@geocrasher You were me a few year ago. At the time I was tired of sh*tty HF welder stick welds, so I bought a TIG/MIG machine (Miller Multimatic 220), which required two bottles. I wanted to save money on bottles/gas so I bought a 20 cu ft...
Cool video. I haven't run CO2 in a while but I did have to change my settings and technique. Also used spatter guard (spray). Used it when I had a small machine.
@aztoyman and @e9999 That is what I needed to hear. Thank you. and @PIP had no idea about that cylinder size. So yeah, CO2 for now, and then I'll buy a nice big 125cu ft cylinder later.
Once again, I sincerely appreciate all this. I'm going to...
if you already have the CO2 bottle, just go with that IMO if you just want to practice your MIG. It's a cheap way to get started. Yes, the welds may not look as nice, but you may get better penetration so it's not all bad.
I can swap my 20 pound CO2 bottle for about $45.
AR/CO2: 55cuft cylinder 268.80 + gas 26.23+tax out the door = 328.57
I'm paying a lot for the cylinder itself. I can trim $100 off that if I buy one on Amazon, which I'm fairly hesitant to do.
So, I'm buying CO2 to learn MIG on the cheap. I could use my stick welder for my current project, but that's not the direction I chose to go. As for the regulator, it gets far better reviews than the sub-$30 junk on amazon.
When I get ready to...
Nope, nothing wrong with stick. I still love my stick welder, and the new welder can do stick too. But MIG is a lot better on thing stuff, which is something I want to expand to. Body work etc.
And can you elaborate on what you mean about the...
Thanks again all. I have a HF card so I'll just pick up this guy:
https://www.harborfreight.com/co2argon-flow-gauge-regulator-58468.html
Then $40 later I'll have my CO2 bottle and can get going. I know it won't be as good as AR/CO2 but it'll be...
Thanks everyone for the input. The more I look at it, for as little as I weld, I think I want to start with CO2. I don't think that it's a bad way to go, because AR/CO2 will only be easier, should I upgrade. And the same regulator etc can be...
Got a couple of friends in the welding supply business. Gas cylinder rental fees are a big part of their income and many are reluctant to sell. I bought an 80CF AR/CO2 tank 20yrs ago just because I didn't want to rent. Don't remember cost but...
I always use Argon/C02 Mix in my Mig and think it's the better way to go especially for a beginner welder.
I also think you will be fine with a smaller tank
I'm not an expert welder but I think CO2 is a great way to go. Much cheaper to get the gas refilled locally for me (I go to a beverage supplier place) and gives better penetration than mix from what I saw. Maybe not as clean a weld (not sure)...
Hey everyone,
It's been quite some time since I've posted here, but there's not a community I trust more for questions like this :)
I've been stick welding for a few years off and on and I just picked up Yeswelder 205 DS and intend to use it...