First welder- casual use

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steve

There are lots of uses for electrode negative. Choose any welding book. Read all about it.

Steve

i've read 'em and i've lived it. Never used it, never seen anyone use it. Even the books say there's not much use for it.

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I'll check around some more- but it looks like my local college uses a local "Welding School" - "Modern Welding School" in Schenectady, NY.

The school looks like it caters more to businesses- but it offers a 6 hour course for $179. [and these are broken down into MIG, TIG, Gas, etc- no 'overall' intro course.]

There must be other courses available- I think it might be money well spent.

Thanks, Jim

Thanks- just talked me out of 120v. Dammit- I don't have 220 in the garage yet.

Jim

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Thanks for the detailed remarks--- I've started looking at lightly used machines and see lots on Craigslist & Ebay-- probably makes sense once I decide which way I'll go.

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There won't be any 'for hire' jobs in my future [he says confidently. . . ] -- but I do know the experience of thinking 'if I'd just gone one step bigger when I bought the first tool. . .'.

I'm still a HF fan-- but your point is well taken- on a complicated tool that relies on consumables, I am probably better off buying used Red/Blue.

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Thanks, Jim

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Good idea-- I've got a good Hitachi, but I'm always losing the arbor nut when I have a wire brush on for a few days.

I'll pick up a cheapy to hold those wire wheels.

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Gotta admit I've never cut with mine-

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Thanks for the link, too-

Jim

If you say it, then it must be so.

Steve

Do not let the 220 intimidate you. My Lincoln 175SP+ is rated at a 22 amp draw MAXIMUM. I weld at about half power on most things, so you won't come close to hitting max or your duty cycle. A friend of mine is a union electrician with 37 years in now. He looked at it and stuck in a 20 amp breaker. I've NEVER popped it in five years now. With a stick, it's another matter. You don't need a huge honker 220 high amp circuit to run a

Steve

that's a fact jack.

They usually end up being a whole lot of fun also. I've done several with friends just as a diversion.

You won't need a whole lot of power. 10ga wire on a 30a breaker will run any weld you'll ever do.

..

There are a couple of women here in town that have been "taking" the vo-tech class for about five years now. They're into artsy kinds of stuff as well as wrought iron, etc.

Started out as total newbies, now are damned good, both of them. They bought an old clunker truck and attend local farm auctions and buy up most of the junk and scrap metal as their raw material. One was fighting cancer when started and started out as a diversion and the other started to simply be supportive. Now the guys in the classes see what they're doing and virtually all end up making at least one or two decorative items besides the "just welding" -- there's some really nice work coming out of there besides a qualified high-pressure gas pipeline weld (this is oil production company so that's where a bunch of the guys doing it for a "real job" end up).

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