Welding machines [Merged 9-7] welder weld TIG MIG

[trig]

i'm going to be making my own exhuast soon and want to weld it myself. does anyone know what type of welder will do the job? it's only goign to be for small things like exhuast and ic piping work.... stainless steel and regular steel.

thanx

o yea and does neone know if i can weld stainless steel and the reg steel together? or does it make a difference????

thnx

 

[Scrymerr]

Whats your price range? MIG will definately be cheaper and easier to use and you will be able to do the majority of things you might want to. I paid just under $500 after tax for my Lincoln that came with regulator and everything. Then I bought a 40 size tank (filled) for like $120. Then I bought a auto-darkening hood for like $50 and some TIG gloves, and some thick gloves. It is insanely easy to use, and I will be getting the aluminum conversion kit for it soon enough.

Dan

 

[Coup D E'Tat]

How beginner do you want to go? Flux-core (gasless) MIG welders can be had dirt cheap. They aren't as "nice" as gas-cooled ones, but they can get most jobs done, and are dirt cheap. It'd be a little step to get you into welding, anyways.

 

[bartels903]

Im wanting to spend under 300ish. I want to be able to learn to weld, since I know nothing about it.

 

[awdrst]

I would go over to your community college and take a class. This way you will be able to try out all the forms of welding and learn on the machines there. Most of the classes are pretty cheap and they will teach you all of the basics. From there you will at least be able to decide if you want to spend the money on a welder.

If you don't want to go that route i'd go with a nice 110 volt mig welder. I'd stay with the name brand equipment such as miller, hobart or lincoln. They will all be in the price range of about 500 but it's worth the investment. They will have better componets inside that will last longer than a welder from a place such as harbor frieght.. I'd avoid the fluxcore units as you will want to try out gas and when you do you would have to buy another machine.

 

[Scrymerr]

The Lincoln welder I got comes set up for flux core, and includes a few spools I think, but also has the line and reg for gas. This would be something good to start with because if you ever went the MIG route, you would just need the tank.

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDU...j=1&cpncode=07-13485683-2&srccode=cii_5784816

Well worth it IMO.

 

[SAKONE]

Another thing. Safety. Get the gloves and the hood and you most likely won't need the jacket. It's actually better to take a class, because it'll give you time to practice and the materials are there for you to pratice your welds on instead of finding scrap and other things to piece together at home.


I took a class. Learn some things I knew I wouldn't at home.

 

[1gcrazy]

I took a class. Learn some things I knew I wouldn't at home.

Like that the first MID welder was invented 30 years ago?

And of coarse, that the hills really DONT have eyes...

 

[bartels903]

How much should a class cost?

 

[punishment]

The mig is definitley the way to go if your just starting out, the learning curve is alot easier. If a class isnt an option for you there are a ton of manuals out there that can help you with the basics. Also this is a great source of info www.aws.org check out their forums

 

[Whitetalonb16g]

my buddy swears by oxy acetaline (sp)

 

[Carlz0r]

If you're good with electronics you could always build yourself a free/super cheap arc welder to start with. You will need some parts from a dead microwave, but the total cost would be so cheap it'd be great to start with.

http://www.dansworkshop.com/Homebuilt arc welder.shtml

 

[snowboarda10hal]

I found a 75 voltage wlelder for a good price i was wondering if it would be okay to use to weld up a exhaust system and a roll cage?

 

[19gale2gGST]

Let me say first I ama welder in the navy so this is a well educated opinion. If you haven't welded before DON"T weld together a rollcage. If you are welding your exhaust practice your pipe welding on junk metal first because you need to make sure you have it air tight you need to be able to not distort the metal. Also what is the AMP range on the welder? When welding AMPs are what count volts are only a small part. What does the welder look like? What is the brand name?(yes brand name with welders makes a difference) What kind of weld machine is it(I.E. is it a GMAW GTAW stick or more commonly Stick,mig or tig)? Get back to me on those questions and I will let you know if that welder can do either of them. It should be able to regardless of everything be able to do the exhaust you just have to be a good welder(pretty beads,no pitting,no purosity).

