Hey everyone, I'm thinking about purchasing my first welding machine. I'm just looking for something second hand on Craiglist to weld up brackets and stuff for the Ranchero. I'm not a pro Auto body mechanic or anything. I've never even welded before but I'm a quick learner. Which type should I get? I was thinking maybe a stick welder? Any advice what I should look for?
I'm just a very amateur welder myself but in my experience I would get a mig with gas over a stick welder. Also, I have a Hobart 135. It's not big enough for some of the stuff I've wanted to do. It's was used and a good deal though. If I were going to buy another I'd get the Hobart 210 or similar. It can do thicker material than my current one and works on either 120v or 240v.
I got a great deal on a Lincoln 140 on CL and it is adequate...a 180 would have been better so I agree with Boiler92
MIG with gas again, you can use flux wire on the same machine when needed. Stay with a brand name Lincoln or Miller etc. and avoid the cheapo units like Harbor Freight. They work but are harder to learn on. Don't forget the gloves, hood and long sleeves as well as a safe area to work in. Take a class if you are inclined (post Covid) and there are zillions of videos on the Youtubes. Good luck.
Ditto on the class. Many community colleges have beginner night classes at very little, sometimes no, cost You can self-learn in which case the secret is practice, practice, practice.
I have a Millermatic 140 . It's a great little MIG welder and it plugs into any outlet If you are welding on cars built after about 1980 or using their metal for patches, you can't use acetylene torches. you can watch the weld crack as it cools especially brazing. Check pawn shops sometimes they have some good used welders.
Originally i was thinking of sticking with a major brand like Miller, Lincoln, or Hobart. But I found one on Amazon called yeswelder that has great reviews and is 1/4 the cost of a comparable Miller. I've searched the net and YouTube and the reviews are unanimously good. I think I might go for it. What do you guys think of this one: https://www.amazon.ca/MIG-205-Weldi...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
Looks like it gives you options. Where can you get parts and warranty service? It's on Amazons Canadian website, is that a problem?
Oh sorry about that, I'm in Canada. But I'm thinking of ordering directly from their site instead. It ships out of either USA or Hong Kong. But let's be honest the USA ones almost certainly come from Hong Kong as well. The YouTube videos make it look like really good value. Also for my you my Ranchero friends, there's a promo code for 20% off! I just guessed at a promo code and it worked! The code is "save20" The site is: https://yeswelder.com/products/mig-welder-mig205 The Amazon reviews say that the customer service is really good too
Whatever you get I'd recommend a good quality auto-darkening mask too. I can't see squat with a regular mask and have to have good lighting in addition to the mega bright arc in order to see. Doesn't make sense that it would make much difference while actively welding and maybe it's psychological but after I hit 50 my eyesight went on the decline.
Mine also began deteriorating around then, a couple years after I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation, and I wonder if lowered blood flow/oxygenation has something to do with it?
I have near 20/20 eyesight but I took that 23 and me DNA test which said I'm predisposed to a genetic condition that will probably cause me to lose my eyesight when I'm in my 70's or 80's. So I don't mind spending money on a nice helmet if it will help protect my eyes now
That's an interesting point. I experience flutter/skipped beats fairly often. The doc had me wear a monitor for a day but said it didn't show anything and I was just getting old. Of course I didn't notice my heart skipping any beats while wearing the monitor either.
I was getting a skipped beat/heart flutter for a while. It turned out to be I was drinking too much caffeine. I was drinking a pot of tea and 2 large coffees a day. For some maybe that's not much, for me it's too much. I was drinking so much caffeine because I was only sleeping about 5 hours a night. I upped my sleep and reduced my caffeine to 1 coffee and 1 tea and I haven't had any skipped beat issues in over a year. I used to get it almost everyday.
Well, Fibrillation is heartbeat 'misfires,' and that definitely messed with oxygenation, in addition to blood clots forming in the heart. Unfortunately, I went so long on ignoring my symptoms, that even after my pacemaker/defibrillator was implanted, it wasn't correcting the fibrillation, so the 'master control's node on my heart had to be deliberately burned out and my pacemaker fully controls my heart now. If you have things like dizzyness/shortness of breath, quick fatigue, trouble with motor functions/muscle control, erectile dysfunction, anything like that, at least get your heart checked. Stab was lucky it was a habit he could work on changing; I nearly killed myself with the amount of water my body was retaining to keep my blood pressure up, and not going to see a doctor was almost the end of me.
Jesus man. That's scary! I read a meme online the other day that said, "You are probably a man if you are having a heart attack and a stroke at the same time yet refuse to see a doctor but when you have a cold you tell everyone how serious it is and how you probably aren't going to make it."
That sounds about right. I could've seen a doctor around mid-'08, but I just didn't. I could make all sorts of excuses why not, but in the end, I had to be honest with myself, realize my inaction was self-destructive behavior.
Well I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say, we are happy your still with us to share your extensive Ranchero knowledge! Here's to hoping for a long healthy life going forward!
