Welder question and recommendations
 

What is everyone here who does fab work use for a welder? I currently have a "Hobart 140" but not sure if it's going to handle my 1949 rebuild. I know it will be ok for patch panels and body work, but what about frame and differential brackets etc?

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Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

I have a 220V Lincoln 170T (click heat instead of infinite, never have needed the infinite) set up with MIG. bought it 20 years ago and its still going strong, havent found anything I couldnt weld with it.


how is your Hobart set up? 115V flux? 220V mig? I know some lincolns and millers can run both. if flux, its actually going to be more suited to frame work than body work. if you are doing body panels, 025 or 030 MIG wire will be better than 035 flux, which can leave a lot of residue in the weld. I know guys who LOVE their hobarts.

dont buy something new if you dont need it, if its a 115v flux use it for frame work and if you want to do body just buy a mig kit, it will get hot enough on 115v to do both (dont try to MIG frame work, and dont try to flux body work)

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

I have a Hobart 175....underneath I think it's nothing more than a miller... or at least Miller parts interchange with the Hobart stuff...hardly ever run it wide open...only reason I'd want a bigger amperage welder is for the longer duty cycle....
Like Russ says...use solid wire and gas,,,,.030 wire for frame type stuff and .023 wire for sheetmetal...
I've had this welder nearly 30 yrs...well worth what I paid...but I'm currently considering going with a Vulcan 220...it runs on both 110 and 220 ad has mig, tig, stick options....we use these at work , they are a very good welder for the price...

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

I used to have a 120V Miller, and now I got a 220V Hobart.

Personally i will never go back to 120V unless i just need a small welder again. On anything 1/8" and above the the 220V lays down such a flatter weld since it is able to burn better into the metal.

You can do frames with 120V, and I have with no issues 10 years on. You maybe just have to to 2-3 passes to get the proper weld. Since it can not get the metal truly hot enough for fusion

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

I bought a miller 210 at an auction, I dont know if ive ever used more than half of its potential(not only used for vehicle projects), but what i or others have doesn't matter, you want to know if what you already have bought and paid for will suffice.
I'm not sure if there is anything more than 3/16 thick on our projects( I have a bit of 1/4 only because I had it around)? A suggestion I would make is practice some welds on some scrap peices that are as thick as what will be using on the finished product, even cut through the weld to check penetration. As far as duty cycle goes each weld is really only moments at a time. Penetration is what really is the deciding factor, if the metal is prepped/vee'd correctly more than one pass could work too.
Body parts/light gauge metal, I think most would agree that mig with gas is by far preferable as compared to flux core.

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

Thanks for everyone's replies. My setup is a 115 volt Hobart 140 with .023 , Argon gas (no flux core). Welding chart under the cover says it can weld upto 1/4 inch with a short duty cycle. I do have a small spool of .030 wire

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

Thanks, this is the kind of info I need.

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

I'd be leery of the penetration on .25" steel. Look at some videos on welding thicker stuff. Looping beads seem to give more time in a small area and get better penetration. Sort of like a series of cursive lower case E, but circular.

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

Thank you! That's why I really do like being a member of this forum. You guys have just cleared up the confusion I had over which wire to buy for the start of my new project. The only question left is what gas mix do I need to do the suspension/frame items along with the patch panels?

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

let me answer by clearing something up. MIG gas shields the weld and makes it faster and cleaner, but it also needs more current. "mix" is 75% argon and 25% CO2 is the most common MIG, straight argon is less common. anyone who has gotten a straight argon by mistake instead of mix knows you quickly run out of current, welding takes more power with the 100% argon. its the same way with flux and MIG mix, seen in this welding thickness chart with the two processes.

https://portablemigwelders.com/wp-co...Chart-900W.jpg

115v flux can actually be more powerful than 220V MIG, seen by the difference in heat settings. MIG (mix) is better for thinner metal, for sure. which is why my answer was to use flux on your frame and MIG on your panels. But if you try to MIG the frame, you will need more power than likely the machine has. Flux on the frame will be plenty though. Sucks changing wire (and output polarity, dont forget to change that between flux and MIG), but its cheaper than buying a whole new welder.

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

Russ done got you covered .....75/25

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

Anyone have a dual purpose welder? something that can do mig and tig would be awesome.

Lincoln Electric POWER MIG 210 MP Multi-Process Welder

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

We have started using Vulcan welders....they do mig/tig/stick....at work they are replacing Miller's with the Vulcan's...for the price they are a great welder...

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

I just purchased a Eastwood Tig 200 ac/dc the welder will let you arc weld along with the Tig feature,
but i do have a Millermatic 130 and i use it mainly for sheet metal work with shielded gas and .023 solid wire, i did use it with .035 Flux core and welded in my Flat Out Engineering cross member on my Cameo.

don't really see a need yet to arc weld with the Tig 200 feature yet ? but i guess nice that it does have this feature if i wanted to.

