Try to take a course at a local trade school. Best option. I have gas (Oxyacetylene) and a 600 amp Hobart

TIG machine. I only use Argon as a shielding gas. I sold my wire welder years ago. Good for building trailers tacking on quarter panels and similar. I like gas welding. Slow and easy. Also brazing and shaping and bending steel parts. Gas welding is the most versatile of all forms. My mother could weld aluminum with paste flux and blue glasses.

 

Wire feeders are difficult to master when starting from scratch. If it runs on 110 volts it is just about a toy welder. Thin steels nearly horizontal only. Takes lots of practice to even get some spot welds going. A stick welder is actually easier to learn the basics on. Use match tip 6013 sticks and build your first trailer.

 

The key is to get an instructor to teach you the many welding systems and how each has its good and bad points. The end game is a big TIG machine where any metal, any thickness can be done. The same machine will also do stick welding AC or DC. Straight or reverse polarity. And the most critical aircraft work.

The heat is controlled by a foot pedal and it is a joy to use. Much welding training on the Internet.

 

Lynn E. Hanover 

 

 

I have a number of small welding projects around the home and hangar
that are starting to accumulate.  I am thinking about getting one of
those $100 welders from Harbor Freight but I have almost no welding
experience.  There is plenty of info on the web but I thought I would
put the question to my rotary friends.

Given that I just want to be able to do occasional projects around the
home and airplane, what type of welding equipment would be best for me
and what do you consider the minimum power level that is acceptable?
I will skip the desire to do anything with aluminum.  I am thinking
that Arc or Flux Core would be easiest.  I tried to weld with
auto-feed MIG and I just couldn't keep up with the wire.  Also, most of
the airplane projects are too difficult to keep any gas bubble in
place.

Thoughts?

David Leonard

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