New Welder? Old Man

[Bob Jones]

I really hate to admitI'm 74 yrs old and want to learn how to weld! I bought a used Miller-Matic 250, 13 yrs old so the two of us are the Old Twosome. The welder came with a 30A spool gun, so I want to buy a regular gun. I will never use the present gun as I don't yet know how to weld steel much less trying to learn Alumn. welding. I want to be able to weld 1/4 material as will try to build things for my Tractor. I will not be a Bother on the sight as I just want to read items to help me learn! I will search the site to find out different Ideas as I have absolutly have not the first concept of welding. When I was youger I did a little bit of Brazing but nothing else. But I thank you for having this board for me to join
Thanks again Bob Jones

[moe1942]

Bob,

Welcome and ask any and all questions. You will find some great and patient folks here.

Another good place to visit is shopfloortalkdotcom..

I think you will enjoy MIG welding..

moe1942

[ASKANDY]

Welcome home Bob

The first thing I'd do, seeing that your unit is 13yrs old, is take the covers off and blow the inside out. Not knowing how it was stored, it probably has a nice mouse home in it or at the least some good webs or mud dobber home that need excavating.
The standard MILLER gun for that unit will be the M-25. Make sure you have the proper tips for the gun and drive rolls. I would think that .035 wire would be a good size for you as you are doing more thicker material.

Have fun with your new (old) toy!

Andy

[rb455ho]

Welcome, and again ask all the questions you feel necessary. They will get answered by some very knowledgeable people, not necessarily me of course.

[tooldude56]

I would suggest putting the 30A spoolgun on ebay,as they have been bringing good money there,especialy of you have the weld control.I think that the WC-24 control may have been required on that machine,but I am not sure.You will get enough to buy a couple of guns or more.A great place to purchase an aftermarket gun for that machine is HTP america.Their phone number is 1-800-USA-WELD.They will fix you up with a great gun at low cost.Another nice gun is the low cost Tweco weldskill 250 amp. gun that is avaliable from most welding distributors for under $150.00.I use this gun because it uses the larger #14 tips and slip on nozzels like my larger Tweco guns and is a great gun for the money.I own several of these in different sizes.The Miller gun is also a very nice choice,but at considerably higher cost.

tooldude56

[Bob Jones]

Thanks guy,
I'm glad to have any and all the help I can get! I'll see about the Gun today or when my wife of 53 years is not around( yea I know who is Boss ) after all this time she still runs a mean Ship. All the people around my Area sell Tweco Guns?

[rb455ho]

Hello Bob, Rob here. I have been wanting to purchase a spool gun but cannot afford a new one, as this is just a great sideline for me. Let me know what you want for the 30a. Hey guys, I believe it will plug directly into my mm251 that is about 1.5-2 years old? Let me know please.
[email protected]

[ASKANDY]

10-4 Rob. You are good to go.

a-

[Bob Jones]

I got the Miller 250 from a friend of mine he has 15 new 251s and if I put anything on it other than a Miller he would shoot me. ( just kidding) he has more Millers is his Fab Shop than the nearest Dist. He bought all the new 2151s as he doesn't have to use spool guns on them? Don't ask me why as I'm just repeating him!
I'm still going to look at various guns as I don't have unlimited funds! I'm going to but a Gas Cyl. also and again no Idea of size or price. You guys have already given me lots of help and I surely appreciate it.

[Bob Jones]

Andy,
What kind of Award do I get for pulling out your 1000 Reply!!
Just kidding, what tell? Ha Ha I may be an Old Man but I still have a sense of Humour thats about all! Forget it ,give it to Kevin!

[rb455ho]

Thanks Andy for the info.

[ASKANDY]

How about a nice shiny new MILLER hat or shirt??

Email me an address and size.

[email protected]

[hankj]

Bob,

Great to have tou aboard. Us seiors ain't gone away yet! I'd recommend an 80 cubic foot tank of C-25 (75% argon, 25% CO2) for a shielding gas. It'll last for about 3-1/2 hours of actual "arc" time, which is a lot. You'll be better of buying the tank outright, I think. Should cost ±$130 plus fill.

Hank

[cope]

Bob,

Great to have tou aboard. Us seiors ain't gone away yet! I'd recommend an 80 cubic foot tank of C-25 (75% argon, 25% CO2) for a shielding gas. It'll last for about 3-1/2 hours of actual "arc" time, which is a lot. You'll be better of buying the tank outright, I think. Should cost ±$130 plus fill.

Hank

I agree with Hank about buying outright, but the 125 will only cost $10-15 more than the 80 for 50% more gas. It will still be light enough to move around when time to fill.

[Bob Jones]

Hank,
Thanks for the information I'll buy the Tank
Bob