New to welding time to start shopping

[JointTech]

Well I've worked myself into a hole... I got the interior torn out to replace the heater core. Tore up the vent hoses getting it out. Then decided I dont like the nasty mat and old firewall insulation. Get down to the metal and theres enough rust that I need to do both door sills. So I cant paint and redo the carpet on the interior until I do this. It started as a simple heater core swap
Which leads me to needing to learn to weld... Which in turn leads me to needing welding equipment. Which leads me here.

So Im starting from scratch. No welding stuff at all. How would the selection below do If my main goal is sheetmetal work. I wouldnt attempt any frame work at least as far as cutting it.

Lincoln Electric Handy MIG Welder - chosen because I get free homedepot cards from Amex... And they are less than a mile away so returns etc can be handled locally. This kit will give me an extra helmet as well.

Rhino LARGE VIEW Auto Darkening Welding Helmet...
Cross Chisel Head Chipping Hammer
MIG Multi-Function Welding Pliers
Neiko 3-Piece Locking Welding Clamp Set
3" x 5/8" Thread Wire Wheel Cup
Welding Steel Wire Brush
Welding Stainless Steel Brush
Butt Weld Panel Clamps
Vise Grip 8-Inch Locking Sheet Metal Tool
Welding Gloves
Any other must haves in a first time welders shop?
Any of the above bigtime crap?

thanks for the help.

[butch86]

the welder you are looking at is a decent little welder if your just doing home projects. as a beginner i would not go out and buy tons of tools. a good auto darkening helmet is a must in my book. also get yourself a welding jacket and blanket. there my most used tools along with good gloves. get a wire brush good heavy one and wire wheels for your grinder. a chipping hammer is a usefull tool as well. and a few c clamps and you should have everything you need.

i wouldnt buy special tools untill i need them there a waste of money in my book. just my opinion though.

[MadManAndrew]

I have a welder and a helmet. Nothing else. And I weld quite often...haha. You really don't need to go out and buy all the fancy stuff unless you're a proffesional welder, or if you don't really have a budget. Welding jackets are probably a great idea but those things are hella expensive, and I get a nice tan welding so I don't mind. The only thing I really reccomend is one of those fire retardent fabric hood things that go over your head (kind of like a ski mask) because I HAVE lit my hair on fire welding and that was NOT fun.

[67swb72klb]

should have a few different types of grinders also

[cableguy0]

A decent grinder. A good pair of tin snips and a cut off wheel will pretty much take care of all your clean up and prep. I would recommend picking a welder with more heat settings than the one shown. 4 heat settings will go something like too cold,almost right,too hot and wayyy too hot. I like a heat setting knob usually showing from 1-10 that way its basically infinitely adjustable up to the welders limit. Sheet metal can be tricky to weld.Welding new sheet metal to older sheet metal this is a tad thin in spots can be a nightmare without being able to use the proper heat setting. Dont cheap out on a helmet. If you plan to do any kind of welding on a regular basis you will quickly regret a cheap helmet. I would skip buying all the accessories to buy a better helmet and welder.

[Notch1988]

I agree with Cableguy... buy the best welder and helmet you can afford. My auto dark doesn't have a grind mode and it drives me nuts so that will be my next purchase when the CFO releases the funds. Try to get a gas setup and then you don't need the wire brush and chipping hammer. Skip the "mig tool" as a pair of needle nose pliers will do it all. As was mentioned, get a welders beenie to protect your head.

[_Ogre]

that looks like a nice little mig, i did most of my truck with a 120v lincoln weldpack 100
mine is flux core but i don't mind grinding.
might want to add a bottle of gas to your list or you'll be all pumped up to weld and not have it

i just bought a new $39 helmet from harbor freight to replace my 10 yr old $29 harbor freight helmet that the head strap broke on.
most of my cutting is with a 4'' grinder and cutting wheels, get a couple of grinders

[100%Chevy]

FIRE EXTINGUISHER!!!
BAND AIDS!!
CELL PHONE!
(just in case)

[PanelDeland]

I have a grinder and a "wire Brusher".It's a real PIA to have to swap back and forth.
I usually weld in a heavy cotton work shirt,heavily starched.A denim is nice but a heavy cotton fire retardant work shirt works,especially with gas(less splatter).I bit the bullet and spent on a Miller 211 autoset.It has infinite adjustability(progressive heat setting,I can get too hot or cold but only if I don't adjust) but I knew I would want to go bigger for more stuff and didn't want to have to upgrade.

[butch86]

yeah i bought the $40 auto darkining helmet from harbor freight and my welding jacket and blanket there too.

i have to have a jacket and good gloves wit pancreatic cancer and a pancrious that functions at 20% i dont need any more boo boos i prevent all of them i can. diabetes and cancer suck

[JointTech]

im trying to stay under $400 for the welder. That miller 211 is almost 1500. Whats the nice medium?
What helmet do you recommend that has a grinding setting?
I was led to believe that I wouldnt need a gas tank with that welder as it uses flux core wire or something. I actually do have a 20# co2 tank that I can use.

[cableguy0]

You dont need gas but welding with gas is a lot cleaner than flux core. It lays down a nicer weld and is a lot easier to clean up especially on sheet metal. I have this welder at work. I have probably put 200 hours or more on it in the last few months. I weld a lot and this thing has done great. http://www.realgearusa.com/ . Its supposed to be a lincoln copy but I like it better than the lincolns we have at work.It was right at 400 bucks and came with some stuff. I know the miller helmet has a grind feature on the helmet but were talking about a 350 dollar helmet.

