Is this thing anygood to try to learn on?? sorry but i know nothing about welding yet
Clarke MIG 130EN WELDER
Clarke MIG 130EN WELDER
welder???
- Thread starter scotj77
- Start date
doesnt look to bad, i see its gas or gasless(flux core) be a nice little rig to learn with. just need a tank of mix and a reg kit and youre ready to go.
also is the price good on it. Like i said i know nothin about welding. just need to add it to my repetua
if its rated at 130 then its like 120volt or so. it will MIG mild steel, id say 1/8 , it also can use flux core wire which is like ARC welding. its not as clean as MIG but itll get the job done on metals up to 1/4" the dual combo welders are pretty decent. you cant really screw it up. good welder to learn on man.
My opinion to anyone wanting to learn welding is to take a night course at your local Community College and make mistakes on there dime. I wouldnt buy a 120 volt welder unless you are only going to use it for very infrequent light use, and it will not do very well anyways.Learn at a community college for a small fee and then buy something you know you will like. My opinion is based on the fact that I have teached at our local CC as well as i make a very decent living as an unlimited state certified welder.
I'm a state certified pipeline welder ( BOA ) and working on becoming a certified ARC welder for the Utility . I say go for it , I've had these smaller welders and made nice welds with them . MMAJAY has a great point , you should learn the basics from an instructor before you start welding so you don't develop bad habits . Heat range , Tip angle and Wire speed are all variables you need to get a good grasp of . I would also suggest you stay away from the flux core wire , you will see better and cleaner welds with shielding gas . DON'T practice on Galvanized material , when heated and welded it gives off this Yellow smoke and it can make you sick ( Called Yellow Fume Fever ) , Bad headaches and nausea . When you do start practicing , weld at FIXED angles , don't move your piece to make it easy to weld , welding uphill , or on a curved surface takes skill and practice . Start out by getting some flat stock and just running a bead along it in a straight line , then you can weld two plates together down the center filling the gap and making a full penetration weld . Controlling the weld puddle and watching how the heat transfers through the material and keeping in mind that the more you heat it , the tendency it has to distort . Good luck and Have FUN!!!!!!
of course the guy who teached at the CC is going to say learn at the CC! Scot, that's a decent welder (as far as 120V migs go) and not a terrible price on it either. If you want to do a little "hands on" learning with the Mig welder, that's not a bad way to start.
mmajay has a point about "making mistakes on their dime". Taking a CC welding course means you're paying $100 and using up $1,000 in materials/machines/time. It's a very lucritive deal IF you can learn that way.... I'm not very good at "structured" learning and feel like I've figured out the tricks to it on my own without having to take on the "rules". This has helped me out on things that are uncommon like welding cast aluminum (which learning to weld clean aluminum first would handicap you severely doing!) but hurt on "standard" welding like mild steel and clean aluminum (which would be covered readily in a welding course at the local CC).
The choice to purchase a small mig welder like the one linked really comes down to what you intend to use it for and how valuable it is to you. If you like to learn things by doing them for yourself and can look at the $225 as a "fee" for learning something new, that's not a bad deal at all....
I worked with Technical and Further Education for many years, so may I offer this advice.
The students always clammered to get the most sophisticated machines in the practical classroom as they soon dicovered they were much easier to learn on.
If you are serious about learning to weld, and then moving on to more adventurous projects, a machine with more features and greater output would be better.
It is possible to weld thin material with a larger machine, but very hard to weld thick material with a little machine.
I have a philosophy, If I need something, like a welder, mower, weedeater ect, I investigate what will meet my present needs, and then get the next one up from it.
It has always worked for me, and I have never regretted it.
Due to this Clarke® 130EN MIG WELDER 110Volt, 130 AMP with CART - WE6000 it may be considered a throw away. I have a 90A cheapee that was given to me. I can make metal stick together with it but love it for tacking. Spatter with flux core is terrible and will get gas shield when I up grade. Have stick for heavy stuff. I'd offer 200. Lots of vids on Utube also
I learned on a stick(arc welder) at my school. After i got used to the arc welder the mig is just so easy because its puull a trigger and go.
Not to mention, speed of travel, filler angle, arc length, amperage, wire speed,
direction of travel, choice of gas, and many more variables.
MIGs are great when all things come together, and one of many bonuses no slag!
Not to mention, speed of travel, filler angle, arc length, amperage, wire speed,
direction of travel, choice of gas, and many more variables.
MIGs are great when all things come together, and one of many bonuses no slag!
Plus no buying electrodes, just the wire, which lasts a fairly long while.
I had one of those, worked great for 1 year then it needed a rectifier, put one in, went bad again in 6 months. not for heavy use, ok for small things once in a wile.
