I know this sounds stupid, but I'm just starting to get into welding and was looking at buying a new welder. The one I was looking at is a cheap 50-70Amp Stick welder till I can find a used mig. Does this mean it will draw 50 amps from my house? I don't think I have anything higher than a 20amp breaker in the whole house

 

yes u will have to replace a breaker to a 50 or you will trip it when ever u use alot of amps. You might be ok on lower amps but if u get high i would swop it out for a 50 amper. Does the weld use 120 or 220.

 

120V
I think I'll just wait till we build the shop, hopefully by then I can find a cheap mig and put that in the shop and won't have to worry

 

no way...if its a 120v it will draw around 15amps to 20amps max. my 120v lincoln mig welder draws 15 amps. it has a max of about 90amps output. but the welder should be on its own outlet.

 

well personaly i would just hold out. A 50-70 amp welder isn't really going to get you much in the way of penetration or room for growth in the future, ( not that it seems like you are planning on holding on to it for long). I guess it would be fine for smaller thinner metal but if you want to fab anything thing of much substance up you will want something larger (more powerful). but yeah, IMO you should save the $100 or so bucks, and see if you know anyone with a welding set up that can hook you up for a project or two untill you make a purchase. BTW when looking for a welder in general, you should keep in mind the thickest metal that you plan on welding on and look to buy a machine that will allow you to weld that plus about 20% more. It is for the most part better to be slightly over powered then underpowered. made the mistake up picking up a MIG that had a max of like 3/16" and ended up not being statifyed when it came to welding on heavier materials. I have since traded up and am much happier.
Also, IMO miller makes one of the best MIG set ups out there, they are high quailty welders and are fairly affordable, just my $.02. Good Luck with welding, you'll soon see that it opens up a whole new world of possibilities for you.

 

Are there any welder's under a grand that can weld 3/8" steel plate and maybe, just maybe weld it to a 1/2 thick piece????

 

I can

 

I have the Lincoln 175, and it's rated for 3/8"... Truthfully though, I have a buddy that welds 3/8" with an old Lincoln 100 (only rated for 3/16") and he get full penetration. He's nuke certified, and been doing it all his life, so his skill might have something to do with it.

And a 90 amp stick welder does not draw 90 amps from your outlet. The "90 amps" is the current flow on a lower DC voltage. It would only draw around 15 amps max.

-

 

I use a 50 amp 220v stick welder and I would prefer it over a MIG strength wise.

But you can teach a monkey how to mig weld.

 

a lincoln stick welder will do 1/2 no prob....bout $250 at lowes, probly less on ebay.

 

preheat it up and you can do just about anything with a promig 175 or 135, with that stick welder you will only be able to do 1/16 rods, The SMAW process seems to get better penetration

 

stick welding is just as easy if not easyer then mig.

 

i dont know about your area, but in my area you can find a ton of lincoln 225 "tombstone" stick welders for like 150 used on craigslist.


those are awesome welders, been around forever.

 

you are not a "welder", you are a "weldor".

 

BTW, ive heard a lot better things about lincoln migs than hobart or miller from repairmen. they say lincoln have a lot less wire feed problems...

 

maybe flux core...