multiple times as much.
How much do I need to weld to make up the difference in price or is it total trash?

[Anonymous No.1610365]

>>1610353
You won’t be welding much with those little bottles. Likely less then 30 min total run time. They are meant more for HVAC techs brazing AC lines which is where oxy/acetylene really shines. Sure you COULD use it to weld body panels but why would you when there’s far better options like MIG or TIG? MIG will cost you more up front sure but you’re gonna get so much more out of it and operating costs are quite low. If you don’t wanna buy gas right away you can always start with flux core just make sure you buy a machine capable of using gas

Honestly depending what you’re doing welding can pay for itself very quickly. My $2000 MIG setup paid for itself in less then a year. My $500 stick paid for itself the first time I used it.

[Anonymous No.1610483]

Stick welder 35 currency. A pack of sticks is 3.99.

Buy today or hope there's better later?

[Anonymous No.1610492]

>>1610365
What kind of money would a useable TIG welder cost in germany?
I have no real ambitions to weld thick stuff, mostly sheet metal fabrication and repairs, maybe some aluminium tubing.

[Anonymous No.1610581]

>>1610492
no idea but in the US it's around $1500 for a decent machine plus the gas. if you currently have nothing you're also looking at gloves, helmet, grinder, spare consumables etc

[Anonymous No.1610606]

>>1603397
If you are looking for a 120v machine, price in the cost of upgrading one of the power supplies in your garage to 30A if you dont have it already.

You can do all the work yourself. In addition to switching out the breaker, you need to install thicker wire. Easy way to do it: At the breaker box when the old 15 or 20A breaker is removed, do a lineman splice between the smaller gauge wire in the wall and the replacement on its coil. Solder it up. Once the joint is cool, cover it with shrink tube to make sure there are no square edges to hang up in the wall.

Then, go to your garage and track down the other end of the wire. You will almost certainly have to check all of the outlets until you get lucky, as they will likely all daisy chain off of one. Continuity test is your hero.

Anyways disconnect it from whatever receptacle it is on and pull the cable through the wall. The thicker wire will get pulled along the route and when it reaches you, trim off the old wire and install a new higher amperage GFI outlet (dont be a cheap nigger get a GFI). Assuming none of your outlets are rated for 30A you will have to also replace all of the daisy chain wires and outlets on the circuit, so have fun, just perform the runs using the same method as the primary line.

I redid my garages wiring with 30A for about $60.

[Anonymous No.1610669]

If you go with Harbor Freight, don't get the little cheap one, it doesn't have even have a rectifier so it is welding with mig wire on AC.... yes it can stick metal together but it is shit. Anything that does proper flux core MIG welding on DC is fine.... but don't use the HF wire. Use Lincoln wire at a minimum, but preferably INE (expensive, not good for structural welds) or supposedly the best... blue demon wire. INE and BD don't spatter and welds look like you spread silver butter.

[Anonymous No.1610679]

>>1610483
Its going to be junk, but its so cheap might as well buy it

[Anonymous No.1610759]

>>1610492
I got the „TIG 200E AC/DC Pulse“ from DB Weissenstein for 850€. Comes with a WP17 up/down torch, gas hose, some consumables and heavy ground and stick clamp.

If you search for „TIG 200E...“ you find some machines with same specs and different branding and front plate from 500€ (Plus shipping and taxes from china) up to 1700$ (Duralloy).

Machines without AC are half the price.

[Anonymous No.1610844]

Oh hey was about to make my own thread hope its ok if I post here.

I want to buy a TIG welder, I'm somewhat experienced. I've played with the hazard fraught one and it was alright but I wouldn't be against spending a little more for something premium.

https://www.harborfreight.com/ProTIG-200-Industrial-Welder-with-120240-Volt-Input-63619.html

Says "compare to Lincoln TIG 200" so I was thinking about that one if I ever see a deal pop up somewhere?

All I know is I want to be able to weld aluminum, and I want high frequency start. If I could have other settings to use thats fucking sweet too.

Is this a good deal? Has a water cooler even.
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/tls/d/atlanta-lincoln-squarewave-tig-255/6860943418.html

First TIG welder I ever used was water cooled and then some time later I got to use that hazard fraught one I can't say what the water cooling even does? Tungsten cools down faster? Better duty cycle?

