Any welders out there?

Who here does welding? This thread is just a thread to talk about all your welding stuff, just feel free to talk with other fellow welders. What kind of welder you use, what your favorite type is, etc.

Personally, I love TIG welding. My favorite TIG welder is the Miller EconoTIG. My grandpa has an EconoTIG and I'm the only one to have ever used it, he lives up in Michigan so I am trying to get it from him... :banghead:

When I was going to trade school, I used mostly DC inverters, and they're pretty nice. Not all that big, but good for 200+ amps on a 100% duty cycle... If I was doing a lot of structural steel in a shop, they'd be my choice for sure, I prefer the feel of stick over flux core.

I also did a fair bit of wire feed, both for my C level and for my fab course. I've got the basics of tuning the machine down, but I still can't do it half as fast as I should :icon16:

Now that I've got out and started doing this for a living, I use generator driven DC welders, and I love them. It's hard to explain, but they have really smooth clean power vs an inverter that's driven off a building circuit. There is much less arc blow, and the rod burns really smoothly and consistenly.

I want to get myself one of those little Lincoln MIG paks, probably the 15 model. It welds up to 1/4, which is as thick as I'm going to need to weld any brackets or suspension stuff, even crossmembers aren't that thick. They run about $700 CDN new, and you can usually get factory recon units for about $400, with wire and a regulator. That's a pretty fair deal, but I'm off work right now on account of the wrist, and money is tight :(

When I was going to trade school, I used mostly DC inverters, and they're pretty nice. Not all that big, but good for 200+ amps on a 100% duty cycle... If I was doing a lot of structural steel in a shop, they'd be my choice for sure, I prefer the feel of stick over flux core.

I also did a fair bit of wire feed, both for my C level and for my fab course. I've got the basics of tuning the machine down, but I still can't do it half as fast as I should :icon16:

Now that I've got out and started doing this for a living, I use generator driven DC welders, and I love them. It's hard to explain, but they have really smooth clean power vs an inverter that's driven off a building circuit. There is much less arc blow, and the rod burns really smoothly and consistenly.


Wow! Someone that loves stick.

I want to get myself one of those little Lincoln MIG paks, probably the 15 model. It welds up to 1/4, which is as thick as I'm going to need to weld any brackets or suspension stuff, even crossmembers aren't that thick. They run about $700 CDN new, and you can usually get factory recon units for about $400, with wire and a regulator. That's a pretty fair deal, but I'm off work right now on account of the wrist, and money is tight :(

$700CDN?! Shewwy. Down here in the states I can pick up a Lincoln Weld Pak 15 from $380-$440USD.

Wow! Someone that loves stick.


Give me a 3/32 7018 or a 306 rod and I'll show you what welding is all about! :naughty:

I prefer the feel of stick because I can manipulate the puddle much more effectively, I don't have enough time on wire to walk the puddle like I can with a stick. Just for the hell of it when I was at the school, I started trying stuff like a 45 degree angle, between overhead and verticle, then got into making tee joints that turned 90 in the middle of the weld, so you have to weld up one and down the other. Invaluable experience, you really get a feel for what it wants to do.


$700CDN?! Shewwy. Down here in the states I can pick up a Lincoln Weld Pak 15 from $380-$440USD.

I live in a small town, so there is no real welding store here... Canadian Tire has the MIG pak 15 for $700 regular price, but they drop it down to $500 on sale every now and then. I think I'll pick one up, and maybe a little DC welder so I can start TIGing

Most of the welding I've done is MIG, and I personally would love to have one around my shop at home. Having a welder opens up so many options for you, but unfortunately my shop is all wood so any sparks at all would set it up in flames. A few of my friends are professional welders so any time I need something welded I just send it off to them.

Hey Connor, if you think you have a lot of control with stick, try out TIG. With TIG you can manipulate a puddle the size of a pin head.

First Day of school, and I finally got into Auto Tech. Teacher said after I take the Welder Certification test I can play with the MIG welder! I havent done MIG welding in over a year, this outta be intresting.

Hey Connor, if you think you have a lot of control with stick, try out TIG. With TIG you can manipulate a puddle the size of a pin head.


Not to mention how clean the weld comes out, especially with aluminum and stainless. I couldn't get a chance to do any TIG work at my trade school, since I was going for my fab course and C ticket. The basic TIG is considered B level welding, and the more advanced stuff with more expensive materials is A level... I'm not sure if you have the same certification process down there, or if it's just a Canadian thing.


First Day of school, and I finally got into Auto Tech. Teacher said after I take the Welder Certification test I can play with the MIG welder! I havent done MIG welding in over a year, this outta be intresting.

What test are you taking?

I will periodically take ASE tests, then some welding safety test to use the MIG welders after school. Im need to see if I can get my welding certification.

I learned on MIG about 4 years ago, About two years ago I stared messing with TIG. I can stick to some extent but I havnt had much practice.

i weld, two year. ill post pix of my work later.

