Welders: If you had to choose one...? Options

[Danny_Ocean]

I have yet to learn to weld. I would like to purchase (and learn on) a welder that will be most useful to the average "car guy"...welding sheetmetal, repairing broken mounts, adding brackets to rollbars/frames, etc. Nothing exotic, just basic repairs for the average mechanic. My shop has 220v if that matters. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)

[VaccaRabite]

You don't need 220. All you need is a 115 volt mig welder. Nothing you will weld on your car, or to support your car, is going to be too thick for a 115 mig welder.

A 220 will actually be too much - you will blow holes trying to weld up the thin sheet metal.

Stay clear of the "gas-less" mig welders - it is not really mig. You want to use shielding gas. It makes for a much prettier weld, that is a lot easer to control.

Zach

[Danny_Ocean]

Will a 115v unit produce strong enough welds for things such as motor mounts and suspension brackets?

[ejm]

You might have a problem doing those repairs on heavy equipment but any 115V mig out there should be able to handle the gauge metal used on our cars. Like Zach said get a welder that uses gas. The key to good welds is preperation and practice.

[scotty b]

This will do ANYHTING you will need on your car and also allow you to make light duty structural things. Probably good to 3/8 plate, definitly O.K. for 1/4"

http://cgi.ebay.com/MILLER-MILLERMATIC-140...1QQcmdZViewItem

Lincoln equivalent

http://cgi.ebay.com/LINCOLN-POWER-MIG-140T...1QQcmdZViewItem

[LvSteveH]

These are great for just about anything on a 914 as they said. Once you get past 1/8" it's nice to have more heat, but you can work around it through technique and setup.

I actually welded 1/2" plate with a 115v miller and it passed a certification bend test with flying colors. Of course it took something like 13 passes, but it did it. It's a good idea to keep a roll of flux core wire around as well. It doesn't weld as nice as 75/25 steel mix, but it's great on thicker material and where wind or drafts are a problem.

This will do ANYHTING you will need on your car and also allow you to make light duty structural things. Probably good to 3/8 plate, definitly O.K. for 1/4"

http://cgi.ebay.com/MILLER-MILLERMATIC-140...1QQcmdZViewItem

Lincoln equivalent

http://cgi.ebay.com/LINCOLN-POWER-MIG-140T...1QQcmdZViewItem

[Danny_Ocean]

I won't be exceeding my limitations. If there is something that calls for a professional welder, I'll gladly pay someone. I just have a dozen "little" things that need welding...jobs that a welder wouldn't want to be bothered with (or would charge too much to be economically feasible).

So...115v MIG sounds like the deal, yes?

[Spoke]

So...115v MIG sounds like the deal, yes?

Yep, it works well for me. I was hesitant to get a 115V welder but the guys here said I didn't need it for 914 work. After 2 years, I wholeheartedly agree. Fenders, swaybar mounts, trunk floor, suspension console, BMW muffler, VW muffler, and many other items, no problem with 115v.

Plus it can be used anywhere there's a good 115v supply. (that is, not an extension cord or long high gauge wire, etc.)

Spoke

[Danny_Ocean]

Yep, it works well for me. I was hesitant to get a 115V welder but the guys here said I didn't need it for 914 work. After 2 years, I wholeheartedly agree. Fenders, swaybar mounts, trunk floor, suspension console, BMW muffler, VW muffler, and many other items, no problem with 115v.

I have other cars ('74 T/A, '74 Corvette, '74 Pantera, '85 F350) that need welding, too (shock mount brackets, etc.). These cars have heavier frames/chassis Heavier car = heavier guage steel.

Let's put it this way: What CAN'T I weld with 115v?

[dflesburg]

115volt MIG

Get one with:

Variable Wire speed

Three heat settings if you can

and

Get the Gas option...

Harbor Freight has nice Welders too...

Mine is about 15 years old made by Clarke...

It has been great...

[Dr. Roger]

thick steel plate.

you need the penetration power to get deeper than what 110V will give.

i tried to use my 110V MIG for a custom winch mount for my tacoma and it wouldn't get the depth that i needed unless i ground a deep "V" at my joints and filled, swipe by swipe, like LvSteveH probably had to do to get his strong welds using 110V.

that's when i switched over to my 220, reverse polarity, stick welder.

you can get a 220V MIG and just make sure you get a box with infinite amperage control. that way you can bring the power way down for your light projects and crank it up for your larger welds.

nothing better than gas shielding so don't take short cut using flux core. BTDT.

Good luck. =)

[JPB]

If my name had Ocean in it and had your daneros, I'd get a welder that migs, sticks, and tigs all with the turn of a knob. Why? Because there would be no job to small or to big and you would be able to weld most anything. You might want to do a chromoly role cage or weld a trailer for your teener. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)

[Danny_Ocean]

If my name had Ocean in it and had your daneros, I'd get a welder that migs, sticks, and tigs all with the turn of a knob. Why? Because there would be no job to small or to big and you would be able to weld most anything. You might want to do a chromoly role cage or weld a trailer for your teener. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)

Do you have a manuf./model #?

I went to the Miller website and used their "selector" feature. They recommended this (dual voltage): http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/millermatic_dvi2/

Another idea I had: I can get two welders (I know, I said one, but...)...one cheapie (Harbor Freight) 115v unit for welding body panels, lightweight stuff and one good (Miller, Hobart, Lincoln) in 220v for the heavy-duty stuff. I was hoping there was one welder out there that does both. My storage room is limited.

