MIG welder

[Brad Johnson]

I have just lost access to the welder that I usually rely on for fab and repairs on my logging and farm equipment. My neighbor passed away and his son has taken the welder back with him to Florida. I need a relatively inexpensive wire feed unit, 220 V, that will tackle these jobs. Anyone have any recommendations?
-Brad

[Does’ Leap]

Hi Brad:

Why not get an arc welder instead? Dollar for dollar, you will get a much better buy for your money. Unless you are doing serious production welding, there is no reason not go with stick. Also, no MIG wire that I know of comes close to 6011 rod when working on old machinery. I own and have used both – go with a stick!

George

[Mark Cowdrey]

Brad,
I have a small 120v, wire feed unit made or marketed by Hobart. Northern Tool has a bunch of them. I use a flux core wire that is a bit nasty (spattery) but gets done what I need.
Sounds like George has more experience though.
I do not do the welding on the arches myself. I don’t think I could do a professional,or professional looking, job w the rig I have.
Mark

[Does’ Leap]

Hi Mark:

I think I have the same set-up – http://www.amazon.com/Hobart-500549-Auto-Wire-Welder/dp/B002VECKTC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408046205&sr=8-1&keywords=hobart+autoarc

This is a great unit for welding thin steel and very versatile when coupled with a 50′ 10 AWG extension cord. However I would argue that it lacks the amperage for most of the construction, repair, and maintenance that I do. If you bevel edges and do multiple passes, you can get by doing 1/4″ steel, but that would be the upper limit for this machine. Even with 1/4″, I will generally turn to my stick welder which has much better penetration than this unit.

Brad, I have an older welder, but this is the size/amperage I would go for: http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Electric-K1170-AC225S-Welder/dp/B0000CBIKA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408046274&sr=8-1&keywords=stick+welder+220v

Having AC/DC would be nice, but not totally necessary in my opinion. There are often some good deals on Craigslist that you might check out as well. I would also argue that if you are used to MIG welding, those skills are transferable to stick with a little practice.

George

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Does' Leap.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Does' Leap.

[Ed Thayer]

Brad,

George and Mark have good advice. I prefer Mig for general fabricating on most projects. My unit is a 220 volt 200 amp Linde, An oldy but goody. I also have a 300 amp Miller Big Blue stick welder that I use for heavy work on materials greater than 1/4 in.

Both have their advantages. The 6011 rod George refers to is a great rod for dirty iron that can’t be cleaned properly before welding and for out of position work. But if you are welding or fabricating, it is important to prep the weld surface properly and make sure it is clean for the mig process.

The real benefit to the stick is its simplicity, but it will take practice to do it well. I practiced 8 hrs a day for a month When I went to school to get my AWS certification in welding. You need different rods for different jobs. Some only work on AC, vs DC current. Some rods will only work in flat position vs overhead.

You should be able to find a welder on Craigslist very reasonable. Good luck,

ED

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Ed Thayer.

[PeytonM]

Brad, did you ever get a welder? personally would look for a power supply, I went to school for welding and before I started class I bought a AC/DC stick welder with a High Freq box on it so I could tig weld alum with it, I got a bottle of argon with it everything to weld, paid 700 for it, after I went to school I found I shouldn’t have got that machine and got a miller trailblazer 225G with a 8K watt gen on it its a portable unit with ac and dc and can run a wirefeeder for mig, I since got a miller xtm305 also thats a inverter and I paid 1200 for the welder and a sp22a wire feeder with all new leads

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