Re: I'm thinking about buying a welder- what type should I get?
I just got a Millermatic 211. I'm very happy with it. 110/220, and will do aluminum with an attachment. I bounced around looking at the Hobart Trek, and the Miller Passport Plus as well.
I would say, if you are just starting out, and you want to weld steel, go with MIG or FCAW (flux core arc welding). Most smaller mig machines will do flux core as well. With flux core you don't need to mess with gas bottles, but you have to do it outside because it makes a heck of a mess (smoke, slag, other nastiness). It is supposed to be better at welding rusty/dirty metal than mig.
Remember that if you get a mig welder, you will need gas tanks, either Ar/Co2 75/25 or Co2 for steel, or straight argon for aluminum/stainless.
TIG equipment tends to be more expensive, and the process is slower, but you can do just about anything with it; I vacillated between a small TIG machine and a MIG machine for a while.
If you have never tried welding before, a friend with a welder, or class at the local college might be useful, if nothing else then for safety.
As far as buying, I would personally stay away from the $99 dollar specials unless you are really unsure of whether you are going to like it. You may be better off watching out on Craigslist; in my area I see 3 or 4 110v wire welders a week on there (usually lincolns, probably because you can buy them at the big box stores).
I do have to say, it is very nice to have welding capabilities. Right now I am building a set of ring rollers for another project. I needed a 1/2" square hole in the middle of a 1.5" diameter cylinder 4 inches long. I was able to take some 1/2x1.5" CRS plate, weld it into a box, chuck it in the lathe, and turn it round. Worked perfectly and you can't even tell it didn't start as a solid piece.
On last thing and I'll stop rambling. There is a guy posting on youtube as "weldingtipsandtricks". He has a lot of great videos on technique, product reviews, etc. I recommend them. Miller and Lincoln also have a bunch of training and product videos.
-Matt
I just got a Millermatic 211. I'm very happy with it. 110/220, and will do aluminum with an attachment. I bounced around looking at the Hobart Trek, and the Miller Passport Plus as well.
I would say, if you are just starting out, and you want to weld steel, go with MIG or FCAW (flux core arc welding). Most smaller mig machines will do flux core as well. With flux core you don't need to mess with gas bottles, but you have to do it outside because it makes a heck of a mess (smoke, slag, other nastiness). It is supposed to be better at welding rusty/dirty metal than mig.
Remember that if you get a mig welder, you will need gas tanks, either Ar/Co2 75/25 or Co2 for steel, or straight argon for aluminum/stainless.
TIG equipment tends to be more expensive, and the process is slower, but you can do just about anything with it; I vacillated between a small TIG machine and a MIG machine for a while.
If you have never tried welding before, a friend with a welder, or class at the local college might be useful, if nothing else then for safety.
As far as buying, I would personally stay away from the $99 dollar specials unless you are really unsure of whether you are going to like it. You may be better off watching out on Craigslist; in my area I see 3 or 4 110v wire welders a week on there (usually lincolns, probably because you can buy them at the big box stores).
I do have to say, it is very nice to have welding capabilities. Right now I am building a set of ring rollers for another project. I needed a 1/2" square hole in the middle of a 1.5" diameter cylinder 4 inches long. I was able to take some 1/2x1.5" CRS plate, weld it into a box, chuck it in the lathe, and turn it round. Worked perfectly and you can't even tell it didn't start as a solid piece.
On last thing and I'll stop rambling. There is a guy posting on youtube as "weldingtipsandtricks". He has a lot of great videos on technique, product reviews, etc. I recommend them. Miller and Lincoln also have a bunch of training and product videos.
-Matt