Anything welding

Hey everyone. Have a buddy who has a Lincoln promig 140 for sale. Could pick it up for 325$ if I wanted it. Always wanted to learn to weld so this will be my first machine. Would love to eventually weld/repair a trailer. Any thoughts on the promig 140?

 

That $200 less than new. Any cans of gas included? Regardless, that would be a great home use welder.

 

It would be a good machine to get your feet wet. Remember that if you want to break away from flux core wire you'll be spending some $$$ on a bottle of c02 or argon/c02 mix.

 

And for a box store grade machine, they seem to be pretty sturdy. We have one at work that's been to hell and back and still runs like a champ.

 

I would pick up a bottle and plan to start straight to mig.

 

No. Comes with just the welder and a cart. No bottles

 

No biggie. Still a good deal. The gas last a long time. There is no reason to get the big can. You can still use that rig with Flux core wire, but we will all encourage you to take the savings and put it towards a 75/25 can of argon CO2 mix.

 

I'd suggest a 20lb bottle of 100% c02, you get more penetration with it and the weld appearance is still pretty good.

 

I agree that you get better penetration, but I don't know if it would do the new welder any good. They need to work on achieving satisfactory welds before they work on weld penetration.

The price difference of the 2 types of welding gasses is not enough to worry about.

 

I definitely plan on picking up a bottle. Not sure what mixture yet. Need to do more research. I still need to purchase all the welding related tools. I'm a auto bodyman by trade but none of the tools overlap lol.

 

Cylinders are like Lays Potato Chips you can`t have just one.

Because it never fails either a big project or emergency Repair on a long Holiday weekend and you run out.

I would encourage you to if at possible take at least one class I see so many self taught welders pick up bad habits

 

I've got a buddy who is a welder and will be in town for the holidays. He's volunteered to spend a few sessions with me. Ive looked for classes in my area and can't find anything that's shorter than a full 12month course lol

 

Hey guys, does everyone use these cleaner/lube pads when mig welding? I just heard of them from my uncle who's been welding for decades, but don't feel like I saw anything in my Miller 211 manual when I set it up. Obviously, I'm relatively new to the welding scene; my medium of choice has been woodworking most of my life!

 

eh man you got a turbo?

 

Usually used on wire feeders where wire is exposed to dirt, if your wire is inside machine done worry about it. An earplug can work in a pinch

 

Got it, thanks. Since the wire is inside the 211, that's probably why I don't recall seeing anything...

 

One of those things !!

Some people will not weld anything without them.

Others say the lube causes weld contamination

Myself I think it is more junk people buy on impulse

If you work in a area your wire gets dirty there are ways to keep that from happening

 

I agree. Also, if you are not going thru the wire fast enough for it to start rusting up, you need to buy smaller spools.

 

Another good trick is pull the wire store it under your bed .

That way when the slats break not so far to fall

I have enough wire I doubt I need ever buy any more

 

Here's a couple beads about an hour after working with the machine. All fluxcore. No bottle yet. Not the prettiest but I'm definitely happy with the progress.