I did some MIG welding for a living for 5 years, so I tend to agree with Mark...and here's why: folks who learn oxyacetylene welding learn to watch the PUDDLE of molten metal as they weld. A lot of folks who only learn to stick or mig get caught up in watching the arc instead of the puddle. That's what an old pipeline welder once told me. As he explained it, you know more about what your weld is doing by watching the puddle...while watching the arc tells you little about the results of your weld.
But dollar for dollar, decent stick welders are inexpensive, used. I've not seen many affordable quality MIG welders. You can get a Lincoln "tombstone" for around $100 if you do some serious searching. Figure $300 or more for a good used Hobart, Miller, or Lincoln MIG unit big enough to actually do anything [say 140 amps or more].
Another consideration is what you're going to spend on consumables. For a stick welder, that'll be your rods. For a MIG welder, not only do you have the wire and the gas, but there's contact tips and nozzles...and when just starting out, you'll have a lot of burnbacks and go through a lot of tips. For oxyacetylene, there's your filler metal and your gas. So stick will be cheaper to start with.
And if you can afford an auto-darkening helmet, that's an investment in your eyes that will be worth whatever it costs. I tried to learn stick by the trial-and-error method with a flip-lens manual helmet, and I flashed myself so many times I actually dreaded welding. When I got the auto-darkening helmet, it was so much better that I wonder why I ever bothered with that old helmet.
I took an adult ed welding class at the local high school, and I got to spend a lot of time on oxyacetylene, and learning about 7014 and 7018 rod on the stick welder...but the downside was, there was only one TIG machine and not enough time for everyone to take a turn with it. If you can sign up for one of these classes, you'll still learn a lot if you want to.
Good luck, Lanse...long post, but I hope it helps you out.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Talk of the Town: How to Remove a Broken Bolt - by Staff. Another neat discussion from the Tractor Talk Discussion Forum. The discussion started out with the following post: "I have an aluminum steering gear housing with a bolt broken off in it. The bolt is about a 3/8" x 1 1/2" bolt. I've already drilled the center of the bolt out with about 7/64" drill bit the entire length of the bolt. Only one end of the bolt is visible. I tried to use an easy out but it wasn't budging and I didn't want t
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
2022 John Deere 5045E, 4wd, front end loader and 3rd function with grapple. 120 hrs, 55k new, must sell
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
