im inclined to teach myself how to weld with the aid of a book im reading. I like to test out innovations, and sick of having to pay to have them welded. Who knows of a good starting welder for under 500? MIG (no arch BS) and a 115v so I can plug it into the wall. thanks

 

IM dustin. I remember when he got his and was doin all this research about them. He should know a lot.

 

If you can afford twice that, get the Maxstar 140 TIG machine. MIG is kinda gay.

 

Is there anything worth buying for under $500 though?

 

http://www.htpweld.com/product_page/...er/tig150.html

Invertig 130. It's under $500. It needs 220v though. And it is scratch start.

The 100 is even cheaper, and it uses 110v. But you can only weld thin stuff with it (I'd say 3/16" mild steel, 1/4" stainless). Their thicknesses are underrated on the spec page. I weld 1/4" mild steel with 80A.

The downside of both is that they are scratch start and neither have remote amperage control. But if you aren't doing anything /really/ important, they'll work great.

Dustin

 

If you cant do the TIG, MIG works for alot of stuff, non-aluminum. If you need to weld aluminum, go TIG.

I can easily recommend a 110V MIG welder. I have a Millermatic 130XP and it does both MIG and flux-cored on 110VAC. I taught myself welding just like you want to do. The hardest thing is getting the right voltage and wire-speed settings for the material you are working with. Your best bet is to go to a welder supply store in your area and ask if they sell used or rented equipment. I bought my Millermatic which lists at over $600 for $400 used. It works great and the shop gave me a 1 year warranty. I would recommend it or the Hobart Handler MIG, they are very similiar.

If you do decide to weld MIG, then I recommend using the 0.030 tips and not the bigger 0.035 tips. That is just too much wire to melt effectively. Last thing, if you decide to try the flux-cored, be warned that it leaves gaps in the weld and spatters really bad.

HTH
Randy

 

Millermatic 135:
http://www.cyberweld.com/millermatic135.html

$545, free shipping, no tax since it is out of state.

I still think TIG is a better idea =P You can't really fabricate stuff with MIG... well you can... but it will look ghetto

Dustin