[gnabgib]

Just would like an experienced expert to explain what I could use it for... Ideally I'd like to be able to weld Carbon Steel and Aluminium WITHOUT gas... Is this remotely possible with what I have purchased..

TIG welders will do stainless and aluminium, but not without shielding gas. If it also has a wire feeder then you could do carbon steel with flux core wire, if you have the ability. There is also stick function which most TIG machines have and aluminium can be done using that, but not something I would recommend or bother with. Personally I'm always happy to pay for gas for the wonderful control it offers. Stick? Very useful in some circumstances, ie heavier fabrication, but it's messy and the skill level is not to be taken for granted.
If don't like spending money on gas, you'll end up paying more with other options. You'll most likely need a spool gun if you want to mig weld aluminium.
I don't particularly like multipurpose devices and depending on how much you paid just accept it as stick welder.

[tweake]

Hi

Just purchased a so called 3 in 1 Welder, after a lot of looking around and seeing a you tube review. It looked really good for the hobbyist/home user, occassional welding. It was Vevor 200D3 However, I think I may have interpreted the video review incorrectly. Plus, on trying to buy some wire (Reel) I was told you can't use it you would still need gas (For Welding Aluminium).. As I understand it I can use the Fluxed wire for Carbon Steel MIG (e.g. No Gas) but does this mean without gas that's all I can ever do..?

I guess the SHORTer Question is, though this welder is capable of doing all sorts of welding, as a hobbyist and occassional user I have no intention of purchasing a massve Argon gas bottle to sit and do nothing for months on end...

Q1. - What exactly could I weld (Material Wise.?) or what options if any do I have for using this machine WITHOUT Gas..

Only at the moment it seems to me that I have just overspent and ended up with an overpriced stick welder. I could have got a little stick welder for a lot less £££'s

I've done brazing before, and I am quite handy with a soldering iron.. but I am completely in the dark with welding

Just would like an experienced expert to explain what I could use it for... Ideally I'd like to be able to weld Carbon Steel and Aluminium WITHOUT gas... Is this remotely possible with what I have purchased..

Appreciate any feedback. - Thanks

sorry i didn't see this post untill now.

without gas pretty much just steel.
there is flux core for stainless around and of course stick rods, but stainless you also want to be back purging etc and that gets complicated quick.
there is aluminium stick welding electrodes, but i'm not sure if you would want to be making a lot of stuff with them.
your welder is most likely only DC so no ac/dc for tig aluminium. so for aluminium you really need to get a spool gun. i doubt your welder comes with the rollers for aluminum and you need to run thin wire for aluminum mig and replace the liner in the gun for it. so a spool gun ends up being cheaper easier way to do it.

as a hobby guy i have a couple of bottles, argon gets used the most and mig gas sits unused for years. however i have no rental on the bottles.

as far as learning to weld, start with stick welding. learn the basics then go from there.
flux core welding can be tricky, some wires can be really fussy. makes it a pain to learn with.

if you really get into it, get some argon, learn tig. then you can get into stainless and with an acdc tig do aluminium.

[cj737]

To be a bit clearer, without using a gas of any sort 100% Argon for TIG and Argon/CO2 mix for MIG steel, 100% Argon for MIG aluminum) you can only run Gasless Flux Core wire or Stick electrodes (as was mentioned). You don’t need a large bottle of Argon unless you expect to DC TIG steel or MIG aluminum. What you do need is a MIG bottle of gas for running Steel MIG. You can buy small 80CF bottles and most welding gas stores will refill them inexpensively.

Gas does not usually go bad, so even if it’s sitting for months, when you want it, you have it.

Flux Core is not an overly useful hobby wire. It’s ugly, it burns super hot, and for small projects, it’s not the best choice. A gas MIG is a much better option for a limited experience, DIYer.

[tweake]

You don’t need a large bottle of Argon unless you expect to DC TIG steel or MIG aluminum.

your 80cf bottle is our normal hobby size bottle. use that for everything including aluminium mig etc.