Beginners welder

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by Sid Squid

Agreed. I don't like gasless, but I still think 'crap' is harsh.

They've got a place, but I don't think it's for beginners or for general purpose use.
That's as much because the little gasless welders tend to be a bit weak too. Not much use for making proper stuff.

I'd go to a car boot and pick up a ten quid stick welder to learn a bit with. All the stuff about electrode angles, power selection, penetration, travel speed is all transferable skills to any welding for sod all money.

Originally Posted by specialone

Also, be wary of open cuffs, the amount of red hot sparks ive had roll down my sleeve and leave a thin burn line about 8 inches long is amazing.

Get some decent length gauntlets, I have a few sets from big heavily lined ones for oxy cutting big stuff and casting and such where stuff is really feckin 'ot, to some super thin TIG gauntlets.

[SIII]

I wouldn't start with a stick welder - bloody hard work to get the hang of! especially if no one to offer help / assistance to get going.

With Bibio on this - find a decent large'ish 2nd hand unit and a friendly pub landlord to get gas from. The advantage of the cheap Machine mart welders is the easy access to disposable bottles.

Had a nightmare getting hold of gas bottles, all suppliers up here want rental & delivery etc - costs a fortune.

I've used gauntlets loads of times, but tbh I don't like welding in them, lack of feel etc.
You can get Kevlar type sleeves which work ok too, but I prefer a thing glove if I'm gonna wear anything.

[Bibio]

Originally Posted by specialone

I've used gauntlets loads of times, but tbh I don't like welding in them, lack of feel etc.
You can get Kevlar type sleeves which work ok too, but I prefer a thing glove if I'm gonna wear anything.

rip the linings out a pair of old leather bike gloves and use them.

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by SIII

I wouldn't start with a stick welder - bloody hard work to get the hang of! especially if no one to offer help / assistance to get going.

No gas bottles to mess with, cheap as chips, possibly lowest running costs going, can be used in windy conditions.

It's just as easy to make crap welds with MIG, just "getting the hang of it" happens a bit further up the learning curve as anyone can point and squirt.

It's not that hard to get the hang of striking an arc, 10 minutes of annoyance and that's about it, you'll spend more time fannying about with poor quality wire feeds and torches!
Even the chinese struggle to get 2 crocodile clips that wrong!

Having done loads of stick welding using 4.8mm rods on some heavy steel and some lighter work too, stick for me was much harder to get decent at, long, even, attractive runs are much more difficult IMO as you have to feed in as well as along, whereas a mig or whatever with a feed you just have to worry about your run.

A nice stick weld though is bloody satisfying though (for me anyhow).

[tigersaw]

By stick welder you mean the old fashioned thing that goes bzzzzz bzzzzz crackle and you just have a short rod on a croc clip like the thing we used to mend the tractors back in the 60's?
By the sound of it for the silly price they cost it might be the way to start if all I want to do is play with some angle iron

[NTECUK]

Arc ??

[Bibio]

if your just doing angle/box/tube then stick welders are fine and easy to work with however doing light stuff like thin sheet is a mare and for that you are better getting mig or tig.

mig i would say is the most universal and easiest to work with once you suss out the amps-feed for given wire/material gauge.

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

I'd go to a car boot and pick up a ten quid stick welder to learn a bit with. All the stuff about electrode angles, power selection, penetration, travel speed is all transferable skills to any welding for sod all money.

This. There's loads of useful boxes out there that won't cost much.

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Get some decent length gauntlets, I have a few sets from big heavily lined ones for oxy cutting big stuff and casting and such where stuff is really feckin 'ot, to some super thin TIG gauntlets.

And don't wear slippers - trust me on this.