I really don't think I'd get into welding trailers, or anything that big. As I mentioned before, most of the projects I have would involve brackets, frame repairs, sheetmetal repairs and the occasional home project (decorative items, iron fencing).

[scotty b]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

http://cgi.ebay.com/MILLER-DYNASTY-200DX-A...1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/MILLER-SYNCROWAVE-250-...1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/LINCOLN-PRECISION-TIG-...1QQcmdZViewItem

[Danny_Ocean]

Thanks, but those seem a little "overkill" for a butt-scratcher like me who hasn't even learned to weld yet!

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

http://cgi.ebay.com/MILLER-DYNASTY-200DX-A...1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/MILLER-SYNCROWAVE-250-...1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/LINCOLN-PRECISION-TIG-...1QQcmdZViewItem

[JPB]

I'm not trying to knock down any welders of which I have certs for but, in my profession, a structural welder of buildings, preasure pipe and bridges, are iron workers with the wits knocked out of them. Welding is 95% visual and 5% technical. Most accomplished welders are uneducated people with mediocre common sense. If you have some common sense and a grade 12 equivolent, all you have to do is ask someone who can weld and watch them do it. Just write a list of things you would like to weld and ask what that is worth to ya in investment. I have a Miller gas powered Bobcat in my back yard which does all welding processes and when a hurricane goes through, I have power to supply my whole house. Gotsta keep the cold ones aaaah cold!:beer1:

[Gint]

I'm perfectly happy with my 220v Miller 175 with variable voltage control.

[JPB]

95% of all my teener welds are done with a Lincon Weld Pack 100 from Lowes. I run .035 flux core wire and can weld up to 1/4" mild steel single pass. Its kinda touchy on sheet metal but you can always turn it down. It runs for a little over $300.00. I had mine for 6 years and run the crap out of it. The key is to run a 30 amp chord no longher than 50 ft. on a strong outlet like 30 amps. It is made to run on 15 amps I think. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer.gif)

[Richard Casto]

Here is my 2 cents...

Stick vs. MIG vs. TIG

Get a MIG unit. IMHO they really are the easiest to do and will probably cover 100% of your needs.

110v vs. 220v

If you plan to every cart this unit elsewhere (i.e. goto a friends house to weld something form them) then this is where a 110v may be more of an advantage. The 110v are slightly less expensive than 220v, but frankly if you factor in stuff like mig gas, helmet, gloves, etc. the total cost difference is going to be pretty small. The 220v unit will weld heavier metal without needing to do multiple passes.

I personally don't think 220v is going to cause more problems with thinner metal. For a given lown end 110v and 220v from the same manufacture, I think the settings are pretty much the same. The 110v may have four voltage settings while the 220 may have five with settings one through four being pretty close for both units and the fifth setting on the 220 being the one that gives it the extra power that the 110v doesn't have. I think technique and not 110 vs. 220 is going to determine how well you weld thin metal.

Gas Shield vs. Flux Core

Get a unit that can do shielding gas. That same unit will be able to do Flux core, but frankly you should be using shielding gas for what you are looking to do as it will be easier to see the weld pool (it is for me at least) and there is not as much mess to clean up (slag)

Learning to Weld

While learning it the hard way (lots of trial and error) is fine, you may end up with some bad habits and not really knowing how to weld correctly. My suggestion is to look into an evening welding class at a local community college. That is how I did it and think it was a great experience.

With this being said, I have a cheaper Lincoln 220V unit (like what you might find at Lowes of Home Depot) and have been pretty happy with it. If I was to do any more than just hobby welding and I had the money, I might buy a unit that had infinitely variable settings vs. 4 or 5 settings for voltage and 10 settings for wirespeed. I learned on a much nicer unit at class and can see why they work better than the cheaper unit. But I have been able to do a lot of good stuff with my cheaper unit at home. I also may look into getting a cheap HF TIG inverter because I did some TIG in class and loved it.

Oh, and welding is fun! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)

[bperry]

Do you have a manuf./model #?

I went to the Miller website and used their "selector" feature. They recommended this (dual voltage): http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/millermatic_dvi2/

Another idea I had: I can get two welders (I know, I said one, but...)...one cheapie (Harbor Freight) 115v unit for welding body panels, lightweight stuff and one good (Miller, Hobart, Lincoln) in 220v for the heavy-duty stuff. I was hoping there was one welder out there that does both. My storage room is limited.

I really don't think I'd get into welding trailers, or anything that big. As I mentioned before, most of the projects I have would involve brackets, frame repairs, sheetmetal repairs and the occasional home project (decorative items, iron fencing).

If the price tag of the DVI didn't scare you off, then I would definitely
take a look at Millers Passport. This is what I have.
It is very light and truly portable (~60lbs) with an internal gas cylinder.
It is truly a welder in a briefcase. I love it.
Take a look at the duty cycles between the DVI and the Passport on 115v.
The Passport is much better.
(Look at the detailed duty cycle graphs, not the quick specs).
The Passport also runs on C02 (even for Stainless) which is much cheaper than mixed gas.
The Passport also has much better voltage/amperage control (continuous vs Tapped on DVI).

Passport also uses an inverter switching power supply rather than a transformer.
It is much less susceptible to voltage drops from things like extension cords
than a transformer. It also uses a lot less power than a transformer unit
which means you can use smaller gauge extension cords.

I've never been a fan of the DVI model. It always seemed like an odd product.
It is too heavy to really be a portable machine yet it has dual voltage which
to me only seems necessary on a portable unit.

Although I do really like the spool gun capability on the newer DVI-2 model
which allows mig'ing aluminum.


--- bill