Any Welders?

[zinfamous]

I need to find a ~cheap welder that can weld steel--I'm guessing pieces that are roughly rebar-sized and thickness or less.

My first thought is to look into arc welders, but I'm not sure how to confirm that one will be able to weld anything more than thin wires or whatnot.

Basically: I have no clue how to begin searching for the proper tool.

I am seeing mention of gas and non-gas. None of this means anything to me right now.

Any advice/suggestions? cheap and relatively poor quality isn't a problem, really. Just needs to get the job done on a small number of projects. (Art installation type stuff.)

 

[nboy22]

Harbor freight might be a good place to get a cheap one. I am like you though, not really sure what is best. Maybe someone can chime in and tell you if the harbor freight ones are any good.

 

[Phynaz]

Anything Harbor Freight is intended to be used once. It truly is crap.

Zin, you may be better off to to hire a welder for a few projects. It's not even the cost of the welder, it's the cost of learning how to use it.

 

[Brigandier]

Look used, welders looking to sell, pawn shops, etc.

Pawn shops usually have good prices on tools, but that depends on a population base.

 

[Texashiker]

Any Welders?

15 years experience, and certified welder ASME section 8 pressure vessel and heat exchanger code.

This is what I use for around the home projects

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...gId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1

 

[PottedMeat]

i use a harbor freight gasless flux core welder from time to time

an older version of this
http://www.harborfreight.com/welding/mig-flux-welders/90-amp-flux-wire-welder-68887.html

whatever you do budget for a autodarkening helmet(~40) + gloves(~20) + wire brushes(~5) + consumables

what's the thinnest material you're welding?

http://www.popularmechanics.com/hom...eed-welder-face-off-we-test-the-top-6#slide-1

 

[CallMeJoe]

I need to find a ~cheap welder that can weld steal--

What have you stolen, and how will welding it help?

 

[Brigandier]

15 years experience, and certified welder ASME section 8 pressure vessel and heat exchanger code.

This is what I use for around the home projects

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...gId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1

Do you know what type of welding you need for aluminum? I've been interested in several off the wall aluminum ideas and have wondered what type of welder I'd need.

My ideas for aluminum have involved bent aluminum tubing and sheets welded to them...

 

[zinfamous]

What have you stolen, and how will welding it help?

damn it!

and thanks for the tips, guys


I honestly don't know many more details than "I need to put some pieces of metal together for a random project. Probably steel?"

Yeah, that's the kind of info I got form my boss and whenever you ask for more details, she pretty much stares blankly and starts laughing. So thickness, specific types of metals, I really don't know.

For example--these wire feed welders--I assume they are only meant for working with wire? I assume I need something that will work with heavier stuff. But I'm also seeing 100-150Amp output. To me--that seems like it puts out enough amperage to bend most things (I remember taking a phillips head to the wired clock on our range/oven many years ago. Fucker sparked and burned a clean hole through the center of the screwdriver in about 1 second. that has to be what....15 amp source? I have no idea...)

 

[Phynaz]

When your boss doesn't know what she wants, how can you be successful providing it?

 

[Six]

Cheaper and faster to just hire someone off Craigslist.

 

[Dirigible]

For example--these wire feed welders--I assume they are only meant for working with wire?

I'm gonna go ahead and recommend you look up local welders and hire one.

 

[jagec]

For example--these wire feed welders--I assume they are only meant for working with wire? I assume I need something that will work with heavier stuff. But I'm also seeing 100-150Amp output. To me--that seems like it puts out enough amperage to bend most things (I remember taking a phillips head to the wired clock on our range/oven many years ago. Fucker sparked and burned a clean hole through the center of the screwdriver in about 1 second. that has to be what....15 amp source? I have no idea...)

No, wire-feed welders are general purpose (plate steel, rebar, tube stock etc), as are stick welders. For a 150 amp welder, you can probably go up to, say, 1/8" in thickness? Someone more knowledgeable can correct me if I'm wrong. The stick welders will be much cheaper for comparable quality.

Basic steel welding isn't too hard to pick up (not as easy to master), but if you're looking at aluminum, just go ahead and hire someone instead.

 

[Jeff7]

When your boss doesn't know what she wants, how can you be successful providing it?

Keep trying randomly until you get something that works - like teaching a dog calculus using only "yes" and "no."
Yes, it can take a long time. And it's terribly inefficient.
Yes, I know of employers who use similar methods: Tell you to do something, but they already know the solution they want. They just want to see if you arrive at that solution too. Then once you do finally arrive there, the requirements are changed.

 

[Texashiker]

Do you know what type of welding you need for aluminum? I've been interested in several off the wall aluminum ideas and have wondered what type of welder I'd need.

My ideas for aluminum have involved bent aluminum tubing and sheets welded to them...

A wire welder, such as mig or fluxcore is going to be your best bet.

Aluminum is tricky to weld. I never could get the hang of TIG welding aluminum. Just slap it on there with a wire welder, then use a grinder to smooth it down.

For example--these wire feed welders--I assume they are only meant for working with wire? I assume I need something that will work with heavier stuff.

I built my bar-b-q pit with a $200 sears wire feeder welding machine.

If you want to work with heavier metals, you will need to stack your welds. This is called a fillet weld.