Welding machine mig or stick

Reeltime

Reeltime

Well-Known Member
Can't decide on mig or stick , welding mostly steel and non structural stuff ,build smoker ,pig bbq
and other light projects .

leaning towards the flux core mig welder with no argon ,maybe some experienced advice on what welder would be good for a beginner, i know there's some good welders on here ...

Thanks in advance for any input
 
I weld structural all day every day. I can tell you that self shielded flux core is **** lol. Stick is probably a little hot for a beginner but you could use a 3/32 6013 rod and weld down hand on the thin stuff and get it done. I'd recommend mig with solid wire and shielding gas. Co2 is cheap and works just fine. Don't believe everything you hear about argon.
 
I am NOT a welder but I did get a mig welder with gas and I carry some argon to zap aluminum here and there which has been very handy although my aluminum welds need serious grooming afterwards. The mig welding with the gas is the closest to running a hot glue gun from all my experience. I actually can turn out a decent weld this way.
One thing with the aluminum is you have to have the spool gun and not the push at the box.

I got a lincoln 140 and it take a regular 110 outlet and has never blown a breaker even on a 50 foot extension cord.
 
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If your doing little things just get a little mig buzz box but use C25 mix gas. It's cheap to get the little cylinders for hobby use. Stick will be a pain in the butt for you to dial in your heat on thin gauge material if your not experienced and most likely your weld will be pretty ******. I've seen lots of welders that think they have it all dailed in and when you chip the flux off there is no penetration. Get the mig with .024 hard wire and you will be golden for what you are doing
 
go mig.....stick is only for extreme
situations where you have no choice
with little control over the surrounding
conditions.....or its all you have.
 
thermal arc 211i or 181i. Multiprocess machine mig, dc tig and stick all in one.

.035 S6 wire and 75/25 shielding gas.

I weld for a living, if I had to buy one machine to use at home for small projects that would be it or a millermatic 211. Can't beat a well setup wire Machine for light fab work especially when your just learning. And as you hone your skills you may appreciate having the other processes. Stick will help you weld some heavier material and tig will let you weld some very light gauge steel/stainless.
 
Lots of great tips to point me in the right direction , mig with gas looks like what i'll look into sure looks like a cleaner way of welding
the small gas bottles is a game changer the thought of big bottles is what stopped me from going with gas
will check out some of the welding machines you guys mentioned ..

Thanks !
 
I have a Millermatic 175 mig unit, 230 volt and I use hard wire with argon/CO2 mixture. Also have a Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC stick unit. Both are great units but as others have noted above, Mig is probably your best option. Mig is much easier to learn to use as a beginner than stick. The flux core unit that you referred to will probably do the job for you ( many people use them) but it's no where near the quality of welds that you will get from gas shielded wire. The amount you are willing to spend is always a big factor but like my Dad, and I'm sure many other Dads, use to say,"You get what you pay for."
 
copper wound millermatic 200, and a dynasty200dx. unless you want to play with aluminum and thin stainless the mig is the way to go
 
i weld self shield fluxcore all day as thats what is most versatile for our industry, like steelydan says , stay away from it if you can....
 
I have a thermal arc Fabricator 210 mig with spool gun, they make a good machine but prefer a Miller 252.
I would suggest a machine built by a welding company versus some department store brand.
I like the looks of the multiprocess machines.
 
noluck said:
been there done that and couldn't agree more
Click to expand...

Only fluxcore beads I have seen were with a toy machine, my opinion was why bother.
Good machine with challenging conditions, wind, dirty steel I would expect beads as good as stick?
 
Really soaking everyones input , saved me from jumping into a cheap model that i would probably be limited after learning on ..
well it will be the one and only machine i'll buy .. checking out some of the ones above , KMS tools carries some of the units just
wondering what other stores you guys could recommend ..

Thanks all
 
Reeltime said:
Really soaking everyones input , saved me from jumping into a cheap model that i would probably be limited after learning on ..
well it will be the one and only machine i'll buy .. checking out some of the ones above , KMS tools carries some of the units just
wondering what other stores you guys could recommend ..

Thanks all
Click to expand...
Try western gasco
 
Great thread, have a 220 stick, and 110 wire feed. Looking for a new 220 wire feed, what about the new smart 220 wire feeds for about 1K. Run a practice bead then let machine set up?? I'm no welder but have built SAS for truck, bumpers, body armor, nerfs, shock hoops and looking to do again on next project.

HM
 
I have a 220 mig Lincoln that I got from a former member with gas I love it can do little stuff or tackle a bigger project within reason 1/4 inch is basically MAX as it just doesnt get hot enough but for all the basic stuff I do more than fine Id like a buzz box for heavier but its just another thing in shop taking up space LOL
 
If you don't mind to spend a few dollars. Go with a miller 211 mig. Great for thin mild steel and you can get a spool gun and weld aluminum. Very good welder. Can also run it on 110 volts.
 
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