What Are You Welding With??

[sensor]

are you going to be welding for extended periods or just shorter times? do you have access to 220v? is this just something you want for now and plan on trading up later?
all of the things you mentioned will work just fine(stick welding is abit harder to get the hang of especially if youve never welded before)
your best bet would probably be a 110-120v mig that will take flux core wire and gas(gas will run you about $50-$100 depending on what size tank you want)
my bit of advice is check around for a lincoln hd3200...it can be set up for gas or flux core,runs on 120v,its smaller,works great, has a good duty cycle,easy set up and wire feed and temp. controls,and theyre fairly cheap

 

[karfer67]

i use a lincoln 3200 HD mig and it does really well. you can do mostly everything with it even aluminum if i wanted to but i am no where near that yet. but it works great for bikes and does not cost an arm and a leg.

 

[Mr. Farrell]

thanx for the advice. im just looking for something innexpensive to work on the bikes. i wouldnt forsee any need to upgrade in the future.

ill keep an eye out for a lincoln. how much do those usually cost used?

 

[MonsterMetal]

Ok first off I don't want anyone to get the wrong Idea. I make a living with my welder(s) and I wouldn't expect someone just working on the occasional bike to spend big bucks on a welder... However he is my 2 cents. I have 5 welders with a total combined cost of close to $20,000. Each one has a specific task its good at to justify its place. I have used cheaper welders like the Harbor freight and Home depot Lincolns and have to tell you for the most part they really suck ( the Lincoln is WAY better than the HF but its still not really much of a machine) For a small MIG machine The Miller is the best and the Hobart is a very close second. I know the Miller is twice as much money as the Home depot Lincoln but it will pay back the cost many many times over. Its really hard to get a good weld out of one of those cheapies. They constantly have feeding issues, voltage/ampage issues and if you are used to using a "real" welder it doesn't take long to get real pissed off at how they function. On the flip side if you are used to using a harbor freight machine and get a chance to use a "real" welder its like suddenly jumping 3 skill levels ahead. Everything is just easier. I know allot of you have those machines and Im not trying to bad mouth your tools. Some of the most impressive work out there is done with no expensive equipment and is all the more impressive for it. Its like the samurai swords that where made 500 years ago built with primitive tools that are better than anything that can be built today. Tools are never to blame for a poor quality job.

Anyway back to the welders.... If you want to wire feed your stuff together then wait to find a used Miller or Hobart rather than buying a new Harbor Freight or HD Lincoln. You'll be much happier in the long run.
HOWEVER... if you want the most flexible and best welding for your buck Oxy/Act gas welding is by far the ticket. Its not fast and takes much more practice but it will make a stronger weld that is much prettier than MIG. Its an art and not everyone can do it well (just about any monkey can make a good MIG weld with practice) Another benefit to gas welding is that almost everything you lean will carry over to TIG welding. the movements, learning about the puddle and heat. the filler rod and bead structure are all the same.. Basically TIG welding is gas welding with electricity (that's kind of oversimplified but you get the idea)
Now MIG is fast.. its why MIG exists You could MIG a whole frame together in an hour or 2... it could take all day to gas weld a frame. Another benefit to mig is your fit up does not need to be exact. you can fill a pretty good sized crack with no problem.. Your fit has to be just about perfect to get a good gas weld (or TIG for that matter)

For building a rat there is probably no reason to TIG stuff other than if you own a machine and are a good TIG welder. Unless you where doing 4130/Chrome Moly or just really fussy. Its going to cost pretty big money to get into a TIG set up in comparison to the other choices. And it really takes a couple years worth of practice to get good enough to make a pretty weld all the time.

Anyway I hope I didn't upset anyone. Like I said If you own one of the welders I put down don't take it personal. Besides this is just what I think and what do I know?

Further more If anyone has any questions about welding Id be happy to help. I can most likely tell you why something is going on and what might fix it. I have been welding full time for about 10 years and have owned my own shop for 4...

 

[Mr. Farrell]

thanx for the advice man. i wish i had the money to buy the best.

 

[karfer67]

i am sure using more expensive welders makes it easier but i have to dissagree with you about the performance of the 3200hd lincoln "home depot" welder and hey how did you know i got it there anyways that is just creepy :mrgreen: anyways i have been using mine solidly since i got it, about 7 months and never had a feeding issue at all other than two days ago having to change the tip. and that was because of welding too close and touching. otherwise i think for a first welder to get your feet wet you would be hard to beat it. just my 1/2 cents

 

[C.S.]

Lorch Handy S 201, electronic arc welder, 230 volt, 160 amp., made in Germany.
However, on bicycles I cheat by using (expensive) Mig welders in wokshops, owned by other people.

 

[MonsterMetal]

Hey like I said I am not tryin to bad mouth your stuff. Its great its working good for you. And keep in mind I am welding with a Miller XMT 304 with a 70 series feeder and a Optma digital pulser.. About $6000.00 worth of Mig welder. Point being I am kind of spoiled and have a diffrent idea about how a welder should work.

 

[Mr. Farrell]

hey... i found a lincoln 3220hd on ebay. there's no reserve... current bid is 99cent but there's still 6 days left.

the catch... shipping on a 47lb welder is $66!!!!! :shock:

 

[KOTA]

hey... i found a lincoln 3220hd on ebay. there's no reserve... current bid is 99cent but there's still 6 days left.

the catch... shipping on a 47lb welder is $66!!!!! :shock:

Hehehehe! I sold a Miller 3000 on ebay last year, the bids rose $500 higher, in the last 30min. So don't get to excited, yet! :lol:

 

[MaddMatt]

Lincoln Electric Weldpak 100 HD for me.

We had a boss that was embezzling money out of the yearly bonus that we would get at christmas time. When we found out what he was doing we turned him in. He ended up going to jail and corporate told us to just divide up his stuff and keep it. So that christmas we held a raffle and I got the welder. Better then the christmas bonus he stole from us, that's for sure. I recently bought the MIG conversion kit for it, it's nice being able to use the tank and steel wire when I need a clean weld, but still have the 10 lb spool of flux when I'm just dicking around with new ideas.