I originally learned on a Heli Arc Welder...that was when i was 11...couldnt do it now if i tried :banghead: because my dad got a lil 70amp MIG welder. i usually use flux core because there is no where for me to weld that the sheild gas doent have the potential to get blown away. i can do a pretty good bead... but im a lil slopy still. i also learned to weld with oxygen/acetelene... not strong at all...but works good as a butane torch replacement when you need a hotter flame. id liek to get a 150amp Mig welder with 100% duty cycle with a sopt weld gun and all the fixins to weld aluminum....but the lincons ive looked at are like 500+ and i dont ahve thoes kinda pennies right now... maybe after soccer season htis year i will be able to get a job agian...hopefully...

I'll bite. I'm not a professional, I'm uncertified and I'm self taught. MIG welding for me was a long learning experience of trial and error. Lot's of golf ball sized welds had to be ground down when i first tried it out. When i first "inherited" my mig welder from my dad, it was already fifteen years old and would overheat every 10 or so minutes. After installing 6 PC fans blowing on the transformer, I can go for hours so long as the wire feed doesn't jam up.

The welder is a Migmate Super SiP. I couldn't find replacement nozzles, tips, triggers, or sheaths so i've had to "retrofit" it to misc lincoln parts.

This welder has helped resurrect a 70 Porsche 914-6, a 63 VW k-Ghia, a 74 Porsche 914 2.0, a 65 VW Beetle, and currently a 62 VW K-Ghia.

The welder is going to be retired after this project for it's uncontrollable wire feed rate. It will be replaced probably with a TIG welder of some type once funds become available. Are there any other uses for CO2/Argon tanks?

Are there any other uses for CO2/Argon tanks?

Yup, make one hell of a paintball gun tank :)

I'll bite. I'm not a professional, I'm uncertified and I'm self taught. MIG welding for me was a long learning experience of trial and error. Lot's of golf ball sized welds had to be ground down when i first tried it out. When i first "inherited" my mig welder from my dad, it was already fifteen years old and would overheat every 10 or so minutes. After installing 6 PC fans blowing on the transformer, I can go for hours so long as the wire feed doesn't jam up.

The welder is a Migmate Super SiP. I couldn't find replacement nozzles, tips, triggers, or sheaths so i've had to "retrofit" it to misc lincoln parts.

This welder has helped resurrect a 70 Porsche 914-6, a 63 VW k-Ghia, a 74 Porsche 914 2.0, a 65 VW Beetle, and currently a 62 VW K-Ghia.

The welder is going to be retired after this project for it's uncontrollable wire feed rate. It will be replaced probably with a TIG welder of some type once funds become available. Are there any other uses for CO2/Argon tanks?

You can use the tank for the TIG welder. At school we use CO2/Argon tanks with or without CO2 in the mix.

I think the TIG at the shop I used to work at used helium, may be wrong though.

heh, i feel like a hick now :P

i learned on a stick torch, and vastly prefer it... the wirefed would CONSTANTLY jam on me. I learned how to weld while working on a dairy farm, repairing feeding racks and trailer equipment, and I got pretty good at using inferior equipment, in "unusual" circumstances, with great skill :shakehead

I've actually done more sculpture and artwork with welders, then I have actually building a practical device. I spent a few summers making sculptures from 4" tall to well over 15' tall. If you havn't tried it, metal scupture is VERY fun and addicting ;)

I can't draw, I can't paint, I can't work with clay... but give me a welding torch and some scrap steel... muahahahahaha...

I have been a weldor for thirty years or so. I also agree that stick welding is the coolest. I have all the machines (except a plasma welder) and now rarely use stick at all. A couple of weeks ago I hooked up a stinger on my invertor and burned a little lo-hy (7018) If you can get good a stick in all positions, you will have no trouble with the rest.

The trick to all the processes is matching the current/material/filler quantities. with MIG for example, people want to patch a body panel, get the smallest wire you can find and turn the voltage down till you can get a little "build up". I think you guys who are having trouble are using .035 or some flux core junk. Once you get in the ball-park with your settings, get out the magnifing glass and look closely. On thicker material If you can get it to sound like a really hot frying pan, you should be good. Watch for traces of a thin tan colored "slag" on the tops and sides of the welds. This slag will only be present on welds done correctly in most cases.

TIG takes a really long time to reach profiency. I discourage hobbiests from trying this unless you have a pile of money and years to learn. I teach TIG welding and few students ever reach profiency.

The advice I have read in this forum has been very good, buy a high quality MIG with gas fitting and practice. you can see some photos of my welds and welded projects by searching "frank the welder" on flickr.com

Frank, your welding is awesome.

Frank, your welding is awesome.


thanks for the kind words, I was happy to find this forum, I will be a regular visitor!! Check back on flickr, I just finished a 4130 cage in a quattro and should post up tonight or tomorrow.

Yeah frank you might look at the dates before posting in out dated matterial here.

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