Another "what welder to buy" thread

[Bundy]

Hey All-

First off, I am the laymen when it comes to welding so excuse my ignorance and keep the bashing to a low roar;D .

here are the reasons i need a welder in order of necessity;

- suspension (shock mounts, hoops)
- rockers (replace and/or add sliders/skis)
- other body related, including hard top

I have to go 110 because i don't have 220 at the house. I am pretty sure I don't need a Oxy-Acetylene setup... that leaves me with the stick-type and then the ol' wire feed. i googled and saw somewhere that for the stick type 220 is kind of "must have", so does that mean i should go wire feed.

would the wire feed work for what i want? Can i do cages and shit with a wire feed? are the wire feeds capable of MIG and TIG? I am aware of what the duty cycle means, and i think the higher amperage welder dictates the thickness of the metal you can weld?

What about the different types of wire?

I know brands are preferential, so i won't open that can-o-worms until i know what type i need for what i want to do. I am a self proclaimed perfectionist and welding seems like something i would be addicted to and good at, given some time and practice... and i have tons of shit to practice on!

Thanks for the input guys.

 

[Bundy]

what about this bad boy?
http://www.amazon.com/Hobart-500500-Handler-115-Volt-Single-Phase/dp/B0002PS7SA/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1264550755&sr=1-1

 

[Broncobowsher]

MIG welding is what you will get. aka wire feed.
Since you are limiting yourself to 110V (yea everyone will tell you to get 220V put in, great idea, if you can do it). But limiting strictly to 110V this time (plenty of 220V threads to look back on).

There is the $100-200 china box mystery welder. Sometimes with as little as a 2 position switch for high/low power. Avoid this. Don't care how tempting it is for the super low price, you will still spend too much.

Next step up, $3-400 home center welders (home depot, etc.)
They are typically name brand, but the lowest level. Service parts do not always interchange with stuff from a welding shop.

Then starting about $500 you get a decent name brand welder that will carry it's value. That is if you ever sell it you will get more of your money back then anything listed above. Shielding gas starts becoming readily availible if not a standard upgrade. Pick your brand, red or blue are both good bets.

Then if you want something real sweet, inverter based machine. Miller makes one called the Passport that will do 110 or 220V The inverter is much lighter and more efficient then the transformer based machines. You can get better output for the limited power input. But it will cost the most.

Stick (arc) will just blow holes in sheetmetal (unless you are way talanted and if this is your first welder you are not talanted. MIG lets no talant people still weld good)

Gas and TIG also take skill. I can't think of the last time I gas welded. But it involves a LOT of heat that is great at warping sheetmetal. You can really destroy parts with gas. But if you want to be a perfectionist, you will find yourself with a TIG eventually. But it is not a good first timer welder. Start with a good MIG machine, after you master it trade up (more likely add) a TIG.

Most machines will list what they can weld in a single pass. For general work 1 amp for .001" is a good reference point. Welders will live a nice long live at that rating. But most can do thicker metal if you run them hard. .002" per amp is about the upper limit. My Uncle has a home center MIG that is good for about 2" of bead on ¼" material before it wants to take a break and cool down. That is with the welder cranked as hot as it will go. I think it is a 110 amp machine. In school we built a SAE Mini-baja car with a 135 amp 110V lincoln. I learned a lot about welding with that.

A very desirable feature is infinantly adjustable heat range. Something you can dial inbetween settings. Last I looked it was about $80 more then a standard 4 or 5 voltage tap machines.

Hopefully that was informative without being mind numbing and keeping on the 110V track.

 

[zerostar2410]

i was actually thinking of purchasing the same exact welder this weekend. i Found it cheaper on www.ruralking.com. I am also a novice and not sure if purchasing this welder would be a wise choice. I only need it for body panels as well.

 

[chris]

Pick up a Lincoln 135 from Home Depot for $500 give or take.

I've had mine for 8 years, welded everything from the 4 link to patch panels and it's still plugging along.

This is one of those spend a few dollars and be happy in the long road buys.

 

[Broncobowsher]

what about this bad boy?
http://www.amazon.com/Hobart-500500-Handler-115-Volt-Single-Phase/dp/B0002PS7SA/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1264550755&sr=1-1

Good choice. Don't rule out
http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/millermatic_140_autoset/ (ignore the price that is full retail) has an auto set to help beginers. Also has the infinatly adjustable voltage setting that I so much like.
Lincolns page http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/equipmentseries.aspx?browse=101|241|&locale=1033 shows you canget the same 140 AMP machine in either a 4 positions tap ("T" suffex) or the continous adjustable ("C" suffex)

 

[MattW]

The Hobart 140 will be mine fairly soon. Have to pay my portion of a root canal on Friday though, yuck.