[JointTech]

cool ill check it out. I found a few helmets on amazon that say they have a grind setting for under $100. Thanks china.

just checked out the realgears. On their site its 399. at gts-weldco its 329. And on the ebay the gts-weldco store its 319!!

Edit again. Free shipping. I just bought it...

[PanelDeland]

Two things I should have mentioned.First many pro welders weld in the cotton/denim shirts and pants but have them heavily starched.That is unless they're welding overhead or in a position they need to cover up.The "hardness" of the material lets splatter beads roll off.Second is that your LWS(local welding supply) may match any online price you find.Mine did and gave me a break on a tank,then filled it for free.It's in their intrest to help you get into welding because then they sell you supplies.

[JointTech]

im kind of a puss so illbe getting a jacket/gloves/hood at a LWS where I can try them on. I'm not a huge fan of sparks.

[Rochlow]

I bought a Hobart 140 and a 250i plasma.. I really like them and they helped me learn alot already (only two months). When I was younger I tried to learn on an old Linde machine. It was bought by my grandfather when portable mig welder first came out. Let's just say it wasn't the best machine to learn on.

[Notch1988]

Originally Posted by JointTech

im kind of a puss so illbe getting a jacket/gloves/hood at a LWS where I can try them on. I'm not a huge fan of sparks.

Me too LOL... in the garage this is how I roll... Carhartt bibs, gander jacket and gloves.

[JointTech]

New toys !!!

[ETsC10]

RIGHT ON!!!!!
What all ya got there?

[JointTech]

mig/flux welder
welding jacket
2 pairs welding gloves
welding hammer
assorted vice grips.
butt clamps
welding blanket
autodark helmet with grinding setting
DA
cutoff tool
angled grinder
assorted cutoff wheels
assorted sand paper and sanding sticky things for the da
grinding mask
normal goggles
grinding hood (yea this is really fruity but I dont like sparks, my buddy busted up laughing at me for that one.)
Dust mask for grinding/painting. I was sick of black **** in my nose for 2 days.
Aircraft paint stripper and foam brushes.

it was a fun week of boxes arriving

[Notch1988]

Nothing wrong with safety. I cringe when I see an issue of Street Truck with a guy grinding in a t-shirt and shades.

[cableguy0]

OK let me save you from losing a finger or three. Buy name brand cut off wheels. DO NOT buy cut off wheels from harbor freight. I use 3m or norton wheels. They cost more but you get what you pay for. Anybody who has ever had a 5 or 6 inch cut off disk on en electric grinder lose a chunk knows what im talking about here. The cheapie wheels tend to break and they will throw the grinder thats spinning at 10k rpm at your face or body. Its not a fun situation and it will scare the hell out of you. The better wheels also last longer too. Same goes for sanding disks. The cheaper disks either have crappy glue that doesnt stick or they wear out entirely too fast.

[JointTech]

wait are you trying to tell me the stuff at harbor frieght is cheap chinese ****? lol good call though and to behonest almost all that sanding stuff is HF stuff. I swear it looks like the same packaging and color as the home depot stuff. Ill have to take another look.

[cableguy0]

Some of the stuff at home depot isnt that great either. I primarily use 3m stuff. There roloc disks and cut off wheels are superior. I have however used the harbor freight sanding disks for a DA sander and they seemed ok. Quite a few wouldnt stick to the pad though. The main reason for my post was just a warning about cut off wheels. I have used more brands than I can count and I have had a whole lot of them come apart. Mainly the chinese stuff. On the other hand. I bought the 4 inch electric grinder/cut off wheel from harbor freight,I think at the time it was on sale for like 14 bucks. I have not managed to hurt it. I on purpose tried to kill it and it held up well. Let me also reccomend DO NOT use big heavy leather gloves with the cut off wheel. They are too bulky and seem to end up either getting cut by the wheel or close enough to scare the sh!t out of you when you notice whats going on. With that said I cut,weld and torch things all day with nothing more than a t-shirt for protection. Aside from my welding helmet and burning glasses obviously

[Mr. 250r]

Few things i learned from welding is good equipment goes VERY long way, and here's what i wear/use

Green jacket - Great from fab to pipe welding
Hobart XVS Bonehead helmet - Great from fab to pipe welding *Small viewing area*
Lincoln 3350 Mojo helmet - *New - testing tomorrow*
BSX premium mig gloves - Great from fab to pipe welding
Lincoln tinted safety glasses
Milwaukee grinder - High power not very adjustable
Ryobi grinder - low power highly adjustable - Great for fab
Comeaux welding caps - Great from fab to pipe - all positions
Dickies work pants - Hold up better than jeans
Back hand heat shields - one on each hand - saves gloves/saves hands
Harbor freight wire clippers - cheap and get the job done *Needle nose don't do it all =-p*

Just some ideas from what i use nothing to fancy besides helmet and gloves really because you never skimp on a helmet as your paying for your eyes and as far as grinding helmets etc go, they are probably equal to the safest investment with the welding helmet because wheels break and even wire wheels those wires come off and get stuck in my jacket all the time

As others stated don't cheap out on the wheels I'm not sure what wheels my cheap *** work uses but they haven't blown up in my face yet although i have seen it happen and had it happen