Anything welding

here is a page for the people that weld ,wanna weld and so on . post up questions , pics of equip and welds . here is a few from work copper nickel

 

Are those your beads? looks good!

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/garage-workshop/80061-lets-see-your-welds.html

 

Show off !!!

 

nice find but ......
here is a page for the people that weld ,wanna weld and so on . post up questions , pics of equip and welds

 

those look like some of my beads.

 

see what you got . im not supposed to have a camera on gummit boats

 

well...ur in luck...i aint got no pics of anything i have welded.

 

bah

 

I just picked up a little MIG for some of the repair fab work on my scout. I have never welded before so my shit definitely wont look that good. I did manage to fill all the holes in the side of the scout from the stock molding and it worked out just fine.

 

Any good books you guys recommend or just trial and error?

 

I'm looking to buy a welder, but I'm not sure what to get. I have tried welding only once, but would like to learn. I have a 220v outlet in the garage as well as 110. I was thinking of getting a 220v, wire feed, flux/MIG unit. I see that some offer packages that include the guages for the gas.
What are your ideas? Is this overkill for a beginner?
I'd like to buy a decent unit only once that could do a wide variety of projects.

 

I recently invested in a Hobart Handler 187. All the research pointed to that being the best bang for the buck. It's a high quality machine that shares many parts with it's Miller brother(Miller owns Hobart). I have never in my life welded before and it didn't take long to be able to throw down a decent bead. I highly recommend this unit.

Few details so you know if it's worth searching for and if it's what you are looking for. It's a 220 volt machine rated for up to 5/16 but can do 1/4 comfortably in one pass. It $650 at tractor supply and comes with the regulator for mig and some flux core wire to get started but I went straight to gas because it's easier and cleaner.

 

Jason,
I've been looking around and I'm leaning toward this same unit. Do you have any regrets not going for a 110v unit for the sake of portability?
I'm looking primarily at the 220s as they would handle anything that I would be interested in welding...without having to upgrade down the road. Also, I understand that 220v appliances are more efficient than 110v, resulting in lower cost to run; I assume the same goes for welders.
I figured I could make an extension cord to get me out into the driveway for outside work, but the idea of being able to set up anywhere there is a 110 outlet would be nice.
Any thoughts or comments?

 

At first I wished I got a 110 unit because it took longer than expected to get an electrician out here. Now that I have the 220 I'm not looking back. If you want the best of both world Miller makes a machine that does both but it's $. As far as portability, there is very little. By the time you have a giant spool in there and you put a gas bottle on it portability is out of the door. I'm running an 80 cu ft tank so I never intended to bring it around town. If a buddy wants help with something then they can bring their junk here

I have no idea on the efficiency thing. It probably depends more on what setting you're running but I'm

I had the outlet put in below the the circuit breaker for simplicities sake and to not have to run conduit around the garage. I had a 40 ft cable made using some thick stuff(about the thickness of a thumb with the insulation). The cable was relatively cheap considering how thick it is.

It all depends on what you want to use it for. If you don't ever plan on or want to do anything over 1/8" to 3/16" then go for the 110. If you want to possibly make some armor or what have you for the truck then 220 it is.

 

That piping and flange looks identical to what we use on our gas turbines for cooling and gas flow. I worked back in the pipe shop for a time here at GE a few years back and got to help with setups but never have welded in my life and am now looking to buy a welder in the near future.
Good lookin welds man!! May I assume that the flange is bolted up to a rotating jig for a weld like that to keep constant flow and rhythem of the bead?

 

I went 220, and I think i could have gotten away with 110.

I'm only running at 115 amps with 1/8 inch rod, welding 1/4 inch plate, and my unit goes up to 180!

 

And Jason. How much did it cost to have the 220 put in? I am calling tommorow and am putting mine in the same place to avoid running conduit.

 

We had a buddy do it hence why it took a while for him to get here.