Just ask the seller to run you a bead. I had tig welded once before in my life probably 15 years earlier and didn't have much luck with it. I just asked the seller to run me a bead and show me it worked, he had no problem and showed me what the machine could do if I was a good welder.
Gas less welding exhaust
- Thread starter My94GT
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Just ask the seller to run you a bead. I had tig welded once before in my life probably 15 years earlier and didn't have much luck with it. I just asked the seller to run me a bead and show me it worked, he had no problem and showed me what the machine could do if I was a good welder.
I've done all three approaches on stainless.
TIG is by far the prettiest and highest quality. It's also the most time consuming and expensive. A good TIG welder will really set you back, especially if you ever want to do aluminum and want one that's AC capable. DC only ones are much more affordable though. The other big downside of TIG is the fit up is more of a pain. Either you try to tack it with the torch, or you have to tack it on the bench and check the fit. Either way, much more of a hassle.
MIG is a good balance. You can get a nice bead, and above all it's fast and convenient. A couple quick tacks at any angle under the car and you're good. Then just burn in the rest later. Kind of a pain to get gas and gas specific for stainless, but that's life.
FCAW (gasless) works ok. Thicker stainless is more forgiving to the flux process. It is a lot tougher to get your hands on the wire too. You can't usually go down to the hardware store or even local welding supply and get it off the shelf. But it's out there from some welding suppliers, and pretty pricey at least relative to solid wire or mild flux wire. DO NOT get the cheap AC only FCAW welders. It's a night and day difference between a decent DC welder with FCAW and a lousy AC one. It can do the job, but man will it be ugly and frustrating.
For purchasing I would go new. Everyone wants new prices for their old used junk anyway. You can get a pretty decent home grade one for a fair price.
TIG is by far the prettiest and highest quality. It's also the most time consuming and expensive. A good TIG welder will really set you back, especially if you ever want to do aluminum and want one that's AC capable. DC only ones are much more affordable though. The other big downside of TIG is the fit up is more of a pain. Either you try to tack it with the torch, or you have to tack it on the bench and check the fit. Either way, much more of a hassle.
MIG is a good balance. You can get a nice bead, and above all it's fast and convenient. A couple quick tacks at any angle under the car and you're good. Then just burn in the rest later. Kind of a pain to get gas and gas specific for stainless, but that's life.
FCAW (gasless) works ok. Thicker stainless is more forgiving to the flux process. It is a lot tougher to get your hands on the wire too. You can't usually go down to the hardware store or even local welding supply and get it off the shelf. But it's out there from some welding suppliers, and pretty pricey at least relative to solid wire or mild flux wire. DO NOT get the cheap AC only FCAW welders. It's a night and day difference between a decent DC welder with FCAW and a lousy AC one. It can do the job, but man will it be ugly and frustrating.
For purchasing I would go new. Everyone wants new prices for their old used junk anyway. You can get a pretty decent home grade one for a fair price.
Is it reasonable to think I could cap my spending budget at 500 for a mig welder? I just want something to play around with at home. If I start getting more into it I could always buy a better machine later.
hobart handler 140 110 volt. and don't look back. this thing will do anything you need. if you wonder of its capabilities just look at the link in my sig.
I picked up a Hobart 210 mvp from a pawnshop for $620 a couple years ago. Looked brand new but was missing the 110v adapter. I wouldn't be to afraid to buy a used Hobart, Lincoln, Miller welder. They are quality machines and you can easily get parts for them, usually locally.
Check northern tool. Got all my gear from them minus the helmet and tank. Helmet cost more than the welder lol.
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After looking at many reviews & videos, I cheaped out & went with a Harbor freight welder. Not too pricey, & anything with 120v-240v will tackle pretty much anything you will do at home. I bought my tank instead of leasing & works great. Have made stands, welded exhausts for buddies, fixed my f150 a arms & doing my axle tubes next. Still plan on adding a mig down the line. Probably same brand too. Made my own cart & all.
Vic
Vic
That’s the exact one I’ve been considering, not a bad price for new. I really lack the time to go looking around for used and dealing with potentially poorly maintained machines. Miller I can get through my shop but they are still a little out of the budget I’d like to spend for an at home welder.
I have access to a few miller mig welders at work as well as a pro spot aluminum/ mig braise combo machine if I ever need more capability.
Here's the machine I bought a couple of years ago:
2018 AHP AlphaTIG 200X 200 Amp IGBT AC DC Tig/Stick Welder with PULSE 110v 220v 3 YEARS WARRANTY- $720
It is great IMHO. I did a lot of research prior to buying and tons of folks recommended it. Comes with all accessories needed to get started.
2018 AHP AlphaTIG 200X 200 Amp IGBT AC DC Tig/Stick Welder with PULSE 110v 220v 3 YEARS WARRANTY- $720
It is great IMHO. I did a lot of research prior to buying and tons of folks recommended it. Comes with all accessories needed to get started.
Scored a free welder today, it was an old one we’ve had in a storage room at work which was just planned to go in the trash as it wasn’t working. Went online printed off an owners manual and it turns out some simple clean up and adjustments were in order. Not too bad at all! It isn’t produced anymore but it was 1600 new so that’s nice.
Attachments
hell yeah!
Thats awesome! Place I work for had me throw away a few the other day. I asked for one of them, but was denied.
Vic
Vic
This one is a 220 set up so I was anticipating running 220 to my garage which isn’t hard but would be a couple hundred in materials. Much to my surprise I was looking when I got home as I knew there was a junction box, and 220 is already ran to it. So I just have to get the correct plug and I’m set!
thankfully I have a pretty laid back manager
I just picked this same one up myself recently (newer 201X which has an improved foot pedal). So far so good and I need to really work on my skills...
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