Welding Tips and Tricks

Ok guys im a first semester welding student. "Just finished" ive been done with my first semester all of 2 days. And I have the itch to weld again. Im also a pawn broker at pawn America which is one of if not the biggest chain of pawn shops in the midwest. So I have a lot of opportunities to buy cool stuff cheap. Well we have a hobart handler 140 available for around 250 bucks. Its nowhere near the quality of the machines ive learned with but it seems solid for the money. Im just wondering if anyone has any opininions on this machine and the price. It came into our shop set up for gas and aluminum. I switched it over to flux core since the pawn broker that took it in didnt take in the bottle. I ran a few small beads it ran without a hiccup when turned all the way up. But was really fussy on any lesser setting which theres only 4 options. . It was on id say 1/8th" plate. Also i didnt really play with it much as I was in the pawn shop. Also 0 prep on the steel I ran a bead on. Oh it also comes with several spools of wire extra contact tips a brand new liner and a few other consumables. I plan on messing around maybe some hobby welding some structural but not heavy duty car trailers or anything. More like shop tables car exhaust ya know just random stuff. Will it be of good use or should I spring for something better?



the machine in question...

$250 is giving it to you.

Best 115v mig out there.

As long as you don't over work the machine, should fit the bill.

2 cents....

~John

So judging by the 30 views and one response that response is pretty spot on??

zachkuby87 wrote:So judging by the 30 views and one response that response is pretty spot on??

You got that right.
My uncle has the older 135.
Over 5yrs of hard labor, and that thing still ticks.
I have had one too, as well as the bigger hobarts.

Can't beat them.

~John

zachkuby87 wrote:So judging by the 30 views and one response that response is pretty spot on??

For that price you do in fact have a steal. Personally I would be worried about it being stolen more than anything else. More than likely it was never registered anyway.
Get us some pictures of your projects when you get started.
-Jonathan

Ive actually been trying to figure out my first project already. My cousin saw a picture of this cool table/grill deal and i have like 5 people that say they would buy em if i built em. I tried finding dimensions online but wasnt able to find anything really. so im going make em up as i go. Here's the table. Any special material requirements when building a grill? what would i need to use for the grates?

So i talked with the boss today and got approval to buy the welder at a discount so its mine f0r 207.99 out the door. im super excited i rode my hayabusa to work so i left it there till i drive the truck one of these days but its mine now!

I've seen that grill several times. Great design.

I'd suggest all structure be 1/8" or heavier carbon steel (a36), and all grating be 304 or 316 stainless. The expanded metal can be bought in stainless in sheets. 4'X4' should be plenty. The grills outside the main firepit are not likely to be available as a prefab item. I'd build them from 1/8" 308 or 316 SS TIG rod.

This is a complex project. The images I've seen give no details of the fire pit, which is important for proper heat control.

Good luck!

Steve S

zachkuby87 wrote:So i talked with the boss today and got approval to buy the welder at a discount so its mine f0r 207.99 out the door. im super excited i rode my hayabusa to work so i left it there till i drive the truck one of these days but its mine now!

Congrats!! I was thinking about the table. Building it for yourself will be awesome, but to make it for others, well to be frank I don't believe you will be able to compete with a store bought one price wise. However, I do not know how much these cost or how much material is actually there. This is not meant to discourage you from building one, just want you to be aware of the costs vs purchase.
Just a thought.
-Jonathan

yeah the thought crossed my mind and while i may not make much or anything at all its still good practice and experience. its still in the thought phase, so we'll see. i may dumb it down a bit and make a simple version. or make something from scratch my own designed to be cheap. i also picked up a 4x8 tractor supply utility trailer from work for 150 bucks i plan on beefing up a little and using for y hayabusa. realistically thatll probably be the first project.

I agree with Jonathan,

I wouldn't attempt to build this for profit. There's a factory in China stamping them out for $10 each in initial cost.

You could sell a custom version based on it to high-end buyers, if you do ALL stainless, but I'd think this would be hard to make a profit on.

If you use it as inspiration for "art-piece" barbeque grills, and have high-end customers, the sky's the limit.

Steve S

yeah i have no customers lol. maybe that needs to go on the back burner for a year or two.

....and let me tell you the high end customers will not blink for something custom like that. I am building a custom aluminum weldment for a very wealthy client right now. He came over yesterday and we changed things/threw things away and this will just drive his price through the roof. Custom is not cheap, that is why it is called custom.
-Jonathan

zachkuby87 wrote:yeah i have no customers lol. maybe that needs to go on the back burner for a year or two.

Make one and show it off, you never know who will want it.
-Jonathan

zachkuby87 wrote:yeah i have no customers lol. maybe that needs to go on the back burner for a year or two.

My wife and I do horseshoe art and metal cut outs and art and the first thing we do before trying a new project is to feel the water and get an idea of who would be interested. We are currently working on agriculture supplies and implements and before we even start a project we get a minimum of 5 people interested before we make something. I got the bright idea to make a three point hitch trailer mover, priced the steel, drew up my design, advertised and had zero request. We offered goat milking stands, had 10 sold in 2 hours. It never hurts to make one for personal use and advertise but if you don't want to keep something, advertise and get some people interested before making it. Trust me, we are making a business out of customization.

Thanks for the advice guys. My end goal is to have my own customization/fabrication shop. Thats after I travel the country for work for a few years. I would like to do that first just for the experience and hopefully save enough money to build a decent shop at home.

zachkuby87 wrote:Thanks for the advice guys. My end goal is to have my own customization/fabrication shop. Thats after I travel the country for work for a few years. I would like to do that first just for the experience and hopefully save enough money to build a decent shop at home.

The best of luck to you on your shop! If there is anything I can ever do to help, ask. Keep us posted on how things go.
-Jonathan

It is common not to get a bottle with a welder as most bottles belong to the supplier and must be leased. Good score on the Hobart

Thanks guys. ive actually run into another issue and thats a place to weld. At first i was planning on using a lifelong friends garage around the corner. Hes cool with it and i already had my own keys cause thats where i store my motorcycle. well he moved 20 minutes away and we have polar opposite work schedules. Oh did i mention he moved in with his fiance? she doesnt want someone in her garage blaring music and wrenching/welding when he's not home. never been an issue before but.. i guess soon to be wife's opinion matters more. oh well... I live in an apartment with no garage's so ive been looking for small space's to rent or a garage locally here. Once my lease is up im gonna have to upgrade to a house. I'm basically gonna attempt to make up the extra cost with some welding side jobs. hopefully it all pans out. if not oh well looks like ill be selling a toy or two. just keep telling myself it's the right thing to do in the long run. things are getting pretty serious. Ive seriously been considering selling off my motorcycle and other stuff to invest in equipment/materials. ive looked for a welding job to get my fix but none are willing to be flexible with my school schedule in the fall. I dont want to work a job two months and quit for school. Then that leaves me with no job to pay bills lol. my current gig basically taylors to my school schedule and thats hard to find.