 

[Burnett03]

Agreed.. dont weld a rollcage if you havn't welded, and not with a cheap welder either.. IMO it should be tig welded anyways.

 

[SBR Joe]

^^^^^ Yes, definately tig welded by someone certified.



Joe
SBR

 

[c4uldr0n]

+4 a novice welder should not try and make a "safety" device... Anybody can weld, but it takes a lot of experience to weld good. How much did you pay for that welder? Is it new/used?

 

[drivemusicnow]

^^^^^ Yes, definately tig welded by someone certified.



Joe
SBR

I disagree. Tig is not required for a cage unless you are using chromoly. Mig welding DOM steel cages, if done correctly, is plenty strong. Cage design has just as big of an impact on strength as welding though. I do agree that it should definitely be done by someone certified, but it should also be designed/built by someone who knows the rulebook.

 

[snox135]

Also what is the AMP range on the welder? When welding AMPs are what count volts are only a small part.

Most MIG welders are voltage dependant, constant voltage and not constant current. They sell them by there amperage rating which is very important.

Constant Speed Feeder - Used only with a constant voltage (CV) power source. This type of feeder has a control
cable that will connect to the power source. The control cable supplies power to the feeder and allows the capability
of remote voltage control with certain power source/feeder combinations. The wire feed speed (WFS) is set on the
feeder and will always be constant for a given preset value.
Voltage-Sensing Feeder - Can be used with either a constant voltage (CV) or constant current (CC) - direct current
(DC) power source. This type of feeder is powered off of the arc voltage and does not have a control cord. When
set to (CV), the feeder is similar to a constant speed feeder. When set to (CC), the wire feed speed depends on
the voltage present. The feeder changes the wire feed speed as the voltage changes. A voltage sensing feeder
does not have the capability of remote voltage control.

 

[snowboarda10hal]

I took a welding class in college last fall, I got an A if that matters haha. I worked with gmaw, gtaw and all the other toys...Not an expert for sure but it's always fun trying new things out....Roll cage yeah i figured have someone else give it ago... Ill get back at you on what the exact amp range is and whats the brand name...It's a stick

 

[tkelly27]

A roll cage is one of those things where if you have to ask if you can do it, you probably shouldn't be doing it. If it fails when it's supposed to be working, you get seriously injured or die. Bummer. I've been TIG welding for about two years now, I still wouldn't try and do a roll cage. Unless of course you want it to look fast, but don't need it to pass tech. In which case, go for it.

Thin wall exhaust tubing you can do on pretty much any welding machine. It may or may not be easy though.

If you're a total noob, see if there is a community college near you. They have really good classes (some at night and on weekends too) that are pretty cheap. For me it's like $120 and I can blow through as much material as I want. Who knows, you might be able to size the welder up yourself.

 

[19gale2gGST]

Most MIG welders are voltage dependant

I understand what your saying I am always tigging and might mig 3 or 4 times a year.

I agree about the tig is not reqiured MIG is strong enough comment however I would still suggest tig welding it because if the tig welder is experianced the tig weld is stronger and cleaner.


It is a stick welder. If you don't get it right you will blow out the think walled piping on the exhaust and I personnaly like mig for exhaust work just because of the heat control. We blew a hole in a project in school because the machine was a little too high and it was pretty fun to fill it back in. As far as stick welding the roll cage the stick weld is strong enough provided it is a clean weld with good fusion and the correct rod.

 

[Chadillac2000]

Trying to decide what type of welder to invest in and right now i'm looking at a hobart handler 140v MIG version, this will only be used for welding sheetmetal, misc brakets and such, and possibly welding in a mild steel roll cage, would the 140v version pentrate enough for the roll cage and also be good for working with sheetmetal?

 

[Imback]

Whats the amperage on it ?

 

[Chadillac2000]

its a lincoln 140