If you see one of those little Campbell-Hausfeld 110 volt reconditioned welders for sale on eBay, have no qualms.  I heartily recommend one for almost any home handyman.  It will pay for itself very soon in little jobs that have accumulated, and some you will dream up.  Like, why not tack weld one end of that annoying screw you must hold on to each time you take something apart to realign the pieces?

   Unless you already have a big 220 volt model, these little welders, hardly bigger than a shoebox, will do a lot of your smaller jobs.  Even though they are rated at 70 amps, max, they will use up to 1/8" rods, intermittently. They DO  have a low open-circuit voltage, and striking and maintaining an arc is a bit tricky; it takes practice.  But, using 1/16" E6011 rods, I can fix a lot of small items around the house, or,  fill in where I ground off too much, etc.  The E6011's are a deep penetrating, high-tensile-strength mild-steel rod, and are available cheaply at ACE and other hardware stores.  The bigger hard facing rods  must be used slowly. But, I have been able to repair a hole burnt in a pair of diagonal cutters this way.  The hard facing was harder than the original steel!

It comes with a mask and a great instruction book, outlining many important techniques to welding.(I recommend you glue the lens to the mask--it falls out-!)

  I do notice the welders will "time out" easily if the duty cycle has been exceeded.    Simply turn off and unplug about 30 minutes.  Remember, this is a very small unit.  It is ideal for small jobs, about 1/16" to 3/16" thick.  It is Not made for the "big leagues". 

  However,  I did weld a piece of 1/2" rebar to a 3/4" rock drill as an extension, using many SMALL passes. I used several  E6011 rods, and I did have to allow the welder to cool.   I then expanded the tip and extended its life with a small bit of hard facing. It has paid for itself in small jobs that a welder would charge  a $20 minimum for.  And, you can do bigger items that are hard to transport to the welder's--like swivel chairs, broken seats, etc.  I have repaired broken and worn gun  parts with hard facing, and saved myself the cost of buying new parts.  Just be sure and Practice, Practice, Practice.  Do NOT make porous, ugly welds on something critical like a gun trigger part.

  I have even been able to use it with a heavy-duty 15' extension cord even though instructions recommend not to.  This is another handy thing about them--you don't need to rewire your shop for 220.  A good 110-volt outlet is all that is necessary.  A 20-amp supply works best--this usually can be done using only one dedicated outlet nearest the fuse/breaker box; and rewiring with the next larger cable; a bigger outlet; and, of course, a 20-amp breaker.

   And, Remember : Safety First! Even though this is a small unit, it still produces a lot of harmful UV and hot sparks.  Use the mask; Always wear leather gloves and long sleeves.  Wear a hat, too.  Clear the welding area of anything flammable.

     Enjoy!