Welding Equipment Shopping Guide

Are you looking for a good welder to suit your needs? Then it is high time you get some information and knowledge before doing so. Whether you are a person who is a farmer, a fabricator, a wood worker or a car enthusiast, you definitely have your own style and skill when it comes to welding. Based on the skills you posses, you need to purchase the right equipment for your purchases. So read this welding equipment shopping guide as you learn about your first welding experience.

Different types of welding processes

When it comes to welding processes there are three common types of processes with their own set of limitations and advantages. They are:

• · Stick welding: this welding method is one of the most popular methods that have been used for many years for a home shop. By far, this welding method is extremely effective as it welds most alloys which are used for outdoors, indoors and drafty areas. Moreover, it creates an effective bond in rusty metals.

• · MIG welding: it uses a wire welding electrode which is fed automatically at a constant speed that can be pre selected on a spool.

• · TIG welding: this welding method uses a non consumable tungsten electrode in order to produce a weld which is well protected from the atmosphere from contamination.

Which process best suits your needs?

Before following this welding equipment shopping guide, it is important to know about the general welding processes and which of them best suits your needs. Here are the questions you need to answer:

· Are you going to create metal sculptures?

· Do you want to restore an old muscle car?

· Do you need to fabricate?

· Do you want to perform any repairs?

By taking your time to answer these questions, you can determine the thickness of the welding machine that is required to perform these activities based on the functionality and strengths. This also lets you select a suitable model for your purposes.

Go with your budget

When you consider buying the right equipment to fulfill your purposes of welding, you definitely have an estimated cost in your mind. When you consider buying, the welder which you are about to buy must be best suited to meet your specific functions and the future projects that you will be working on. It is important to consider the cost required to buy various accessories for maximum protection along with the equipment itself like gloves, jackets, helmets, gas, etc. you need to make your purchase as cost effective as possible along with no compromise in the quality of the equipment to experience the best results.

Other things to keep in mind

Size of the welder is another important factor when it comes to buying the right welder to suit your needs. You also need to take care about certain requirements like the amperage requirements, power requirements in order to get the best and the most effective operational results.

Most importantly, light products have 20% duty cycle and 230 amps of rated output while heavier industrial products have more duty cycle and a rated output of 300 amps.

Finally, by following this welding equipment shopping guide you will surely reap the best results of buying the best quality of welders based on your needs.

Images and videos on this post courtesy of Lincoln Electric