 

[Jakedog]

This is what my dad bought brand new about a year ago(see link). I used it to build a the frame for my gate. I used 3/16'' square tube for the frame, and the welder worked awesome. My dad is a retired Pipefitter, and has done every type of welding from fab shop to pipeline work, and he likes this little wire feed for his home use. We used a 110v plug when I built my fence, just make sure you plug in to an outlet with a high amp rating (I used the outlet where my washer and dryer plug in). BTW, he payed a lot less than what they are asking.

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/millermatic_140_autoset/

 

[recoiljunky]

Sorry, I know you didn't ask for this but...

My home's circuit panel is in the garage. It was very easy and cheap for me to drop a 3 foot wire down the wall and put in a 220v outlet in the garage. Probably $40 and 20 minutes of work. Just saying.

 

[TN1776]

Your best bet is to read the specifications of the welders before you buy. 110v wire feed welders can do quite a bit but you have to make sure the material isn't too thick for the welder to handle. Adding a gas bottle to a wire feed welder gets you set up for MIG, which is great for a cleaner weld, but you lose material thickness capability. Your average 110v welder will weld 3/16" material with flux core wire. I don't like using flux core because the welds are not as clean, but for the thicker material with a 110v welder, you have to use flux core.

110v welders are great for sheet metal when you add a gas bottle. I did all of the body work on my rig with a setup like that and I didn't have any problems with warping panels or burning through, and I was a complete beginner at the time.

Spend some time figuring out which model will handle the kind of welding you want to do, identify a price range, and see where you end up.

 

[ja.stoner63]

Seems we all start somewhere. I’m in the same spot well almost. I purchased a cheaper used Mig welder & Stick welder so I can learn to do both. Then when ready will purchase the Miller Mig & Tig combo.

 

[Ohio Bronco 21]

I got my Lincoln mig welder from Lincoln itself, I work in Euclid Ohio where they are built. Some Lincolns are built overseas I hear. Its been a very good 110 welder for me.

 

[zerostar2410]

so will the hobart work for body work? What guage steel are body panels?

 

[73Russell]

yes it will work on body panels as it will weld down to 24 gage which is thinner than body panels

 

[needabronco]

Miller 211, it welds both 110V and 220V. I've welded 20 ga. to 1/4" on 110 and it works well. It has the auto set thing so if your not sure what your doing it takes the guess work out. It's a bit spendy, but you most likely won't ever have to buy another welder either...

 

[SSDDBRONCO]

i have been looking at these two welders from Harbor Freight Tools check them out and let me know what you think. Just want a welder as a beginner thing and to weld random things to frames and make a homemade steel bumper.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93793

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94164

 

[barronj]

i have been looking at these two welders from Harbor Freight Tools check them out and let me know what you think. Just want a welder as a beginner thing and to weld random things to frames and make a homemade steel bumper.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93793

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94164

[flame suit on]
I bought the 2nd one in the link to do my floor pans. For flux-core, it works great. For gas, the valving in the handle of the gun couldn't be shittier, and broke immediately. Don't know how, and will still allow me to run shielding mix & wire, but the gas pours out, and while it does the job, so much gets wasted.

It comes w/o a plug, so I patched in a dryer replacement cord (& properly sized cable, 20' to give me some mobility) & I plug it in to my dryer outlet whenever I need to weld ( I use a gas dryer, plug otherwise unused).

For something so short term as this, it's been great. If I were to work on project car after project car, it would be in the dumpster before too long, I imagine.

I'm in the market for a used Miller or Hobart... hitting CL daily.
[/flame suit]

 

[Madgyver]

you get what you pay for....

buy name brand red or blue, pay the price because you'll probably pay the same to have someone else do your welding...

 

[barronj]

you get what you pay for....

buy name brand red or blue, pay the price because you'll probably pay the same to have someone else do your welding...

And sometimes you don't. I took my rig to a local muffer shop b/c the exhaust kit I bought didn't come ready for long tubes. An uglier mess couldn't be imagined, and they were working w/ nice equipment, and got paid to do this on a daily basis. I wound up towing it out, haggling them down on the job price, and repairing what I could as I could. That's the second time I've been burned by muffler shops who looked at my piping & said "I can do it"... and this is how they make a living???

There are lessons in life, tons of them, and if you buy a cheap welder, you can't expect top shelf reliability/performance. Flux-core is fine for what it is, out of those machines, but if you want reliable gas welding, spend more up front.

 

[gddyap]

So you have a gas dryer and gas stove? If either are electric, you likely have a 220 outlet behind them. It would just mean you couldn't dry clothes or cook while welding.