welding general

>>913353
Start with SMAW...MIG is for unskilled fags and women.

>>913353
See if you can find apprentice/starter kits which have everything bar the welder and wire/electrode/filler, they tend to be a better deal. Also I support starting off with MMA, a decent inverter machine that also includes lift arc support can be had for a good price.

>>913353
only having .030 gasless wire will basically prevent you from doing auto body rust repair and exhaust welding, it just stabs through and makes a lumpy birdshit mess. i'd suggest adding some .023 er70s6 and a non-rental bottle of co2.

also you might want an angle grinder, roughing discs, slitting discs, flap discs, wire wheels, hearing protection, dust mask, safety glasses.

i'd also suggest a fire extinguisher. you don't want your last words to be SHIT SHIT SHIT SHI-

>>913474
This.
Learn to stick weld, OP. Not only will it make you better at welding in general but it'll be cheaper too.

>welding general
Anybody has tips for starting arcs with a conventional hood on SMAW?
I can do it just fine most of the time with my auto-darkening helmet but I'm having a hard time with a normal one because I can't see shit.

I guess the answer is "practice more" as usual when it comes to welding but I'm still asking in case somebody knows some tips.

>>913474
Except I have a welders rank of "watched a few YouTube videos" so mig would be my go to.
>>913508
How does riding a bike make me better at driving a car? Also isn't it more expensive having to buy sticks all the time?
>>913476
The only one I found was some garbage Stanley one. I don't want to stick weld.
>>913494
Don't plan on doing any if that now if ever so it's a non issue. I'm getting flux core because I don't want to deal with the cost of getting a cylinder and filling it just for dumb hobby projects. If it ever comes down to it then I can always get it later. Also I already have most of that stuff.

>>913553
>How does riding a bike make me better at driving a car?
Welding is about controlling a puddle properly. If you can learn how to do that with SMAW you can do that with everything.
>Also isn't it more expensive having to buy sticks all the time?
Depends on how much you weld, really. A decent stick welder is several hundred dollars cheaper than a meh-tier flux core/MIG welder.

Do as you please, FCAW is fine for most projects and babby tier welding if you don't care about improving but don't you dare talk shit about stick welding.

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>>913556

>>913526

git gud.
Honestly, have your hood up and line up your electrode, then nod your hood down, then strike your arc like you would a match.

>>913559
>then strike your arc like you would a match.
That's what I do especially with rods that have already been started and I usually have no issues doing it that way but I have an especially hard time with new rods. The arc starts so easily I tend to get stuck just before I can manage to lift it.

>>913560

Ah, that explains it.
A lot of fresh rods have flux covering the entire tip.
Knock off some of the flux with a file so that you have a bit of rod to make contact.

>>913353
>>913556
Well each welding method has it's own use, advantages, and disadvantages.

If there were one "cure all" welding technique we'd see it everywhere.

Stick is great for lot's of thing but tends to get pretty hokey for thinner metals and is almost useless for a lot of aluminum work.

MIG/flux is more versatile but to weld anything above an 1/8th in one pass will likely never happen with a meh tier machine. Plus it's easy; it was designed to be for high production welding, and aluminum with gas.

That being said.

>>913553
>Don't plan on doing any if that now if ever so it's a non issue.

OP obviously doesn't care about versatility.

>Also isn't it more expensive having to buy sticks all the time?

And you think you don't ever run out of flux core wire?
If you use shit tier flux core wire in your MIG/flux wire feed welder you can fuck up the whips and feed mech.

Stick welders don't give a fuck because they're just a power supply.

>The only one I found was some garbage Stanley one. I don't want to stick weld.

IDK about their welders but in general Stanley makes ok products.
That's the beauty about stick welders though. As long as it doesn't die on you the quality level doesn't really affect your weld that much.

Instead of worrying about muh brands, if you only care about meh level welding like you say, save yourself something like $315 and get the Campbell Hausfeld WF2150. It comes with everything that Hobart does except that welding cart. They also make a stick welder for like $120.

I can guarantee that Hobart will perform just about the same unless you have a 20A outlet at home. Even then if you are welding that thick you either need a bigger machine or a stick welder.

>>913834
Also sorry about the autistically big post. for some reason the reply window is really small and makes it a pain in the ass to do ANY formatting.

>>913560
Heat the end of the rod with a torch lighter or rosebud then give it a tap. Works every time.

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>>913559
>then strike your arc like you would a match.

is what i do too.

>>913934

sounds like a hassle

>>913939
It is, but it works. Used it up in North Dakota a lot after some old curmudgeon told me about it. Granted it was like -30 outside.

>>913561

>knock some of the flux off with a file

I jus tap/slam the tip on the material surface and it breaks a little bit off with out catching. Then proceed to strike the arc.

>>913353
only one 2 pound spool? youre gonne need allot more if you want some good practice. 2 pounds is gone within an hour.

>>913353
Just get a black stallion green jacket. Much cheaper and better IMO. Also stick is the best to start with. I can buy 50 lbs of rod for 45 bucks if you find a unopened tin in a pawn shop. Flux core is so ridiculously expensive that I only use it in my portable mig. I run stick everything else beside aluminum which is wire.
Tldr; buy a stick welder, save money, and learn to control the puddle