[Anonymous No.1610871]

>>1610606
>pull the cable through the wall.

are you for real? pulling 10 AWG through where the 14 AWG was?

what if it's going through studs? if it's tacked somewhere along the route?

[Anonymous No.1610903]

If I want to make my own exhaust and weld on new body parts where old one's spot welds were drilled out what welder would work best for those two scenarios and be easy to use?

[crummy No.1610905]

>>1610903
MIG for sure

[Anonymous No.1611186]

>>1610759
Those DB Weissenstein ones arent bad machines. My old man got one of those 4 roller mig welders.
While not a Kemppi it is heaps better than those 200 buck china specials

[Anonymous No.1611307]

>>1607076
It's the only way it's done on site. Nobody has pedals and high frequency shit. Hell, you're lucky if you even get a remote. Half the time you set it to what you want, and get the apprentice to run down the structure and make adjustments as needed.

[Anonymous No.1611313]

>>1607608
Big risk big rewards.

[crummy No.1611315]

>>1611307
Cool?
>I'm tough because I have shit equipment that isnt as easy or feature filled
>I'm tough because I have to touch the workpiece to establish an arc vs pushing a pedal
Tradies are a cringe bunch for sure.

[Anonymous No.1611470]

>>1611315
Not saying it's cool, just pointing out that it's not the end of the world if you don't have HF start. Obviously the more features, the easier of a time you'll have. That's why I don't tell noobs to start with a fixed shade lens like old-timers always say, because auto lenses are so commonplace that there's very few reasons to not use one. But the point is, people manage x-ray welds with scratch start, on simple machines that don't have pulse or anything. The quality of the weld depends almost entirely on the skill of the welder, and relatively little on the particular features of the welding machine, so for someone in the market for a tig welder, not having HF start is not the end of the world because it doesn't make or break the weld.

[Anonymous No.1611474]

>>1611470
>The quality of the weld depends almost entirely on the skill of the welder, and relatively little on the particular features of the welding machine,

a mild exaggeration, to say the least. That's like saying a good race car driver can win even if the rookie's car can corner twice as well. Equipment matters, or at least that's what your mom said.

[Anonymous No.1611480]

>>1611474
The thing we're actually talking about, HF start, is the difference between a car with roll up windows and power ones. It's a convenience thing, and if you want to eliminate any potential trace of tungsten inclusions you just need to grind your starts. In terms of tig welding, so long as the machine can keep a stable arc at the desired current, it's good enough. Anything on top of that is a bonus.

[crummy No.1611705]

>>1611470
Scratch start is garbage dude, it's all YOU need, but I'm doing work that needs high freq or lift arc, not a fucking scratch start, I need post flow, I need a foot pedal.
I don't care how bare bones your rig is lol, it might fit YOUR needs as a pipe welder, but it doesn't fit MY needs.

[Anonymous No.1611711]

>>1611705
>but I'm doing work that needs high freq or lift arc
You don't NEED it. Literally the one thing it saves you from doing is grinding your starts. That's it. It's nice to have, sure. But it is not integral to your work, stop lying.
>I need post flow
Aka leave the gas on for a bit when you break the arc.
>I need a foot pedal
Only if you're welding very thin material, and even then it's just a matter of breaking the arc and adjusting the machine.

Again, all of these things are desirable because they are convenient. But they are not absolutely necessary, so stop whining about it.

[crummy No.1611722]

>>1611711
Breaking the arc means removing gas coverage retard
I do weld thin material, I went 22ga body panels routinely

[Anonymous No.1611913]

>>1611722
Flick your wrist to the side and back, hover over the stop and then turn off the gas. Breaks the arc while minimizing loss of coverage. That split second loss of direct gas flow makes no difference, because you still have residual argon coverage.

>but muh critical high spec body panel welds need absolute perfection
Sure thing pal.

[crummy No.1611920]

>>1611913
>pulling coverage away from a stainless weld
Yeah the whole point if tor it to NOT look like shit

[Anonymous No.1611938]

>>1611920
I weld stainless all the time at work m8, that technique makes it looks fine. With a pedal, it's obviously easier to tail off the current and not have use any special techniques as a workaround (plus not risk any pinholes in the stop), but your insistence that you NEED all this shit paints you as an amateur.

