which gas should I get? which combo?

 

70/25 argon/co2 is pretty standard for steel

 

ok thanks!

did you get one of the big tanks or did ya do one of the smaller ones first?

 

110 cf tank of 75/25 will last the same amount of time as a 10 lb spool in my experience. Has worked great for me for several years now.

 

Looks good, bud. The hook on the end for the gas hose is a nice touch.

 

Thanks for the help!

 

 

Just flipped through all 48 pages. Its now 0200 and I know the difference between TIG, MIG, stick and flux cored arc welding. To be continued tomorrow!

 

So what are you gonna do with said Knowledge.

 

Expand it

 

Nice Tim and Eric reference, LOL

 

Haven't done any welding, probably will take a class at a community college to get the hang of it. I have the opportunity to trade off my 01 WJ Limited for a Lincoln 185 tig and cash or the welder and an upgraded Double Star AR15. My plans for welding is to build a front and rear bumper, some body panel work, but mostly want to use it to fabricate. I want to make things for my Cherokee that make it work best for me, i.e. custom seat brackets for updated seats, storage box with drawers for the cargo area, a cargo area tire mount, etc etc.
Do you think this would be a good fit for my needs?

 

Definitely take some classes if you can. Personally, I wouldn't trade for a TIG machine, but that's me. Learn the basics first, then move to TIG. MIG will get you what want in most cases. Right now I have a Millermatic 211, and it has done everything I've needed it to so far. I also weld for a living, and mainly use arc and MIG, but have a TIG machine there...we never use it, but we are an industrial company. I DO want to learn more on TIG, but for what you are looking to do, it isn't completely necessary. Learning curve is also a big issue...easier to learn MIG than TIG. A lot more going on with TIG.

All of what you posted can be done with MIG. I suggest finding a decent MIG unit first.

 

X2. I've never TIG welded before, but I know that MIG is way more forgiving and easier to learn. You can fill larger gaps with MIG and the metal that you're welding doesn't have to be completely spotless, this alone will save you a bunch of time and frustration, especially when you're first learning.

 

Yes, PLUS, with a wire-fed welder, you don't have to keep moving your hands stay in constant distance to the object. In arc, and TIG welding, you're essentially holding a consumable piece of metal that gets shorter and shorter as you weld. Makes it easier to learn when all you have to concentrate on is where your arc is and what your weld puddle is doing... versus the addition of moving your hands closer and closer to what you're welding on. As a sidenote, I'd like to add.... **** stick welding.