looking for advice

I just bought a miller 212 mig welder and now that i have used it a little bit (enough to screw up a couple tips) I was wondering what accessory do you find you really use the most or find the most helpful.

 

really good grinder.

 

lol....

 

If you find "the" accessory tell all what it is. I Stick weld ok. I Tig weld ok. Sometimes I Mig weld ok & sometimes my mig welding is pathetic. Practice & a lots of grinding wheels.
Good Luck.

Lucky667

 

Go find yourself a bunch of s**** metal....varying thicknesses and partice practice practice.....I'm much like Lucky667...I stick, mig and tig OK and sometimes not.

 

You made my evening. That's hilarious. You are right about a good grinder. I bought one of those cheapo ones at Menards for around $12.00 and as a novice welder it wasn''t long before it died.

 

Yea i have a couple good grinders a new 4" and a heavy duty 8". I was thinking about something to help keep the tip clean or a metal gauge along those line. A new product that comes in really handy. Thanks

 

Best thing I ever got was a autodarkening welding mask,
I would not be without the thing now.

 

The pro welders I know won't use those autodark helmets. You get a sunburn through them over time. The few thousandths of a second before they darken lets enough UV through to do some damage.
Get a jar of tip protector salve. The spatter won't stick to the tip with that stuff.

 

Even if the autodark doesn't work, the lense blocks 100% of the UV. I have used them for years and hate to work without one. The occasional flash is sorta aggrivating tho. Most of the time it's poor technique that causes it.

Gotta go along with the anti-spatter, I like the spray and it is good for spraying around where you are welding, makes it easy to clean up afterwards.

 

Thanks this is the information i,m looking for. I haven,t welded for a long time and haven't kept up with the new technology.I,m putting together a frame for my 32 ford pick up plus installing patch panels, chopping the top. Thanks again George

 

I'm a big fan of the Metabo's. Buy one and it'll last through 20 cheapies.

Good helmet is on my list as well. What are your eyes worth?

Magnets, welding clamps, good wire brush, little stuff like that will go a long way.

 

if you have a good autodarkening helmet then you shouldn't get the flash...miller makes extremely nice helmets (although pricey) are well worth the money. They have manual settings on the inside of the mask so you can adjust for what you are doing (i.e. grinding, tig, mig, stick, brazing)

 

mig welding pliers would be the first thing, i use copper free NS brand of wire, it welds nice and theres no copper to plug up your liner.

 

This may be obvious... but clamps. Lots O' Clamps. Harbor Freight clamps are ok. I did find sheet metal **** weld clamp sets for 5 bucks. and if your doing lots of welding a decent welding coat.

but all in all the best accessory i have found is lots of practice. Makes up for all the gadgets in the world.

oh and beer... dont forget beer. the hip flask gets sketchy and causes an arc.

 

The first helmet I had was a HF auto darkening one. It lasted about a year of mild use. I didn't realize it wasn't working right and after the second eye burn I trashed it. Stepped up to a good one with a larger viewing window and I wouldn't be without it.

 

Long sleeves, a good helmet(not a cheapie-get a miller. After all, it's your eyeballs), consumables(tips and nozzles), mig pliers, and IMO, spatter dip and anti spatter spray are the two big ones. Bought my welder for home use a year or so ago, have put in a rollcage for a buddy, lots of frame work on our longroof, and countless things welded up and I'm still using the first tip(1-.023 and 1-.030, so I guess thats 2) and nozzle. If you dip the tip and spray the anti spatter spray on what you're welding, your tips/nozzles will last along time and no b.b's to grind off with the spray.


JM2C
Jay

 

Thanks to all that answered this post. I turned 60 today so i went on a shopping for me day.
I have just bought my first welding helmet in 30 years. It,s a top of the line Speedglas that was recommended to me by the person that i bought the welder from. It was a little less money than the miller one and no graphics,but all the same quality's of the miller and the company has been in buisness for a long time.
What a difference from what i have been using. I can see what i,m welding.
I also invested in some mig pliers and the tip dip along with some of the spray to try.
Again i just wanted to thank everyone for their input.
George