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Wed Mar 12, 2003 5:59 pm

ok i have heard its easy to dont try it. i havent welded before and was thinking of renting or buying an arch welder so i could weld in some seat mounts and floor patches. should i or not

Wed Mar 12, 2003 7:06 pm

Buy a mig welder. Wire feed, much easier to learn, and to control. Practice on an old fender or something, it only takes a short time to get used to it.
Plus small enought to take it to a garage or to a friends house to make some extra cash

Wed Mar 12, 2003 9:10 pm

Ya for sure, after about an hour welding every peice of scrap metal I could find with my wire fed I was a welding expert :) Hmmm to bad my brother didnt like his bike anymore after I went on my welding spree heheheh

Wed Mar 12, 2003 11:41 pm

Allright, recommendations on models of wirefed MIG welders anyone?
We're talking price/performance with manufacturers and model numbers.
I'm ready to buy.
Stop me before I pull out my credit card!

Thu Mar 13, 2003 6:29 am

I personally have a Lincoln Mig Welder. Cost around $360.
http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.p...de=U1474-2
I bought mine at Lowes, but I am sure there are other places. My brother also has the same one.
I think you will find it pretty easy to learn, and it even comes with a video.
Even though I took welding in high school, seom years back, I was able to start up with no problem.

Thu Mar 13, 2003 7:34 am

I have the Crafstman Wire Feed Mig welder Professional Edition. Obviously you would pick it up at sears ;) Not sure what it costs, I won mine off an auction on ebay for 176.50!! I believe they are close to 400 in the store.

-Xrak

Thu Mar 13, 2003 7:47 am

I like my campbell-hausfield/craftsman (same item different label) mig welder for the work that i do. 110 volts, small enough that it doesn't get in the way when not in use, and has enough power to weld whatever i need it to. sells for right around the $350 range. You can buy "flux core only" wire feed welders cheaper, but they don't work real well for body work, as the wire size is generally too large, and they don't produce welds as clean as a mig will, once you get a little experience. make sure the welder you buy has infinite power settings (dial type) rather than the slightly cheaper models that have a "high/low" switch. when welding sheet metal you will find the flexibility helpful.
Lincoln, Daytona Mig, craftsman, home depot, lowe's, etc., all have welders with similar features all in the same general price range. try to stick with an established name brand, as you will need consumables (tips, etc.) in the future, and trying to find parts for "brand x" may be tough.
The welder is only half the battle. You also need good accessories to go along with it, and if you want to see good results, and also be safe, this is arguably the more important part of the equation. a good grinder is a necessity, especially for the novice, to produce decent looking finsh work. Also a good set of gloves and an apron make the job a heck of a lot more comfortable. (if you have ever tried welding under a car, lying on your back, with hot slag dropping down on your t-shirt covered chest, you know where i am comin' from. it ain't pretty, especially when you have knocked yourself unconcious banging your head against the pan above you as you frantically try to get out from under the car so you can extinguish your burning chest hair.) Buy the very best welding mask you can afford. if you want to cut corners anywhere in your budget, don't do it here. cheapo masks are a pain in the ass, which makes you less likely to use it. I know guys who pride themselves on their "close eyes before striking' skills, who then are the first to admit that their night vision isn't as good as it used to be. chin-drop masks are better, a good self-darkening mask is great. Don't forget clamps, and all the other little tools that you may not have, that make welding a heck of a lot more fun.
To set yourself up right, with a moderate duty welding system for home use, that will do some light fabricating and sheet metal repair, with all of the accessories needed, figure on investing $600.00 - $700.00... but , it is an investment that will pay for itself in the first year, especially if you have pans and heater channels to replace.

Thu Mar 13, 2003 1:47 pm

You can get decent wire feed welders like the campbell hausfeld refurbished with warrantee for around 150 to 200 bucks. Check harbor freight, ebay etc. Make sure it comes with the gas option so you can run a small tank of gas with the 75 co2/25 argon. Run lowest heat setting for sheet metal so you don't warp it or melt it away. Always try to do but welds not lap welds. This means the metal edges but together not overlaps. Stitch welds work best. Start every inch or so with a zap and slowly work that line skipping around so you don't create too much heat in one area. Then grind your weld flat, skim with some good filler (I like waterproof USG all metal filler). Sand fair, high built prime. Your there.

Believe me, you don't need to spend 600 or more to get started. 200 to 300 will do on a budget with grinder, etc. Use the solid core wire .23 not the .30 or .35. It is best for the sheet metal.
Good luck.

