Welding - help and ideas

[Monkalunka 7]

Well folks I come again asking for advice and assistance. I will give you my current issue and then go into the over all. Colby and I bought a two wheeled cement dump trailer, wheel horse of course and it is in horrible shape, I have posted pics prior. The issue is that it has a hole the size of that pencil eraser in one of the corners. While I am not a welder, and yes you can laugh at this, I was very good with it in high school (stick or arc welding). Anyway Im looking to get something small that i can use that is versitle in what it is that we do. I am sure that whatever i purchase i can find someone to assist in the learning process. The question lies in what do I purchase??? What is the most useful types of welders in what it is that we do. So far I have received one vote for the miller mig welder... but with that i can cut things....and trust me I have no idea what it is that I am doing so this might not be such a big deal. Any assistance or knowledge you can type my way would be usefull. Thanks

[Paul D. 26]

A little 110 mig welder should do almost anything you need. Go with the gas option rather than the flux core if you can afford it.

[Monkalunka 7]

thanks Paul

[Rooster 191]

It is easy to add a spool gun later as well so I can...err, I mean if you need to do any aluminum work. :)

[jay in nc 210]

i have a miller cricket 110 volt wire feed welder. i run flux core wire on this machine. it is very good for repairing things 3/16 or smaller. patching decks, welding brackets etc. with this settup i dont have to run a cover gas & i can carry it to do odd jobs like repairing my sister in laws patio chairs. next step up i have a 220 volt millermattic 35 mig machine. this machine is limmited to the length of the drop cord so 50 foot plus the gun = 60 foot. this machine will weld 1/2 in. steel in one pass or can be turned way down for doing sheetmetal but you must run a covergas . next up i have a 110 thermodynamics dc tig machine it will burn 1/8 welding rod, or tigrig but you must use argon as a cover gas. i use this machine to do stainless tubing fabrication,exhaust pipes and stainless sculpture as well as very fine sheetmetal work.. then i have an antique forney 220 volt ac stick machine.that is good for cutting up scrap with old damp welding rods,or welding stuff when im out of unimix 7 gasthen there is the portable machine its a miller legand 200 le & that does my away from the shop welding but it has a hole in the gas tank right now. harbor fright has a 110 2 setting wire welder that will do most of the hobyist needs for around $200. but i dont think you can cut with one. i have had good luck with miller, lincon&hobart machines you can't go wrong w. quality jay

[jcb857 161]

A 110 mig welder is great for sheetmetal. You can not cut things with a mig welder. Do your home work on the diffrent models and brands. I have a lincoln and my brother has a craftsman and they both work great on sheetmetal.

[chris hall 5]

i am a miller man. all my welders are miller. i have a hypertherm plasma cutter that i just bought. it's alittle pricy but, it makes quick work of cutting metal. i would diffiently go with a solid wire machine. tig is nice also but, you really need to have a use for one. good luck.

[kpinnc 11,795]

If you decide on a 110AC model, be sure to pay attention to the duty cycle. 100% duty cycle is hard to find, but well worth it in this case. Many are in the 30-40% range, which basically means for every 3-4 minutes of welding, you're supposed to wait 6-7 minutes to weld again. Otherwise you damage the unit.

The fine print can bite you on some of those smaller welders, which is usually why they often break prematurely and get a bad rap.

Good luck!

[Kelly 1,029]

Well, I have been for years using a Hobart welder, made by Miller but a little cheaper, I got my newest one at TSC for about $500, it is a 110V 140amp and I highly recommend using the gas with it, argon / CO2 mix, with solid wire .024, you will find it welds much better, TSC also sell/leases tanks, I have welded for hours with little to no stopping and had no issues, I build my race cars with it, weld the roll cage and everything, from 1/2" plate (preheated) to light sheet metal, I just fri. night sold my old welder, only because I upgraded to a little bigger one than it was.

[can whlvr 993]

im not a welded at all,ive been lucky enough to have a stick welder for many years,but recently purchased a 110 mig welded,its a lincoln and its not a pro model but ive found it to be very handy,dont know what i did without it,i really want the gas but just cant swing it right now,but get it if you can,and ive been told to have flux core too if you need to weld in the wind,which is very possible