Sure are alot of welding rigs for sale.

[lars66]

I have had my own welding business since 1972 and can relate to everything JT, portable welder, stickman, sberry and probably a few others I didnt read are trying to get across to you. Starting out on your own is no picnic and you will have to be ready to work how ever many nights week ends or what ever it takes to get going.

[dmk welding]

Heck, I wish that I could've started my portable business on $300 and a tiny mig and a hair dryer!!! Cost me like $45,000 when all said and done with incorporating my limited company and liability insurance (you are absolutely nuts if you don't get it) cell phones, welding tickets, lawyer fees, Workers Comp, safety tickets, business cards, a computer, oxy/acet cylinders and an account at the local welding shop, small tools here, larger tools there, and oh yeah a truck with a 300 amp diesel welder on the back!! And that is cheap compared to some set ups up here in Canada anyways.

Best of luck anyways~! We've all heard of the guy who started with a paper clip and traded it for something else and then something else till he eventually owned a house out of the deal...nothings impossible and if you are only investing $300 what do you really have to lose?

[MAC702]

... follow every rainbow...

not that there's anything wrong with that...

Doesn't somebody make a purple machine?

[fjk]

Doesn't somebody make a purple machine?

Look at a Blue Miller machine with Rose Colored glasses
and it might look Purple

Frank

[FusionKing]

After being at work a few hrs I guess I should say that when I say I lost everything twice that would be not quite right...
In the mid eighties we lost our home...sold on the courthouse steps
but kept most of our belongings.
In the early nineties medical bill brought us to our knees and had to sell my parts biz to our warehouse. That was probably a blessing in disguise because they hired my wife to manage it. That gave us bennies
After keeping the machine shop I discovered the need for aluminum welding in my area and pursued that niche' until it became real.
It can be done, just maybe not quite like Jeb put it but, with the right work ethic in America you can make it from the bottom, if you ain't got nuthin' to lose. I was lucky in the fact people have brought me stuff to fix all my life.
I would care to guess I am at the point now that if I was to lose my rear someone would supply me with the necessary stuff to get back going again rather quickly.
I have no doubt I could make it with my Dynasty and a grinder and a very few tools from the back of a van or pickup just tigging Aluminum. I would hope it doesn't come down to that tho
As ridiculous as Jeb's comments sound to some who went in on a much bigger scale there are some guys out there who came in gradually as well.

[SundownIII]

Jeb,

After reading about 6 pages of replies, I think you have heard all the potential negatives and are smart enough to take them into consideration.

Set your goals high, work hard, do what you promise. In no time good things will happen.

I would suggest you contact NFINCH directly. He seems to be thriving in the welding business with little more equipment than you plan to start with. Heck, I think he just got the 220V mig machine. Guess he needed that for the "big" jobs.

He does have the advantage of experience though, he's been an ironworker for over 42 years (I know that cause he mentions it in ever other post). He doesn't seem to know "all that much" about the small fabrication business though. He still asks a lot of "basic" questions.

With the help I'm sure you'll get from Norm (business plans, strategy, required equipment, etc) I'm sure you'll be well on your way in no time.

[SpcR]

Jeb and Mastertig are TROLLS

[FusionKing]

Jeb and Mastertig are TROLLS

NO WAY!!!!!!!!!

[Broccoli1]

Well mister smarty pants, you should know that you can weld much thicker material with flux-core than you can with just solid wire and gas. I have been doing some major searching on this site and just found this out. That's why I'm getting the HH125EZ so I can have the ability to weld thicker sheet metal if the need arises.

Just make sure you have enough welds so that if one fails the others will still hold it together- sorta a redundancy type design.

You could also incorporate what is known as FGE:

Friction Gravity Engineering - design the product or repair so that when it does fail one part will come in contact with another- due to Gravity- but will be slowed down in the failure by Friction.

I believe a good hardfacing wire should do the trick

[sa-200]

i started with a 90 amp harbor freight machine,and it did fine but it would kick out when i welded a bunch with it,like truck hitches and stuff so you should be good to go with the hh125.

[sa-200]

i think i do good work,and i no longer have the hf machine,it burned a resistor or something, so i bought a craftsman 130 amp machine ,but i made a ton of money with it.my ole 200 is down right now because i rolled the coil a little too much and it will snuff out on 1/8 6013s now.im gonna take it over to my buddies house wed nite and he is gonna take his snap on timing light and reset my coil and timing.if i pull the motor too hard it will backfire through the pipe and my neighbors get all bent out of shape.

[bigboy]

Jeb, best of luck. Remember $300 can go a long way at Harbor Freight. You could easily fill up your car there for less then $300. When the $$ starts coming in, and you get tiered of welding your HF tools back together then upgrade the tools to the more popular tool brands.
I would like to see you succeed, there are plenty of people that have TV infomercials talking about making it big in real estate or investments, haven't seen one for your business plan, but can't wait for a few years from now when you have your own infomercial. Selling your business plans or selling franchises. Please let us know how it turns out for you.

[RicksWaffleHouse]

Stay away from the Harbor freight welders. i got one for christmas one year from my grandma. it didn't work good at all. best bang for buck is just to find a used machine from a reputable company. my .02

[davedarragh]

Hey Reggie

Truck hitch at 90 amps... BLIND LEADING THE BLIND...what did you tow a''Radio Flyer" wagon? Why didnt you use the Lincoln you named yourself after or did you only see one of them in a book?

I think "usa-1327" (aka sa-200) has re-surfaced under a NEW name!

Dave

[sa-200]

never been anybody but sa 200,anyways i got the ole lincoln running like a top and im heading to work on a dump truck in morning,customer called and wanted a spring bracket welded.gonna stop by lws and pickup a fresh box of xx13s and go weld her up.



on side note,this place has some helpful info,but it seems when new guys chime in they get roasted,kind like some are a bunch of no it alls.but i guess it takes all kinds to make world go around,but everybody has to start somewhere and i cant afford best equipment money can buy,i draw a small disability check and do the best i can with my welding business.