I'm doing it, i'm buying a welder!

[IOPort51]

the 210 is a great machine, and being 240volt it really can put out the amperage. If you have the bucks I would get it.
Funny thing about welding i that a good welder can make any machine good, but a good machine can make you a good welder fast.

Remember this " a good fit makes a poor welder look good and a bad fit will give a good welder look sloppy".

 

[BajaEdition]

Remember this " a good fit makes a poor welder look good and a bad fit will give a good welder look sloppy".

I have to admit it is nice to look good, and besides a good fit, we need to make sure we are color coordinated and in current style with our welding clothes. I mean nothing will make a neat, unwrinkled welders clothes look more sloppy as to be wearing mauve with chartreuse.

 

[IOPort51]

I have to admit it is nice to look good, and besides a good fit, we need to make sure we are color coordinated and in current style with our welding clothes. I mean nothing will make a neat, unwrinkled welders clothes look more sloppy as to be wearing mauve with chartreuse.

This is where I say something about people in California and their ability to color coordinate.
:laugh:

 

[kj 7]

I'm very content with the 187 Handler. It's got plenty of power for cutting into 1/4" to 1/2". I had to back off the amperage when welding 3/8" steel. It was cutting in way too much. Unless you plan to weld 3/4" -1" all day long like a maniac, the 187 is a good buy.

It's a little powerfull for sheet metal, but I'm starting to get the hang of it. The good thing is, it runs so hot even on the lowest setting, that when you tack 2 pieces together, it fuses them together all the way through and doesn't leave a huge lump on top. Instead of a lot of 110v welders that leaves a bunch of lumps on top and is a pain to grind down.

 

[cj5 guy]

after reading this thread im kickin myself in the A BAD WORD for not gettin my old man to teach me how to weld. good thing im spendin a week with him this summer lol

 

[BrockGrimes]

I'm torn with buying the big lincoln at lowes, it's nice but they make one just like it but with more control on the knobs, no clicks just a smooth dial.

That and I'm thinking about taking a welding course at the local college.
I'd hate to spend money on something I'd use for just myself and not a
job, but I guess I could take it and use it as a fall back career.

 

[BajaEdition]

Brock, lots of dials and whistles look good
but remember the basic unit, being well designed means a lot, sooner or later you will find out that a good machine, those recommendations on the inside of the plate are dead on it. Look for duty cycle, as that is a factor of how good the transformer in it is.
a bit of electrical knowledge about welders: welders convert AC to Dc with the use of a rectifier, what they do is shut the sign wave off to one half. now if you saw a 110 sine wave you would see that means a lag time, a 240 single phase means a lot less of down time as both waves are crossing each other, now go with 3 phase commercial and that sine wave gets even flatter as all three waves are criss crossing and ther is even less low area.
what this means to a welder is his machine has less and less of a pulse to it.
and when buying what this means is a home owner who has the choice of a 110 unit or a 240 single phase unit, is going have a much better ability to get a smooth weld out of the 240 unit than the 110 unit as his pulsing will be less.
So, a 140 amp 110 unit is a sweet unit, and can be driven by any 20 amp circut, but a 185 amp 240 volt unit is worth the upgrade in ease of welding.
Still I run a 140 amp Hobart, as good enough for my projects, I do not do it for a living. and it breaths easily with 3/16th and can handle 1/4 inch, if I have something heavier than that, I am not working a home project.

 

[BajaEdition]

after reading this thread im kickin myself in the A BAD WORD for not gettin my old man to teach me how to weld. good thing im spendin a week with him this summer lol

wanna know something? If you had ever been around welding the get the video from ric russell and you will be welding in a week
catalog index -- Frames look under the off road videos
it is a great video that will teach you the basics

 

[cj5 guy]

wanna know something? If you had ever been around welding the get the video from ric russell and you will be welding in a week
catalog index -- Frames look under the off road videos
it is a great video that will teach you the basics

Thanks thats good to know. I helped my dad weld many things when i was little i got the just of it after we built a trailer for our lawnmower from angle iron and a old axle. i will have to look into that maybe see if my dad has any spare welders/tools layin around when i go home next month!

 

[Iron Duck]

I am a welder by traid and the best way to become a good welder is simply "time under the hood." Mig's are easy to learn but can cause an old stick welder greff. Its a different concept and will seem quite odd at first. If your blowing throw the metal alout turn your heat down or turn your wire speed up I am a welder that believes the hotter the better. You can often burn the prosity out if it is hot enouph. But contrery to what You may have heard Mig welds can be just as stroung as stick welds I was an Iron worker for 10 years and a shop welder for 3 years before that and most of the Gussits and flange connectionc on buildings are done with a mig. full pin. welds are obtained by beveling your edges and putting the heat to it your starts and stops are another critical area. Keep it clean and keep it hot you'll be fine. GOOD LUCK

 

[bdunnam]

I dont know how much this link will help with your welding experiences, but I thought it might be something good to know.

Fundamentals of Professional Welding

 

[kj 7]

I ran onto a very similar link. Thanks for sharing. Many times have I thought about what type of joint I'm gonna weld barely before I pull the trigger. Then I end up taking all my setup apart, prepare the joint better then burn it in. Would help if I thought more of that before hand.