Hello, all.

I'm looking for advice on getting my first welder.

Applications: Light fabrication, repairs and improvements to boat
trailers and riding mowers and woodworking equipment, and just
general-purpose work around the "farm," mainly with mild steel and cast
iron.

I have only welded once or twice with an arc welder (as a teenager).

Several of my friends tell me to get a wire-feed MIG welder because
(they say) it's easier for an amateur to get good results, and because
(apparently) the power requirements of a wire-feed MIG welder aren't as
intense as those of an arc welder.

However, I lean toward a regular arc welder because (as I understand
things, and please correct me where I'm wrong):
1. arc welders are cheaper to buy and feed supplies to than MIG wire
feed welders of similar quality;
2. arc welders are simpler to set up and take care of, if (somewhat)
more difficult to use satisfactorily; and
3. setting up an arc welder to do a particular job is probably going to
be simpler than for a MIG wire-feed welder, if only because there are
fewer variables.

In addition, power is not an issue for me, since I have 100A to my
shop/barn and a 230V/50A slot on the panel just waiting for a welder to
plug in.

I was considering purchasing a Hobart Stickmate AC/DC welder for about
$420 in part because I've heard that DC arc welding gives smoother
results than AC.

Do you more experienced welders think that such a welder would be a
decent choice for a newbie welder like me?

What about the MIG wire feed versus arc welding question in general?

As I said, I don't know how to weld yet, but I do understand some of the
fundamental theory from professional welder friends who have explained
it, and I'm fairly mechanically inclined and decent with my hands (I do
a lot of woodworking).

Thank you for any insights or advice.

Jonesy

Jones wrote:

Hello, all.

I'm looking for advice on getting my first welder.

Applications: Light fabrication, repairs and improvements to boat
trailers and riding mowers and woodworking equipment, and just
general-purpose work around the "farm," mainly with mild steel and cast
iron.

I have only welded once or twice with an arc welder (as a teenager).

Several of my friends tell me to get a wire-feed MIG welder because
(they say) it's easier for an amateur to get good results, and because
(apparently) the power requirements of a wire-feed MIG welder aren't as
intense as those of an arc welder.

However, I lean toward a regular arc welder because (as I understand
things, and please correct me where I'm wrong):
1. arc welders are cheaper to buy and feed supplies to than MIG wire
feed welders of similar quality;
2. arc welders are simpler to set up and take care of, if (somewhat)
more difficult to use satisfactorily; and
3. setting up an arc welder to do a particular job is probably going
to be simpler than for a MIG wire-feed welder, if only because there
are fewer variables.

In addition, power is not an issue for me, since I have 100A to my
shop/barn and a 230V/50A slot on the panel just waiting for a welder to
plug in.

I was considering purchasing a Hobart Stickmate AC/DC welder for about
$420 in part because I've heard that DC arc welding gives smoother
results than AC.

Do you more experienced welders think that such a welder would be a
decent choice for a newbie welder like me?

What about the MIG wire feed versus arc welding question in general?

As I said, I don't know how to weld yet, but I do understand some of
the fundamental theory from professional welder friends who have
explained it, and I'm fairly mechanically inclined and decent with my
hands (I do a lot of woodworking).

Thank you for any insights or advice.

Jonesy


Cast iron is challenging to weld - I would forget about that for now.

Given that you want to weld mild steel, the next question is will every
workpiece be at least 1/8" thick? Because if you do have to weld sheet
metal you won't be happy with a stick welder, although there are some
techniques you can use that will help.

If you buy a stick welder, you absolutely want DC. No question. AC-only
machines are nearly impossible to resell. And for sure look locally for
a used machine before you consider a shiny new one. I see nice - really
nice - small Miller Thunderbolts (AC/DC) in the $100-150 range all the
time where I live.

Actually, a small MIG welder (e.g. Lincoln SP175 or SP135) along with a
small stick welder (e.g. Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC) is a pretty handy
setup.

Grant

On 2008-04-18 16:56:55 -0400, Grant Erwin <grant@NOSPAMkirkland.net> said:

Jones wrote:

Hello, all.

I'm looking for advice on getting my first welder.

Applications: Light fabrication, repairs and improvements to boat
trailers and riding mowers and woodworking equipment, and just
general-purpose work around the "farm," mainly with mild steel and
cast iron.

I have only welded once or twice with an arc welder (as a teenager).

Several of my friends tell me to get a wire-feed MIG welder because
(they say) it's easier for an amateur to get good results, and
because (apparently) the power requirements of a wire-feed MIG welder
aren't as intense as those of an arc welder.

