MIG Welder
 

Anyone know of where to get a good deal on a MIG welder, Maybe Lincoln or Miller. I dont need anything to crazy just for minor repairs mainly for sheet metal.

Jason

Watch craigslist.org in your area.

Ya did'nt even think of that and I go on there every damn day thanks.. :willy:

.....Just for fixin' stuff etc....

Yeah right. If i can pass on an advice, get a real machine (no need to be expensive) but at least a 220v adjustable/gas mig, (not the 110v flux ones). You won't regret it down the road.

I did this and you will fast find out you reached the limit of what you tought you we're planning...

Think twice, buy once.

Just my 2¢,

Lead.

I was at a pawn shop today and there were 4 there, might want to check one out locally.

Here's where I bought mine from. I bought the SP-100T model and have welded up to 3/16" steel with no problem. Works great for all the bodywork I've been doing.

SP-135T
http://cgi.ebay.com/LINCOLN-SP135T-M...3A3%7C294%3A50

SP-100T
http://cgi.ebay.com/LINCOLN-SP100T-M...3A6%7C294%3A50

Harris welding supply, do a web search.
I bought 3 Lincolns, and a plasma cutter new with full warranty, cheaper than ebay

real nice people

I got my Hobart at Tractor Supply.

I ended up buying a new Millermatic 140 MIG for a great deal. Love the thing works great, by far the best quality welder I have used.

:thumbsup:

I'm thinkin about the Millermatic 140 also. Has it had enough power to weld up thicker material like 3/16 etc?

You should do some more research. Welders are rated as to what they can and can't weld.

The Miller 140 Autoset has a welding range of 24 gauge on the thin side and 3/16" MAXIMUM for a SINGLE pass... and that's MILD STEEL

This will handle almost everything a hot rodder will be doing.

I prefer a lot more capacity - because I've found that I use my stuff to build shop tools and fix other stuff... Once you can weld - and have the equipment - there's no reason to limit yourself.

I bought the Hobart Handler (many Miller components like the gun) and I'm very impressed so far...it's the 140 and it'll handle 1/4"

Great! Pull that trigger and weld away!!

A couple of un-asked for tips.... Snip the end of the wire at each tack or each start - snip it at an angle - this small 'point' helps start the weld... Yes it uses some wire -- but a good weld is more important than a few inches (total) of wire....

And -- if you're like me - I can't use the recommended settings for the helmets -- if I do - I can't see a damn thing -- so I always start on a hunk of scrap and get my helmet set so I can see what the hell I'm doing first!

I use the Lincoln Pro-MIG 140. Does 24 to 10 gauge. It is the 120 model but it suits my needs perfectly for all types of sheet metal. It is capable of MIG and that is how mine is setup. Steer clear of Flux-core... that crap doesn't work well on sheetmetal AT ALL.

One can be had brand new for $520.

Great advice on the flux core. Also, there is a difference between wire brands. Lincoln wire seems to run better in my Hobart than Hobart brand wire as weird as that sounds.:D

That's more likely a "roller tension" issue than the actual brand of wire...

Here is a rookie question. What is wrong with flux core? I have no experience in welding at all so I do not know the difference between flux core and solid wire.

Solid core wire requires the use of a shielding gas which is external to the filler material. The flux core wire burns the flux creating the shielding gas cloud. For this to happen the gas has to travel through the molten puddle causing a less attractive, and potentially more porous, weld. For anything that's going to be cosmetic (such as body panels) you'll want to use the gas. You can get by without using it, but it will make things much easier.

Basically -- FLUX CORE wire is for farmers in the field - not nice cars....

ROFLMAO... sorry - but it's true.

I'm looking at buying the Millermatic 211 w/ Auto-set & MVP (interchangable plugs 110/220). Anyone use any of the auto-set welders from Miller. Any + or - about them?

I have a 180 Autoset. It's one of the best welders I've used to date. I will say the autoset is hit and miss on really thin sheet metal, but for anything else it's fantastic.

As others have noted, it just isn't ideal for light gauge steel (below 20 gauge) . Flux core disadvantages:

Porosity
Splattering/Slag
Settings must be more precise - no half-assing it
Hand/Gun position must be more precise

If you're welding thick steel, like say 1/4" and above, then it's great.

Understood that fluxcore is messy stuff, and that it makes for a lot more cleanup work afterward.

But if, like the farmer, you're stuck welding outdoors for any reason (no garage, garage too full of stuff to work in, wife won't tolerate welding fumes creeping into the house from the attached garage, etc.), you don't really have much choice.

I have heard of people using a little gas along with fluxcore, but I haven't tried that yet.


Norm

I don't know why a good farmers wife wouldn't let him weld on the tractor in the garage! And if it's full of stuff - then the living room should be a practical alternate! :wow:

A comment on the new "auto set" welding equipment....

Welding requires acquired SKILLS... and the ability to adjust to the situation at hand - vertical - overhead - around corners - tubing - angles at hard to reach places etc.... I need to adjust the welder to fit the job at hand. I have taped a LARGE SCALE guide on the side of my MIG machine - it shows wire size - metal gauge - and the settings for each... so my "auto set" is to look at that guide - and flip two knobs... speed and voltage (some call it amps - whatever)... how hard is that?

There are so many TRICKS to welding -- like cutting your wire after each tack weld at an ANGLE if you're on thin stuff -- it helps get a quick hot weld going... etc... and IMHO these are the things that a person has to research - and PRACTICE etc in order to be 'decent' at welding. The number one thing that my friends FAIL at - is failure to adequately control warpage - and getting tight fit ups (they leave big nasty gaps so they burn through). To me it's kinda like golfiing - new clubs are nice - but they don't really help your score....:willy: :lol:

you know.... I really like how Greg tells it like he means it and isn't afraid if it hurts someone's feelings just a little. :thumbsup: :cheers:

good advice. Now if I can just remember to follow some of it.......

Wedged --- I guess it's 25 years of AA -- that whole HONESTY, HONESTY, HONESTY thing has finally set in. :rofl:

I probably should really just keep my big yap shut - but I figure if guys are really looking for answers / help / advice... then I'll put my half of one cents worth in - and they can take it or leave it. I'm not really good at any of this stuff - but have done a lot of it - and I've tried to forget all the really important stuff I've learned along the way...

Welding is one of those things - like golfing - it takes a bunch of practice - and you can't really ever practice for the shot you're just about to make (some ridiculous sidehill lie under a pine cone next to a big rock and against a tree) BUT you can take a lot of the practice you've done on normal stuff and try to apply it to the situation at hand. HOWEVER... the talk is always about the welding machinery - like it is about golf clubs - and in my HUMBLE opinion - it's all about skill(s) and a good welder can make a POS machine do wonderful things - like an old club in Tiger Woods hands...

What I do hate to see is someone limiting what they can finally do with a decent machine - by buying too small of a machine - because when they can really finally weld - the world will open up to all the things they can do! I happen to really like tools - all of them - never saw one I didn't like... and I consider them an 'investment' in the hobby (my life according to my wife) and I'm just old enough to have made the usual 'mistakes' (too small of a compressor - buzz box welder - 1/8th amp grinders for a 10 amp job). LOL But I also appreciate the cost factor and other peoples budgets etc. So fully understand buying something that will do the job - if that's all a guy can do at the time. Been there - done that - I get it.