Welders
 

I'm wanting to get an intro type welder. My only welding experience was 30 years ago in metal shop, heh. Anyhow, I'm wanting something fairly inexpensive, as in less than $500, something simple to use, but I'm clueless as to what is out there and companies, etc. Any help.

You want to stick arc, or wire feed?

Miller and Hobart have treated us very well, but I'm talking about their bigger welders.

A neighbor has one of the small 115v Hobarts and says he gets along very well with it. I want to say he gave ~400 for it. I'd guess it's paid for itself at least 3 times by watching his driveway projects.

oh, and it would be for doing small jobs on 16gg or less steel for the most part. Maybe a little fabrication type stuff, but nothing more than that.

probably arc from what I remember about them helping a buddy or two over the years with them. I've tried the wire feeder types and they always seem like a pain in the ass, but that could have been operator error.

Kinda depends on what you want to do. lil Lincoln wire feed are nice for fence post, broken basket ball polls, stuff that strength aint really going to be an issue. If you start talking Load on weld. Like a boiler You need a stick feed DC or AC welder. DC is easier for a rookie to flame the tip of the rod & get on with his weld. Both types can be had cheap if you look around.

I think wire feed is the way you want to go for thin metal. Stick is generally for 1/4" thick and up. Plus wire feed can do the thicker stuff too, depending on how powerful it is.

They are nice. I use a lot of flx core wire in my wire feed. No gas needed. I build a lot of choo choo train shit with that lil wire feed. Its great for modeling & toys

IMO, wire is easier than stick. I'm pretty n00bish with a welder, and wire works pretty well.

If it were me, I'd pick up a smaller miller wire welder. Be it known though I'm a welding amateur.

I prefer TIG for thin metal

You gotta have gas for that, right?

Yes it's differs between carbon, stainless or aluminum

Do you have to lease the bottles or anything like that? That's what's always kept me from getting into it, I already spend a bunch of acetylene and oxygen.

I'd take a look at the small wire units that have the ability to have a bottle added. You can always buy or build a cart to roll the unit/bottle/tools around on after you know you like it.

We don't use it, but several odd job guys get along with the core wire really well.

If you make sure the model description has the word "autoset" in it, you're heading the right direction.