How much welder to buy?

[Dennis McGill]

I'm not a welder, but I plan to learn so that I can make my own arch from a 275 gal. fuel oil barrel. How much of a welder do I need to buy? I'm planning to buy a Mig/flux core. But, I don't know how big I should get.
Thanks for any suggestions.

[jmayerl]

I built a fairly substantial 2x7 evaporator out of 3/16 angle with a $100 harbor freight 90 amp welder.

[BreezyHill]

I started back about 30 years ago with a stick welder and then went to a mig flux core that I used til I needed a unit with variable wire feed and reversing polarity to weld aluminum on our feed trucks. I still wanted to be portable so I got a miller that is a 160 amp unit It is heavy to lug around by the one handle but we do.

Size is not a big deal as you can v out your weld and make ulti passes to do thick metal.

What you want is a unit that can be powered down to do thin stuff. I have a hard time with thin now. setting #1 and low wire feed will do down to 11 ga well. Below that it can get hairy. Faster wire feed increases the amps slightly and you blow thru... to slow and you blow thru. Weld away from heat and it will do pretty good job.

Thinker stuff weld so your heat is preheating the seem and you will have a great job that you can grind the ridge and have an invisible seem.

Mine is a 220 unit and I had to build a 100' extension cord to get to some of my jobs in the mill.

Gas is nice in the shop but outside it is flux core only. I have not hooked a bottle to the unit in the last 10 years except to do aluminum.

Go with your budget as a guide and you will be just fine. I used a $75 unit last year at a friends shop and was shocked at how nice it ran and what it could kick out. He was having a problem with it and I tried the backwards method and it worked great.

Remember the C is your friend. Keep as much Cash in your pocket and draw a C when you weld with the wire over the seem.

Good Luck!

Ben

[Dennis McGill]

Thanks for the input. It sounds like I don't need to spend as much as I thought.

[optionguru]

You can get a decent clarke 130 amp that will give you a pretty good range of power for about $250. Like others have said I have a few welders and for quick thick stuff I use a stick, doesn't look real pretty but it's solid when it's done. Doing thinner stuff takes a lot of practice with the wire feed to not blow holes in it. I built my oil drum arch a couple of years ago with my mig. This year I built a bigger rig with almost all scrap bed frame rails. I used the stick when I was welding together the channel and the mig for everything else. Good luck and have fun, lots of youtube videos to help you learn.

[BreezyHill]

Thanks for the input. It sounds like I don't need to spend as much as I thought.


Its not the size of the Tool...its the Magic You do with it.

LOL

[MartinP]

I have a Hobart 140 mig and it will do 18g stainless without blowing though to many times. It worked fine on the angle and plate for the evaporator.

[lastwoodsman]

There are some good deals here. I am a fan of refurbished products on a limited budget.

http://www.hobartweldshop.com/refurbished-hobart-welders/

[Big_Eddy]

I'm not a welder, but I plan to learn so that I can make my own arch from a 275 gal. fuel oil barrel. How much of a welder do I need to buy? I'm planning to buy a Mig/flux core. But, I don't know how big I should get.
Thanks for any suggestions.

Are you planning to weld up the arch only or a pan as well? Big difference in what you will need. What else will you weld with it later? For an arch only a 120v flux core only will do. If you want to weld stainless or a pan then get one that supports gas too. I'm a fan of the good brands (Miller, Hobart, Lincoln) but I use my welder regularly. Don't waste your money on Longevity or the like.

[esetter]

Doubt this will impress anyone but , I went to welding school straight out of high school and have been doing it off and on (mostly on) ever since. When you start welding it will be like when you started sugaring , you will become addicted and the projects will start rolling as your confidence grows. Buy a good machine , not top of the line with so many bells and whistles that it confuses you but something a little better than a starter machine. My advice would be a 160-180 amp wire feed with the option of doing mig and flux cored welding. I have done darn near all types and phases of welding over the last 18 years. Everything from commercial cooking equipment with T.I.G. on thin gauge stainless to large scale mining equipment with dual shield wire. I use my miller 180 mig 5x more than any other piece of equipment I own. Also , there are some really good instructional videos by qualified instructors on you tube.

[Bucket Head]

My story is nearly a carbon copy of esetter's story above. I would have said the same thing. All good advice.

The only thing I will add is buy a Miller, Lincoln or Hobart, as stated earlier. That way it will be easy to get replacement parts. Any professional welding supply will stock, or be able to order the parts you need quickly. What do you expect the look on the kid's face will be at Harbor Freight when you ask for a new drive roller?

Stay away from the not-so-well-known brands. The low purchase price will come back and bite you. Probably right in the middle of sap season when your trying to make a repair on something!

Steve

[esetter]

To Bucket Heads post I will agree with the availability of parts and service with the well known brands. I will add , PLEASE do not go cheap on the hood. You don't have to buy the latest $400 auto hood but consider what its main function is , to protect your eyes. I will also recommend a mid priced common brand.