Lincoln "Handy Mig" 101?
Larry St. Regis
I'll be using this machine for two purposes: welding 2"x2" hollow steel
trailer frame channel, and welding brackets to same.
I'm sure once I start welding, I'll find more opportunities, but is this a
good beginner machine for me? I've never welded before, and although I will
take a class "someday", I've simply got these two minor tasks to complete
now.
Any advice?
Thanks,
Larry
Steve
news:7Ws7a.295$hR7...@newssvr16.news.prodigy.com...
My advice from being in exactly your position once, is not to buy something
you will soon outgrow. Spend the $$$ and cry only once. If you outgrow
this smaller machine, you won't be able to sell it for much, and would have
to buy a bigger/better machine anyway. This is my staunch position for
anyone thinking of buying a machine and it comes from making that mistake.
You don't have to have the mega$$$ top of the line combo
stick/tig/mig/beerdispenser rig. But if you are already thinking of
expanding your horizons, don't be chained to the dock. So to speak
.............. been there, done that, lost money in the process. Now, I
overbuy for that once in a while I want to push the envelope. And the
better machines have the higher resale values. But, since I own machines
for more than ten years, having done research and overbuying in the first
place, the resale values don't come into play.
FWIW, I just bought the Lincoln SP175+, and am doing extensive ornamental
metal fab as we speak. I love it.
Well, break is over. Back to work.
--
Steve
MHO ONLY..... YMM(and probably does)V
Jeff Dantzler
> I'll be using this machine for two purposes: welding 2"x2" hollow steel
> trailer frame channel, and welding brackets to same.
Are you making a trailer that will be on the road someday? I ask because
it is fairly easy to make MIG welds that look pretty and lack strength.
A trailer MIG'd up by some one who has never welded before is about the
last thing I want to be behind or next to on my motorcycle.
> I'm sure once I start welding, I'll find more opportunities, but is this a
> good beginner machine for me? I've never welded before, and although I will
> take a class "someday", I've simply got these two minor tasks to complete
> now.
If you're just making art than go for it. For anything where safety is
involved, take a class, or at least have an experienced weldor or teacher
look at your welds (and maybe do some destructive testing).
Look at the used market--local auctions, pawn shops, classifieds, etc. It
never hurts to have a little room to grow. It also never hurts to learn on
a machine that works nicely. I'm not familiar with the "handymig 101" but
I'm guessing it is a cheapo machine that you could find in home depot.
If you can find a used Hobart Handler 120, I'm sure it will be much more
pleasant to use.
Also consider a gas rig. The skills you learn will transfer to other
techniques and you get the ability to braze, solder, heat (bend), and cut,
along with weld. Usually reasonably cheap to get into.
Good luck,
Jeff Dantzler
Seattle, WA
Larry St. Regis
I should have more fully explained what I'm wanting to do!
I inherited a trailer frame (4'x8' 2"x2" tubular) that I am cutting up to
use the metal for my first welding project. The 2x2 will be assembled as a
garden bench frame. The brackets that I need to weld to it will be
approximately 2"high x 3" long, and will be drilled to hold the wooden seat
and back boards.
If I was better at ascii drawing, I'd draw it out!
As an avid motorcyclist, I have no desire to have my homemade trailer
anywhere on the road!
Larry
--
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'86 GL1200A
'86 XT350
'84 XV700
Brain damaged dog / Retarded cat
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"Jeff Dantzler" <dant...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:1046373749.809726@yasure...
wayne makowicki
"Larry St. Regis" <lstregis...@i4putt.com> wrote in message
news:P_t7a.384$tD7.29...@newssvr15.news.prodigy.com...
Mike Graham
> I inherited a trailer frame (4'x8' 2"x2" tubular) that I am cutting up to
> use the metal for my first welding project. The 2x2 will be assembled as a
> garden bench frame. The brackets that I need to weld to it will be
> approximately 2"high x 3" long, and will be drilled to hold the wooden seat
> and back boards.
The machine you're looking at will do what you want, but the gent who told
you to buy bigger and cry once is right on the money. Bigger doesn't have
to be *lots* bigger, but that HandyMIG machine is very entry-level.
--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Mike Graham | Metalworker, rustic, part-time zealot.
mi...@metalmangler.com |
<http://www.metalmangler.com>| Caledon, Ontario, Canada
Larry St. Regis
"Mike Graham" <mi...@metalmangler.com> wrote in message
news:slrnb5t6k...@zippy.metalmangler.com...
Thank you, Mike, and thank you to all of you. I'll be looking (I believe)
for a Hobart Handler.
Larry
Jamie Arnold
machine.
