I'm new to researching welders and this one popped up on the local Craigslist today. It seems like a good deal but I'm not familiar with the brand.

Stick welder

Is this a decent welder? Something that will let me 1) learn, 2) practice, 3) repeat 2, and 4) do some body work on my truck? Or is this a POS that I should avoid at all costs?

Thanks -

Fish

 

You won't do much body work with it.

Solar has been around, but not one I would look for personally and it's a stick welder. If your trying to do much anymore your going to want a mig.

About the one thing I can think of why you MIGHT be a stick is if you can and are going to convert it to a tig welder.

And it's definitely not something you want to learn on. Yes I learned on an old Lincoln tombstone but that was many moons ago. Much easier to learn on a mig and NOT one of those gasless units. I hate flux core wire.

 

Yep, wire welder for body repair all the way. Lincoln, Snap-On are some ones to look for BUT they cost $$$.

 

I have a hobart handler 180 (I think they are now 190) that works great.

Some will recommend Miller or others (miller makes Hobart) But for the money the handler series works great for the home handyman type. My step sone runs the earlier version then mine and loves it. And he is a welder by profession, so I figured if someone that welds for a living thinks it's a decent setup for home it sure as heck is good enough for me.

 

I was thinking into buying a MIG but I only have a 110v outlet at the moment until I build my shop.

 

220 isn't that hard to wire. You probably already have 220 in the house. set up a 220 outlet somewhere you can reach and then what I did was make an "extension cord" out of 8-3 wire or buy one like this

Heavy Duty Extension Cord - 25' 8-3 wire

that is made for welders.

 

Manfred, for as often as you'll use a welder, Just use mine.
If ya feel guilty, chip in for co2 or use flux core wire, but otherwise it's a good machine.

Dp

 

10-4 Dude.

 

The Miller 140 is a 110v machine. Awesome for bodywork and light fab up to 3/16ths inch. For cages, bumpers, and frame work ya gotta step up to a 220v like a Miller 211.

Btw, Hobart makes a 110v plasma cutter with built-in air source - the AirForce 250ci. I got it for my birthday last year (thanks Mom!) and it performs decently up to 1/8-inch.

 

I use a miller 210 on 220V myself, new version is a 212. It's a great welder and I believe they can be ran on 110V also. And, if you got the cash you can hookup a spoolgun to em for welding aluminum

 

Thanks for the advice on welders. I'm in a unique position for a few reasons:

1) I'm learning how to wrench on my truck. That's something I've always wanted to learn and it's happening.

2) I finally have an actual shop in which to work! I started a new job a few weeks ago and the job comes with a house and HUGE shop. One side is enclosed, powered, lighted, yet unheated while the other side is insulated, lighted, and heated. This beats working on plywood over hay in my old barn.



(The above image is a panoramic of the heated side of the shop; my back is to the overhead door and the walls on either side are actually parallel...)

3) The boss likes older trucks himself (he owns a '41 Ford) and has suggested that I keep Patience in the heated side of the shop while I work on her. SWEET.

4) The shop is quite nice, but lacks some basics; the last guy there walked off with a lot of the tools. A few things that are missing are a compressor (the shop is plumbed for compressed air at several hookup points), some power and hand tools, and a welder. There are bottles of both Oxygen and Acetylene and two 220 hookups that are designated "north welder" and "south welder" on the panel. (There are also leftover electrodes--for a stick welder, I presume--in a box on a shelf.)



While the boss has said I could use his welder anytime, I'm in a position now where I have the space to store and use my own. As a result, I'm in the market and trying to educate myself on what I should buy to learn with, practice with, and use.

Thanks again -

Fish

 

It's always a plus when you can take your dog to work!

 

i had been watching harbor freight all year for the blue 90 amp fluxcore to go on sale, it went down to 99 then i googled a 20% off promo code and got that lil dude for 79.99! It welds like a dream has adjustable wire speed and two settings and best of all fits in my apartment closet, if your looking to practice it would be a great one to learn with. Its the first welder ive purchased. i bought it to do random things, exhaust and bodywork. it supposedly does up to 3/8" steel and ive got no doubt it would. in my mind i couldnt beat the price just to have it!

 

right now the miller 211 seems to be the big kid on the block and an easy machine to learn on