What kind of welder?
 

Ive been looking into getting a welder for a looooong time(seems like im always wishing i had one haha). Ill be welding medium thickness steel and things like that(Karts, atvs etc). Just wondering if anybody had any suggestions that could point me in the right direction, not looking to spend tons though. Many thanks in advanced.

What is your budget?What type of power source? 115v or 220v? Buy quality. I have a Miller Passport, it goes either way without switching anything but the plug end and is totally portable (suitcase style).Awesome welder and silent.

Yea im looking a little lower price haha, meant to put my range. Up to $400? Maybe 500. Might be a stupid question, but would an arc welder be enough?

arc welder (stick) will work just fine- the mig/tig units gives you a broader range of use and ease. Arc welders are very affordable now-a-days, but you'll need to have a broad range of rods (types & thickness) on hand. A spool of wire (12lbs) is about the same price as 1 box of rods and will weld for atleast twice as long- I think a welder is one of those tools that needs to be good quality. I use mine almost daily!!

Alright, thanks a lot for the info man, really helps. Im looking at craftsman arc welder for $150, I know its cheap but it seems good and I figure it'll work alright 'till I can save up to get a good one. Being 16, I dont exactly have tons of money haha, especially with all the projects I have. But a welder really appears to be a necesity, 'specially with the modding ill need to do to get a 600cc motor on a yerf.

it will be hard to weld thin stuff with a stick.get a mig and dont get a gas less.this is the cheepest you can get and still weld good.http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEoQ8wIwAA#
ive been a welder for 20 years and when it comes to this stuff you get what you pay for.

Alright thanks man, how much would gas run me?

http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEoQ8wIwAA#
electric 110 is what im talking about with gas shilding like this one.
have you welded befor?if not a mig with gas sheld is the best thing to get.

nope, never have. But i mean how much are cylinders of gas?

idk what it will cost,but you can buy or rent.thay have big and small ones,call and see what thay are going for.some times you can find them for sale in the paper for cheep.

alright thanks a lot man.

25lb bottle to fill is about $30. and most places don't rent bottles anymore-they just swap out the bottle each time you need it filled. I think my little bottle cost $50. to buy.Most mig units have gas hook-ups that you can upgrade to later and you could start with Core-flux wire and that saves you the initial cost of gauges, hose and a bottle upfront.

do yourself a favor, don't buy anything until you can buy a welder, a gas tank and the spool to go with. you should also get a few extra tips, for around 3 to 5 bucks. You cheap out on this up front and believe me, once you actually learn how to weld or if you ever use a mig with gas, you will cuss yourself to no end for having bought a stick welder from sears to weld on a go kart frame. You will blow holes constantly. Those arc welder can be really great, don't get me wrong, but not so much on a tube chasis, and especially not if its what your learning with. BUT , I will throw this out there just in case you have to buy or have bought the arc welder. You would be doing yourself a favor with this no matter what you buy but anyways, look into welding what we call christmas trees. I need to get going for now but welding trees when your new can REALLY be your best bet at teaching yourself. I weld for a living, trees are the way every new guy starts out. Good luck, and dont forget to look in pawn shops, my last welder purchase was a lincoln, 175 pro mig, a 220 volt welder and I got it for 200 bucks. spent a little over 100 bucks buying a big tank for it,and poof. Pro welder in the garage and it works like a champ. snoopy

check out northern tool and equipment, theres one for around 300 that does flux core, shielding gas, and everything else you need