Also, it's funny you're so adamant about it not looking like shit when you post this>>1611705

[crummy No.1611967]

>>1611938
Welding thin stainless, post flow is a big deal, welding thick it doesn't matter.
With thin metal it stays glowing red hot for 5 or more seconds, hence why I use a number 12 gas lens with a 10 second post flow, otherwise it's a mess.
What about that pic looks bad?

[Anonymous No.1611982]

Your first welder should be a lincoln powermig 210mp. Save the money, bite the bullet and buy a modern, quality, dual voltage multi-process machine that is objectively good. If you are interested in welding, you are probably going to be doing it in some form or fashion for the rest of your life, if not as a profession, at least for MRO or a hobby. Jody with welding tips and tricks thinks it is a good machine, and that makes it an excellent machine for mere mortals.

For the record, I don't own that machine, it came out about 6 months after I was in the market for a mig.

[Anonymous No.1611986]

>>1604566
Very.

[Anonymous No.1611993]

>>1609983
I think it's differences in perspective, depends on where you've come from and what you're doing. I think for most people TIG is recognized as a good generalist process, you can weld most things with it at a wide range of thicknesses and angles and processes. I can see how someone might think of it as specific if you're in a shop or something and many jobs are MIG jobs or MMA or stick jobs, and then TIG seems to sort of mop up the rest.

[crummy No.1612001]

>>1611982
I agree with this, but recommend the Miller 215 or 220, the mp210 TIG is an afterthought, the Miller lets you leave both argon and tig bottles attached and each has it's own solenoid.
Much better thought out machine imo

[Anonymous No.1612272]

>>1611967
>What about that pic looks bad?
Your bead is all over the fucking place (insofar as we're using professional standards, not babby's first welds like some people post). I don't like to criticize the appearance of welds online, and I'm sure the weld itself is sound, but you're the one jerking off about how appearance is such a high priority.

[crummy No.1612281]

>>1612272
Where is the bead all over the place, can you trace it for me?

[Anonymous No.1612283]

>>1612281
Again, if you want to go by amateur standards, it's fine. If you want to go by professional standards, it's clearly visible that your dipping is inconsistent, such that the weld appearance is not uniform. Stop-starts are especially noticeable. Don't want to be judged by those standards? Don't make yourself out to be a shithot pro whose work necessitates top of the line gear.

[Anonymous No.1612284]

>>1612281
>this is the same guy who talks shit about everybody
l m a o

[crummy No.1612285]

>>1612283
>he actually did it
Lol I'm not even gonna read this reply because I don't give a fuck what you think
Reply to me again tho

[Anonymous No.1612333]

>>1612285
When I first joined these threads, everyone seemed to shit on you and I couldn't figure out why. Now I know.

[crummy No.1612348]

>>1612333
I don't care

[piled corn !stuUhkKwfw No.1612491]

>>1612333

anyone with even a sliver of self worth would take the hint and not let himself be constantly disrespected by people that obviously dont want him around

[crummy No.1612573]

>>1612491
Whoa dude, disrespect from anons on 4chan, the ultimate in shame!

[Anonymous No.1612578]

>>1612491
He doesn't have to leave; he's at least posting welds, which is rare enough in these threads. He just has to stop acting like an insufferable faggot, which really isn't that hard. Everyone else seems to manage.

[Anonymous No.1612613]

>>1612348
>key lime la croix
That is the worst flavor.

[Anonymous No.1612616]

>>1612613
It's just for his spit. No one would be mad enough to eat or drink around their welding work station

[crummy No.1612618]

>>1612613
Wtf you're high, it tastes just like lime skittles (RIP lime)
Coconut>berry>key lime>grapefruit

[Anonymous No.1612642]

>>1612616
lel the shop where I did my internship for my welding degree had no cafeteria so that's what everybody did

[crummy No.1613023]

Hot side almost done, just gotta weld it out with a back purge

[Anonymous No.1613341]

>>1604234
Honestly this whole argument about different processes is fucking retarded. You're not a good welder if you can't do all 5 common processes to some degree.

