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....

I like my miller 130 wire feed welder. Not that i'm an expert by any means, but with practice it's fairly simple to use. It won't weld past 1/4" steel, and for that even i usually use thicker flux core wire w/o the gas. A little more messy, but it gets the job done. I think it's a great home/shop welder. Start with a wire feed welder, it'll do most of what you need it for.

charles

scott, see if your local high school or vocational school has a welding class for adults. I took one about a year and half and loved it.

I purchased a Miller 135. It operates on 110. I wanted to get a 175, but I don't have 220 in the garage, well, anywhere actually.

MIG is the easiest to learn and do.
TIG is awesome, great for superclean and/or small welds, aluminum...

plain ol arc welding was fun at first but it is messy as hell and became much less fun once I learned to MIG & TIG.

I started with a Lincoln flux core, wire feed arc welder(110 v). Got pretty good at laying down fairly clean beads with it but when I bought the MIG conversion the welds got a lot prettier.

With little shop welders the most important thing is having the cleanest surfaces to weld and have a continuous arc. I found that even "Weld Through" primer was a problem, as was the zinc coating on Galv-anneal steel, but now everything gets the grinder or wire bruch treatment. I have never taken lessons, I probably should but once I got the knack for it I have been making good welds.

One thing to do for sure, if you don't take lessons, practice lots, then have someone who knows what they are doing check your welds.

Hobart 135 for me. Lincoln, Miller, and Hobart are the top brands.
Ed

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.

I got the Lincoln Weldpak 135 from Home Depot. It comes with the regulator and solenoid ready for MIG. Just add a bottle. The Hobart and Millers are probably a tad better. FYI Hobarts are made by Miller. I did the Lincoln because Home Depot has those "no interest for 12 months" deals. Allows me to make small incremental payments. Just have to be sure it gets paid off.

If you just want to learn and don't care about doing sheet metal, they have a flux core only welder for around $200. However, if you own a 914, you are probably going to want to do sheet-metal.

Hobart is owned by Miller, but the internals are different.
I was told (by the dealer) that the Hobart windings are aluminum not copper and tend to fail after 4 years. I dunno how true that is, but I though an extra $100 bucks for what is the leader in the industry was worth it.

Buy the best that you can afford. You will probably out grow a 100 amp welder. You can always upgrade, but if you have the 220v service and can afford it, buy at least a 175 amp welder. I originally bought one of the lincoln weldpak mig kit's, great for the beginner, but as my welding skill and nerve increased, I starting doing jobs that the 100 amp lincoln could not keep up with. I just bought a Lincoln Pro 175 plus, I doubt that I will out work this one, I have done a ton with it already and have not had a problem. Whatever you decide to buy, practice! Buy sheet metal, clean it up and start practicing, I took an old Beetle fender and cut holes in it just to paractice stitch welding on automotive sheetmetal. Cleanliness is the key!!

Regarding the Miller and Hobart, I think the guns are both Miller. Didn't know about the internals, but that makes sense.

My weldpak is the 135 Amp not 100. It was only like $70 more and included the MIG kit.

Also I was told the Lincoln drive is not as good as the Hobart or Miller by a Hobart salesman.

how does this one look for a first, maybe even last, unit?

i will take classes, buy a bug fender, and maybe even buy some steel stock to mess with before attacking something of value (my car).....

welder on the bay.....

get THIS ONE and build your own cart like Gint did.

Don't buy any fenders to practice on.. just stop by any bodyshop and most all have a dumpster full of old damaged fenders you can usually ask and take for free.. great for practice.

Scott - There are two good welding suppy stores close to you. One in Springfield and the other is seconds from my shop. Buying the machine locally has support advantages and you'll need to get gas and other supplies anyway.
I have the Hobart Handler at home and its never let me down. At work we have a Miller, also a good machine. Stop by one afternoon and I'll let you give it a try.