Want to learn basic welding

I'm imagining picking up a used baby welder and hitting up the Tube.

Anybody know of any hobbyist classes in the DC area? The community colleges are all trades focused (and expensive) and I don't need to know how to read a blueprint, just want to stick random metal bits together.

Any sub-$500 120v gear worth a damn? That's kind of my budget for now.

 

I have the Chiacgo Electric 120v welder for fluxcore. It's been great and I've done everything I could want with it. Replacing the stabilizing legs on my trailer, build a homemade mount/demount bar for manual tire changes, built an attachment to to mount my manual tire changer to my trailer hitch on my truck...framing out a window for my a/c in my trailer...and all kinds of other little projects. It's done the job well. It does create a bit of spatter from the polarity it uses though.

Their newer version from Titanium is supposed to be better, less spatter (its already in the polarity setup that people switch the chicago electric to), and easier to use. I want to try it, just haven't yet.

For learning...watch some of the YouTube vids. Lots of instructors have put out a lot of information on there that is excellent. It'll get you to some strong and good looking welds for basic at home use and small projects. Pick up some scrap steel (normally free) and practice away. Some round stuff, square tubing, angle iron, sheets...try the different methods like cursive e, or side to side arc, small circles, different thicknesses of material.

For what it sounds like you want to do you don't need to take a class.

 

Might find a hobart 120v mig rig for that. Some of the newer titanium welders from HF are reviewed as decent. As are the Everlast. I have a YES welder multi process machine that has been fine for home/hobby stuff.
Get a decent mask. If you cant see you cant weld.
Good luck.

 

Outstanding. Thanks for the confirmation that I'm mostly on the right track.

 

Are you looking to do gas shielded? Or is flux good enough?

I went with (and stayed with) flux because of ease of use, no tanks to to mess with and refill. Just a welder and some fluxcore wire and I could setup anywhere. It does create more smoke but it can still be used even in the windiest conditions.

 

No to gas shielded right away, if I understand it correctly, but quite possibly in the future. Right now, I don't think so.

 

Indoors and pretty or outdoors and ugly?

 

Then I think you'll be happy to learning with fluxcore. I'd say also invest in a little propane torch like these. They help get better welds on thicker material by preheating it. Same for cold conditions if working outside.

 

Fast and ugly!

 

Already have two of those.

 

I bought a new Hobart 140, 110 volt from Tractor Supply a couple years ago for $600. Flux core or gas, came with a regulator. Handy little fucker.

 

Yeah, that's a good way to cheat a little with a light duty welder.

 

If he asked for recommendations for a truck to tow his bike to the track you guys would have him decked out in a 3500 series dually, with a 30' toyhauler, but he asks for basic welding advice and suddenly a HF flux core is good enough? What the hell has happened to this place.....

OP you need to pick up a Miller synchrowave 250, it'll cover you for TIG and Stick, and will take a while to out grow it. For mig, you also need a 250 class machine minimum. I'm partial to Lincoln, because I have them, but blue and red both have good machines in the 210-250amp class. You can't go wrong with either. You'll need big power to run those, so plan on a new sub planel out it your garage, but if you don't have that, or can't get it, you should probably just think about getting an engine drive right off the bat. Then you'll need a 2500 series dually to tow it......

Just kidding. Above posts are good, especially the one about preheat if you have a small machine. If you wanted to stretch your budget a bit to about $800, there are a bunch of import multiprocess machines in the 180amp range that you won't grow out of for a long time. Many have great reviews. My first machine was a hobart 140, and I found it a bit limiting. It had it's place, and was fine with 10ga and down, but I quickly bought a cheap old lincoln ac buzzbox for thicker stuff. I gave it away, but wish I still had it for certain things. Still have the buzzbox, but barely ever use it. If you have at least 40amps of 240v power, I would get a bigger machine right off the bat. Big machines can still do thin stuff, but it doesn't work the other way around. But you can pick up a cheap 2nd hand flux core machine, and a used buzzbox and stick a lot of shit together (and have it hold) for under $500.

 

Yeah, the electrical service is the issue. The sub panel and the run across the entire house is pretty much 3x my budget all by itself.

I’m pretty much just looking to be able to attach 10-12 gauge brackets and the like. If I have any aptitude I’ll chase something more heavy duty. This is literally for fun and the 6 or 7 times a year I need to actually fix something.

I learned oxy/acetylene stuff when I was 12 or so, but in the intervening 45 years I always wanted to learn how to use a spool gun.

 

One of the benefits to some of the newer inverter multiprocess machines is the ability to run dual voltage. It's limited in capacity running on 120v, but really adds to the portability of it. Brand names are escaping me at the moment, but I would look into them before spending a bunch of money on just a fluxcore wire feeder. If I had to buy again and didn't have time to scour the classified for deals, I would go that route.

 

I just bought a hone 140 stick welder to try out. It runs fine on 120v with 3/32 stick rods and it was 100$. You can weld unlimited thickness with that and also tig if you bought the tig setup. I have tried alot of 120v wire feeders but they barely get hot enough if you are welding 3/16" +.

 

The one at HF is a 170, dual voltage, flux/MIG inverter for $550. If it weren't for the reviews, I wouldn't believe it.

 

Go to your local welding supply shop and find an entry level Miller or Lincoln machine. We get at least 10 repair attempts from guys who bought “something to learn/play with” and can’t help them. Spend a little more and enjoy the results.

 

Had a Lincoln 140 MIG unit - great little machine. The kitchen had a 20 amp 120V outlet - used to run a heavy extension cord out to the shed. Used CO2 for shielding gas - worked great. Built several bike (Motorcycle and bicycle) frames from scratch with it.

Find a nice clean used 140 unit if you can - consumables are easy to find and always will be. A smallish CO2 bottle is cheap and easy to handle - you won't regret it. I sold mine after I replaced it with a 350MP and a workshop with power....

 

What should I be looking for and what should I pay?