Jeff Dantzler
> Look at the Hobart Handler 135. Under $500 and is a great mig
> machine.
I just did a bunch of research into MIG boxes and I would recommend the
handler 120 over the 135 (if you can find a used 120.)
Here is an old (2001-02-03) Ernie post snippet:
"Hobart Handler 120
Great machine, one of the best ever made, discontinued a year ago.
I have had one for 8 years, still going strong.
Hobart Handler 130
A short lived piece of import junk that Hobart put their name on to
compete with Lincoln's low end
offerings. Most welding suppliers refused to carry it.
Hobart Handler 135
A new version that replaced the Handler 120, not nearly as well made, but
cost $100 less.
Also sold in Miller Blue to the automotive trades."
Look for used equipment. Properly looked after, these machines will last
many years.
I just bought an unused Miller challenger 172 from a friend. Her
housemates wouldn't let her weld in their wood-framed basement, so it sat
there for a year or so. She used the funds to finance a trip abroad to
teach English and Art in Asia. We're both pretty happy about the
arrangement.
Good luck.
Jeff Dantzler
Seattle, WA
Jamie Arnold
I'm very pleased with my 135. It's paid for itself several times over
and I'm just a hobby weldor. A friend who is AWS certified and has
been a weldor for over 25 years has a 135 and has used it daily for
over 5 years (I believe) and he swears by his, which is the reason I
bought mine!
I'm sure Ernie knows what he's talking about, but for the $399 I spent
on my 135, I don't think I could go wrong.
J
wayne makowicki
looks to be of less quality than the Hobart but I have had no problems at
all. The last time I bought a roller for it the dealer had to look it up, he
said they don't have any customers ordering parts for the Lincoln drive
system so it must hold up good. I had a 135 amp import machine that didn't
weld very good at all. I bought the used Lincoln and it did more than I
could have imagined. The funny thing is after I bought the Lincoln I removed
the drive system from the 135 amp import and set it up to run off my spool
gun and it welds good. I think the drive system and the very bad gas
diffuser design is the major problem with the 135 amp Chicago Electric
machine. I paid only $50 for it and did allot of welding, but boy am I glad
I upgraded
"Jamie Arnold" <bigg...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9kgv5v4kjjbb70dkf...@4ax.com...
Mike Graham
> Lincoln 135 (110V) is also under $500 new, can get it at home depot.
There's nothing wrong with that machine... I'm not delighted with those
HandyMIGs. Never *used* one, though...
Jamie Arnold
thought it was me until I got my Hobart.
Steve
"rip-a-charm" <r...@charm.org> wrote in message
news:vj1v5vgpmsfjsfo3a...@4ax.com...
> Lincoln 135 (110V) is also under $500 new, can get it at home depot.
> very versatile machine , can be pluged in to just about every outlet
> you have around the house.
> gas ready if you want to weld thin metal, for everything else fluxcore
> is great.
> lincoln 155-- its 220V (close the 135) but with better duty cycle.
>
> the satement "buy bigger and cry once" is true,
> but I would still keep my baby mig (lincoln 135 ) for small jobs just
> like the one you are doing , because the fact that I can throw a 110V
> machine like the 135 linconc in the trunk of your can and take it to
> my fathers house to weld up his lawnmover deck.
>
> bigger is good !!! , but not always.
> you are dedicated to 1 outlet in your garage, and it better be 220V.
>
>
> IMHO
> --
You have made an excellent point. At times, I do wish my 220 was only 110,
but I have compensated by putting a 100' cord on it. There are far more
times when I need the hotter/higher ranges than when I need the portability.
It all depends on your welding needs. And all of life is tradeoffs. One
size does not fit all.
Steve
> to sum up things..... in my oopinion.
> if you thinking of welding as a hobby or to fabricate things around
> the house, a knonw brand like lincoln miller or hobart 110V MIG
> should b e able to handle a variety of jobs.
> you have a choice to use shielding gas, or just go with flux core.
>
> once you want to start welding to make money, or to do more serious
> jobs , thanthe need fo a welder will depend greatly on your need to
> do a specific job since aluminium and stailless will need different
> rig setup anyway, or a stick may be better for others.
>
> welders are not cheap but not too expensive, come to think of it ...I
> could blow a $1000 on a good .22 caliber target rifle easy.
>
> so here is the theory....... run this by your wife...... 2 welder
> (machine) is better than 1
>
> :-)
>
>
>
>
Or just toss the money from side jobs in an old mayonnaise jar, and when you
have enough, get a second welder. When the wife asks, "How much did that
cost?", you can answer that it paid for itself, AND is still making money.
Next to "I love you", the words a woman likes to hear most.
--