Any Body Know anything about welding?

Coldsolderjoint · 06-19-2005, 09:45 AM

Im looking to get a welder (hobby welder i guess)..

im not sure exactly what, prolly just dicking around with it, but i would like the ability to make a strong joint when nessesary..

im not too sure how the whole welding thing works and what types there are..

so far i found:

stick welders
wire welders
mig welders
tig welders

im pretty sure mig and tig will be out for my application and heres another downside, my house has only 110 volt lines, and theres almost no chance of my dad letting me put in a 230 volt line..

so i guess im left with a small stick welder or a gasoline powered generator/welder.. and i know the gas ones are like over $1000, so that leaves that out..

what should i get if i can only work with 110 volts, and what will be the best for strenght and whatnot.. and im not sure what types of metals i could weld..

DILLIGAF · 06-19-2005, 03:52 PM

DO NOT GET ONE FROM HARBOR FREIGHT.... I used to work there. They're all crap.

U2slow · 06-20-2005, 12:50 AM

Well I'm not sure about the whole 110-220 volt deal, but I would probably go with a mig welder. You should be able to hook it up to any normal outlet. However you wouldn't want to use an extension cord unless it's real heavy duty. Mig welders are probably the easiest to learn on and use. They may not give you the strongest welds possible, but they are practical for most purposes. Also you want to make sure that it has the gas option since this will make it more versatile.

I'm by far no welding expert so you may want to get a 2nd opinion, but just telling you what I know.

DILLIGAF · 06-20-2005, 01:22 AM

you'll also want to get a welding helmet. Some welders come with a face shield that you have to hold up to your face while you weld, but most times, you're going to want to use two hands.