Thu Mar 13, 2003 10:12 pm

I own a lincoln, and my primary reason for buying a lincoln is the fact that if I ever need parts, I know I can get them at alot of places

Thu Mar 13, 2003 10:23 pm

Thanks, all
I'll be looking.
John

Fri Mar 14, 2003 4:41 am

DONT GET A CENTURY MIG WELDER. I BORROWED ONE FROM A GUY AT WORK, IT WOULD NOT KEEP A CONSTANT ANYTHING. THE DAMM WIRE WOULD STICK AND IT WOULD NOT FLOW A PUDDLE FOR CRAP. THE 85 AMP AND LOW DUTY CYCLE MAKES THIS THING PRODUCE MORE WORK THAN YOU ARE GETTING DONE. I TRIED GASSLESS AND REGULAR WIRE SETUPS WITH MIXED RESULTS. WE HAVE A MID SIZED LINCOLN/SNAPON AT WORK AND THAT THING CAN GET FLIPPED ON AND NOT REALLY SCREW WITH THE SETTINGS AND IT WILL GIVE A BEAUTIFUL BEAD WITHOUT TOO MANY ADJUSTMENTS. STAY AWAY FROM A CENTRUY LOW BUCK WELDER. ALSO STAY AWAY FROM AN ARC WELDER, TOO HOTT FOR SHEET METAL. JASON

Fri Mar 14, 2003 12:57 pm

The Lincoln 110 MIG I have is just great for sheet metal. Flux core is not suitable for sheet metal; you will not like the results.

The Harbor Freight MIG welders suck. Total shit. Stay away from them. They do however have great prices on auto-dimming helmets and I strongly recommend you get one. Your work will look much better.

Home Depot sells the Lincoln unit and the gas kit for a guaranteed low price. Replacement spools are readily available there. Put it on a cheap little cart with a gas tank and you're set.

Chris
JHC

Fri Mar 14, 2003 3:06 pm

Lincoln makes great welders for home use. The sp125 or even the sp100 are awesome and i know people who use them at work at merced auto body. very portable.they prefer these smaller welders to the big millermatic shop welders and others like it. look on e-bay for a lincoln, they are for sale all the time for good prices. there is a nascar edition that i see a lot of people selling for cheap.

Fri Mar 14, 2003 3:37 pm

I have a mig welder and a tig welder. The mig works ok on thicker metal and sheetmetal that is not going to be seen. The tig welder is the way to go on sheetmetal that is going to be seen on the exterior. Mine cost $1435 plus bottle $150 plus accesories $$$$ Works great. I can make welds that are about 1/16 inch wide and really clean.

Sat Mar 15, 2003 5:36 am

I also have the craftsman welder and it works great cost around 325 then had to go buy bottle of the gas but works great...

Sat Mar 15, 2003 9:55 am

I picked up a Lincoln MIG pak 10 new for $500 Cdn, ($333 US) and it came complete including regulator assembly. I built a cart for it & rented a mid-sized argon/CO2 bottle for a year. It's one of those tools that you buy & realize how did you ever get along before you had one. I've used it a lot doing repairs on my "fat-chick" bus. Don't fart around with that flux-core either, it's not worth it.

Sun Mar 16, 2003 9:20 pm

*** Do get a MIG welder that is electrically cold until the trigger is pulled - makes it much easier to lay the tip on the joint, and flip the helmet - THEN apply juice (it will save your eyes).

I agree with the Century opinion - piece of crap - It is although a great way to weigh down the back of the car in snow... JMO.

Has anyone used the eastwood stitch welder accessory (attaches to the end of an ARC welder)? Don't know if I can do a good butt joint with one or not... I'm also looking at the Lincoln Mig-pak 10 or a Campbell-Hausfeld WG3000. Both come with a mig conversion kit to replace my century.

Mon Mar 17, 2003 1:28 pm

holie hot wire batman! i didn't know what i started here. anyways i bought a lincon yesterdaya and messed around. i am having a hard time making a seamless weld, i guess you can discribe it as layered coins 000000
mine is more like a dot here, a dot there. how do i make a clean weld

Mon Mar 17, 2003 1:41 pm

Practice, practice, practice - concentrate on a good joint (good penetration without burn-thru) then make a seamless joint. Have you tried to bend or break the welded seam open? - if you can't then your well on your way...

Mon Mar 17, 2003 2:39 pm

A22flipp,
Here are my suggestions.
1. If you have a Lincoln Mig Pak, the current should be set to "A" for most body steel, and the wire speed between 2.5 and 3. For thicker body steel areas (flanges, pan metal), crank it to "B" and move your wire speed to 3.25 or 3.5. If you can feel the gun physically jumping then you probably have way too high of a feed rate for the current you are using. If the feed rate is too slow for the current, then you will not be able to keep a continuous bead going because the wire will not be coming out fast enough. Start with the right current for the material you are welding and adjust the wire feed speed until the weld looks nice.
2) Clean bare SHINY steel. Can't weld rust or slag.
3) Ensure a good ground. Clamp a vise grip clamp to clean bare steel close to the welded area, and then attach your ground clamp to that.
4) Be sure you can see.
5) Don't let your hands get jittery.
6) If the appearance of the weld is dull and pockmarked, then you may have insufficient flow of shielding gas.

The key is to make a little shiny red puddle and move it along. Little movements of the gun side to side like 1/15" make the "layered coins" look that you are talking about. Unfortunately on thin autobody sheet metal you are very likely to warp it or burn through it using this method. It is better to do little tacks, closer and closer together, on the back side. Then go to the other side and there will be enough metal at the joint to sink the heat and you can do a continuous bead.
MIG does not have the reputation of creating beautiful welds. For that, use TIG.
I am not a pro welder but I have taken some classes. All my experience comes from fixing a LOT of rust on my 56 bug with a Mig Pak. Good luck!
Chris
JHC