Inexpensive 120v welder

[FrankenGlock]

I've had a HF one for years and it's more than paid for itself.

 

[Bobster]

I want to fix a stool in my shop that's probably made of 16ga steel square tubing. I think one single spot weld would fix it.

I'm sorry to complicate this but even a single spot weld can become complicated. Often, most of the time "welding" is spent prepping for a few seconds of weld.

There were two stools sitting on the side of the road and I happened to need a stool for my shop so I grabbed them. My worker wanted one so I gave him one. The other went right into service in my shop. After a few months, it started loosening up so I welded the loose areas and re-attached the seat bottom so I could screw into "new" wood. That is the scorching you see. Another few years goes by and it gets loose again so I decide to spend a little time on it to weld it as it should have been welded from the factory. I didn't feel like changing the wire spool in the MIG as I keep .035" in it but .024" would have been better. So some of the welds were a little melty and burned through. Those I fixed with spot welds. A lot of settings can be trial-and-error. While the mfg may offer base guidelines, those are a starting point and may have to be adjusted up or down.

 

[Michele]

Guys, I'm not wanting to build a monster truck chassis. I want to fix a stool in my shop that's probably made of 16ga steel square tubing. I think one single spot weld would fix it.
I get that it would cheaper just to buy a new stool, but I have little things come up now again (light things) and wished I had a welder at those times. I never had one, never used one, so thought I'd get cheap one, that can do very light duty welding. I'd probably use once a year.
I'll probably just get a new stool though and put this whole mess behind me.

You don’t need a large production stick machine with ac switch for AL nor an expensive wire feeder. It’s not that complex.

Get that cheap harbor freight wire feed or similar Lincoln I linked HF sells the wire, helmet and gloves as well. You need the weld hood w/#10 lens to protect your eyes. Sun glasses won’t work not dark enough….think, looking at the sun. Optional use for weld hood- solar eclipse viewing . Any leather work gloves may work, depends on how hot the weld piece is or use a tool to hold/move project around till cooled. A long sleeve shirt IMO is optional for quick tack welding exposures.

All items at harbor freight is affordable, very portable, light weight and easy to learn how to use. It’ll be just fine to fuse together a few projects you may need to repair around the home.

Just a suggestion from a 20 yr Navy Hull Technician- We can weld anything but a broken heart and the crack o’dawn.

 

[gandrfab]

My 1st experience welding was using oxy acetylene on an old broken Chevy exhaust.
Could braze with an oxy acetylene rig as well.
No amps or Volts to worry about.

 

[Stephen G]

Dont let all gear and post run you off. I grew up welding and it has been a god send on some jobs Ive had, not always.
I got my Lincoln 225 out of the trash and the minni- mig from framers on a job at its end for $100.
It is a rabbit hole and alot of learning by doing.
Cry once buy once- deals are out there.
Welding a chair- I assume chrome plated- can be a bit tricky depending on type of metal.
Chrome produces some toxic fumes as does galvanized metal.
You should focus on prep and ventilation. With mig & Tig it necessary to maintain an envelope/bubble of gas around the weld and fans really dont help.
Give it a go. Never hurts to try.


Unless your barefoot and in shorts. Then learning hurts.

 

[Bobster]

It is a rabbit hole and alot of learning by doing.

Unless your barefoot and in shorts. Then learning hurts.

That is a good point--nothing beats arc time for learning. You could watch 1000 welding videos but you'll still need to get behind the torch to master it.

I weld in my boxers--does that count?

 

[Stephen G]

I weld barefoot all the time. Wore slippers once- 3rd burns to the bone several spots on side of foot for some slag. Lmao still mad it to work not even late.

 

[gandrfab]

On the note of footwear.
I have had a most recently used 1/8" 7018 rod end fall into the top of my boot.

 

[bkbrno]

A wire feed flux core is a good place to start. Next up is a wire feed with gas. You will tire of cleaning up flux. Oxy/Act is next in line for usefulness. Skills learned there are applicable to TIG. Old fashion arc welding has its uses especially for heavy duty stuff.

Skill building is in two categories. Knowledge and skill. Ten percent Knowledge, ninety percent skill building There are fundamentals you need to learn. What metal, what thickness. Don't ignore safety knowledge. Cover your skin if electric welding. The UV is intense and close. Use the recommended eye shade. It is hot so get good gloves. Various metals, mostly coaings, cause fumes, don't ignore the warnings.

After you have enough schooling, the only way to learn is do it. An experienced welder looking over your shoulder is a great jump start. I had a neighbor that was a welder at a ship yard. He showed me the basics, let me weld my own chipping hammer, then beat the shit out of it to test my welds. The head popped right off. He showed me how and why it failed then let me try again. Second effort was much better. Without his guidance, I probably would have made 20 hammers to get to where I did in 2.

A pretty weld doesn't mean it is good, an ugly weld doesn't mean it is bad. A pretty and good weld is where the art work.