welder info/suggestions..., for a complete newbie... Options

[scottb]

i have exactly zero welding experience but would like to learn. i have yet to buy a welder as i am not certain what type would be the most useful for car/home use. i am certain all have advantages but the best 'all round' one would be what i would like.

so what do those in the know say?

thanks in advance....

[Brett W]

I just bought a Miller 175. It should be a great MIG. Anyone can MIG, you just need some scrap to practice with first. Look at the service parts and availabilty of help for any brand if you buy a welder. Lincoln, Miller, and Hobart are great brands. I noticed Harbor Freight has the HObart 175 MIG for 616$. Great price.

Get a 230volt welder if you can better power and duty cycle usually. My shop doesn't have a 230 volt plug in the garage but I just bought 30 feet of 8 gauge cord to make an extension cord to run from the dryer outlet. Always look at your dryer for a source. You could check you breaker box and see if you have room to add another circuit for the welder.

I paid 100$ for a class at the local tech school. I was happy with the class and experience. Got a lot of experience with stick, some with MIG and Some with TIG. Most of the TIG I learned my self the hard way (Is there another way), but I love running TIG machine. Will have one someday, but in the mean time....


Short of building a bridge in 1 pass my MIG will work for everything I am doing.