New welder and what I should buy with it

[robgendreau]

I'm planning on buying a MM 211 with a spoolmate 100 gun. I'll be doing all sorts of odd jobs: welding on a car and trailer and a home fence. It will be small amounts of welding in lots of different sizes, mild steel and aluminum.

I'm thinking that if I buy everything I might conceivably need for the next year or so I can probably get the best bargain by doing it all together. Not to mention tons of trips to the store.

I've already seen packages for the welder and gun, and I need gas both for aluminum and steel (two 150 cf tanks?). But what about consumables, tips, wire, etc. I've noticed that not every vendor sells small amounts of wire, and I figure that a bunch of 4" wire in many sizes would be most useful. I thought about getting the roller for flux core while I'm at it, since I might use that on the fence in the future. I've already got all the safety gear and a cutting rig.

Should I just compile a list and more or less ask for a bid on the whole kaboodle, or is that a waste of time?

Any other stuff I should get while I have a chance of getting a discount on it?

thanks,
Rob

[cruizer]

Realistically, after the machine and gas, I can't see any distributor giving you a deal, being as you are not a high volume user. And buying alot of wire is equally as pointless since wire tends to go bad.

So get what you need for the short term and go from there.

[Sberry]

You don't need every conceivable wire in every size in 4 inch spools. Unless you are doing a steady diet of auto body get a 10 or 11# spool of 030 as the solid wire for this unit. 035 flux if you need it and call it a day for steel. As for alum 030. A few spare tips as you will likely bugger up a couple soon out of the gate. The gasses and you are good to go. I don't think I would buy anything else unless I had to until the time came. The spool unit is nice but unless you have some specialized need the anticipation for alum will be greatly over anticipated.

[fjk]

Generally, I buy what I need when I'm sure I need it.
If I think I'll need X and Y and Z over the next year, I
probably will need only X and Y. Z will end up sitting on a shelf
(taking up space). And I'll discover that I really need
W anyway...

I make two exceptions for myself. First is things that are
either obviously going to be needed (sort of things like hammers
or clamps) or come in sets (it's silly to buy only the sockets I need
when I need them -- buy the sets). The second is when I admit
I don't have an immediate use for it, but it's cool and I want it...
(and have the money and the space and ...)

And of course, being sure that I "need" something is sometimes
a rather loose and fuzzy concept :-)

Frank

[gwiley]

I find the most siginificant factor in decided whether I need to buy a tool is whether my wife is in the mood to see new charges on the ccard or missing money in the bank

Let's face it - you always *need* the tool.

[gsport]

do shop around, put one store up against another store.. last year i found a store here in town that would sell me the 211 for $922.00 and thought that was a good deal until i went to Airgas and checked their price. they had it for the same price but when i asked if they could beat it, the salesman looked in the computer and came back with a price of $877.00.. i told him he'd just stole a sale from his competitor. i also bought a new elite series helmet and a 150 cf bottle of gas from them too...

[Doughboyracer]

OK, so I did the opposite...

...I went and bought the welder and then cam in here. Don't regret it but it would have saved me from buying that slag hammer...lol (don't ask) On that note, like others said, wire goes bad and, WHY would you run flux core wire through it if you have the gas? Just don’t do it on a windy day. It's not like it HAS to be done NOW... I think you are over thinking it. Get what comes in the box, maybe the deluxe cart to haul your tank and unit around on and an extension cord to go with it assuming you don't have a 220v one. That roll of wire that comes with it will take you a long way and then you may have a better grasp on what you need. Last before I go, what makes you think the welding store is a used car dealership? Pay what they ask or don't bother them with your measly business!

[FusionKing]

Last before I go, what makes you think the welding store is a used car dealership? Pay what they ask or don't bother them with your measly business!

So you just pay whatever price they tell you first???? Those prices are set EXPECTING you to haggle.
Authorized Miller dealers all get the same deals and can sell at the same price as you see on the internet if they want to. The shipping from Miller is free. So shop around and get your best price....that is unless you have EXTRA MONEY or SPARE CHANGE

[fjk]

WHY would you run flux core wire through it if you have the gas? Just don’t do it on a windy day.

First, you don't always get to choose which day to weld something.
If it has to be done today and today is windy, well, ... or if a breeze
picks up. or you run out of gas on a sunday afternoon...

