Ok, so I have never welded before but want to try something simple. I want to weld simple things to make some art. Nuts, bolts, scrap steel.
Would something like this do the job ? Not looking to invest a ton in this.
Thanks for any advice!
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=98870
this would be better
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94056
I bought that mig welder from harbor freight. It makes some really ugly welds, but works pretty well overall. If you buy it, throw out the wire it comes with, and use lincoln wire.
Forgive my ignorance. What is the difference/benefit over the other one ?
mig will be alot easier to use
yea, use the one lxi posted.
the arc welder is a stick welder… and it got pretty shitty ratings from most people.
check out weldingweb.com if ya want info about HF welders.
There’s a whole section dedicated to them, and people that mod them adding larger capacitors etc…
Mig (called wire fed by hf) is a fuckton easier if you’re not familar with welding.
If you want you can swing by my place and you can run a few rods and see if you want to deal with stick/smaw welding. (arc welding as they call it)
i don’t keep rods that small on hand… but i do have some 1/8" rods i think that you can run.
i use a trailblazer 302 (can look it up on millerwelds.com if ya want, but the technique is the same in the end -.-)
I would def go after a wirefed over a stick welder though if you never welded before.
btw ryan, you’re using fluxcored wire on it right?
shouldn’t come out too shitty looking if it’s decent fluxcored.
if it’s solid wire… then yea… it’s going to look like ass.
and i think people run .023" wire on that with good luck… or 024 or whatever the fuck is a step down from .030
edit;
don’t forget if you buy a HF welder to use the 20% off coupon!
never forget :o
Butch- i have a lincln mig you are welcome to use
Butch…
get a lincoln handi mig…
They are 110v gas welders that can be had for ~400 bux… AMAZING for the price… can do most at home jobs/exhaust work
btw I use a Hobart 140 w/C25 gas, very nice unit
x2
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they are way the fuck better…
but you’ve then got to add in the price for a cylinder/regulator and gas fills.
which a cylinder/reg would equate to the price of the HF welder easily…
decent reg runs ~60-70, cylinder is… well, if you get a tiny one those aren’t too bad… and 100% CO is cheap as shit, which you could def get by using for fluxcore/fucking around.
If you’re going to use it for more than just fucking around, and want it to last a while/take care of your shit… get something nice.
but if it’s just for random artwork and what not, a cheapo HF can do the job.
If you get some porosity or turn something in to swiss cheese or cover it in brail, that’s what grinders are for 
Depends what you can afford.
WHEN YOU BUY QUALITY, YOU ONLY CRY ONCE.
I have a Hobart MIG from tractor supply, has worked well for me
I fucking love my miller 110v mig, it broke once and was fixed for free and I was given a loaner hobart welder to finish my project with. It’s one of the most useful tools I own.
The hobart I got as a loaner welded just as good, but it only had four amperage settings. That made it a little more difficult to use, it felt like the setting I wanted was between the two notches that it gave me.
CO2 and 75/25 are pretty cheap, and so worth it over flux core that it’s a non-issue. Flux core is a little more expensive than regular wire too.
please please please do not buy the harbor freight welder
look on craigslist and get a quality name brand. Those harbor freight welders are HORRIBLE. Trust me…I went through all this.
Viper996 had the best advice I think. Those lincoln handy-migs are good machines for the price.
I have an older Miller 135 MIG. It has infinitely variable heat and wire speed controls. I’ve run hundreds of pounds of wire through it with zero issues. It kicks ass. If I have to weld something big, I have a Lincoln welder/generator.
Like the others have said, if it’s something you’re going to use twice, the HF will probably do the job. If it’s something you can see using a fair amount down the road, buy a “real” machine.
LOL, I’ve never heard this quote before.
Although, I’ll probably use it all the time now.
i really would stick to lincoln, miller or hobart. As someone posted, tractor supply stocks hobart, and you can actually get exchangeable shielding gas cylinders from them. I have a small one for portability sake but it only costs like $25 to exchange. The initial fee was like $110 or so but you dont need it if you want to flux core. IMO using the shielding gas is 10000X better, nicer looking welds with no flux all over them
I would try someone else’s welder first, then…
In all honesty, if you can swing it, I would highly recommend picking up a high end used TIG machine instead. [Lincoln Precision TIG 185/225] It will give you much more flexibility as far as materials, with a much higher quality weld that is more aesthetically pleasing. Once you learn to TIG, it will be a life-long hobby. Most everyone I know, myself included, who bought even a half-decent MIG at one point kicked ourselves down the road for not just going TIG right off the bat. I would only go MIG if you need High-Speed simplicity… otherwise TIG it.
He wants to weld nuts and bolts together as art. Unless his shit starts selling like Picasso, a high end tig seems hardly worth the investment for him.[COLOR=“Silver”]