Welding

I've been welding for about 7+ years, all mig. Have a 220 gas mig welder and a 220 plasma cutter. But looking to get into TIG to make a few things for my truck. I'm actually considering the HF vulcan. Wondering if anyone has any thoughts on it, and also any tips on setting the machine up. I know I'll be watching a ton of videos, but curious of others personal experiences.

 

I would buy a used lincoln or miller over a new something or other.
There is a welding thread “anything welding” on tacomaworld and a few people have the HF welders. Maybe chime in there.

 

for the price, even the used millers and lincolns are over a grand from what i've seen. or they are beat to hell. the vulcan is about $600. if figure i can get tank and reg for $100. i have everything else i'd need. the 220 mig i've been running since 2014 is the Harbor Freight 220 mig welder. it has done surprisingly well. so much so that even a friend who is a certified structural welder used it a few times and said it laid down very nice welds for a HF welder. I suppose current is current, wire is wire and gas is gas. those three components aren't going to be significantly different brand to brand...biggest factor - the person doing the welding.

 

I just picked up a weldpro 2020. It’s a multiprocess welder. So far very happy with it for stick and mig. Haven’t tried tig w it yet. It’s not a real tig, it’s a lift tig. Just got an argon bottle so gonna play w it soon. To do aluminum I’ll need a spool gun. Again, so far very impressed

 

I believe anyone can make a welder these days, and you are right, its wire and electricity, pretty hard to mess it up. I think a lot of these no name machines are great for the hobby welder, there were not many options when I bought mine.
Having said that, my 18yr old lincoln will still be pounding long after I leave this planet, and its so fucking smooth.

 

I'm lightweight thinking of getting a stick welder.

I have yet to really need a welder, but when i was building my outdoor kitchen it would have been nice. it would probably get used only a couple times a year. Or should i go straight to mig?

 

Yeah, definitely a lot of stuff out there for hobbyists, like myself. If you're doing it for a job, even a side hustle, I'd say go get a Lincoln or Miller. Don't mess around. But for the weekend guy fixing stuff around the house, making offroad stuff for his own vehicle, the less expensive welders will be more than enough.

Daniel - if it's your first welder, learn on a MIG. Way cheaper and IMO, likely easier. You can do all sorts of mild steel stuff.

 

I figured that would be the answers i'd get. I like the idea of not having to deal with shielding gas tanks. I wouldn't be trying to win any awards for prettiest weld, just trying to put two pieces of metal together.

 

I'm also trying to jump on this train.. I've been looking at those HF Vulcan migs, but I'll probably follow this guidance.

 

As mentioned in this thread, the Weld Pro 2020 is a good choice for a mid tier tig welder. Also look into the Esab fabricators line of multi process welders. You would have to buy the tig torch separately, but you will be getting a solid torch vs what you get with other machines. You definitely need to be hooking up 220 for your machine. Here's a link to one of Esabs welders, figure in the torch your around a grand. If your gonna spend $700, mind as well spend $300 more for the better welder.
Whatever you decide, make sure your using 2% Thoriated Tungsten, it has a red band around one end. It's the best out there, just remember to wear a mask or cover your face when sharpening Tungsten. Tight Beads!

https://www.weldingsuppliesfromioc.com/esab-fabricator-141i-multi-process-welding-system-w1003141

 

The esab stuff is really nice. And I agree with Ron's advice, definitely get 220 put in your garage. I had an electrician friend who installed mine with a 50 amp breaker. He was the electrical supervisor of a huge property up in Nor Cal. He had a 40' 220 pig tail cord in the shop that had been laying there with both male and female connectors. He cut the plug off my welder, put the male end on it, and installed the 40' pig tail cord with female plug into the wall. It's great because now I can run my welder any where in my garage and even down to the sidewalk to weld stuff.

If you are going to the expense of putting a 220 plug in your garage, get some sort of 220 extension cord, that way you're not limited to welding just the length of the welding machine's cord. You may wish to invest in a spider box too. I ended up getting a 220 plasma cutter. Plug was different. I got a spider box that my wall cord plugs into, and the spider box has several different 220 plugs, for any 220 tool I may end up getting. Link below is very similar to what I ended up with.

https://www.larsonelectronics.com/p...ydkZ034dv_4b_eTCiz2tlXMni_-6KhCIaAljNEALw_wcB

 

sigh. too much stuff i want to do and too little funds to do it.

i had been looking at a miller multimatic 220 along with a plasma cutter. i'd like to be able to make/fix stuff for the truck but my other idea was to be able to make frames for the metal based prints i've been doing. thought it'd be pretty to cool to make a shadow box frame and have the print "float".

i like the spider box idea but i had been considering adding outlets to a welding table i would have made.

 

I got a 40’ 220 extension cord and a dryer adapter. My laundry is right next to garage door. Sort of a pain in the butt, but with how often I actually use it it’s easier than running a new circuit up from basement.

