You need about $200-400 in tools and supplies beyond the welder itself. The essentials are an auto-darkening helmet, leather gloves, a welding jacket, an angle grinder, and consumables (wire, gas, grinding discs). Everything else is a convenience upgrade you can add later.
Here’s the full breakdown, split into what you actually need on day one versus what can wait.
Must-Have: Safety Gear
This isn’t optional. Welding produces UV radiation that burns exposed skin and eyes in seconds, metal spatter hot enough to ignite clothing, and fumes that damage lungs. Read Welding Safety Basics for the full picture. For now, here’s what to buy.
Welding Helmet ($50-300)
Get an auto-darkening helmet. It stays light until you strike an arc, then darkens to shade 9-13 automatically. This lets you see your workpiece and position your gun before welding, which is a huge advantage over fixed-shade helmets where you’re basically welding blind until the arc starts.
What to look for:
- Shade range of 9-13. Most helmets cover this. Shade 10 works for most MIG welding under 200 amps.
- Reaction time under 1/25,000 of a second. All modern auto-darkening helmets meet this.
- Solar + battery powered. Solar-only helmets can be slow to activate in dim shops. A battery backup eliminates that problem.
- Grind mode. A switch that locks the lens at shade 3-4 so you can use the helmet as a face shield while grinding. Saves buying a separate face shield.
Budget picks ($50-80): The Lincoln K3419-1 and Hobart 770890 are both reliable, well-reviewed, and inexpensive. They don’t have the optical clarity of a $300 helmet, but they’re perfectly functional for learning.
Premium picks ($150-300): The Miller Digital Infinity and Lincoln 3350 have outstanding optical clarity (1/1/1/1 ratings), large viewing areas, and smooth shade transitions. Worth the money if you’re going to be welding regularly.
Welding Gloves ($15-60)
You need two types eventually, but start with MIG gloves.
MIG gloves ($15-30): Thinner leather (goatskin or deerskin) with moderate heat protection. You need dexterity to work the trigger and feed wire. Thick Stick welding gloves make MIG work clumsy. Lincoln, Tillman, and Revco make excellent options.
Stick/general purpose gloves ($20-40): Thicker cowhide or elk skin for higher heat and spatter protection. You’ll need these when you move to Stick welding or when doing heavy grinding.
Don’t buy cheap fabric gloves and don’t use mechanics’ gloves. They’ll melt to your skin from spatter. Leather only.
Welding Jacket or Sleeves ($30-100)
A welding jacket protects your arms and torso from UV burns and hot spatter. Flame-resistant (FR) cotton is cooler than leather and works fine for MIG welding in a shop.
FR cotton jacket ($40-80): Comfortable for long sessions. Good for MIG and light Stick work. Lincoln, Revco Black Stallion, and Miller all make good ones.
Leather jacket ($60-150): Maximum protection. Necessary for overhead welding and heavy Stick work where spatter showers down. Overkill for a beginner doing flat MIG, but will last years.
Leather sleeves ($20-40): A budget alternative. They protect your arms and you can wear a regular cotton T-shirt underneath. Don’t weld in synthetic fabrics (polyester, nylon). They melt.
Safety Glasses ($5-15)
Wear ANSI Z87.1 rated safety glasses under your welding helmet. Your helmet protects against the arc, but grinding, chipping slag, and wire cutting all send metal fragments toward your eyes. A pair of clear safety glasses costs $5-10 and could save your eyesight.
Ear Protection ($3-20)
Welding isn’t deafening, but grinding is. And hot spatter in your ear canal is exactly as bad as it sounds. Foam earplugs ($3 for a box of 50) work fine. Wear them every time.
Must-Have: Prep and Finishing Tools
Angle Grinder ($40-120)
This is your most-used tool after the welder. You’ll grind welds, cut stock, clean mill scale, bevel edges, and prep joints. A 4-1/2" grinder handles everything a beginner needs.
Key specs:
- 7-8 amp motor minimum. Cheaper 5-amp grinders bog down under load.
- Paddle switch. It shuts off when you release it. A slide switch keeps running if you drop the grinder. Safety issue.
- Tool-free guard adjustment. You’ll reposition the guard constantly.
Buy a corded grinder for your shop. Cordless is convenient for field work but costs 2-3x more when you factor in batteries.
Discs you’ll need:
- Grinding discs (Type 27, 4-1/2"): For smoothing welds and removing material. Buy in 10-packs. You’ll burn through them.
- Flap discs (40 or 60 grit): For blending welds and finishing surfaces. Give a smoother result than grinding discs.
- Cut-off wheels (Type 1, 4-1/2"): For cutting bar stock, angle iron, and tubing. Thin (0.045") ones cut faster and waste less material.
- Wire wheel or cup brush: For cleaning rust, paint, and mill scale before welding.
Wire Brush ($5-10)
A stainless steel wire brush for cleaning welds between passes and removing light slag. Get one with a chipping hammer on the other end if you’ll be doing any flux-core or Stick welding. Keep it at your welding station.
Chipping Hammer ($8-15)
Necessary for flux-core and Stick welding to remove the slag layer. Not needed for solid-wire MIG. If you’re starting with MIG only, you can skip this temporarily.
