New to MIG welding, chapter 2

[captain butch]

New ball game now. Taking your comments as much to heart as I could afford to, I was able to trade up without any extra cost to a Dual MIG 151T. Basically the same as the last machine except it is 120amp / 230v so we increased the power to what everyone seemed to say was really needed. I still could not afford to get up to the Miller or Hobart machines but I hope this Harbor machine will perform well enough to at least get me started in MIG welding.

[hankj]

Cap'n B.,

You probably won't have much luck on aluminim thicker than .125", but that machine will get you broken-in on mild steel just fine. It'll do well on sheet goods, and using multi-pass technique, will be adequate on .250 steel with proper joint prep.

Now, you need all the acutrements: shelding gas (or gasses, depending), grinders, helmet, et. al. I'd recommend 100% CO2 for your steel work. It's cheap, and it provides better penetration than C-25. For aluminum, you'll need 100% argon. By the time you are ready to go, you'll have more bucks tied up in gas bottles and regulators/flowmeters than you do in the welder!

Good luck, and enjoy.

Hank

[captain butch]

Starting out

Thanks Hank; at least I feel that I can get a start and perhaps develop some technique. I have a welding class after the 1st of the year and I want to be able to practice. Your certainly right about cost, I got Argon the other day and a tank about the size of a dive tank was $100 for the tank and $13 for the gas. I had hoped to get going for under $500. but I don't think so now . Even with the cheaper welder it looks closer to $800. It cost me $100 just to run a 220v circuit to the shop. It's like everything else if you can't pay, you can't play.

Butch