Reddit mentions: The best welding wire

As with anything you get what you pay for. At work I used Weller equipment and I know for a fact it's well made stuff. As a hobbyist you don't really need the high end stuff with all the bells and whistles. Something like >>THIS<<
would work just fine. Add in some >>SOLDER<< (I like the stuff with flux in it.... or you could just buy flux separate and use the regular lead solder) and a don't forget a sponge.... you can even get a nice little >>STAND AND SPONGE COMBO<<. If you find yourself soldering a lot a good table vise can be a HUGE help. Something with an articulting head like >>THIS<< is what I prefer (but that can wait until your next check).


Good luck! Have fun, and enjoy how the world of electronics is about to open up for you. :)

I'm not sure why you'd think I'm confusing titanium for tungsten...

I personally held the chain mail at one point, so I'm absolutely sure it was either aluminum or titanium. Of course I have no way of knowing for sure which it was, but the facts of the story hold up pretty well with what I know about the metals. It would've been far easier to bend an aluminum rod than a titanium rod with the same diameter, and titanium is substantially more expensive than aluminum. In any case, it's entirely possible he made it out of aluminum and just told everyone the story because he wanted people to be amazed that he had a titanium chain mail shirt.

The rods would've fit easily inside the empty tube from a bic pen.

I suspect what he had was something very similar to these, assuming he was telling the truth:
https://www.amazon.com/WeldingCity-Titanium-Welding-ERTi-5-Grade-5/dp/B074PCM67L/

I bought this a week ago and just did my first project with it yesterday. I was surprised at how well it performs. Seems similar to the one from HF, but I went with the ebay one instead because it has 4 power levels instead of 2, and it was cheaper. I used this wire with it and this mask. Everything worked together great.

Thanks! I have no idea what hotwires are, sorry!

Is this what you're talking about?

Also, is that a fair price or should I go to a big box store instead?

Thank you so much!!!

That's one I've been looking at, and you aren't the first person I've seen using one, I'm just so skeptical that I can get started welding for about $100... I'm tempted to buy this one on amazon, mostly because "at least it's not Harbor Freight" and it has good reviews

What are you looking at stepping up to? Lincoln? Hobart?

Highly recommend getting some good wire too. The stuff that comes with these is usually not great and it can make a big difference. I use https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003E2RF0E/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Most hypodermic needles are made from stainless steel. Clearly this material cannot be used for TIG welding (melting point of tungsten: 3422°C, while the most heat resistant Stainless Steel alloy can only withstand up to 1530°C.)

For MIG welding, in short: yes. They do make stainless steel MIG wire, however, you would need to ensure that all of your needles (you would need several to make even a measly 2 lb spool) are the same alloy, otherwise this would lead to some... interesting results. Lastly, because stainless is an alloy, it is somewhat more difficult to work with than iron, or carbon steel (yes, steel is an alloy, but it is mostly iron).

Hobart H305406-R22 10-Pound ER70S-6 Carbon-Steel Solid Welding Wire, 0.030-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00012Y0D0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_vG..ybNXQJ8HC

There's an option for .024 as well.

Ive found some wire on amazon, this stuff: http://www.amazon.com/INEFIL-ER70S-6-035-Inch-2-Pound%C2%A0Spool-Welding/dp/B003KMQ540/ref=sr_1_7?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1452262514&sr=1-7&keywords=welding+wire

Is this just steel or is it gonna weld itself to my billet or something?

This is the wire in using right bow which says shielding gas not required, so I'm assuming self shield. Then again, it also says gasless and the end of the product code is GS which makes me curious if it does, in fact, need shielding gas. I was hoping to use this wire to avoid the cost of renting a tank and buying gas, but if I need to do that then I have some regular mig wire that came with the welder that I can use.

When visiting my girlfriend's house, I plug into her dryer vent via this extension cord and a 6-50 to 10-30 adapter then plug into a 6-50 pigtail into the gen2 mobile connector.

Cable can be slightly warm to the touch, but no hotspots. Any concerns as a semi-regular temporary solution?

I think you can use just about any flux core wire in either a DC or AC welder

here's the first "flux core wire" that popped up... it doesn't specify AC or DC

INETUB BA71TGS .030-Inch on 2-Pound Spool Carbon Steel Gasless Flux Cored Welding Wire https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003E2RF0E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_VD6WDb1S419CC

http://www.sandmeyersteel.com/images/316-316L-317L-Spec-Sheet.pdf

http://www.amazon.com/ER316L-Stainless-Steel-Welding-Spool/dp/B007JCQSTY

Specs are virtually identical.

Wire cup wheel on a drill:

https://www.amazon.com/Wire-Wheel-Brush-Cup-Corrosion/dp/B01FWRIBTM