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Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / first welder
- - By Hyrdidlos Date 01-03-2019 09:22
"I've finally got enough project that require a welder to officially begin looking for a welder to call my own. The problem? I don't (currently) know squat about welding, and I don't want to get a crappy welder that will be useless in the long-term. At the same time, I'm pretty frugal in my tool purchases, and I don't plan on spending more $$$$ that what makes sense for what I plan on doing. (Prefer to keep everything under $300, cheaper if reasonable.)

I don't have a deadline on when I need it, so I plan on just keeping my eyes open for sales or good used equipment. I just need to know what to look for so that I can pull the trigger when I see it.

What I plan on doing is basic repair and fabrication stuff, mostly with some combination of:
Tube steel
Rebar
Fence posts
Sheet metal

Probably the ""top end"" of what I might do is build a go-kart or something similar.

I don't currently have any handy 240V outlets in my shop or my garage. Are 120V welders https://mechanicguides.com/110v-stick-welders/ sufficient for most work, or am I going to need to upgrade to 240V for a welder that will do good general purpose welding?

How necessary/useful are gas welders (mig/tig) over non-gas welders?

I'm only going to likely use the welder 4-6 times/year. Will the cheaper ($100-300) welders sufficient, or are they crap that will burn up after an afternoon of use?

Are their features I should be looking for?

Are their any good places to find good used welders?

What types of accessories should I buy? Helmet, apron, gloves, clamps, etc. Any recommendations?"
Parent - - By 803056 (*****) Date 01-03-2019 16:43
The welding machine is only as good as the person using it.

Any welding machine operating on 220v will provide better versatility than one running on 110V.

I still use SMAW on many different jobs where the amount of weld doesn't justify the time and cost of setting up a wire feeder needed to use GMAW. A small 220V power supply for SMAW will do most of the work you describe.

GMAW can get the user into a lot of trouble due to fusion type of defects associated with short circuiting transfer.

I have SMAW, GMAW, FCAW, and GTAW at my disposal, but still resort to SMAW for most of the "small" jobs I encounter.

Best regards - Al
Parent - By Northweldor (***) Date 01-04-2019 19:09 Edited 01-04-2019 19:16
I have the same options as Al lists but still use SMAW most often too!  And here is a great NEW welder, with an excellent service and support system and warranty, that will do everything that you want to do and more, at a price close to your budget,with free shipping in the US!
In addition, it is dual voltage, and canbe used before and after you uporade to 220.

https://store.cyberweld.com/hobart-stickmate-160i-500570.html
Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / first welder

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