Clamps and Magnets ($20-80)
You can’t weld parts together if they won’t stay put. Start with:
- 2-3 C-clamps ($5-8 each): General purpose holding. Get different sizes.
- 2 locking pliers/Vise-Grips ($10-15 each): For clamping pieces at odd angles. The welding-specific versions have copper pads that resist spatter.
- 1-2 magnetic welding squares ($8-15 each): Hold pieces at 90-degree angles for T-joints and corner joints. Incredibly useful. Buy at least one.
Tape Measure and Soapstone ($10-15)
Measure twice, cut once. Soapstone marks on metal and survives welding heat, unlike markers or pencils. A carpenter’s pencil works for layout but burns off near the weld zone.
Must-Have: Consumables
MIG Wire ($15-40 per roll)
For mild steel, use ER70S-6 wire. That’s the industry standard solid wire for MIG welding steel with shielding gas. It comes in 2-lb, 10-lb, and 33-lb spools.
Wire diameter selection:
- 0.023": For thin material (24-gauge to 16-gauge sheet metal)
- 0.030": The most versatile for beginners. Handles 16-gauge up to 3/16" (5mm)
- 0.035": For 1/8" (3mm) and thicker material on 220V machines
Start with 0.030" if you’re on a 110V machine. It’s the best all-around diameter for learning.
Shielding Gas ($60-100 for first fill + bottle)
75% argon / 25% CO2 (C25) for mild steel. 100% CO2 is cheaper and penetrates deeper but produces more spatter. C25 is the better choice for learning.
You’ll need a gas bottle and a regulator. Most welders include a regulator. The bottle is separate. Ask your local welding supply store about exchange programs. You buy one bottle, and swap empties for fulls at $20-40 per fill.
Contact Tips ($5-10 for a 10-pack)
Contact tips are the small copper piece at the end of your MIG gun that the wire feeds through. They wear out. Buy a 10-pack that matches your wire size (0.030" wire uses 0.030" tips). You’ll go through 3-5 of them while learning.
Anti-Spatter Spray ($6-10)
Spray it on your nozzle and workpiece to prevent spatter from sticking. Reduces cleanup time significantly. Not essential, but costs almost nothing and saves frustration.
Nice-to-Have: Upgrades When You’re Ready
| Item | Price Range | Why You'd Want It | When to Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welding table | $200-600 | Flat, steel surface with clamp slots and fixture holes | After your first month of practice |
| Bandsaw or chop saw | $150-400 | Clean, straight cuts on stock material | When you start real projects |
| MIG pliers | $15-30 | Multi-tool for removing nozzles, cutting wire, cleaning tips | Anytime, they're just convenient |
| Welding magnifier lens | $5-15 | Magnification insert for your helmet if you have trouble seeing the puddle | If you wear reading glasses |
| Fume extractor | $100-300 | Pulls welding fumes away from your breathing zone | If welding indoors without good ventilation |
| Fireblanket | $20-50 | Protects flammable surfaces from spatter | If welding near wood floors or walls |
| Speed square and combo square | $10-25 each | Precise layout and angle checking | When fit-up precision matters |
Budget Summary: Complete Starter Setup
Here’s what a complete beginner MIG welding setup costs, from bare minimum to comfortable:
| Item | Budget Option | Mid-Range Option |
|---|---|---|
| MIG welder (110V) | $250-350 | $400-500 |
| Auto-darkening helmet | $50-70 | $100-200 |
| Gloves | $15-20 | $25-40 |
| Jacket or sleeves | $30-40 | $50-80 |
| Safety glasses | $5-10 | $10-15 |
| Angle grinder + discs | $40-60 | $80-120 |
| Wire (10-lb spool) | $25-35 | $25-35 |
| Gas bottle + first fill | $100-150 | $150-200 |
| Clamps and magnets | $20-40 | $50-80 |
| Consumables (tips, spray, brush) | $15-25 | $20-35 |
| Total | $550-800 | $910-1,305 |
That looks like a lot, but consider this: a single welding repair at a fab shop costs $75-200. A community college welding course runs $500-2,000 per semester. Your own setup pays for itself fast.
Where to Source Scrap Metal for Practice
Don’t buy new steel to practice on. Here’s where to find free or cheap scrap:
- Metal recycling yards: Many sell scrap steel by the pound. Bring $10-20 and you’ll leave with a truckload of practice material.
- Local fabrication shops: Ask if they have a scrap bin. Many will let you haul it away for free.
- Facebook Marketplace / Craigslist: Search “scrap steel” or “free metal.” People want it gone.
- Construction sites: Ask the foreman. Cutoffs from structural steel and rebar are common.
Look for flat plate (1/8" to 1/4" thick), square tubing, and angle iron. These are the most useful shapes for learning basic joints.
Next Steps
You’ve got the welder and the tools. Before you strike your first arc, read through Welding Safety Basics for Beginners. Safety isn’t a formality. Welding involves UV radiation, toxic fumes, molten metal, and high voltage. Five minutes of reading now prevents a trip to the emergency room later.