hey guys could you help out a kid

[imtriggerhappyr]

hey im 17 ive always wanted to weld just as a hobbie my grandpa was a welder for the navy in wwII he has sence passed away and i have no one to ask about welding i was told mig welders are the easyest to learn on is this true? if not what type is the easyest?also what would be a good unit to learn on?

thanks for any help that can be givin

[1990notch]

You could start with an oxygen/acet torch or stick, but I think mig would be ideal to start with. One place to check, toolking.com has some good prices on refurbished or new migs like the Hobart 140 and 187. I'm itching to get a Hobart Handler 187 or 210 myself once I can afford it.

I hope you do start welding, it's a great hobby.

[imtriggerhappyr]

so what would be the diffrence between a 250$ mig and a 600 $ mig

thanks

[usmcpop]

Take a look at this link. There are a lot of articles, videos and such about MIG welding:

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources...ur-skills/mig/

You can't beat the Hobart product line when it comes to reasonably priced MIG welders. Any of the first five units on this page would be suitable http://www.hobartwelders.com/products/wirefeed/

If you are on a budget, you can get a reconditioned Handler 125 EZ at www.toolking.com for $270. or, for around twice the price, a 187.

[Hotfoot]

Across brands, quality and trouble free operation. Within the same brand, performance...thicker metal. A small Hobart 125 EZ is "the Least" I can recommend, its about $270.00 reconditioned from Tool King, but Tractor Supply has them new for about that price. Also check Sears on line.
The 125 EZ is a wire feed, using wire, so no "MIG" gas is used, and the machine cannot be adapted to use it. It is limited to small, thin stuff, but Flux Core wires do very poorly on sheet metal. So you will come to find that a lot has to do with what you want to weld. Simple, 'fix-it" kinda jobs, the little guy shines...but no welding frames o, trailers, etc...its not powerful enough...or auto body sheet metal...that will require gas, and there I suggest the HH140. gas type "Solid" wire is alot less expensive, but the gas bottle and gas add to the cost.
Both those machine run on 110 volts. Going bigger will require a 220 volt circuit.
If all you are going to do is farm type repairs, and arc welder (aka:stick welder) does great, but it will be 220 volts. Think about what you will be welding...forget about aluminium for now (gets expensive to get set up).

[imtriggerhappyr]

i think when i get ok at it id prolly want to be able to weld frames and steel tubeing and such

[thingy]

Well you see its like this,mig welding is the easiest way to learn mig welding,its not the easiest way to learn welding,there are many different kinds of welding,you just don't learn one kind and than know all kinds,,,I would go with a stick machine,,dc one,one that has about a 60-100 percent duty cycle at 120-130 amps,,unless your planning on just welding on sheet metal or something,,,thingy

[Sully2]

hey im 17 ive always wanted to weld just as a hobbie my grandpa was a welder for the navy in wwII he has sence passed away and i have no one to ask about welding i was told mig welders are the easyest to learn on is this true? if not what type is the easyest?also what would be a good unit to learn on?

thanks for any help that can be givin

The outright "easiest" unit to learn on...a fluxcore wirefed unit ( 120Volt). Will it teach you ever sort of welding one MIGHT want to learn ( eventually??) No..but you WILL "stick" metal together and it wont take long ( practice) before you will be able to WELD metal properly ( Using THAT unit)

When you say "frames and steel tubing"..?...that goes a long way and depending on the material THICKNESS will determine that size of th unit you need. Larger units costs more $$

Something vastly more "versatile" is a "stick machine" ( normally AC only...220 volt) and by using different rod materials and rod sizes you will be "in like Flynn" especially if you can get someone to help you at times ( or take night classes.?) and even MORE versatile is an AC/DC stuck machine ( also 220 Volt AC) but..its also more $$ BUT priced about the same as a small sized "wire fed" unit (brand new prices now)

Learning one "method/process" does NOT teach you another process. You might become great using a wire fed...and cant weld 2 inches using an AC stick machine

Max versatility is most probably an AC/DC stick machine...but you have to have a 220 circuit to feed it.

