Calling All Welders!, MIG, TIG or.....? Options

[dcecc1968]

A friend of mine wants to restore an old car that has a lot of body rust and asked me about the best type of welder to use. I told him I didn't have a clue, but knew lots of people (who know what they are doing) that I could ask.

Keep in mind, he has never welded before (but is very determined and picks up things quickly) and will be doing mainly body (sheet metal) welding. Any suggestions on brands of welders and the best places to buy would be welcome as well.

Thanks in advance for your help.

-Don

[ThePaintedMan]

Hobart or Millers (some will also recommend Lincolns). Most importantly is to start with true MIG, which means you have tanks of gas, usually 75/25 % CO2/Argon mix. It's easier to learn and produces cleaner welds. Any of the ones that they make for 110v use is fine. 220 is nice, but overkill for any kind of sheet metal work, and just about anything on our small cars.

[914Mels]

I bought a harbor freight mig a few years back. It's 220 volt has 4 settings for amps and variable wire speed. Mig welders are pretty basic and this one does pretty much everything I needed to weld sheet metal to quarter inch steel. For the price I thought it was good deal for a occasional welder. I have probably used it for 40 hours or so and no break downs.

[Andyrew]

Any of the big three mentioned by George.

Your best bet is to pick up a 110 box for the portability and it needs to be a true MIG with gas. Start with .30 wire and if you find you do primarily sheet metal you might want to step down to a .25 wire. Smaller weld, less heat, easier to control.

You need control of wire speed and voltage.

Pick up a 10 pack of spare tips as that is the first thing you'll go through.

Something like this is perfect.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_256722-1703-K2480-...&Ntt=welder

[LowBridge]

Any of the big three mentioned by George.

Your best bet is to pick up a 110 box for the portability and it needs to be a true MIG with gas. Start with .30 wire and if you find you do primarily sheet metal you might want to step down to a .25 wire. Smaller weld, less heat, easier to control.

You need control of wire speed and voltage.

Pick up a 10 pack of spare tips as that is the first thing you'll go through.

Something like this is perfect.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_256722-1703-K2480-...&Ntt=welder

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

[aircooledtechguy]

Any of the big three mentioned by George.

Your best bet is to pick up a 110 box for the portability and it needs to be a true MIG with gas. Start with .30 wire and if you find you do primarily sheet metal you might want to step down to a .25 wire. Smaller weld, less heat, easier to control.

You need control of wire speed and voltage.

Pick up a 10 pack of spare tips as that is the first thing you'll go through.

Something like this is perfect.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_256722-1703-K2480-...&Ntt=welder

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

I agree with the above, but I would highly recommend a true MIG (with gas) welder. With the welder linked below, there is virtually nothing a hobbyist can't do:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_256722-1703-K2480-...072945&pl=1

[Elliot Cannon]

MIG. Everyone say it with me, "the glue gun of welders". (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) TIG takes a LOT of practice and a LOT of experience. I have a TIG I have had for a few years and don't use it and should probably sell it or get off my ass and practice with it. I absolutely love my MIG machine and use it all the time. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)

[7TPorsh]

What kind of welder is the kind without gas? Is that the electric one that buzzes really loud?
What's the difference to gas...gas gets hotter?

...also always wanted to learn.

[Elliot Cannon]

The enemy of a good weld is oxygen. When the inert gas flows out of the welding nozzle it creates a curtain of oxygen free gas that allows a strong weld. You can use a MIG machine that uses "flux wire" with out inert gas shielding. These machines are usually a bit cheaper but they do not work all that great. A true Mixed Gas Arc Welder does a much better job.

[Elliot Cannon]

Check this out. http://www.gowelding.org/welding/mig-gmaw/

[Elliot Cannon]

And this. http://www.usawelders.com/pd24-MIG-Welding...IG-Welding.html

[BeatNavy]

What kind of welder is the kind without gas? Is that the electric one that buzzes really loud?
What's the difference to gas...gas gets hotter?

...also always wanted to learn.

There are cheap MIG welders (like some from Harbor Freight) that only use flux wire only, not gas shielding. You get cleaner, better welds with gas shielding. The CO2/Argon gas "shields" out the surrounding impurities in the air. It's definitely worth spending a few more bucks so you can do gas as the others have said. I've got a Hobart 110 that I'm happy with.

Then practice, practice, practice. I actually took an Adult Ed class sponsored by the county this year to get better. It was useful, but there's a big difference pushing a metal puddle on 1/4 inch steel and trying to weld sheet metal without blowing a hole through it. Lastly, get good at metal fabrication. I have found that no matter how good your welding "skillz" you can't do a good job unless you're working with good metal that is shaped/fitted correctly.

Good luck.

[porschetub]

The enemy of a good weld is oxygen. When the inert gas flows out of the welding nozzle it creates a curtain of oxygen free gas that allows a strong weld. You can use a MIG machine that uses "flux wire" with out inert gas shielding. These machines are usually a bit cheaper but they do not work all that great. A true Mixed Gas Arc Welder does a much better job.

Good points Elliot,flux core is a waste of time even with a good brand of welder,ok for basic jobbing work but not for car repair.
Don't be tempted to buy a cheap MIG as that's all you are getting,the wire feeder and electronics (burn back control ) usually crap out quickly .
Anyone can learn to use these but often forgotten is the need to have good clean steel and only tack large sections in bit by bit to reduce heat build- up and distortion.
All brands mentioned are great,the Hobart is good value,I used a european ASAB on a restore but not sure if you can them in the US.
When I was shop engineering we had the larger Millers ,if well maintained they seemed to go for ever,great parts backup too.

[r_towle]

Elliot uses Mig, there is your answer.

[Elliot Cannon]

Elliot uses Mig, there is your answer.

And if I can do it.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[76-914]

Flux Core aka Fuchs Core is a splatter monster and that metal you weld better be virgin clean. They are good for welding fence posts in a windy environment and not much else. You can never go wrong with Miller! Just saying. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[r_towle]

Elliot uses Mig, there is your answer.

And if I can do it.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

My point exactly....

[bretth]

The big advantage of MIG using shielding gas as others have mentioned is that you can weld much thinner gauge steel without blowing holes through the metal. Flux core welding is extremely difficult to make clean (read strong) welds on thinner metals which is what you would be welding on a car. MIG with shielding gas is the way to go. TIG allows for better control of your welding but it costs a whole lot more and has a much larger learning curve. Stick welding is not for restoring cars it is better suited for welding very heavy metals.

Brett

[JoeDees]

MIG, and gas makes all the difference, especially with sheet metal.

I love my Eastwood MIG 135. It is seemingly infinitely adjustable and can be turned down far enough that I can even weld 22 gauge steel sheet. I bought mine on sale for $200, which was less than half the cost of the big name brands. Quality seems good, way better than a Harbor Freight one. I'd put it in the same category as Craftsman, great for the DIYer, but if you're a pro doing it for a living every day, you can step up to the Snap-on level and buy one of the big brands.

[jmitro]

Start with .30 wire and if you find you do primarily sheet metal you might want to step down to a .25 wire. Smaller weld, less heat, easier to control.

correction, 0.030 and 0.025" wire.

otherwise I don't have much to add. I MIG everything and it's still a challenge to get a perfect bead. Wire speed, voltage, proximity of the edges, burn through, cleanliness, visualization.....all are variables that one has to master as part of the learning curve.