However, I lean toward a regular arc welder because (as I understand
things, and please correct me where I'm wrong):
1. arc welders are cheaper to buy and feed supplies to than MIG wire
feed welders of similar quality;
2. arc welders are simpler to set up and take care of, if (somewhat)
more difficult to use satisfactorily; and
3. setting up an arc welder to do a particular job is probably going
to be simpler than for a MIG wire-feed welder, if only because there
are fewer variables.

In addition, power is not an issue for me, since I have 100A to my
shop/barn and a 230V/50A slot on the panel just waiting for a welder
to plug in.

I was considering purchasing a Hobart Stickmate AC/DC welder for
about $420 in part because I've heard that DC arc welding gives
smoother results than AC.

Do you more experienced welders think that such a welder would be a
decent choice for a newbie welder like me?

What about the MIG wire feed versus arc welding question in general?

As I said, I don't know how to weld yet, but I do understand some of
the fundamental theory from professional welder friends who have
explained it, and I'm fairly mechanically inclined and decent with my
hands (I do a lot of woodworking).

Thank you for any insights or advice.

Jonesy


Cast iron is challenging to weld - I would forget about that for now.

Given that you want to weld mild steel, the next question is will
every workpiece be at least 1/8" thick? Because if you do have to weld
sheet metal you won't be happy with a stick welder, although there are
some techniques you can use that will help.

If you buy a stick welder, you absolutely want DC. No question.
AC-only machines are nearly impossible to resell. And for sure look
locally for a used machine before you consider a shiny new one. I see
nice - really nice - small Miller Thunderbolts (AC/DC) in the $100-150
range all the time where I live.

Actually, a small MIG welder (e.g. Lincoln SP175 or SP135) along with
a small stick welder (e.g. Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC) is a pretty handy
setup.

Grant



Thanks for the reply, Grant.

Would a MIG or wire-feed welder be more suitable than an arc welder for
welds on material less than 1/8" do you think?

I'm still back-and-forth on the issue of flux-core wire-feed versus
straight arc welder.

Hello, all.

I'm looking for advice on getting my first welder.

Applications: Light fabrication, repairs and improvements to boat
trailers and riding mowers and woodworking equipment, and just
general-purpose work around the "farm," mainly with mild steel and cast
iron.

I have only welded once or twice with an arc welder (as a teenager).

Several of my friends tell me to get a wire-feed MIG welder because
(they say) it's easier for an amateur to get good results, and because
(apparently) the power requirements of a wire-feed MIG welder aren't as
intense as those of an arc welder.

However, I lean toward a regular arc welder because (as I understand
things, and please correct me where I'm wrong):
1. arc welders are cheaper to buy and feed supplies to than MIG wire
feed welders of similar quality;
2. arc welders are simpler to set up and take care of, if (somewhat)
more difficult to use satisfactorily; and
3.  setting up an arc welder to do a particular job is probably going
to be simpler than for a MIG wire-feed welder, if only because there
are fewer variables.

In addition, power is not an issue for me, since I have 100A to my
shop/barn and a 230V/50A slot on the panel just waiting for a welder to
plug in.

I was considering purchasing a Hobart Stickmate AC/DC welder for about
$420 in part because I've heard that DC arc welding gives smoother
results than AC.

Do you more experienced welders think that such a welder would be a
decent choice for a newbie welder like me?

What about the MIG wire feed versus arc welding question in general?

As I said, I don't know how to weld yet, but I do understand some of
the fundamental theory from professional welder friends who have
explained it, and I'm fairly mechanically inclined and decent with my
hands (I do a lot of woodworking).

Thank you for any insights or advice.

Jonesy

Hello, all.

I'm looking for advice on getting my first welder.

Applications: Light fabrication, repairs and improvements to boat
trailers and riding mowers and woodworking equipment, and just
general-purpose work around the "farm," mainly with mild steel and cast
iron.

I have only welded once or twice with an arc welder (as a teenager).

Several of my friends tell me to get a wire-feed MIG welder because
(they say) it's easier for an amateur to get good results, and because
(apparently) the power requirements of a wire-feed MIG welder aren't as
intense as those of an arc welder.

However, I lean toward a regular arc welder because (as I understand
things, and please correct me where I'm wrong):
1. arc welders are cheaper to buy and feed supplies to than MIG wire
feed welders of similar quality;
2. arc welders are simpler to set up and take care of, if (somewhat)
more difficult to use satisfactorily; and
3.  setting up an arc welder to do a particular job is probably going
to be simpler than for a MIG wire-feed welder, if only because there
are fewer variables.

In addition, power is not an issue for me, since I have 100A to my
shop/barn and a 230V/50A slot on the panel just waiting for a welder to
plug in.

