Re: I'm thinking about buying a welder- what type should I get?
November X-Ray
I feel your pain.
The Hypertherm 1000 Plasma cutter hides behind the milling machine.
The Miller Synchowave 200 Tig Welder with Argon shielding gas floats around, but is often stored in another room.
The Miller XMT 350 CC/CV with Blueshield 8 Sheilding gas gets used most of the time and sits close to the main shop door so it can be used outside. I actually had it fired up the other day and had the fan kick in, first time I had heard it, but was welding up a dump truck tailgate that had been gently touched by a backhoe, as in stuck the tooth of the bucket right through the tailgate. Reinforced it with 1/4" thick plate, will be a lot harder to penetrate now.
The Oxy-Acet hides in behind the T&C Grinder and sits such that I can pull out the hoses and get almost anywhere I need to go in the shop or outside. I find the O-A one of my favourite welding processes and will often do sheet metal work with it. It is a pain to weld heavy metal with though.
Now setting up, laying out and fitting the parts together, well that is another thing all together. I have shared pictures of my shop in the gallery section. There isn't enough room to turn around in there most days, let alone take on a big welding job. I must say the new welding bench is making things much easier in that department and it can sit outside under the deck, where my GF prefers that i to do my welding.
As for Nelson's question. I am a firm believer in getting the best quality I can within the price range I can afford. I will go without before buying crap.
A small Buzz Box, I had a Miller 225 AC welder when I first got out of welding classes, will do not bad, but you have to be careful which rod you use, and you have to store them in such a way that they do not get contaminated. It is the moisture content in the flux that is a killer. Proper storage of the rods is in an oven with them baking at low heat all the time. If you can get a DC, then even better as they are easier to weld with. These machines are OK, but not as in vogue anymore.
MIG, wire feed, this is probably the best way to go. When I learned to weld, the penetration was not as good, and they were not as user friendly as they are today. Get a machine that is big enough to handle what you are planning on doing. If only autobody work, then maybe a 110V unit but I would be hard pressed to settle for much less than a Millermatic 250. The first time you try to weld 1/2" plate, you will realize why the extra juice is required. MY XMT handled the 1" plate with no problems at all when I was working on the table. Metal prep has to be good and clean, but upside is not having to chip off the slag after each weld.
TIG, this is used primarily for welding Stainless Steel, Aluminium and other exotic metals. My tig does not get used often, but when it does, I am glad I have it.
Both my XMT 350 and the Synchrowave 200 can be used for SMAW, welding with rods and I have a few hundred feet of heavy guage leads for them, and a few hundred foot power extension for the welders so I can wheel them out closer to where I need them. Bear in mind that the MIG whip is fairly short so limits how far you can be away from the welding machine.
Plasma, great device, cuts just about anything, I am told even a finger if you stick it where it does not belong. Mine gets used but not that often. I try to use other methods of cutting, that require less grinding, like the porta band, Cold Cut saw etc.
O-A track burner, is in hiding along with the track for it. Have not had room to set it up for awhile, but there are times when it is the best thing since sliced bread. Even have the Hypertherm torch for it as well, just in case.
I would highly recommend you take a night school course in welding if you are serious about learning this art form. I am thinking about going back and taking a refresher course this year, mostly to improve my TIG, which doesn't get used enough.
Walter
