Recommendation for a welder

Alrighty - for better or worse I'm picking up the Lincoln 180HD kit with the matching cart. Brand new in the box and it should be covered by the factory warranty.

A 120v might have been more convenient in some cases and certainly would have served me just fine, but for $500 I think I'm doing OK with this 220v 180A model and shouldn't need to think about a bigger model anytime soon. Cart is a Lincoln cart and has provision for a bottle.

Now I just need to learn how to weld ;) Then I can finish my trailer (need to weld on a couple of extra braces / supports for the wheel chock / tie-downs) and in general have fun with it.
 
I pickup the Eastwood TIG 200 brandnew for like $500 and have been more then pleased with. Has done everything I've thrown at it. I have a SnapOn 140 MIG but now I only use it for Spot Welding quick and it just sits there haha.

All I can say is practice practice practice. Get some scrap metal and just go to town and find what techniques work best for you. I found with MIG welding I like a push method while making small figure C's. A Welding 101 class is always very good to when you start out.
 
I'll try TIG at some point in the far flung future :) For now I'll stick with welding up my trailer etc. and at most tacking the odd bracket onto my SR500 frame to then take into a pro shop for proper TIG for the important stuff anyhow. For things like fender mounts I'll do it myself with the MIG once I have a handle on it.

Feb 9 I'm in a 6 hour MIG course at a community college. The tuition is tax deductible so I'll get a chunk of the money back. I don't have any friends close by who weld, so no opportunity to hang out and learn that way.

I have some scrap metal and my angle grinder / brushes to clean it up with so I'll do some practice work in the meantime. Need to get a helmet first tho.
 
Sounds like you got a good set up.

For MIG especially you need a decent auto-darkening helmet - because otherwise you have to hold the gun fixed when you flip down the helmet...not as easy. I got a great helmet on eBay for $90 - it has a huge window and works great. I got the Darth Vader style and wore it at Halloween!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RHINO-LARGE-VIEW-Auto-Darkening-Welding-Helmet-Solar-Hood-BIG-MIG-TIG-BLACK-/230907412622?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35c327808e

I've seen even cheaper ones from Harbor Freight but I've never used em.
 
One recommendation on the hood, Don't store it in the box it comes in. Most have a photo cell to keep the battery charged. If you keep it in the dark all the time the battery will be dead and it will not auto darken.
 
Whammo.



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I had so many emails out to people on Kijiji up here that had ads up with various welders for sale (like that Hobart I sent you Kiley) but none of them responded - nothing. Was ridiculous. Then this guy pops up with this brand new one for sale.

Talking to him it sounds like they buy up the seized assets of failed businesses. I'm going to get an auto-darkening helmet from him that apparently retails for $160 for $60.

Got the Lincoln cart with the welder - so just need a bottle of gas and I'm in business (might try the flux core if I get ants in my pants).
 
Nothing wrong with using flux core to learn on - it's basically the same as shielded....just messier ;)
 
bluenose bomber said:
Tim, what you have is fine unless you start adding circuits, ie a welder, various machines or other consumers to the same panel, then you may need an up-grade. I don't know how many circuits you have or are left. But today a sub-panel needs a #2 feed today for at least 10. This allows for any future usage increases up to 100 amp, pushing it then IMO, for a 240/115 set-up. Then you will go a 1/0 and a larger panel. Contact a licensed electrician for proper info as each province has different ways of doing installs. Also a licensed contractor will, should, be up on the newest changes to the CEC. I know this is wandering away from a welder selection, but electricity is nothing to fool with. In my years working with different trades, I have found people will do others trades work, with varying results, but generally, none mess with electricity.
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I'll snap a pic of my panel later and confirm the wiring running between it and my main 100AMP service panel in the house. The garage circuit was installed a few years ago.
 
Good score! Glad to see that you went with the 220v machine. The 110v are convenient, but for similar money spent if you are doing all your welding in the the shop and can feed the 220v it's always good to have the extra power at hand if you need it as tomorrow you might not just be welding brackets on a motorcycle.
I'm glad I didn't have to use my big penis vs small penis penetration analogy :p

What welding supply place is around you for shielding gas? My gas at home is through Air Liquide and I like their products, but I deal with them all through the various companies I do work for. Here in London we have TSC hardware stores and they supply gas for Praxair which can be convenient if you need gas on the weekend and praxair is closed. Not sure if they are in Toronto yet or not.
 
Check your manual as you may have to change the positive and neg inside the machine for running fluxcore vs solid wire mig. Also you pull for fluxcore so gun is in a trailing angle vs pushing which is a leading angle
 
Will be doing lots of reading before jumping in. I have a Linde location nearby and a few others in the area.
 
Shop around for your bottle, as far as I know, anything bigger than a size 8 / 9 ( approx 2 foot tall bottles) has to be leased and you can't own (in ontario)... Praxair or Air Liquide should be able to answer that for you. My oxygen acetylene bottles are the little guys and are mine, not leased, so no monthly bill for the privilege of ownership and when i need a refill I exchange the bottles, similiar to some of the propane tank programs now...
 
I get my Argon from TSC, $250 down payment on the tank, $75 refilled tank exchanged. I go through two to three tanks a year.
 
cqyqte said:
I get my Argon from TSC, $250 down payment on the tank, $75 refilled tank exchanged. I go through two to three tanks a year.
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:eek: Holy shit!! Now I got a good deal as I work in the industry, but I pay $40 a year lease on ANY size bottle. I just recently filled my large full size argon tank and was like $60
 
I think the $250 down payment is likely a deposit, to be refunded in full or partially upon ultimate return of the bottle. Just guessing. So effectively no yearly 'lease', rather a one-time deposit.

Going to call around and see what's what.
 
Ok, so CamCarb (local Air Liquide distributor) wants $180 to buy the 80cf bottle and $40 for each refill (I'm pretty sure the $180 is for a full bottle but maybe wrong).

Linde - $255 2 foot tall bottle $67 + tax for refill - guy didn't even know how many cubit foot it was - thought it was 1 cubit meter, which would only be about 30 cubit feet (3x3x3 or so).

Praxair - 55cu ft $166 empty bottle - $50 to fill it

Need to call CamCarb back and confirm details as they seem to be the best deal I've found. Any recommendations in the GTA would be welcomed.
 
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