Get a good oxy-acetylene rig and learn how to use it properly. A gas welding & cutting rig is a must have for a shop. It will weld, braze, heat to bend/anneal/heat treat and cut. It is also completely portable, unlike most electric welders. It's the most versatile equipment for your money.
Buy bottles to exchange outright (40-75cf, check with your supplier) if you weld infrequently or lease larger bottles to suit your needs.
Buy a good torch with quality tips that suits your needs. A Gas Saver and pezio bump ground torch lighter are a big help. Kent White sells a great small Meco Midget torch and accessories that are on my list of must-haves for sheet metal welding gear to go with my favorite old torch I have here.
I have a TIG/Stick welder but it hardly gets used compared to my gas welding rig. In fact, my TIG is in the shop right now when I really need it to be ready to work. My gas welding gear never has such issues...
Once you learn to gas weld, other types of welding are simple. Whether or not you're on a budget, it's the best place to start imho.
Edit- thought about my post and figured I should have stated that I bought my gas welding equipment approx 20 yrs ago with no welding experience and zero hands-on instruction. Always wanted to weld but never had, so just started. the right books were a big help - The Oxy-Acetylene Handbook by Linde Air Products (my long standing, hands-down favorite) and the forum & Kent White recently recommended Aircraft Welding by L.S. Elzea.
Last edited by cliffrod; 04-20-2017 at 08:42 PM.
Reason: Additional info- see edit
|