New to welding and just got accepted into a mig welding class.

[Bodaway]

Hello All,
My name is John and I just got accepted into a mig welding class.

I'm considering buying the multimatic 215 before the rebate goes off. I'll be using it to practice with and to use around the farm.

I've never mig welded before and it's been a lot of years since I have done any stick welding and then it wasn't enough to talk about.

What else should I consider buying along with the 215?

Any advise on where to purchase?

I'm sure these types of questions are asked all the time, so I appreciate your time.

Thanks,
John

[H80N]

Get yourself a Quality helmet

[aametalmaster]

Hello All,
My name is John and I just got accepted into a mig welding class

What else should I consider buying along with the 215?

Thanks,
John

Get a TIG torch and a bottle of Argon. Maybe a Spoolmate 150 spoolgun. Some 1/8" 7014 and 7018 to practice your stick welding...Bob

[ryanjones2150]

Welcome to a wealth of knowledge and experience for you to draw upon at the wee hours of the morning Bodaway. <br />
<br />
Not much these guys can't help you with, some of it welding related too.

[lovetofix]

As far as where to buy your welder. Any decent sized town is going to have a welding supply store of some kind. Just look it up on the internet to find one near you and go give them a visit. Get to know the folks that run it, they will be a lot more helpful to you in the years to come than any of the online stores will ever be. Usually they will stand behind their products better as well. You will have to get your welding gas from them anyway no matter where you buy your welder. <br />
I just bought a MM 215 a week ago and paid $50.00 more than what I could get it for online. However when it came to the supplies I bought at the same time I saved more than that compared to online prices. Plus the sales manager is a retired professional welder that taught the guys that now weld for the Air Force base here. Often the guys at your LWS will be happy to give a little of their time to answer a question for a loyal customer.

[Aeronca41]

Welcome, Bodaway! Great bunch of people here to help you along-just keep asking questions.

What do you have to cut metal? Cheapest way to get started is an angle grinder with a cutoff wheel. And before you use it, be sure to have good safety glasses under a full face shield or welding hood in grind mode. No short cuts! And a leather apron and welding gloves for body protection. Protective sleeves also a very good idea. Do a google search on angle grinder injuries, if you have a strong stomach. Don't take chances with those things. But they are incredibly useful and fast. Also, put a good ground, or work, clamp on your welder as soon as you get it home. Those bent sheet metal clamps that come with it aren't very good. You can get a nice bronze one at harbor freight, the one with the big coil spring between the handles. It's a knockoff of the Tweco, but works very well. Mig welding needs a good, clean connection to the work.

[ryanjones2150]

Don't be fooled by the Home Depot models of MIG Welders, they are not the same as the ones you'll get at the LWS. <br />
<br />
I never thought I'd like the leather apron. Had it for a couple of years before I finally started to use it. Now it's one of the first things that I put on when I open up the shop in the morning.

[Olivero]

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell.

Welcome to the welding world, won't take you long to get started. What these guys are saying is good stuff though, most of them know from experience, I can agree with them. Except for Ryan, we tend to disagree on some things.

Anyways, Aeronca's point is very valid on safety, don't cut corners, welding is a dangerous activity and cutting metal even more so. Whenever I see guys playing around with steel chop saws or angle grinders, not paying attention I cringe because they don't normally wear safety gear like they should and I used to be one of those guys not respecting my tools until a blade exploded and shot into my leg.

For startes, get some leather sleeves and gloves, black stallion sells some pretty nice ones, I use them for overhead work as I always drop molten metal on my arms otherwise....

Safety glasses, a good, certified helmet like Miller, Save Phace (thats for you Ryan), ESAB, Lincoln, Speedglass, Jackson and on and on but make sure you get a good one, a crappy helmet can ruin your eyes or scare you off from welding pretty quick.

Then just get going from there, you can never have enough tools, H80N, Ryan, Aeronca, AAmetalmaster all have tons of cool stuff I never even saw Just an angle grinder and some grinding, flap and cut off wheels will keep you going for a while. That's where I started.

[H80N]

A lot of good MIG info to study before the class starts

https://www.millerwelds.com/resources/welding-resources/mig-welding-resources

[ryanjones2150]

I don't know what you're talking about Olivero, we never disagree on anything. Ever. Just so happens you take a liking to being wrong. It's not my fault.....sheesh, talk about trying to lead a horse to water....

[Olivero]

I had no idea that was the case, I guess we do tend to agree in most cases and maybe that's my problem, you may be leading the hose to water but leading the horse to contaminated water is no good, which I believe is the case here.

Did you see the customizable, air brush-able save phace helmets? since you got all excited about them I figured least I could do was check them out, You can get anything printed on them, so there is hope for you with the chicks.....

[ryanjones2150]

I did see those. Maybe you can get one and have my face painted on it. Guaranteed to have the hot chics flocking to you in droves. It'll be crazy.

[Olivero]

That would be awesome!

Imagine a bunch of welders walking around with eachothers faces on them....

That would be hilarious.

[Bodaway]

Great information, I will try to respond to most of these. I'm not sure I can help the Olivero and Ryanjones relationship. Sounds like they really dig each other.

A good helmet's top on my list, I have an old fixed shade helmet and a lower end Lincoln helmet, both of these were inherited from my Father in law.

aametalmaster - is the tig gun and spool gun that Miller sells with the mm 215 worth the money or are there better options?

lovetofix - My local welding suppliers tend to be the big boys. I will give them a shot next week, but I get the impression that I'm a little fish in their big pond. I know I have to get gas there, but spending money with them once every six months or so, I doubt I will get any special treatment.

for cutting metal, I do have a couple of angle grinders, a couple of dewalts, I've never cut with them, just used flap wheels. I also have a couple of oxy acetylene torches.

Olivero, I agree, I believe in safety, good advice on the items to get, I will start getting stocked up.

H80N thanks for the link, I will take a look at it in the next day or so.

[aametalmaster]

aametalmaster - is the tig gun and spool gun that Miller sells with the mm 215 worth the money or are there better options?

The spool gun for the 215 the spoolmate 100 and spoolmate 150 are the only one that will work with the Multimatic 200 and 215 so you are limited. The TIG torch can be Millers which is nice or any aftermarket 17 torch. Just get a flow thru Dinse for the powercable to hook it to the welder. I had all the correct numbers but left them at my old job. Got it on my phone Miller #273483 for the dinse plug to hook the power cable to the welder...Bob