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Post by stevess on Jul 25, 2012 19:42:38 GMT -5
I have the little crapper $90 welder from Harbour Frieght. It's usless. What kind of welder would be good for bod panels? I have no gripes about HF I just bought the cheapest one and it doesn't work well.
I did wire the garage for 220V.
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Post by moparlarry1980 on Jul 25, 2012 22:39:22 GMT -5
Miller is good, so is Lincoln. Pretty much same. Look at spending $600- $1000 for a decent mig for sheet metal. Make sure you get the gas setup and a good sized bottle of argon mix. Better to buy from BOC gas or some other welding supplier than a retail store. They will usually have deals where you can get extra gun liners, tips, deffusers. Also an auto darkening helmet is a good investment.
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DynoDave
CO-ADMINISTRATOR
Motown Mopar-Wizard
Posts: 11,169
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Post by DynoDave on Jul 26, 2012 1:15:05 GMT -5
Miller is good, so is Lincoln. Pretty much same. Look at spending $600- $1000 for a decent mig for sheet metal. Make sure you get the gas setup and a good sized bottle of argon mix. Better to buy from BOC gas or some other welding supplier than a retail store. They will usually have deals where you can get extra gun liners, tips, deffusers. Also an auto darkening helmet is a good investment. Can't argue with anything said above. I'd throw Hobart welders into that mix too. They carry them at Tractor Supply Co., if you have one near you. There are less expensive brands too, like a Fourney, or one of the welders available through Eastwood. But personally, I'd prefer to spend a few dollars more for a top quality machine. You don't have to have a 220v machine to weld sheet metal. But having a 220v machine does mean that there are more things you can do with it later, if you so desire. It depends partly on how you want to spend your money. You will tie up some extra cash in a 220v machine. If you're never going to use it....  One thing I will mention on the 110v machines, it seems like while they "can" work on a 15a outlet, they really prefer a 20a circuit. Also, make sure your surfaces are clean, (no oils or galvanized coatings, etc.), and that you have a good ground. And like anything else you want to be good at, practice, practice, practice. There's a lot of good tutorial info. on the web, like this for instance. www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/how-to-mig-weld.html |
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Post by boy1cuda on Jul 26, 2012 11:00:57 GMT -5
 . I bought a cheap welder when i was a teen and it was one problem after another and it lasted two years. Spend the extra money for a hobart. I've had mine for about 25 years and I love it. Unless you plan on welding 1/2" steel the 220 welder isn't necessary. I work mostly on cars and the occasional home or farm project and I haven't had a need for a more powerful welder. If you plan on welding panels on cars then you should use an argon gas mix instead of flux wire (shielded). As someone else said, after that just practice..
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