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

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.

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.

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

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

MIG. Everyone say it with me, "the glue gun of welders". 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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Elliot uses Mig, there is your answer.

And if I can do it....

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.

My point exactly....

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

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.

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.

Learning is the fun part. I always try to stay mindful of the fact that if you do something perfect nearly every time, you no longer get excited when you do it well, but only angry when you screw up.

That said, I keep meaning to take welding classes to improve my craft...haha

One of my prized possessions is my MillerMatic 180. 220v.

Built all you need is a 135/140 110v. But it has to have variable voltage. This is a must working on a rustoration. You spend a lot of time welding new (full thickness) to the best old metal you've cut back too.

We started with a Craftsmen 90. Which I still have and it works like a champ.
But it only 4 voltage settings.

I have a lincoln 135 with gas. Its 110v

I have a Hobart MIG as well as gas and TIG welders. You will need the MIG more than any other welder. It is easy enough to get started with right off the bat.

I bought a cheap one. If I had to do it again the only thing I would do different is get one with continuously adjustable amperage. Mine has A, B, C, and D. Sometimes I wish I had something in between. You have to have the MIG gas, but it doesn't get used up too fast and is not that expensive. I guess I have welded about a hundred pounds of wire through it.

MAKe SuRe that you get an auto darkening helmet. I started welding before these were available and they make a poor welder into a great one, simply by letting you see what you are doing.

Finally, welding is all about the puddle. Completely and fundamentally. If that doesn't make sense, learn about it, cause otherwise the welds are a poor type of gluing.

I bought a Miller 110v with gas 25 years ago and I have never regretted it. It has done a poop-load of work, not just cars.
I've never had any problems with it, I've replaced the whip once, nozzles, tip but they are all consumables. The whip was my fault as I broke the handle, so if I had been more careful I might still be on the original. I use .025 wire and gas, never would even consider flux core.

The buy-in is a bit steep, but it is relatively cheap from then on.
I liked the Miller better than the Lincoln because the Miller used the big wire roll.

The auto helmet get a name brand, Lincoln helmets go for $100 up here .

You guys are the best. Thanks for all the good information, I knew I could count on the guys on this forum. My hope is that my friend practices (experiments) his welding on his 1980 Celica and THEN I'll have him help me with my 914.

-Don

MIG is the way to go for the average DIY guy, and a 110 unit will do all you need on your 914. If it doesn't have the gas kit, then it's not really MIG, it's just a wire welder, you want the shielding gas. The units with infinitely adjustable wire speed and voltage will allow you to tune in the unit for the type of metal you are welding.

TIG has the potential for the best welds, but you've got to have good metal and know how to TIG weld, which takes practice and patience. It's not a good choice for most home shops, and don't even try and TIG rusty metal.

and I add that TIG welding is slow, you burn through gas and all consumables way faster and the cheap machines are very limited.
I wouldn't buy a cheap TIG so IMHO you are looking at $2k at least for a good entry level TIG welder.

BTW most old school metal mashers don't use TIG, they use old fashion gas.

I just picked up a new Hobart 110V welder, helmet, gloves, and chipping hammer for a bit over $500 off of Amazon, including tax and shipping. I considered a cheaper welder but then considered the resale market and figured if I sell the welder I'll come out ahead with the Hobart, as cheap welders are worth practically nothing at resale. I haven't had a chance to use it yet - still need a gas tank (another $100 or so, hopefully).

Hi all,
In the spirit of full disclosure I'll say that I work for one of the leading welder manufacturers in the world and it is not one of the three mentioned in earlier posts.
I work for Cebotech, Inc. which is the US representative for the Italian company Cebora SpA who specializes in welders for the automotive industry, and in fact were the first to introduce a portable welder back in 1980.

First, there is no such thing as a "true mig". It either is a mig or it isn't. If it uses gas it is a Mig/Mag welder, and if it does not use gas it is a wire feeder (flux cored wire). Flux cored wire is not recommended for thin sheet metal.
With that out of the way, I would suggest that for someone starting out and working on older cars such as the 914 we all love, go with a mig. I suggest buying a 110V unit. Other than making sure that it has multiple heat settings and variable wire speed control, make sure that the lowest heat setting is as low as 20 or 25 amps. The welder has to be able to maintain a stable arc at low amperages in order to facilitate the welding of thin sheet metal. There are some 220V single phase welders on the market that go even lower than 20Amps which is nice. But with some practice a 20 Amp setting will be fine.
There are a lot of used welders available on craig's list and other sites. One thing that I strongly recommend is that you get an auto darkening helmet with adjustable shades of darkness. It is very difficult to weld if you can't see what you are doing. With regards to the auto darkening helmet I recommend that you stay away from the Harborfreight $39.99 helmets and pay the money for a good quality helmet such as Autoarc, Speedglass, Jackson, Sellstrom etc...

I hope this is helpful in making a decision on what to buy. Practice some on scrap metal then attack the project. It will be rewarding.
It is not black magic, so don't be afraid of it and enjoy it.
Bill.

im running a hobart handler 140 with ultramix its perfect for everything automotive related 110v easy to use. have a buddy that purchased a hobart handler 180 220v used from craigslist for around $350 the advantage to the 180 is you can add a spool gun and weld aluminum, i use both frequently. in past years ive used miller and lincoln products in shops my personal preference is hobart welders.

I used to not be a big fan of auto-dimming helmets, but really became a believer after buying a Speedglass one and now it's all I use for MIG and TIG welding.

Hobart be the schizzle.....

Check-out this site:
Welding Tips and Tricks

I find there is good information here with videos, etc.

Have fun!

I was hoping I'd see another review of the Eastwood welder! I bought mine not too long ago and I've been welding over 30 years, all the specs looked good on it so I got the same deal you did- pretty complete for only 200 bucks. Then I got hit by a truck on my motorcycle and haven't used it yet but now I'm seeing your ideas of it and feel much better about the purchase. Do you use the flux core or have you got the bottle cooking on yours? And what's the thickest material you've welded with it- I know the specs say you can weld up to 3/8 inch with it which seems optimistic but possible. I'm planning on using it for the sheetmetal all the way up to the cradle I'm building...

I'm using gas. The thickest thing I've welded was 1/8 in steel tubing and it did fine. I also welded a couple big nuts to the tubing and my friend hasn't said anything about them breaking off... It seems to do anything I would ever need to do, but it is definitely designed for sheet metal.

Welding thin metal drives this home.