Thread: Welders?

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Any of the good and usually US made welders are fine. I have a little Lincoln 110v unit that I've used for up to 1/4" but it really likes 1/8" or less best. I didn't have 220v wired to my shop when I bought mine plus wanted portability. I would buy a bigger 220v now, the heck with portability. Just stay away from the Harbor Freight Chinese made level junk. They are cheap, often work well for a year or so, then it's time for repairs - and parts are impossible to find. The crap Eastwood sells is Harbor Freight with a different paint job and name stuck on it so they can charge more. You also need to invest in the gas conversion. The flux core while good for welding rusty steel and outdoors with some wind and on a farm is fine, but the weld splatter makes a mess and is one additional step in a project. Unfortunately, the C25 (argon/CO2) mix has about doubled in price in the last year.

I really recommend a minimal level class. My welds before I took a few sessions of training looked like pigeon droppings, after, usually pretty good even on light sheet metal tho an occasional bird flies over "helping" the weld bead

We were just discussing this subject last night. My Son Don just bought a Miller 212, mainly because Dan has a 210 that has been FLAWLESS for maybe 6 years. The discussion was that although it is costly to do so, it is better to save up and buy a really good welder the first time, rather than buy a small one and find out it has limitations that are holding you back.

But that is a hard one to handle, financially, sometimes, because a really decent one will set you back $ 2000 by the time you add a tank, gas, helmet, etc. The upside is that it will be something you never will outgrow and will last the rest of your life.

Also, a good welding machine will let even beginning welders turn out good, strong welds with a little practice. Don had never really welded in his life, but Dan spent the last two nights with him, breaking in his new welder, and after a little while he was laying down very acceptable welds. Good equipment does let you do better work.

Don

Don - the heat needs to be a notch higher for more penetration and a move bit faster or turn the feed back a bit

Don - the heat needs to be a notch higher for more penetration and a move bit faster or turn the feed back a bit






If you saw the backside you wouldn't say that. There is a perfect pattern there. It is an autoweld, so it regulates itself.

Don

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Don - the heat needs to be a notch higher for more penetration and a move bit faster or turn the feed back a bit






If you saw the backside you wouldn't say that. There is a perfect pattern there. It is an autoweld, so it regulates itself.

Don

Don - if that is true, then I will retract my post.

Dan gave it his stamp of approval and they took a few test pieces and tried to break them apart in a vice, everything bent over but no breakage. Dan was also pretty impressed with the 212 version of his 210. It lays down a very clean weld.

But what do I know, my welds look like Stevie Wonder did them.

Don

sfort-Good luck with your welder quest. I looked long and hard and finally settled on a New Miller 212. I spent about $2000 to get set up with welder, bottle, welding jacket, helmet and gear but feel for me it was well worth it. I saved up to get the welder I wanted. I think the Miller 211 is a good welder as well and I considered it strongly. With its MVP 110 and 220 capability and auto set features it is a wonderful welder. If you need portability or 110 and 220 flexibility it would be wonderful for you. Cyberweld is where I purchase mine and the service was great with fast shipping. Best of luck.

Originally Posted by IC2

Don - the heat needs to be a notch higher for more penetration and a move bit faster or turn the feed back a bit

Hey IC2,
Thank you for help there with the settings. I am certainly "Brand New" to welding so I know there is much improvement to go. Last night was the first night that I got my new welder up and running so I am sure there are may tweaks to be done. I guess what pops was saying is that I have never welded in my life and was able to get a decent weld that seems strong with a little better equipment to help. My brother Dan does beautiful welds on all our cars so if I get even close to his level of skill I will be happy. Welding is addictive it seems as I just want to keep practicing to get better. Dan was being kind and encouraging me that for a beginner these were not bad. Hopefully it will get better with time. The Miller 212 has the autoset feature to help you get a close setting in an easy fashion. Dan and I agreed that we had to set the autoset at the top of the range to get proper penetration. We are going to try it out of auto set mode next and see what we get. Please feel free to critique as it helps me learn. Thanks. Don Jr.

sfort,
A few pics of the Miller 212 1 bought and a good tip on the Northern autodarkening helmet I bought for $50! weldingtipsandtricks.com recommended this helmet as a goodautodarkening unit for the money. Sure enough they were right. I peeled off the cheesy flame decals though and it looks great. Don Jr.

Originally Posted by Mr Blue

sfort,
A few pics of the Miller 212 1 bought and a good tip on the Northern autodarkening helmet I bought for $50! weldingtipsandtricks.com recommended this helmet as a goodautodarkening unit for the money. Sure enough they were right. I peeled off the cheesy flame decals though and it looks great. Don Jr.

Good call on peeling off the cheesy decals.

Yeah, but he put them on his 46 Ford ! I think he was going after that "Grease" look.

Don

Originally Posted by Rickomatic

Good call on peeling off the cheesy decals.

Your not kidding, look at the helmet before! (The pics look better than the actual helmet)
Welding Helmet.gif

Im a miller fan even though my big machine is a lincoln..lol If you want a machine that can do anything than a multiprocess machine is what you are looking for, but they are very expensive.. You cant go wrong with a mig welder for a fun easy way to learn, and you can get a big enough one that will keep you happy.. Heres a mig Ive been looking at.. Millermatic 212 MIG Welder Auto-Set with Spoolmate 200 951177 .. I really like cyberweld for their prices are very good and Ive had very good luck with them ordering and customer service... If you havnt already got to millers web site and check out their machines.. And the welding web forum has alot of info on it..

Thanks
Harmon