[Anonymous No.1613344]

>>1613341
It's just cope for monoprocess shitters.
If you can make instagram-tier TIG welds but can't stick weld for shit you're just not a good welder

[Anonymous No.1613345]

>>1613344
checked and on point

[Anonymous No.1613729]

>>1613341
This. It's ok to be stronger in one kind than another, just because you normally tend to do one process on the job (I only ever use stick and tig at work, haven't touched wire feed since school). But a professional welder should be able to use all processes to a passable degree. Ultimately, it's melting and fusing metal with electricity (or hot gas), so it's not as if there's a world of difference between them all. If you understand the theory behind it, and your hand skills are at a decent level, there should be no reason that you can't run any process if you're a professional welder.

[Anonymous No.1614246]

>>1611993
What the fuck is what you britbongs are calling mma? Am I supposed to karate chop metal together until it fuses?

[Anonymous No.1614272]

>>1613344
sounds like he would be an excellent tig welder, if youre an excillent lathe man but suck ass on the boring mill it doesnt make you not a machinist. we just call you a lathe specialist and stick u on a fuckin lathe.

sounds like ur mad someone is more better at a thing than u are

[Anonymous No.1614349]

>>1614246
Apparently it's "manual metal arc" welding, ie. stick.

[Anonymous No.1614419]

>>1614272
way to completely miss the point

[Anonymous No.1614854]

flux for stuff around the house. You wont need stick if you don't weld heavy metal. On the other hand, you can set up a stick welder to do tig. for like ~$60 plus gas and filler.
Stick if your goal is to 'learn to weld' and nothing more.

[Anonymous No.1614932]

>>1604563
This welder is fucking great. I work maintenance in a steel mill, and they picked up one of these for us for smaller jobs. Plus it weighs almost nothing.

[Anonymous No.1615028]

>>1614854
IMO, for an all around welding outfit, a box that can do stick and tig is the best for around the house. Tig for thinner stuff and precision work, stick for everything else. As you say, a basic stick machine can do tig as well, so that would be the cheapest option. The only downside compared to wire feed is the learning curve.

[Anonymous No.1615058]

>>1613023
you really need to learn how to be more consistent. those welds look like they were done by a 6 year old learning MIG

[Anonymous No.1615124]

>>1615058
>inb4 "reply to me again"

[Anonymous No.1615127]

>>1615058

>posts kindergarten welds
>thinks hes a welding prodigy

guys a complete tool

reply to me to cummy

fucking loser faggot

[Anonymous No.1615551]

lotsa welders here so I'll ask something real quick
I'm learning to stick weld and the stick... sticks. all the time
why could it be?

[Anonymous No.1615553]

>>1615551
Your amperage might be a tad too low but honestly it's usually a technique thing. Try starting the arc with the rod like how you'd light a match.

[Anonymous No.1615568]

>>1615553
thanks man

[Anonymous No.1615577]

>>1615568
No problem breh
What rods are you using? Some types require different striking techniques than others.

[Anonymous No.1615641]

>>1615553
>Try starting the arc with the rod like how you'd light a match
To add to this, the reason it sticks is because the initial strike has too much rod tip surface area coming in contact with the base metal for the amount of current delivered. When you strike it like a match, incline the rod so that a smaller cross section of the tip contacts the work, and then return to an upright inclination once the arc is established. The less of the tip that touches, the easier the arc starts up.

Also, like he said, turning up the amps will help. If your machine has a hot start feature, turn that up too.

[Anonymous No.1616753]

>>1614349
wtf...I can tell you I do a lot of manual stick work in the bedroom...hahaha

[Anonymous No.1617036]

How the fuck do people keep steady in free hand keep touching the tip. Especially with alu.

[Anonymous No.1617046]

>>1614854
The stick welder posted is 110v and uses smaller rods, it might be better for around the house stuff than the AC fluxcore spatter machine

[Anonymous No.1617084]

>>1617036
How are you able to keep steady when writing with a pen? Similar concept.

[Anonymous No.1617171]

>>1617036
Boring and predictable answer but a lot of practice.

