Capable, low-cost welding machine?

J

JoshEarl

Joined
Sep 30, 2007
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197
I'm interested in getting a small welding machine, but I'm confused by all the different types of welders out there.

Here's what I'm looking for: I'd like a small welder that can run on 110v AC and handle light to medium duty stuff, like welding the ends of a piece of cable for cable damascus, or maybe making small tools out of 1/4" steel.

Any suggestions as far as what I should be looking at?

If someone could explain some of the terms--stick, arc, MIG, TIG, etc., I'd be grateful. :)

Josh
 
90-100 amp mig welder(flux core) ok for small stuff. about $109 on sale. it's perfect for welding handles on billets, or cable together, thats why i bought mine, but i no longer do that, i just use tongs. also i use mine to weld my forges together.

andrew
 
well a stick welder is just that you use a welding rod that clamps in the electrode. mig uses a wire that is fead out the end of the electrode automatically when you pull the triger. and the next is tig which is my favorite. you have and tungestion electrode that you use to create an arc to the joint you want to weld and when it gets hot you use a filler rod that is held in the other hand to create the bead. I feal that allmost any one can weld with a mig welder ;)
 
They all arc.
Stick, this is probably the most all around welding. The stick is a metal electrode with a coating of flux to keep the weld clean and establish an suitable atmosphere around the puddle of molten metal making the weld. You can get stick electrodes in many sizes and alloys. The smallest rod they make that I know about is 1/16 and I believe a very few 110v machines that can run stick.

Mig Metal inert gas This is some wire feed. The wire filler metal is shielded by a inert gas (argon, C02 or some mix) to establish the suitable atmosphere. There is also dual shield where the wire has a flux in its center and a gas shield. Wire has become better and better and so have the machines. The bigger units can put down an amazing amount of weld in a short time (and stress the hell out of things). The smalles wire I have used is .023 and it is solid (no flux). This is where many of the 110 machines operate. excellent for sheet metal and you could do a 1/4" weld with one, but, it would take a lot of passes and maybe some preheating of the pieces to do a good job. It is hard for something this small to heat the bigger pieces hot enough to get good penetration of the weld.

Flux core. This is wire with a flux in the center and no shielding gas. It is a down and dirty weld. Hard to make nice and in any application I have been around used only for structural welds. They do make some small 110 machines that run a wire of this type. I am not sure of cost or effectiveness. I have no expeince with them. Sure it is not as good as stick or mig. Maybe effective enough for limited use on billets etc

Tig. Tungsten inert gas. A small torch with a piece of tungsten rod (various diameters) and an inert gas shield establishes a plasma arc for a heat source. The heat is very intense and localized. Tig can weld almost anything. You do need a high frequency power source to run aluminum and some other metals. DC will work with others. The power source is the machine that supplies power to the torch. You can use a regular DC welder for a power source and scratch your tungsten to the work to start the arc. But, the Cadillac is a dedicated power source that lets you adjust the power to the torch well, has a foot petal to control the arc as you weld and has a cooling system for the torch. Probably the hardest welder to be great with as you need to run the torch with one hand, feed the filler metal with another and work the foot control all at the same time. There are guys who can weld gum wrappers together with these. Very very clean weld.

I would recommend a stick machine to a beginner. Preferably with DC. (smoother and more versatile) This usually means 220v. I see older small ones around every once in a while for around $200
They make some usable 110 wire feeds. I would get one with gas capability. More expense but, also much better. All the 110 units are very limited. I have a smaller 220 wire machine as well as a large unit. and like them both, but, I use my stick machine way more normally.

I recommend anyone who is starting to get a auto darking hood. They are now some in the $100 range and make the world so much nicer.

Wow 2 posts while I typed LOL
 
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ib2v4u said:
I recommend anyone who is starting to get a auto darking hood. They are now some in the $100 range and make the world so much nicer.
Click to expand...

:thumbup::thumbup:

An auto-darkening hood (with adjustable shades intensity) made the difference between me giving up on welding with godawful scratchy eyes, and getting the hang of it with 2 hands on the electrode and 2 fresh eyes at the end of the day.
 
I have seen the old Tombstone Lincoln model on craigslist from $100-150
I bought on myself recently for $125. They are 220 volt though.
These old stand-bys have kept more farmers in business that all the other welders combined
 
Tommegow said:
I have seen the old Tombstone Lincoln model on craigslist from $100-150
I bought on myself recently for $125. They are 220 volt though.
These old stand-bys have kept more farmers in business that all the other welders combined
Click to expand...

I have a Miller 220 wirefeed, a Lincoln Ranger gas powered machine and a LN25 wire feed. An old "Tombstone" Lincoln AC/DC I paid a $100 still does 90% of the work. If it ever goes down I will get something like a Miller XMT304 for a shop machine.
 
Yep, the AC/DC Lincoln "buzz box" does it for me. If you've got a drier you have a 220VAC hookup that will get her fire up too.

The buzz box, along with an oxy acetylene cutting torch and welding tips, does me just fine. Oh ya, an angle grinder, a bench top cut off wheel and a band saw don't hurt either.
 
Farmer Phil said:
Yep, the AC/DC Lincoln "buzz box" does it for me. If you've got a drier you have a 220VAC hookup that will get her fire up too.

The buzz box, along with an oxy acetylene cutting torch and welding tips, does me just fine. Oh ya, an angle grinder, a bench top cut off wheel and a band saw don't hurt either.
Click to expand...

Hey Phil do you want someone to come with that set up to do the welding for you? :D
 
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