BTW, if your looking to buy a welder ID strongly advise taking a course on welding FIRST so you understand what your looking at and what to expect and so you have a good feel for what your looking to do and what equipment is necessary,keep in mind your clothing your wearing and use of a face shield DO MATTER, don,t make the mistake of learning the hard way thru burns all electric welding gives off some radiation and your very likely to get a sun burn or eye damage or worse without at least a decent face shield, (the better self darkening designs with adjustable shading are preferred, and use prescription sun glasses not contact lens,under the self darkening hood, when welding if you need corrective lenses) and use long pants and a long sleeve shirt, and two layers of something semi substantial like denim or leather are better than a single layer, but even then a leather apron and shirt , over those under-layers helps prevent radiation burns obviously some clothing is superior to others, in protection, and resistance to burning, so don,t take your new welder home and start welding without proper protection.a few suggestionshttp://www.tuffrhino.com/MIG_WEAR_FR_We ... fr1025.htmhttp://www.grizzly.com/products/Leather ... -Bib/H7435http://www.grizzly.com/products/Leather ... t-XL/H9888http://www.harborfreight.com/adjustable ... 46092.htmlhttp://www.harborfreight.com/1-pair-fir ... 41054.htmlthen after your at least familiar with what your looking at and for, stop by a few large welding shops and ask the owner if hes ever considered upgrading his equipment? stop by a few welder dealers and ask about trade ins.?
most will jump at the chance to unload older equipment if given a reasonable offer, the TRICK is knowing EXACTLY what your looking at, having a good idea as to age and condition and value and getting a DEAL, Id generally avoid anything priced higher than 1/2-1/3 of current retail.
READ THISviewtopic.php?f=27&t=81viewtopic.php?f=27&t=26&p=34#p34 http://www.welders-direct.com/check with your local welding supply store
but be fair! include all the accessories in your bid!
look around your local area for the guy or guys that do welder repairs, they can very often get you a decent deal on a used welder or point you to someone whos looking to upgrade their current equipment that you might be able to make a good deal for on their older equipment.
just stick to name brands , and ID STRONGLY ADVISE STICKING TO WELDERS that REQUIRE a 220volt single phase electrical feed
lincoln
miller
ESAB
HOBART
HTP
THERMADYNE
because having access to parts and service and manuals is MANDATORY
if you do buy equipment that's USED ask for a demonstration on BOTH the thin sheet metal like patching a fender and exhaust pipes and thicker 1/4-3/8" thick stuff
A good welder can USUALLY get the job done using cheap equipment. A bad welder will screw it up using the best equipment money can buy. BUT Good equipment helps and its a bigger help to the inexperienced then to the journeyman.
THAT'S VERY TRUE UP to a point, and that point is reached when the amps are not available to drive the heat fast and deep enough to get the job done correctly, you can,t just go over and over a spot and get a good result.
YOU don,t need to spend a ton of cash either, but YOU DO NEED to know the differences and advantages and characteristics of welders so ID strongly advise taking a welding course at a local college or night school a trade school etc. before spending your cash as its sure to pay off in much better choices being made.
DON,t forget the welder requires a MATCHED electrical feed in your garage and it may require a tank of shield gas and may require accessories or longer cords, and consumables like wire for MIG units or sticks of filler rod for stick or tig welders, all those things add up fast!
every application has its ideal tool and you'll be better off taking a welding class at some college or trade school or finding some friends who have experience and welders to play with BEFORE making a choice than just blindly buying ANY welder
BUT LIKE I SUGGESTED THE SMART ROUTE is to take a class at a local trade school or college and know what your doing and what you want BEFORE buying a welder YOU DON,T NEED SOMETHING LIKE THIS BUT ITS GREAT TO PLAY WITHI think youll be much happier with a name brand 220 volt 180-210 amp mig for your shop in the long run,
lincoln
miller
ESAB
HOBART
HTP
THERMADYNE
ALL have decent examples
Id ask several welding shops in YOUR area for advice as to the BRAND and DEALERS who supply the best SUPPORT in YOUR AREA
...YES you do generally get what you pay for in features and quality, so look into features, duty cycles and warranty's, service/support BTW HAVE A GOOD FIRE EXTINGUISHER HANDY, and it helps to have a buddy with you to hold stuff, get stuff and put out minor fires you don,t see instantly with a hood on, and while most of this is OBVIOUS to the more experienced guys, try not to weld where its wet, or you near anything that can easily burn, and youll need to wear the correct gear and use common sense while welding
at a minimum wear a NON-SYNTHETIC ,(many synthetics melt instantly or are very flammable) VS (cotton, denim, and leather don,t generally flare or burn instantly ), wear long DENIM sleeve shirts, long leg slacks and sturdy leather boots,(cleated thick rubber soles that insulate helps) with the DENIM slacks OVER the boots not tucked loosely into open tops like cowboy boots and a use self darkening helmet, and wearing leather welders gloves and a reversed cotton baseball cap sure won,t hurt if your doing a good deal of welding, simply because YOU WILL EVENTUALLY get radiation burns (fairly quickly from the arc/flash of welding if you don,t ) on exposed skin,
(think of this as a bad sun burn, OR WORSE, that can happen in minutes in some cases) and repeated exposure too radiation burns is never a good idea.
and welders tend to create HEAT, sparks and falling bits of red hot metallic crud that makes sandals, short sleeve shirts and shorts a very dumb idea in most cases. keep a DECENT SIZE CO2 fire extinguisher handy, and a water hose with a spray nozzle that pressurized kept near by is a good idea.never weld over your head if you can move the part to where you can weld at bench ;level, yeah! it takes longer to remove and install the parts like exhausts or mufflers and yeah! its not always practical, but both safety and weld quality benefit, so if you have the option weld on a bench vs the car!
THINK! before welding, HOT stuff falling on tender bits of your anatomy or starting the car on fires seldom FUN, and clamps, use of a barrier for shielding the stuff near the weld location with a wet towel or sheet of galvanized metal , use a GREAT GROUND, or in rare cases flowing water , it is only common sense, but be aware that you can also get ELECTROCUTED if your REALLY DUMB, SO THINK IT THRU BEFORE you start, have a buddy help, and know what your doing, before you get in over your skill/knowledge level
if your using an oxy-acetylene torch, make DAMN SURE the tanks are turned off before putting them away,and the fittings are tight and nothings leaking before use,and be sure local laws don,t prohibit you from home use of a oxy-acetylene welder
http://www.denimexpress.com/ http://www.tuffrhino.com/Welders_Clothing_s/61.htm?Click=20&source=google&segment=productpage&paidKeyword=welders%20pants&adVariation=6&gclid=CN7B8IuV0o0CFQyPYAodPEEPZA https://weldingsupply.securesites.com/cgi-bin/einstein.pl?Next::1:UNDEF:OR:terms::PS
BTW at this point you might be wondering if the time effort and expense is worth it in acquiring and learning to use a welder ,,,I have yet to meet a dedicated & experienced HOT RODDER who doesn,t think his welder is almost a mandatory part of the shop, they will easily pay for themselves in most shops in under a year, and some times in MUCH less time....
EXAMPLE
Ive seen guys fabricate custom exhaust systems from 3" stainless that would easily cost $2000 plus at most muffler shops for under $700 in parts , Ive built custom transmission mounts for $45 that listed for over $200 in catalogs, etc.
