OT Home Welders
 

Guys,
I am looking to purchase a small welder for home use. I will be welding mostly corvette seat frames. I want 110 volt for convenience.
I have heard that a mig welder is the way to go.
I am hoping to get some suggestions on what type and size of welder to buy. Also, the additional equipment, like gas bottles, that are needed.
Thanks for your help.

Larry

I have a Lincoln 110 Volt mig. I also use the shielding gas so that is extra cost. It works good up to 3/16" steel. If you want to weld thicker material, go to 220 volts.

Anything thicker, I have a Lincoln stick welder to handle the heavy stuff.

Here's a guide to using a Lincoln Mig.

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/...ig-welder.html

Whatever kind of welder you buy, pay extra and get an auto darkening helmet instead of using the cheap standard helmet included with the welder.

Sometime back, I also bought a cheap, $100 Harbor Freight mig to use in an emergency at another location.using just the shielded wire. The wire kept jamming in the feed cable. Lots of weld splatter. I threw it out for the trash man.

Sounds like pretty light duty work, so you don't need anything too powerful. I have this https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-mi...spool-gun.html and have welded steel from sheet metal up to 1/4" thick and tack welded stainless exhaust. The plastic part that holds and feeds the wire from the base unit broke after about 15 months. They replaced for free even out of the 12 month warranty. The solenoid that starts/stops the gas flow also stuck after 15 months or so, had to pay for that one myself. Other than that, more than capable. They also have this one https://www.eastwood.com/mig-welder-...5a-output.html for only $229 which would probably do what you want.
Auto darkening helmet well worth the investment. Get at least an 80 CF bottle. You can find them used on CL or ebay some times, just make sure its within the pressure test date window, or plan on paying your gas supplier a small fee to have it tested. The incremental cost to fill a relatively larger bottle is a fraction of how much more gas your're actually getting.

This what welder to buy topic comes at least once a month on this forum and everyone spills their guts talking about their welders. If you haven't done a forum search here then your not doing your homework and its wasting our time also. But please post any specific questions on any welder you are interested in.

Larry,
As an amateur home welder I'd like to share a ltttle more than which machine to buy. First, welding is not a skill that comes without practice. Plan on practicing on items similar in size, thickness and composition with your real project. That will allow you to better determine the heat setting, wire speed and bead size you want to use. You'll want to pay attention to going slow enough to let the heat penetrate both pieces without buring throught thinner pieces. And pay particular attention to beginning and ending each bead. Second, welding for beginners is typically easier when your body is comfortably positioned, the area to be welded is easy to reach and you can clearly see when the arc is on. You'll likely also discover that you're better going one direction than the other (i.e., left, right, up or down). Lastly, better machines will give you better control over heat settings and wire speed. But as long as the machine you get has the capability you need for your project, its mostly about your skill as a welder.

Lots of good advice in this thread. I recommend staying with the red, white or blue brands. Decide exactly what you'll be needing one for and if a bigger machine might be needed in the future once you discover how much fun welding is. Years ago I bought a 125 amp. unit and soon outgrew it. A dual voltage 210 amp. unit solved that problem. It has the convenience of 110V for the light stuff but 220V for the heavy stuff. I do a lot of fabricating using heavy steel so I picked up a plasma cutter and now hardly ever use my Oxy/Acetylene set unless I need heat for bending something.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...438370685c.jpg

what ever you buy

make sure its ''NOT'' a flux core wire setup

get a good RWB welder that takes a gas cyl

20 amp service on house current. Like it so far altho I'm still learning how to use it.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...9a05808de9.jpg

My vote goes to the Miller140. Had it for a coupleof years and it has never disappointed!

Bother it wouldn't waste your time to not respond to the OP....

I have a Miller 211 and its great for even a novice like me....it will do both 120 and 210 v.....I would use shielding gas.....

I too have been using a Miller 211 for the past 8 years and it's never let me down. I've welded everything from thin sheet metal to 3/8" thick steel plate. The Autoset feature is fantastic especially for beginners.....just dial in the metal thickness and the machine self-adjusts itself for a perfect weld. Once you get the hang of it, you can manually set the wire speed and heat range to suit your welding style. Gas is a must for structural components, in my opinion. Avoid the cheap flux core welders, they just can't provide the same quality weldment as an inert gas (MIG) welder.

Can to translate that into English? I don't see the OP wasting any time responding to those trying to help him. Does this topic keep returning to advertise some brand of welder? That I do wonder even if remotely possible.

I agree on not getting a flux core only machine, but flux core wire has its place. Use it in drafty/windy conditions, without worrying about getting porosity due to loss of shielding gas. Oh yeah, you don't buy a welder. A welder is person/robot. It's a welding machine.:thumbs:

Go up to Post #12 above, and zoom in on my machine. The factory labels it "115v wire feed welder". :yesnod::cheers:

Yes I know, it's all good though. But it's also a welding power supply. Really. As an instructor, I cannot label a power supply as a welder. It's not correct.
OK nuff said. It doesn't matter.
Happy Thanksgiving:cheers: