OK so I guess I'm going to learn the hard way. The directions were very clear not to let go of the spool and let the wire unwind. Well it slipped from my hand and it unwound. How big a deal is that? I rewound it as best I could and fed it into the machine. It seemed to feed OK and the wire was not slipping. I'm going to watch a few YOU Tube videos before I actually try it out. Here's general question for those who know what their doing. I don't have a welding bench. And I don't see myself getting one. I picture most of my welding repairs to be "in the field" so to speak. So what is the best set-up? I mean how would you attach the ground clamp (how close to the actual welding section) and what about securing the parts? I can picture myself using a set of concrete building blocks as a base to set the material on. Here's an example. My son just asked if it would be possible to add a clip or small extension on to a grill grate that will span the new fire pit he built. By the way I'm going to use my generator as the power source if that makes any difference.

We talked about this when I asked about fixing the hole in my lawn roller. I want to reexamine the topic of a mig welder. I re-evaluated the HB $119 mig welder as a waste of money. If I'm going in for penny, in for pound so to speak. Hobart makes what is considered a very good beginners unit that is very versatile. The Hobart 500559 Handler 140 MIG Welder 115V. $500.00 (yes I said price was a big limiting factor but again re-evaluating) However, maybe I should think about a 115/240 volt unit. Although I only have 115 service (actually 240 but only 115 wired) I do have a generator capable of 240 v. Coleman Powermate 5000 watt. Do you think the generator can handle a 240v MIG and is 240 v that much better than 115 v for an occasional user like myself? Again the generator could handle both voltages. Again I don't want to get involved with gas although this unit can use gas. Any comments?