Hello all. I'm wanting to get into welding. I haven't welded since highschool, and then it was just oxygen and acetylene. All I'm really wanting to do is be able to work on traps and build stakes. So what is a reasonable welder to learn on that will do what I need? I'm open to any and all opinions.

Small buzz box.

Wire I’d recommend gas but then the cleaning begins, so flux core is an option, or stick with oxygen and acetylene, stick welding on traps takes a lot of practice to not burn through the base metal.

My Millermatic 211 has been an excellent machine, doesn't break the bank.

Mig with the gas shield it’s a cleaner weld that’s what I started with. Finding a bottle is the trick I bought mine outright to avoid the contract BS not sure how the smaller bottles work in your area.

Buy a name brand so you can get parts for it. Hobart gives the most bang for your money IMO. Wire feed welder with gas. You'll soon find many more uses for it when you have a decent machine. I'm far from rich but I quit buying cheap guns and cheap tools years ago and don't regret it at all.

Thank you all for the information.

A boss once told me, “buy once, cry once” and it’s stuck with me forever

You can get by with the smaller 85-100 amp wire feeds with flux core wire, but there is a learning curve and alot of cleaning, did it for years. When you eventually get a quality welder, and use it, your next likely target will be that little welder, for all the headaches it caused you! lol

I agree Hobart is good to start with.

Hobart vote here. Mig.

Like my Hobart flux core

Gmaw is the easiest process to learn.

THIS^^^

X2
Once you learn to weld DON'T tell anyone!! You'll have friends you didn't know you had! But... your welding won't end with just traps.

Thank you all for adding on.

More specifically the Hobart Handler 140 is what I'd recommend. It's not super expensive and welds nice with some 75/25 mix gas. Get an auto darkening helmet to go with it. That's my best advice. https://www.farmandfleet.com/produc...vVMzyf2DfuANGorU5TPePUZ-h5BoChOcQAvD_BwE

Thank you for the link ADC.

Welded a lot of trapping stuff with lincoln stick welder.

I have a hobart like that also.

If you're going to mig parts, they need to be clean bare metal. Stick you can tolerate some rust.

If you’re just looking for a decent hobby mig welder. Titanium 170 from harbor freight set up with a bottle is a nice machine for the price and can handle any trapping related project or even some larger welding projects. I use a miller 211 daily in my shop but that’s going to set you back 3x the cost of harbor freight welder or twice the cost of some smaller Hobart machines. I wanted a welder for just doing trap mods in my basement while at home on the weekends. So I figured it was a good time to give one of the titanium harbor freight welders a try. I picked up the 170 mig hooked it up to a bottle and 220 for under a grand. Been using it every weekend for hrs on end welding everything from trap mods to heavy duty drags with no complaints welds great highly impressed with it. Now if any of my millers was sitting there next to it would I use it over any of them no but for a hobby welder I’d give it a solid 8 out 10 review for home hobbyist welder.

Depends on the rod. Different rods for different purposes.

Hobart Handler 140. Miller or Lincoln make better welders at a much, much higher price. Harbor Freight makes junk at a lower price. Hobart is the Ford/Chevy that works for me. I have two different models of Hobart mig welders and both have been great. I have one set with a spool gun for aluminum and the other set up for mild or stainless. I keep four 90cf tanks of gas in my shop for different metals.

I have used flux core wire but welding with gas gives such a better weld. I did put both on harbor freight welding carts.

x2

Buy a 211, it is dual 110v / 220v.
There are three diameters of weld wire, set the knob for the one you have.
There is a setting for the thinnest material you are welding, it comes with a thickness gage, so set the knob to material thickness.
Get a gas bottle, I rent and refill mine from the supply house.

Get a descent auto tint helmet, Watch Youtube videos on stacking dimes and get good and seeing the puddle and moving it around.

Then its just practice, but that's literally all it takes.

It'd be easy to have $2,500 wrapped up in equipment, hard to justify for trap tuning, but then you can mig up to 3/8" of any steel material you needed to weld from then forward for you or anyone else.

$2500 / $50 = 50 $50 weld jobs to pay for the equipment... maybe 25 jobs would pay for half the equipment and the other half is moding your traps.

Welders need grinders for flap wheels and wire brushes. Clean material = good welds.

Anyway, that 211 is a good machine and easy enough to learn that I've taught myself to weld (with it) decently.

Good luck.

Another vote for the Millermatic 211

Like my Hobart Handler190....220V is the way to go, IMO.

X2, love mine with gas

Just curious if you've actually used a Titanium welder or not?

This is what I use, but for a guy starting out the 140 is plenty until he figures out if he even will use it IMO.

No. I have used a harbor freight mig welder but it was probably an older line of welders before they branded them titanium