Hello from Southern California

[SlowBlues]

Hello all, long time listener first time caller so to say. I've learned from and enjoyed this forum for years and finally pulled the trigger, got down digitally on one knee and decided to add a new password to my life (the harem is ever growing). Mainly just a serious hobbyist welder though I've done my share of paid work.

[John Chrysostom]

Hello from SoCal as well & I'm also new I've been reading this forum a long time & signed up the other day in anticipation of looking to buy my first welder & get to practicing but I've only welded some motorcycle parts once at a friends house years ago LOL but i read and watch whatever i can on welding

[SlowBlues]

That's great, any idea what type of welder you're looking to get? I would suggest you download an app called offerup. It's my main used (and some new) stuff source and so far (about 3 years) it's been great. I've bought/sold about 50 items in that time and have had nothing but good experiences, I've found some amazing deals as well. Reading and watching can really help you jump that initial learning curve, especially with all the amazing arc shots they get these days. jody collier (welding tips and tricks) and bob moffatt (weld.com) are about the best help an autodidact can get, and for free! it's a great time to get into metal work as machines and tools have become amazingly accessible to even light hobbyists

[John Chrysostom]

That's great, any idea what type of welder you're looking to get? I would suggest you download an app called offerup. It's my main used (and some new) stuff source and so far (about 3 years) it's been great. I've bought/sold about 50 items in that time and have had nothing but good experiences, I've found some amazing deals as well. Reading and watching can really help you jump that initial learning curve, especially with all the amazing arc shots they get these days. jody collier (welding tips and tricks) and bob moffatt (weld.com) are about the best help an autodidact can get, and for free! it's a great time to get into metal work as machines and tools have become amazingly accessible to even light hobbyists

Heck Yeah I watch Jody & Bob almost everday & Chucky2009 But No luck with Offerup in my area It's all Craigslist and The LetGo App All the Offerup listings in my area are old most of them a year old, I'm looking to start rough with an old tombstone Idealarc 250 ac/dc & all the ones I found online are 100 Miles from me So I'm still fishing Dude you said autodidact Badass!

[SlowBlues]

Can't go wrong with either of those units, and they seem to be damn near impossible to break. I still occasionally use a 225ac my father bought close to 30 years ago. That welder was never pampered but still runs like new , and has run more than a few beads that laughed at a lifetime of work on a dump truck.

[John Chrysostom]

Heck yeah That's what i hear & see but the idealarc 250 ac/dc tombstone is one machine, there was a 250 AC only tombstone, the really old ones look almost just like the 225 AC & those are the ones i'm after everything i read says the idealarc 250 ac/dc has a better arc than the original 225 but the inside is almost identical except a rectifier and a capacitor

[SlowBlues]

the round top idealarcs I hear are buttery smooth, i've come close to buying one a time or two. The only downsides are low/expensive portability. long Leads and/or properly sized extension cords are ultra pricey. If you plan to move it at all I would highly suggest making a dolly type cart for it with swivel casters in front and dolly type wheels in back. Makes it infinitely easier to drag around a yard or up/down curbs if you do any work outside.

[John Chrysostom]

the round top idealarcs I hear are buttery smooth, i've come close to buying one a time or two. The only downsides are low/expensive portability. long Leads and/or properly sized extension cords are ultra pricey. If you plan to move it at all I would highly suggest making a dolly type cart for it with swivel casters in front and dolly type wheels in back. Makes it infinitely easier to drag around a yard or up/down curbs if you do any work outside.

