I would like to get into welding as a hobby. I don't have a particular project or need, just want to learn a new skill that can be useful at some point. I'm trying to decide what type of welder to begin with, stick or wire feed.

I've done some research and it appears the wire feed welder is more versital from the standpoint of welding thinner metals. The stick welders will handle rusty metals with less prep work than the wire feed will require.

I'd like to hear what y'all think would be the best welder to start with for a weekend warrior.

I'm in the same boat. I've found the Millermatic 125 looks decent for $500 after the rebate they have

My welding tends to be of the repair nature, so stick welders and their versatility better suit my usage. In addition to a trailer mounted Miller Bobcat, in my shop I use a Lincoln AC/DC unit ... Lincoln ,and I purchased 50 ft of cable to extend the "way too short" factory leads (now 35 ft of stinger, 15 ft of ground).


Really depends on what sort of plans you may have for the unit; if hobby/projects are the focus, the wire feed is likely the best option.

I was in your position a couple years ago and went with a Hobart wire feed from Amazon. It's been great

I'd recommend a mig welder. Stick welding has its place but for a hobbyist a wire welder is probably more versatile and appropriate.

I've posted this before, and I know it's not popular, but I have a harbor freight 170 amp welder and it's been great for 4 yrs. I have welder a ton of stuff with it with zero issues. I'd prefer a Miller, but can't justify the cost. My biggest complaint with the hf welder is the leads are short. But the machine is so small and portable it's not a major issue.

Notthern tool has one that looks to be comprable to the Miller Hobbymate. I believe the manufacturer is Kulch. It's yellow. A mig that has an option for a spool gun(for welding aluminum). I have no first hand experience with it.

If you are interested I have a Lincoln 225 amp, slightly used I will sell for $100.00. I live in DFW. Email me if interested doug@mcmullinsales.com

If you are just playing around or even doing small repairs or projects, a good MiG machine will,serve you best IMO. I have a Hobart Handler 140 that is a great little,machine and can be set up to run off of gas if you want. MiG is just easier to manage than stick.

email sent Chief77

You might consider a couple of things first before you make a purchase.

1. What type of electrical power do you have (or can have installed) available to power your machine?

Obviously, most guys won't have 3-phase 240 at their place (although it sure lets you make pretty MIG beads on a big machine with big copper windings), but I would try to at least have 30 amp 240 volt single phase to power whatever you buy, just in case you ever graduate to welding bigger stuff. Otherwise, you probably can get by with a 20 amp 240 connection, like folks have for a conventional electric water heater.

If you only have 120 volt available, you'll really limit your choices.


2. Are you set on buying something new, or would you consider used?

I ask because here in Texas I've been getting quite a few auction flyers lately for closed fab shops and there are many, many, welding machines up for sale at on-site auctions. I suppose this is a consequence of lower-priced oil. I've seen some really nice Millers and Lincolns, and some are just a couple of years old, so they have a lot of the newer electronic controls on them, which can be nice, but which do complicate maintenance and can increase the cost of repairs.

Auctions, however, sell stuff 'as-is', so you're taking a chance that the thing works and was well-maintained when the operation shut down. I'd only buy if the auction were on-site and you could at least inspect the equipment.



FWIW, these days I keep a 30-year-old original MillerMatic 200 MIG wire feed around using .035 wire and CO2 gas and it seems to do whatever I need. I'll bet you could find something like that on CraigsList and the guy would probably throw in the gas regulator and gas bottle to boot for less than a grand. He'd probably even demo it for you.

One other thing - practice, practice, practice. There may be guys who were born with the gift to weld, but I sure wasn't one of them.

Have fun.

Any links to those auction sites?

I'm looking for a 122 cf bottle.

I'd also like to peruse the available machines

Sure. I'm still on quite a few equipment auction lists although I'm not presently a serious buyer. For instance, in Texas/Louisiana, the 800-pound gorilla is Plant and Machinery:

http://pmi-auction.com/

Another fairly big one is Investment Recovery Services:

http://irsauction.com/


And there are many others.

You mentioned a 122 cuft bottle (Size M), but many times the smaller cylinders are actually owned by the gas supplier and rented to the end user, so my experience has been that you'll see more machines at auction than you'll see cylinders.

Also, the larger operations will have a very large central gas cylinder with the gas piped to the machines.

If you just want to buy a cylinder like that, I've seen them (you probably have too) at places like Atwoods/Tractor Supply in the $200-$300 range. Folks have told me that they've seen them on CraigsList, but I haven't seen any myself, unless they're bundled with a welder.

When I had a manufacturing operation and multiple welding machines, I used a welding gas supplier. Now, I just use a bottle I bought at Atwoods and swap it out when I need gas.

I have a cheap Chinese harbor freight/Walmart 80 amp wire feed that I use for light duty, thin metals and tacking, and an old 225 busybee crackerbox stick that will weld just about anything steel. Used both for years now.

Chief77 said:

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If you are interested I have a Lincoln 225 amp, slightly used I will sell for $100.00. I live in DFW. Email me if interested doug@mcmullinsales.com

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A steal!

If you are just looking to attach some metal grab an entry level stick or wire welder YouTube & have fun.

If you want to learn how to weld start with a torch & a stick. I think if you learn the basics already using both hands it's easier when you get to more complicated techniques.

How about a Lincoln Ranger 8 with a wire feed attachment? You can arc or mig weld then.

x2 for the Hobart 140. I've had one for 4 years and love it. 115V and the ability to use fluxcore or gas.I used about 5' of fluxcore wire and went and got gas setup. Fluxcore is nice, but is messy and requires extra grinding on otherwise simple projects. Northern tool runs the 140 on sale often and usually has a deal for a free welding cart with purchase around Christmas time.

Your end-use sounds identical to mine - hobby use for building carts, gate frames, adding stuff to a trailer, etc. I bought the Northern Tool Klutch multiprocess mentioned above. It is a budget welder to be sure, but the build quality seems decent. I bought the bigger model thinking it would be a more reliable machine.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200631881_200631881

After 1 year, I am very happy with its performance. I watch YouTube videos for instruction and build ideas. I've only used the MIG weld capability so far, but on anything I've tried from 16ga to 1/4" plate it has done fine.

Note that it requires a 220V 50A receptacle. There are dual 110/220V supply models out there which would be very nice to have, but they are much more expensive.

Also as mentioned above, I bought a tank from a gas supplier and will take it in for exchange when I need more gas.