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Hey gang, It is time for me to start my path of learning how to weld and i need some advice. I am having someone coming over to teach me how to weld but the problem is is that i dont have a welder. He suggested a MIG welder to learn on and one that will serve me well over my years of buildings stovebolts to come. I have enough for a welder but i dont know were to look what is good what is bad, in other words what are some good ones.

I would stick with a popular brand like Miller, Lincoln, Esab, or HTP. Buy the biggest machine you can.

I bought a Millermatic 251 with a 15A spoolgun a couple years ago. I could have bought a cheaper or smaller welder, but this machine will weld ANYTHING I choose to tackle.

I am not personally impressed with the 110v welders--they might be all right for fenders but I wouldn't trust them welding anything structural. I can turn my big welder down to weld thin metal, but you can't turn up a small welder to adequately weld thick metal.

If you've got the money for a 240 volt welder (and the house wiring to power it) and don't need much portability, then definitely go that route.
I like my Lincoln 115 volt (model 100HD) 'cause I can power it wherever I like. Don't need to make sure there's a 240 volt outlet. And I've tackled some pretty thick steel with it. 3/16" isn't a problem. Another 115 mig I like even more is the Astro Pneumatic MIG 130. Nice welder and nice price.
Check out the other recent thread in Tool Chest. Think it's "Small Welders". Good info there. And also do a search for past threads.
One more piece of advice, don't skimp and get the really small gas bottle. Get as big as you can afford and have space for (keeping portability in mind if it's an issue). It sucks to run out of gas in the middle of a project 'cause you got the small bottle.
-David
Kustoms-and-Sleds

I have a century 125GL and its a decent little 110v rig. 4 heat settings and a variable wire rate plus a tweeco wand (type of hand thingy). The best investment i made was in an auto-darkening helmet because the wire is always hot on this welder so if you touch it, it will spark. When I first started welding it was hard to flip down the mask and get my hand on the bit I was going to weld accurately. With the auto-darkening helmet (i have the battery model that switches in 1/250,000 of sec) its easy. Just drop the wire where you are going to weld and have at it. As for what you can do with a little rig, I have welded together body bits for my 59, plus the entire flatbed (w home-made toolbox) you see in my link. That flat bed made out of 6" structural rails with 2x2 3/16" stringers and 1/4 plate on back/sides has carried over 3000 lbs of scrap many times. I am currently welding together a 47 cj2a 'heep' with it and use a copper spoon to backup the sheet metal to avoid warps and burn-throughs. I would like to have an HTP dual power one with stitch welding, etc, but since the century gets the job done, well, I'll keep with it. The little Miller's don't have hot wire until you pull the trigger, so they are easier, drop wire, drop visor, then pull the trigger.

And, btw, I have never used gas, would be cleaner, but flux core works well and you can do it if its windy without loosing the sheilding gas.

I think its my favorite tool. But after sealing like 40-50 various drill holes on the heep, well, I's gettin a bit ty-red....

and I forgot to mention, the smaller welders have a smaller duty cycle, like only %20 (that is off 8 minutes out of 10) but with my century, its never turned itself off to rest and never complained even when on max power. With a 10 lb spool of wire, you can do a heap o weldin.... On the lower setting used for sheet metal, it never needs to rest. I also have to use 2 hand to weld as I ain't so steady. You'll want some nice gloves, a few vise grip type clamps, some angle weld magnets, mebe some cleeco's, and you should be able to tackle most jobs. Its fun.

I recommend the Lincoln 135 amp MIG unit. I bought mine off ebay for less that $400 and see them at Home Depot/Lowes for about $450. Been in use for almost two years with zero problems.

The wire feed MIG units operate best with the inert gas so get a unit that has the gas regulator included. Flux core/innershield wire is okay but for sheet metal work you will want to use the MIG process which requires the gas.

You can buy the gas at your local welding supply but you will probably have to buy a tank to start with and pay for refills after that. The buy cost for the tank should be in the $130-$150 range and refills are about $20. A tank lasts a good long time though.

I have a Miller 175 with the gas regulator setup. This machine is a little more expensive than some of the units you will find at Lowe's/The Home Depot/Menard's, however it is a reputable manufacturer and you can get parts and service through your local welding supply store like Praxair. I run standard .030 wire with no flux and Argon/CO2 gas mixture. It leaves a much cleaner weld without the slag you get from a flux core wire, especially on sheet metal where finish is important. With a little practice you can produce a quality weld, as long as you have the gas regulator, wire speed and amperage set properly.

I refilled my 40 cu. ft. bottle yesterday, cost me $32.23 for 75%/25%. Miller 135 unit 110 volts works well up to 3/16" just have to play with wire feed speed and welding heat. I use .030 wire gives me a good weld with plenty of penetration, in fact will burn holes easy too.

When I was in the market for a welder, I looked at reputable brand, local availability, weld capacity, and duty cycle. Price was not in the equation. I wanted a welder that I could weld bodies and frames w/o having to wait for the welder. I wanted local support and supplies. I narrowed it to 220V Lincoln and Miller. I chose the Miller. The weight of the unit was what pushed me over. The majority of the weight is in the transformer. Heavier transformer, better transformer? Millers weigh more.

I was also talking with the welding supply about the less expensive hardware store welders. He warned me about the typical attitude in the industry. If yours needs warranty repair, be prepared for a long wait. Childish, but...

Train driver hit on an important factor there. Local support. If you buy a welder from Home Depot, I would say you are getting no support. If you buy a welder from your local supplier, they'll usually bend over backwards to help with parts, problems, supplies etc. It may cost a little more up front to buy local, but I think you'll feel like it was worth it in the long run. Plus a local supplier can help you decide which welder is right for you and what you want to do with it. And if you want to trade up later, a local supplier will usually do that and find a buyer for your old welder. Something to think about.

my grandfather has 2 lincoln arc welders. how does an arc welder compare to a mig or tig welder? is there anything i need to know before using it?

You will find that an arc welder is difficult to use on sheetmetal replacement. Arc welders do not use shielding gas that will provide a cleaner weld. Additionally, an arc welder will leave slag that will require proper cleaning prior to finish. Also, MIG/TIG can weld aluminum, stainless, magnesium and other exotic metals, in addition to mild steel. I believe a wire-feed welder with shield gas provides the best overall solution to most welding applications required when restoring vehicles. good luck with your project.