THIS!! I 100% plan to either buy one with the old dolly/cart or weld one up just like the old ones but maybe use aluminum casters & wheels lol i think the thing is still 200+ pounds hahaha I'm just low on cash & trying to do the very best i can with what i got the ones i saw around LA and SD are $$$ it's crazy but i can wait i don't want my first welder to be made of chinesium & it pops & thats it So if i have to I'll get the 225 AC for $50-150 & bide my time & wait on a idealarc 250AC/DC for $150-$250 Thanks man looks like reading & watching the pros is paying off in planning

[SlowBlues]

It's all about luck and usually a little patience being on a really tight budget. I've been there, just be sure you also budget for tooling/safety. The bare minimum is a helmet (I would suggest a flip up jackson - huntsman, GOOD passive lenses are really cheap and the flip up helps), any grinder (i'd suggest a cutting wheel, hard grinding disc, and decent wire cup (bc cheap ones are literally a pain to use) at the bare minimum), tape measure, hand wire brush, and any flat faced hammer, and material to weld. I built a really good setup on a low budget a little at a time, I've noticed on this forum the vets tend to forget the OPs budget and needs and start talking about what they like, nature of the beast I suppose

[John Chrysostom]

You got it man that's why i called it fishing gotta be patient and catch the deal!! & for me that has to be within a 50-60 mile radius Oh & i was recommended offer up & was already to go until i looked at the age of the posts in my area, sale sites are really regional in popularity like in Kansas state they don't even use craigslist they use facebook pages & groups & in my area of SoCal i never saw a craigslist category empty till i lived in kansas for a bit lol & i guess Offerup is that way in my radius. CL & LetGo are packed with ads. But on Safety equipment i was recommended that exact welding helmet as a starter & not to use the cheapy auto darkening HF helmets & if i go auto darkening i know to get a good one it's gonna cost but it's worth it like having a great welder with all the fancy features MY first set up Is just for practice practice practice & then i'll weld up a few simple projects & sell them on CL to save up for better gear & maybe do some repair side projects to but that's a long way off Arc Welder, rods, helmet,gloves,grinder,cutting wheels, wire cups & wire brushes, welding shirt or jacket. Check, Pro's do tend to forget sometimes unless they are teachers generally oh and get this I found forums where they were talking about rigging up pulse for stick!! LOL jumped through several hoops & found the schematics & thing already built on Ebay People are using it for Tig machines without the auto pulse feature But i'm going to wire it up to my stick welder LOL it's only $25

[SlowBlues]

As for welding clothes go cheap, try to find a good used denim/jean jacket that is as close to 100%cotton as possible, second hand stores are great for those. Trust me it's a bummer to buy a welding shirt for half of what a grinder costs just to burn a ton of holes in it the first week. Use tons of starch in whatever you buy that isn't leather, it helps prevent burns. i just bought a new tillman leather half jacket, front and back cape for $15

[John Chrysostom]

Heck yeah $15 now that's a deal !! & Ok will do on the denim & second hand stores & starch i might also pick up some fire retardant spray lol & i already have a fire extinguisher & thinking about it I have most tools just nothing related to welding SlowBlues you rock man Thanks!!! what a cool place i guess we both should have signed up here long long ago see ya later bro

[John Chrysostom]

Welcome To the Website!!

[SlowBlues]

Thanks brother, and good luck on the bargain hunting. Just be aware once you start making things it's hard to stop, and you ALWAYS need another tool or machine lol. Not sure if you've ever checked out " allen's welding/woodworking " youtube channel, but it's a good one. He gets some beautiful work done with mostly a grinder, though his O/A torch game is strong. i always find his videos inspiring, his "shop" is a table outside in the mud, and again he does beautiful work. i had the name wrong, i think that was his old channel

[John Chrysostom]

Never heard of Allen but if he's the guy who makes Smokers i just subbed to him thanks just got done watching Mustie1 fire up a 1940's briggs it needs rings bad lol if you don't know him he builds custom mini choppers,cars and small engines the guy can fix anything! lol

[CAVEMANN]

Welcome SlowBlues! Welcome to you also John.

[SlowBlues]

Thanks much CAVEMANN, This forum is has not only been a great learning resource but also is just entertaining to go through, and i'm glad to have finally joined. John Chrysostom: I love his videos, the will it run series is always entertaining to watch, and gives you a great idea of how basic (easy) small motors really are. As my friend used to say: "It WANTS to run!" You just have to help it along a little usually