Recomendation on beginners welder

H_Nunez

H_Nunez

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Oct 28, 2018
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HI,
One thing leads to another. I would like to learn how to weld and fabricate. One of my first projects would be an engine skid plate and some house DIY projects. I`ve been watching some videos on weld.com (youtube) and understand some of the basics...

What`s your recomendation on what to start with?. Mig, Stick, Tig?? I`m looking for something affordable to start with, something that could help me learn the craft. I will then move on as I become more skilled...

Thanks and Happy New year,
HN
 
mig.... and maybe start with 1/8" material for practice. thin crap is easy to burn through until you get the hang of setting and using the machine.
 
I would go with a mig wire feed welder and use gas not flux-core. Mig is a fairly easy to start with and will do most things you'll weld I assume. If you are going to weld aluminum, it's going to be tig. Tig takes a lot of practice and not a good place to start. There are aluminum wire feeds but I'd learn the ropes by laying down a lot of beads first.
Stick welders are cheaper but there's a steeper learning curve to master them.

Mig is your best place to start.
 
Mig

Machines That I like
HTP
Miller ( Multi Process allows Mig, Tig and Arc This is the unit I run and I love it mines the 200 but they have a new 225 out that you can tig aluminum with)
Lincoln

Also get a welder that runs on both 220 and 110 and get a good hood or you wont be able to see your puddle and your welds will look like shit when you get all your gear together and ready to weld get yourself comfortable I cannot stress this enough now the your ready well how do I get it to lay out like a roll of dimes run your puddle in small cursive / script E's eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee also clean your joints well before welding

You can be a good welder or a good grinder being a good welder is a lot easier
 
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i started with Harbor Freights flux core 125, because it runs on 120V and had a very low cost of entry (like $90 on sale). By the time I got a cart, an auto darkening helmet, PPE, pliers, and an extra grinder for knocking off flux with a wire wheel, I don't think I was in it for $150.

I don't use it often, and there are things that I wouldn't want to use it for, like thin welding where you're just doing a bunch of tacks, because that would be annoying as crap to have to put the welder down and clean the flux off of every tack. But it did great at filling in the brake pad divots on my knuckles which is what I bought it for.

With as rarely as I've used it, so far, the investment in a MIG just wouldn't have made sense. I figure if I pick it up more often, by the time I get a mig I'll be good at it from having learned on a FC.
 
I have a Lincoln 210MP. It will do MIG, TIG and stick. I have been very pleased with it. I have gradually improved my welding skills and have progressed from terrible to mediocre. Before long I hope to be just passable. The most important thing is to get a good hood. If you can’t see you’ll never get a good weld. MIG is the go to method for most things but TIG is sometimes the best option for precise work.
 
Most definitely Mig for the beginner. Plus it's all around the most useful. Get a machine, learn it's capabilities, grab some stock in various thicknesses and practice, practice, practice.

And weld.com is excellent as well as their FB page.
 
Thanks all for your recomendation. I appreciate your guidance. Mig will be!...

Happy New year!.
HN
 
Check the Hobart refurbished site. I got a Handler 190 delivered for under $600. Not cheap, but a pretty good rig for the price. I'm a newbie but my pro welder friends have used it and love it. They usually say sold out, but there is a waiting list. I think it took 3 weeks for mine.
 
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