Second, I find that F/C sometimes makes the job go easier even if there
is no wind. A big part of what I do is garden stuff as a hobby. A fair amount
of my raw material is picked up on garbage day :-) I find that, for these
projects, F/C does an acceptable job degunking the material -- and I don't
have to spend a lot of time cleaning down to bright shiny metal.

Since I first tried F/C I've always kept a roll handy.

Last before I go, what makes you think the welding store is a used car dealership? Pay what they ask or don't bother them with your measly business!

I must respectfully disagree.
When I bought my MM140 and gas tank and spare roll of wire and...
they offered a discount almost without me asking. The total bill was the
list price for the MM140 - as if I bought the machine and they threw in the
tank, extra wire, and a few other accessories, for free. And they are
always happy when I go back (and the store is a big corporate
store, not a local shop, and, since I'm a home hobbyist, my business
with them aspires to rise to the level of "measly")

Frank

[PeterTrocewicz]

I've found that when I go back to the same dealer that I bought my Dynasty package from, I get a good deal on filller metal and everything else, even though I'm not a high-volume customer. That is, as long as I can catch the same salesmen that I bought the Dynasty from, the other one's kind of grumpy. And as far as stocking filler metals goes, I just keep the ones I most commonly use, and get others as required.

[Bistineau]

First, you don't always get to choose which day to weld something.
If it has to be done today and today is windy, well, ... or if a breeze
picks up. or you run out of gas on a sunday afternoon...

Second, I find that F/C sometimes makes the job go easier even if there
is no wind. A big part of what I do is garden stuff as a hobby. A fair amount
of my raw material is picked up on garbage day :-) I find that, for these
projects, F/C does an acceptable job degunking the material -- and I don't
have to spend a lot of time cleaning down to bright shiny metal.

Since I first tried F/C I've always kept a roll handy.



I must respectfully disagree.
When I bought my MM140 and gas tank and spare roll of wire and...
they offered a discount almost without me asking. The total bill was the
list price for the MM140 - as if I bought the machine and they threw in the
tank, extra wire, and a few other accessories, for free. And they are
always happy when I go back (and the store is a big corporate
store, not a local shop, and, since I'm a home hobbyist, my business
with them aspires to rise to the level of "measly")

Frank

On my MM140, I keep a 10# roll of FC wire loaded up inside the machine and have a spoolgun loaded with solid core wire(you might want to reverse the set up if you prefer solid wire)). That way I get the best of both worlds in the use of the rig. I see you also have a spoolgun too, so don't limit yourself to only one type of wire. There may be times when you need to go ahead and get something done even though it is windy out. Besides as has been said before, FC wire has better penetration than the solid wire anyway, no matter what gas mix you have. The only downside to FC wire, which I think is kind of trivial is having to remove flux after running a bead. I have to do this after stick welding too, so no biggee to me as long as I can get it done regardless of wind conditions. Around here it seems like all year so far, the only time the wind quits blowing is only long enough to change directions anyway. Like was said before if you run out of gas mix late Saturday or on Sunday if you have some FC available you may still be able to finish with a project. If your like me, sometimes the weekend may be the only time you get a chance to really get some work done on something. Having the FC allows you to "Keep On Keeping On" despite the cylinder running out.

[Doughboyracer]

So you didn't...

I must respectfully disagree.
When I bought my MM140 and gas tank and spare roll of wire and...
they offered a discount almost without me asking.
Frank

...hagel...they offered...same thing happened to me.
On the other point, I don't ever HAVE to do a HOBBY, otherwise it becomes work.

[Rbeckett]

One thing to consider is whether the consumables and wire will deteriorate before you get them used up. Also the larger rolls of wire are much cheaper. I rewind the little 4" rolls on my lathe to avoid paying a high per pound price. It works especially well for aluminum wire for the spool gun. One of the members here showed me how to do it and it has saved me a good bit since then. Prior to that I was just buying replacement one pounders at a high profit, and waiting for it to be delivered. Tips, shields and common stuff I stock, like I keep at least 10 .030 and 10 .035 tips and a couple of spare sheilds so I dont run into a saturday afternoon combat run the the LWS. Wire is a little different due to rust and corrosion that can form on the wire if you dont store it carefully and follow proper procedures. A second tank or two is also a good idea if you do a lot of work on the weekends. A spare tank is often the difference between frustration and a finished weekend project. Just some food for thought, enjoy the MM 211
Bob