 

I know I may get some slack, but the basic 220 harbor freight welder has served me well for the last 6 years. i thought i was going to upgrade last year to a miller, but the HF one just keeps on going and putting down good welds. I posted in the 3rd gen tundra forums recently, about the rock sliders that I made for my truck. It's an inexpensive way to get started. As far as plasma cutters, I got the Lotos 50D from Home Depot...$350. Once you figure out what settings work with various steel thickness, you're in like Flynn. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Lotos-5...e-110-220V-1-2-in-Clean-Cut-LT5000D/205438858

 

Here's the finished sliders

 

what are you using for air on the cutter?

 

No slack if you end up with a product your hoping for!
I’m the poster boy for a straight farmer 110v mig welder. I’ve built two trucks and various other goodies for about 7 years now. Anything works if you stay within the operating envelope and proper procedure. Weld for 2 minutes-drink beer for 15 while it cools off for another round haha

 

I have a 21 gallon compressor with a 50' hose further back in my garage. I run it at about 70-75 psi per the manual on the plasma cutter. I've only used it on steel up to 1/2" thick, but I've seen videos of guys cutting 3/4". I'm fairly certain it would work fine up to 1", but you'd have to run it maxed out, go super slow, and you'd have to shut it down every 15-20 minutes for duty cycle. But it would probably work. The highest setting was too much for the 1/2" that I did.

 

I would echo Dan's comments. Beer, welding...for me that's a productive Friday night...ha ha

 

Sounds like a wicked fun Friday night.

 

I bought a Miller 211 MIG a few years back, honestly not that impressed. It welds great, but there were issues with the internal breaker off the bat and I just learned the other day that Miller changed their consumable design and don't even sell tips for their previous welders (granted, there's aftermarket). On the flip side, 9 months ago I bought a super cheap Tig on Amazon:

$800 AHP AlphaTIG 203Xi 200 Amp IGBT AC DC Tig/Stick Welder with PULSE 110/220v 3 YEARS WARRANTY

https://www.amazon.com/AHP-AlphaTIG...1&keywords=ahp+alphatig&qid=1589563439&sr=8-2

It's called an AHP, and it's a 200A, AC/DC machine for $800 (was $700 when I got it). 100% duty cycle @ 150A, and came with everything from the torch and a bunch of collets and cups to a foot pedal and finger trigger. I've had 0 issues with it, and it has a lot of good reviews. Food for thought if you're looking for a budget TIG that can do aluminum. I'm just a guy in a garage and don't need it to make a living though, and bought it for fun.

 

Sean, Miller's rule when it comes to GTAW Process. Downside is your gonna pay for what you get, which is expensive any way you swing it. I have used them for welding major hull cuts with UT Inspection to reactor work. Top of the line, but definitely not recommended for a weekend warroir or hobbyists. I've been wanting the Dynasty Tig Runner for years, complete unit, which you can also tig aluminum. Comes with water cooling capabilities. Only thing is it's around 8-10 k give or take how many options you want That's why I suggested the Esab. It's a good little unit for the money

 

The Alpha Tig is another great choice for the money. It's very nice having 100% Duty Cycle @ 150.

 

i've looked at them. the multiprocess machines seem to run about the same price as the millers. at least over at cyberweld. i don't have a lot of space so the multiprocess machines just seem to make sense. we'll see what happens. i've got a lot of other stuff to figure out before i can get back to thinking about welders.

always appreciate your input though.

 

I’m not a professional welder but i like to play with projects I have a snap on mig welder and a HTP America invertig 221 at home set up at 220v

 

Check out everlast welders as well they have some great welders.

 

I was just given a Snap-On FM140A mig welder that wasn't feeding wire, motor would kick on with 12-volts applied. Replaced the bridge rectifier on the wire feed circuit board and got everything running again. Need to go get a bottle of shielding gas and start practicing. Any tips to start. The welder is already setup properly as the guy who gave it to me works for a bodyshop and welds on steel and aluminum.

 

If you have time I'd watch one or two YouTube beginner videos. If not, clean metal (flappy disk, grinder, scotch Brite, etc preferred), get a tight fit on whatever you're welding, use 75%Argon25%CO2 (standard mix, called C25), make sure the tip (a consumable) matches your wire diameter (I prefer .030" for mig), have your gas pressure at 15-20psi, make sure the machine settings are set to what the machine recommends, have most 0.5" of wire stick out (distance from tip to the weld), and then go to town. Just move slow, watch the puddle and build it up and then move a little. A common technique is drawing cursive "e"s, like a little repeating spiral.

As someone who's not a formal welder, the biggest issues I see is way too much stick out so the tip is far from the metal, and moving too fast. Don't watch the arc, watch the puddle and move the puddle. Like I said too, a few YouTube videos here and there can help a lot also.

 

You don't need shielding gas to weld. Just buy a spool of innershield flux wire NR-MP for the time being to practice till your able to get setup like you want.