[piled corn !stuUhkKwfw No.1617616]

>>1617036

practice a bunch focusing on keeping your asshole clenched

then unclench your asshole and it will be a breeze in comparison

[Anonymous No.1618796]

>>1603404
1/2” stainless

[Anonymous No.1619188]

>>1618796
Get a cheap stick machine. You can do tig with it as well.

[Anonymous No.1619225]

>>1617036
it comes with time. using a plasma without a standoff will get you there pretty fucking fast or you'll go broke buying tips

[Anonymous No.1619524]

>>1603397
>learning stick is harder

[Anonymous No.1619527]

Get a good ol Ranger

[Anonymous No.1619722]

>>1619527
Fuck that new shit, a trusty SA-200 is all you need. I'm selling mine from 1968, $10k. No lowballers I know what I got.

[Anonymous No.1619726]

>>1619524
You blind fag just go in a straight line or lower your shade

[Anonymous No.1620694]

>>1603397
FLUX IS THE NO SKILL PLEB CHOICE, STICK IS THE PLEB FILTER WHICH HELPS WITH OTHER TYPE OF WELDING.

[Anonymous No.1620720]

>>1604442
I’m pretty sure the welds cool and shrink and warp your parts so they don’t make perfect 90 degree intersections. I remember seeing an instructor teach how to counter it with a laser on the part.

[Anonymous No.1620755]

>>1607608
Is this dude saying he opened a welding shop using harbor freight tools

[MrCrummy No.1620767]

>>1620694
Stop watching ave

[Anonymous No.1620943]

I just started welding and I have some issues I gotta figure out so I thought i'd come here.
What the fuck causes Porosity in my welds?
Like, the middle and ending are fine but when I inspect my beginning theres like 3 pin holes at the beginning.
Everything i've searched tells me how to fix Porosity, but nothing fucking is telling me whats causing it, if anyone here knows i'd greatly appreciate it so I can improve. Porosity is the fucking devil to me right now

[MrCrummy No.1621139]

>>1620943
What welding process are you using??

[Anonymous No.1621177]

>>1603397

Lol I just bought a PrimeWeld 225X TIG on Amazon and all I've ever done is OA welded over 100 folding chairs back together about 15 years ago.

[Anonymous No.1621188]

>>1620943
>nothing fucking is telling me whats causing it
uh what
It's either a lack of shielding gas/self-shielding flux or unclean metal.

[Anonymous No.1621197]

>>1620943
>theres like 3 pin holes at the beginning.
If it's stick, the electrode is probably hot enough. Strike an arc further down the joint, then bring the rod over to where you actually want to start, and weld over where you struck the arc. It takes a second or two for rods to get up to operating temp, and if you start welding before then you risk porosity, as the flux isn't hot enough to produce the amount of shielding gas and liquid coverage that is required.

If it's wire feed, could be some problem with the gas flow at the start of the weld. Or just dirty material, make sure you're not welding on rusted out garbage.

[Anonymous No.1622620]

>>1619524
I can't say that I havent done this a few times, but in my defense I had been at it for less than six months.

Also downhill but whatev

[Anonymous No.1623397]

>Taking welding class
>Just finished my first one
>See an ad in the paper, "WELDERS NEEDED, NEED MIG EXPERIENCE"
>Welding place is literally right never to me, I could walk to it
>I'm getting MIG experience next semester and have no idea how to use a MIG welder
Truly life is unfair

[Anonymous No.1623615]

>>1623397
>Truly life is unfair

talk about a fucking stupid conclusion from what you green texted. let me guess, when you were a kid you loved those sports leagues where you weren't allowed to keep score and everyone got a championship trophy just for being there.

[Anonymous No.1623621]

>>1623397
Maybe walk over and show em your stuff anyway genius

[Anonymous No.1624184]

>>1623397
>I need to learn stuff before getting money from doing it
What a tragedy

[Anonymous No.1624236]

>>1623397
Ding dong, if you can stick well, you can learn MIG. Bring them an example of your welding, look up how to set and run a might machine online, and go take their test. For.bonus points, get onto the floor, ask for the foreman, and look him in the eye and shake his hand while you ask.

If you pass, lookit there, you have a job.
If you fail, welp, try after next semester.