I was considering purchasing a Hobart Stickmate AC/DC welder for about
$420 in part because I've heard that DC arc welding gives smoother
results than AC.

Do you more experienced welders think that such a welder would be a
decent choice for a newbie welder like me?

What about the MIG wire feed versus arc welding question in general?

As I said, I don't know how to weld yet, but I do understand some of
the fundamental theory from professional welder friends who have
explained it, and I'm fairly mechanically inclined and decent with my
hands (I do a lot of woodworking).

Thank you for any insights or advice.

Jonesy

Jones wrote:

On 2008-04-18 16:56:55 -0400, Grant Erwin <grant@NOSPAMkirkland.net> said:

Jones wrote:

Hello, all.

I'm looking for advice on getting my first welder.

Applications: Light fabrication, repairs and improvements to boat
trailers and riding mowers and woodworking equipment, and just
general-purpose work around the "farm," mainly with mild steel and
cast iron.

I have only welded once or twice with an arc welder (as a teenager).

Several of my friends tell me to get a wire-feed MIG welder
because (they say) it's easier for an amateur to get good results,
and because (apparently) the power requirements of a wire-feed MIG
welder aren't as intense as those of an arc welder.

However, I lean toward a regular arc welder because (as I
understand things, and please correct me where I'm wrong):
1. arc welders are cheaper to buy and feed supplies to than MIG
wire feed welders of similar quality;
2. arc welders are simpler to set up and take care of, if
(somewhat) more difficult to use satisfactorily; and
3. setting up an arc welder to do a particular job is probably
going to be simpler than for a MIG wire-feed welder, if only
because there are fewer variables.

In addition, power is not an issue for me, since I have 100A to my
shop/barn and a 230V/50A slot on the panel just waiting for a
welder to plug in.

I was considering purchasing a Hobart Stickmate AC/DC welder for
about $420 in part because I've heard that DC arc welding gives
smoother results than AC.

Do you more experienced welders think that such a welder would be
a decent choice for a newbie welder like me?

What about the MIG wire feed versus arc welding question in general?

As I said, I don't know how to weld yet, but I do understand some
of the fundamental theory from professional welder friends who
have explained it, and I'm fairly mechanically inclined and decent
with my hands (I do a lot of woodworking).

Thank you for any insights or advice.

Jonesy


Cast iron is challenging to weld - I would forget about that for now.

Given that you want to weld mild steel, the next question is will
every workpiece be at least 1/8" thick? Because if you do have to
...


Oh, absolutely a MIG welder is the way to go for sheet metal. You just turn
it down and weld it up! :-)

Grant

Grant Erwin <grant@NOSPAMkirkland.net> writes:

Jones wrote:

On 2008-04-18 16:56:55 -0400, Grant Erwin <grant@NOSPAMkirkland.net> said:

Jones wrote:

Hello, all.

I'm looking for advice on getting my first welder.

Applications: Light fabrication, repairs and improvements to boat
trailers and riding mowers and woodworking equipment, and just
general-purpose work around the "farm," mainly with mild steel and
cast iron.

I have only welded once or twice with an arc welder (as a teenager).

Several of my friends tell me to get a wire-feed MIG welder
because (they say) it's easier for an amateur to get good results,
and because (apparently) the power requirements of a wire-feed MIG
welder aren't as intense as those of an arc welder.

However, I lean toward a regular arc welder because (as I
understand things, and please correct me where I'm wrong):
1. arc welders are cheaper to buy and feed supplies to than MIG
wire feed welders of similar quality;
2. arc welders are simpler to set up and take care of, if
(somewhat) more difficult to use satisfactorily; and
3. setting up an arc welder to do a particular job is probably
going to be simpler than for a MIG wire-feed welder, if only
because there are fewer variables.

In addition, power is not an issue for me, since I have 100A to my
shop/barn and a 230V/50A slot on the panel just waiting for a
welder to plug in.

I was considering purchasing a Hobart Stickmate AC/DC welder for
about $420 in part because I've heard that DC arc welding gives
smoother results than AC.

Do you more experienced welders think that such a welder would be
a decent choice for a newbie welder like me?

What about the MIG wire feed versus arc welding question in general?

As I said, I don't know how to weld yet, but I do understand some
of the fundamental theory from professional welder friends who
have explained it, and I'm fairly mechanically inclined and decent
with my hands (I do a lot of woodworking).

Thank you for any insights or advice.

Jonesy


Cast iron is challenging to weld - I would forget about that for now.

Given that you want to weld mild steel, the next question is will
every workpiece be at least 1/8" thick? Because if you do have to
...


