Beginners need all the help they can get. If you have easy access to a good welder I would start with that one to learn on and then go shopping for a welder that will fit your budget and stuff you want to weld.dhafling wrote:No shielding gas. I do have access to a welder that does shielding gas though. Does it give that much better of a weld? Remember I am a beginner, so far welds are pretty ugly....
I used .035 wire on 12 gauge through 1/4" with 75/25 gas. This is what most smokers have in them. I like to lay down a little more wire down. I was using a Miller 211 hooked into 220 V single phase. If you have access to a 220 voltage machine and a gas bottle, you will get a much better weld. 220V will give better penetration and a longer duty cycle > (Duty cycle is how many minutes that the machine can run continuously in a 10 minute period).