[calweld]

You say you're 17 ... I assume you're still in high school, does your school offer any welding shop classes???? Ag shop??? Or do you have a Junior College close by that offers welding 101?? Even if you're still in school, many JC's will still allow you to take certain classes, and many are offered at night. I would strongly suggest you take advantage of something like this, it'll save you a lot of time and money in the end, and by the time you finish, you may even be able to answer your own question. Or maybe you'll find out you don't like it after all, all you'll be out is the cost of the hood and gloves ....

[imtriggerhappyr]

You say you're 17 ... I assume you're still in high school, does your school offer any welding shop classes???? Ag shop??? Or do you have a Junior College close by that offers welding 101?? Even if you're still in school, many JC's will still allow you to take certain classes, and many are offered at night. I would strongly suggest you take advantage of something like this, it'll save you a lot of time and money in the end, and by the time you finish, you may even be able to answer your own question. Or maybe you'll find out you don't like it after all, all you'll be out is the cost of the hood and gloves ....

im in a tech high school im geting a degree in electrical enginering (not spelling) i just want welding to be a hobie i took a one week learners corse on welding over the summer they showed me the diffrent typs and he said a mig was easyest the class was great i got to try out each type but i dident get much xp in the short time and they dident tell us about were to buy witch one to buy etc

[JimDon]

Check your local Craig's list online for welders. They're often a dime a dozen there. You can often pick up a tombstone stick welder for $50-$125 or so. Also, you'll find wire feeds on there for $150 or so. Guys buy em, use em once or twice and decide they don't need them so off they go to the sale site. Also check your newspapers classified ads. Sunday's usually the best. If there are yard sales, garage sales or swap meets in your area, try hitting those (although in winter most yard sales are gone, at least here in Wis.) Can often pick up a welder there for cheap too. If you're just starting out and not sure, this is the way to go if you want to try stuff out. I've got a total of $190 invested in my two welders (flux core and AC stick machine). Love em both for what they can do for me and provide for hobby fun (and a little money on the side.) Get good at it and you'll want a bigger, better machine, but that will happen in time. Advice on hitting tech school for welding class is priceless. Cost is usually about $100 for an 8-10 week course and you'll learn a lot and have a great deal of fun. Biggest advantage to learning things quickly is to pick up an AD helmet and don't look back on that ever. Will make striking arc in the right place a hit every time. I picked up an inexpensive AD from Harbor Freight with a coupon and it works fine. Lot of threads in this forum on the benefits of AD hood. Some think they'll never work cause they're not expensive. I never have arc eyes from it. With any AD, never let it sit in your car overnight in cold cold weather. They hate the cold. Take it in the house and keep it warm. Good luck and keep asking questions. Guys on here are extremely talented, knowledgeable and willing to help out a newbie like yourself. Take advantage of it and remember there's no such thing as a stupid question. Oh, and don't weld galvanized unless you really know what you're doing and have taken precautions. Look for the threads on galvanized here too. Good luck.
Jim Don

[imtriggerhappyr]

thank you guys this has to be the only fourm were pepole help you and dont just say wow your dumb

i think ill take a longer class first then go on cregs list and pic up a cheap mig to learn on for a while wow i learned so much in only one day thank you very very much

[usmcpop]

Don't pick up a "cheap MIG" welder. If you find a good deal on a quality brand unit, then OK. Buy junk and you will get frustrated. Better to rent or borrow something.

"wow your dumb"

Hey, I grew up around there!

[Sully2]

Don't pick up a "cheap MIG" welder. If you find a good deal on a quality brand unit, then OK. Buy junk and you will get frustrated. Better to rent or borrow something.

Amen to that!! Junk = frustration!

[JimDon]

Mea culpa!
I didn't mean to say pick up a cheap welder, I meant a good one that you can get cheaply. Sorry if I misled you. Stick with Miller, Lincoln, Hobart, ESAB, HTP, something on that order ( you aren't going to find too many ESABs or HTPs for cheap on Craigs list though). Like others have said here, cheap junk equals a lot of frustration. I was thinking more in terms of the Lincoln tombstones or the Miller or Hobart stick machines. They are virtually indestructible and unless you throw one of these off of a loading dock because you're a gorilla and your arms are super long, these machines will keep on burning rod for years for you.
Jim Don