Oh, absolutely a MIG welder is the way to go for sheet metal. You just turn
it down and weld it up! :-)

Grant

Jonesy

Stick welding is immune to the wind, rain, will cut through a fair
amount of dirt, rust and contamination if you have to - in other words
- it's simply *the* process for site work. You can stick weld when
you are having to move your arms with the electrode clamp side to side
in relation to your body to compensate for being buffeted around by a
gale. MIG will loose its shield and produce "cinders" welds (a cruddy
foam of a bit of metal and a lot of oxide) with just a draft through a
doorway.

Hobby / occasional use and stick - you don't have the ever racking-up
cost of bottle rental for the Ar/CO2 you need for MIG welding. When a
stick plant is doing nothing, it's costing nothing.

That said - MIG is the way to go for sheet metal, and you've got the
advice that you want stick for outdoors and thicker and MIG for your
sheet metal.

MIG and thicker stuff - it's the way to go for commercial workshop
work - much faster and less work than stick --- but for someone who is
improvising without guidance, the problem with MIG is that it is easy
to make a "weld" which looks good but isn't fused. The deposited
metal is just sitting on the parent plate surface. So it looks like a
weld but isn't! No other common process has this problem - with stick
and TIG, you can't produce a good-looking weld without already being
the master of good welds.

Do you know this? - commercially everyone uses MIG in the workshop and
stick out on site.

Rich Smith

Grant Erwin <grant@NOSPAMkirkland.net> writes:

Jones wrote:

On 2008-04-18 16:56:55 -0400, Grant Erwin <grant@NOSPAMkirkland.net> said:

Jones wrote:

Hello, all.

I'm looking for advice on getting my first welder.

Applications: Light fabrication, repairs and improvements to boat
trailers and riding mowers and woodworking equipment, and just
general-purpose work around the "farm," mainly with mild steel and
cast iron.

I have only welded once or twice with an arc welder (as a teenager).

Several of my friends tell me to get a wire-feed MIG welder
because (they say) it's easier for an amateur to get good results,
and because (apparently) the power requirements of a wire-feed MIG
welder aren't as intense as those of an arc welder.

However, I lean toward a regular arc welder because (as I
understand things, and please correct me where I'm wrong):
1. arc welders are cheaper to buy and feed supplies to than MIG
wire feed welders of similar quality;
2. arc welders are simpler to set up and take care of, if
(somewhat) more difficult to use satisfactorily; and
3. setting up an arc welder to do a particular job is probably
going to be simpler than for a MIG wire-feed welder, if only
because there are fewer variables.

In addition, power is not an issue for me, since I have 100A to my
shop/barn and a 230V/50A slot on the panel just waiting for a
welder to plug in.

I was considering purchasing a Hobart Stickmate AC/DC welder for
about $420 in part because I've heard that DC arc welding gives
smoother results than AC.

Do you more experienced welders think that such a welder would be
a decent choice for a newbie welder like me?

What about the MIG wire feed versus arc welding question in general?

As I said, I don't know how to weld yet, but I do understand some
of the fundamental theory from professional welder friends who
have explained it, and I'm fairly mechanically inclined and decent
with my hands (I do a lot of woodworking).

Thank you for any insights or advice.

Jonesy


Cast iron is challenging to weld - I would forget about that for now.

Given that you want to weld mild steel, the next question is will
every workpiece be at least 1/8" thick? Because if you do have to
...


Oh, absolutely a MIG welder is the way to go for sheet metal. You just turn
it down and weld it up! :-)

Grant

Jonesy

Stick welding is immune to the wind, rain, will cut through a fair
amount of dirt, rust and contamination if you have to - in other words
- it's simply *the* process for site work. You can stick weld when
you are having to move your arms with the electrode clamp side to side
in relation to your body to compensate for being buffeted around by a
gale. MIG will loose its shield and produce "cinders" welds (a cruddy
foam of a bit of metal and a lot of oxide) with just a draft through a
doorway.

Hobby / occasional use and stick - you don't have the ever racking-up
cost of bottle rental for the Ar/CO2 you need for MIG welding. When a
stick plant is doing nothing, it's costing nothing.

That said - MIG is the way to go for sheet metal, and you've got the
advice that you want stick for outdoors and thicker and MIG for your
sheet metal.

MIG and thicker stuff - it's the way to go for commercial workshop
work - much faster and less work than stick --- but for someone who is
improvising without guidance, the problem with MIG is that it is easy
to make a "weld" which looks good but isn't fused. The deposited
metal is just sitting on the parent plate surface. So it looks like a
weld but isn't! No other common process has this problem - with stick
and TIG, you can't produce a good-looking weld without already being
the master of good welds.

Do you know this? - commercially everyone uses MIG in the workshop and
stick out on site.

Rich Smith