I wanna start practicing welding so I can do some little body work jobs and what not. make a gas tank brace and other stuff... What size lincoln welder should I get? Wanna put gas behind it,,, Definitely MIG welder...

Is this one too much?
Lincoln welder - $450 (N/W Phoenix)

 

First MIG I bought would do 3/16 reliably and anything more never got any penetration. They advertised it as doing more but it really didn't. My theory at the time was that most of what I do is 1/4 or less so this would suffice. I quickly began to regret buying a 120 VAC unit.

You will find that you like the MIG so well, you want to weld everything with it. I hardly burn rod anymore unless I am out in the field building fence.

My current MIG is a Miller 251. Love it.

Buy a name brand that you can get parts for at your local welding shop. The Chicom stuff is cheap but when it breaks, it hits the scrap pile because you won't find parts for it, and it won't be long.

I would not buy less than a 175 amp machine.

 

I agree, buy something heavier than you think you will need, if you can afford it. I have a Lincoln 250 and have welded some fairly heavy stuff living on a farm. After years of using .035 wire for body work I finally spluged and bought a drive wheel for .024 wire. Now I'll see how much easier it will be to weld light sheet metal.

 

I outgrew my 110V welder vey quickly. Have a 175AMP Miller now and love it. If the budget won't allow a nicer welder, at least get a brand you can get parts for. Lincoln, Miller, Hobart etc.

 

I went with a millermatic 140 with gas...its awesome!

 

your final decision on a welder should depend on its intended use... If you plan on doing primarily heavy welding (1/4" and up...farm equipment, heavy plate and angle iron) then a stick welder will serve you well, although a hi amp wire machine will work also. You're looking at the 200 amp and up work there.

If you plan on light gauge projects, sheet metal work, body repair then I'd say a MIG machine would serve you better. Light gauge tubing, 1/8" plate... body repair... that type of thing..

thickenss will also determine the amperage you need.. for all light gauge work like body sheet metal and such you can do with a 110 volt machine 90-110 amp welding current.

For 1/4" and down anything between a 100 - 200 amp machine will serve you well.

Heavy stuff... 200 or better..

I agree with the assesment of H.F. Cheap import junk.. although you can get good deals on name brand tools sometimes, but basically low quality tools...

Stick with a name brand... Miller, Hobart, Lincoln... you can always get replacement parts...even on weekends and they have good service reps...
I have a Hobart "suitcase" welder, 100 amp 110 volt for light stuff and it does a great job using either gas or flux core.

For larger material I have a Millermatic 200. A 200 amp 220 volt machine that will handle anything else I tend to stick together.. I normally run both on GMAW... only using flux core for outside windy conditions. (the wind blows the shielding gas away). Flux core wire needs more clean up than GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding...gas shielded) It tends to splatter more.

I also have a Lincoln 225 amp ac/dc stick welder that I haven't turned on for several years since I bought the wire machines..

I think wire welding is a lot easier to master than stick and much easier to see and control your weld puddle.

I bought both of my machines used.. from welding houses that had leased them out then refurb'd them and sold them... you can get some really good deals if you're patient (?). Check with some of the supply houses and watch the "Machinery and Equipment" column in the classifieds.

Anything over 175 amps will probably require 220 volt service so plan on that expense also (if you can't do it yourself.

Safety equipment.. A good helmet with the proper shield.. You can get away with lighter gloves with wire welders... but with stick, get some good heavy welding gloves. A fire extinguisher close by and readily accessable is a must as well as a bucket of water for cooling your welds. Clamps, pliers, vice grips and a BFH are almost a necessity. Wear long sleeves and long pants that are not tucked into your boots.. no sneekers... hot metal goes thru them like...well hot metal !!
hope that helps..
john

 

Well budget is definitely in the works... Didn't wanna spend more than $500...I was focused on nothing but lincoln...

 

Lincolns are great welders... but for that money I'd look used.... watch Craigslist... lots of good equipment for sale nowadays... times are hard and folks are unloading for groceries...

Also as I mentioned check with some local weld supply stores... Airgas and some others always have local distributors and they do lease units... I got a heck of a deal on mine... Let them know you're looking and what your budget is...they can help you out...

John

 

Lincoln welder - $450 (N/W Phoenix)

????????????????good deal??

 

I have a Hobart Handler 175 that I am happy with, and have heard many good things about Eastwood's line and they have specials running most of the time.

 

Millermatic® 140 Auto-Set
I have the older model of this one , this would be a good starter you can push gas or with out . It runs on 115vgreat for sheet metal this is my bigger welder you can weld a lot more thickness with this one. Hobart and miller are owned by the same compony . Hobart wood be a good welder for less money

 

Read my 9 lesson tutorial on mig welding: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-practice.html
Lesson 3 covers the MIG welder and what to buy. If you like Lincoln, buy the Eastwood 135 if you only have 115V power, the 175 if you have 220V service in your shop. They are identical clones of the Lincoln machines, so identical I believe they are made in the same factory, and use standard Lincoln parts. The torches are an industry standard unit used on almost all smaller machines so the expendables are interchangeable whether the parts packaging says Eastwood, Lincoln, Miller, or Hobart.
IMHO today the technology has exponentially advanced in the last few years with inverter power supplies providing cleaner power, higher duty cycles, smaller, lighter, less expensive machines. Because the older transformer machines were several magnitudes more expensive when new, sellers are asking more for them than you can buy a brand new latest technology machine that is more capable than a used machine that's the size and weight of good size safe. No one carries parts for or repairs the older machines. So buying an older used welder is like buying a big heavy 386 notebook computer running Windows 3 for 1000.00 thinking it's a good deal since the machine originally sold for 4K. Yes it probably will connect to the internet, download email and you might be able to find a word processing program that will run on it, but no one will support it or repair it, and you can buy a brand new much more powerful, light, elegant multicore processor notebook for 400.00 complete with warantee. If you have a large budget and like to overspend buy a Lincoln or Miller branded machine sold through industrial channels or else buy the identical Eastwood or Hobart brand lines sold thru mass market/hobbist channels. What you DON'T want to buy is a super low priced wire feed welder (no shielding gas capability) from Harbor Fright or off Ebay.
NOTE: the "autoset" feature touted on some machines is a useless marketing feature aimed at people who can't read a simple spreadsheet and will never become a good welder if they don't adjust their machines to suit their style and work.

 

Have a look at what Hobart has to offer . I replaced my original ( made in china) unit with a Hobart Handler 190 and I love it.