Advice about a welder

[1st Gen]

I’m thinking of buying a welder and would like some advise on which to get. My first task for this welder would be to fab an exhaust system, but after that, I’m looking for the widest functionality that I can get. . I’m leaning toward an acetylene set up at the moment but have yet to do any pricing.

I see that my local auto parts store has a 60-90 amp mig welder for $179.00, and a 35-80 amp arc welder for $119.00. I don’t have a lot of experience with these types of welders, hence the request for advice. I’m just a back yard mechanic and don’t need, or want a huge set up.

Thanks

[1st Gen]

Okay, found some other links, and some distributors.

Lots of info at, just have to search

http://www.honda-tech.com/zerosearch search weld, or mig

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerosearch same as above

Then more info at

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowledge/articles/content/compactmig.asp

I'm going to check my local paper too, as well as http://portland.craigslist.org/



Thanks D323

[D323]

I personally prefer a mig over an Arc. Arc is good for small projects, a little at a time... I think for doing an exahust setup you would have an easier time with the mig.

[Maz1.8T]

Don't waste money with an ARC welder.

Buy a MIG. I have smallest MIG Lincoln sells. It's 115v so it plug anywhere and has no gas (flux core wire). I haven't found any limits to it up 'till now. Best damn money I ever invested.

If you got the cash, by a step up from mine, the one that can use gas or flux-core wire.

[D323]

I thought the same about my mig, but I found a limit... you cant do thick SS plate welds... I need gas bottles to do that I guess... I even went so far as to find flux cored SS wire.... still wont weld it.

But yeah my neighbor has an arc welder, and it takes him forever to do medium sized stuff that I do with ease with my mig.

[Maz1.8T]

I thought the same about my mig, but I found a limit... you cant do thick SS plate welds... I need gas bottles to do that I guess... I even went so far as to find flux cored SS wire.... still wont weld it.

But yeah my neighbor has an arc welder, and it takes him forever to do medium sized stuff that I do with ease with my mig.

I went up to 1" thick SS with mine. I heated the pieces prior to welding though. Helps a lot.

[D323]

thats a good idea... didnt think about that... what did you use to heat the metal? Torch I assume.....

[1st Gen]

The arc was never really an option, but a good mig is SO expensive. I'm glad to hear a cheap set will perform well. I can always upgrade later by adding gas or whatever.


More info to consider about duty cycles,

http://www.zena.net/htdocs/FAQ/dutycycle.shtml

Then you can always build your own welder out of a microwave.

http://www.geocities.com/aaawelder/

This might be to much information actually

http://www.clark.edu/academic_programs/technical/welding/fs_weld_ca.php

This link is to a welding forum. Good stuff.

http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/forumdisplay.php?f=4

Maybe the best one yet for a noob buyer.

http://www.weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=4171

[kansei]

go mig you won't be sorry and the 115 v is enough for most automotive apps. Just make sure the one you buy can upgrade to gas.

[Maz1.8T]

thats a good idea... didnt think about that... what did you use to heat the metal? Torch I assume.....

Yeah just a small propane torch.

[rage557]

Beware!!!! you get what you pay for when it comes to mig welders. If you buy a cheap welder you should expect a poor weld. Miller, and lincon welders are the way to go. Pay attention to the duty cycle also. Cheap welders normally have a low duty cycle. The $100 mig welder prally has a duty cycle of 20% this means that every minute the welder is opperational, you should only be welding for 20 % of the time. Not doing so will over heat the welder. If you intend to weld structural members that you life depends upon, I highly recomend having a professional welder do the job, or at least take a welding class so you know the basic idea. And dont skimp on the face mask either. You can alway buy a nother welder but eyes are hard to come by

[Maz1.8T]

Beware!!!! you get what you pay for when it comes to mig welders. If you buy a cheap welder you should expect a poor weld. Miller, and lincon welders are the way to go. Pay attention to the duty cycle also. Cheap welders normally have a low duty cycle. The $100 mig welder prally has a duty cycle of 20% this means that every minute the welder is opperational, you should only be welding for 20 % of the time. Not doing so will over heat the welder. If you intend to weld structural members that you life depends upon, I highly recomend having a professional welder do the job, or at least take a welding class so you know the basic idea. And dont skimp on the face mask either. You can alway buy a nother welder but eyes are hard to come by

Very, very, very good advices.

[91ProtegeLX]

Im all for ARC welding. Ive been doing it since I was a little kid, and I feel IM pretty good at it.

Granted the welds arent near as pretty, but with my little Lincoln arc, Ive welded 1/4" aluminum, and 3/4" cold steel.

[SgtRauksauff]

keep in mind, with a small 115V wire-feed, you're not going to be able to weld very thick metal.. like maybe 3/16" at the most.

I've got a Miller SP 175 Plus mig welder, which has an "infinite" voltage control instead of the 5-step type, so I can adjust the heat for varying thicknesses, and not burn through if it's really thin. It really depends on what you plan on welding as to what type of welder you get. Mine runs on 230V, and I can weld super super thin sheet metal, all the way through to 5/16" plate. The thing is, if you want to weld very thick stuff, you SHOULD use an arc welder, or else a VERY big MIG welder, because you need a LOT of current to get good penetration.

I would really suggest getting the Ar/CO2 tank right away too, because although flux-core works ok, the welds are just better with the protection. If all you plan on doing is exhaust and body panels, a 115V job should do you fine. If you plan on doing other cool things, though, like suspension components, or anything bigger than 3/16", I'd say go with a 230V setup.

--sarge

[Maz1.8T]

keep in mind, with a small 115V wire-feed, you're not going to be able to weld very thick metal.. like maybe 3/16" at the most.

Not true for me.. been doing successfully up to an inch thick with my 115v wire-feed with a good torch pre-heating.