Allen

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

Im still using my old miller 220 challenger 172. its ok. I learned tig on miller and bought this off craigslist still using gold gas. But i do hear the new harbor freight stuff is really good. might get one of their tigs.

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

check this fella's videos out.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqq...j4-UApS_m_6mPw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KrwmK7df-s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZbCTg8otRc

google for more like this, there is a series.

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

Tons of great info here, Thanks for the links.

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

no kidding. if i learned one thing today its that I need a ESAB 205ic. NEED IT

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

Yea, no kidding. After watching this video this ALL in one machine makes everything else obsolete.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6s1zp6hr5s

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

Miller 211 - its awesome.

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

I have the Hobart 190. This is a refurbished unit directly from Hobart. Appeared to be brand new. I had heard that many are floor display models which cannot be sold as new, but I cannot confirm.

very happy with my Hobart 190. But I was upgrading from a Harbor Freight model, so...

https://www.hobartweldshop.com/facto...g-wire-welder/

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

My experience: a good welder (the person) can safely weld frame and chassis components with a 110 machine. I'm a crappy welder so I use a 220 unit. I need the extra amperage to compensate for my bad technique.

BTW, my welder is a Chicago Electric from Harbor Freight - they've really improved them, best unit I've ever owned.

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

Nice Video
Thanks For sharing
Nice machine, seems complicated with all the variables. I would definitely stay in the user manual.. 3000.00 price range.. to rich for my shallow pockets.
JT
From
SC

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

Yea, I understand. the problem I see with most light duty welders is a great looking bead with no penetration. Something that scares me on fabricating suspension mounts and components.

I like the all in one feature , but considering your getting three machines in one. Maybe $ 3000.00 isn't too bad. Still above my budget also.

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

a basic TIG rig is 2-2.5k. I have been thinking of getting a TIG for a while now. if for 500-1000 more I get a super fancy MIG that learns my welding technique, sing me up.

but later. :lol: 2020 has been the year of super spending for me.

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

I bought an Everlast multifucntion welder about 10 years ago and has been a good welder. this is the later version of what I bought. It doesn't have mig though.https://www.everlastgenerators.com/p...powerpro-256si

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

love this guy , been watching for couple of years now

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

Is the ARCCAPTAIN MIG Welder, 200Amp a good welder?

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

Never heard of that brand..just watched a couple of YouTube reviews that spoke favorable of it..for home use it would probably be just fine

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

my old air liquide 170 mig was giving me trouble with the wire speed fluctuating all the time so I bought an everlast multi process welder. power MTS 225 lightning and the water cooler along with it for keeping the tig torch cool. a small water cooled tig torch and a few other odds and sods like the small tig cups and gas lenses. it is great but it comes with a large mig gun that I needed to replace with a smaller gun. they do that because the welder is rated for higher current than the smaller mig torch will handle. it is awesome but not having much practice with tig it is a steep learning curve.
I think itt's best if you buy the best welder you can afford.

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

things to look for when buying a welder is first, know what kind of welding you want to use it for the most and what kind of conditions you will use it for. a welder that gets used for long periods of time needs to have a good duty cycle so it doesn't burn itself out. duty cycle is how much time it can be used for continuously. if you are doing assembly line work where the parts are already fit up so the welder gets actally used almost constantly then that would be a far better duty cycle than the home shop guy that has the welder on but spends a lot of time fitting up parts and less actual time running a bead.
here is a decent blurb on welders from bakers gas
https://bakersgas.com/blogs/buying-g...r&gad_source=1
you should also look at the little things like how long the cables are, what the ground clamp is like, if the consumables are easily sourced like gas cups, contact tips etc. I'm sure everybody would like to buy a new miller, lincoln or a big brand name when looking at new stuff but not everybody has the budget for that.
I bought my everlast because I was talking to a owner of a shop that had previously been using a big brand name welder. it was old an he finally broke down and bought a new one of the same brand name. it didn't last a day so they warranteed it. the next new one burned up due to an electrical power surge in the area from the utility company, they warranteed it but it took some time to work through the system and actually show up so he bought an everlast unit. power mts 275. when the new brand name welder showed up he put it in storage because he fell in love with the everlast one and has used it day in and day out for several years with no problems. that spoke volumes for me so I bought the everlast over the big name one I was looking at. quite a bit cheaper as well.

Re: Welder question and recommendations
 

Some of these guys/gals on here are certified welders then some like me just weld. Yes they are better than me and know more than me. If you have a sawzall and a 220v MIG you can do a lot. I have 3 welders and with exception of stick I use shielding gas. Around 2003 I bought a Miller SD180 TIG/Stick to tig aluminum sledges. Took a class on TIG . I do not TIG much anymore.

My first MIG was a 110v Campbell Hausfeld which I used a lot on thin steel but I was thrilled when I went to a 220V MIG around 2008. This is a Maxus PRO-180. A smooth welder with a more controllable arc. I bought it used for $120. Has only 2 knobs - 1-5 heat setting and 1-8 on wire speed. Uses .023 up to .035 wire. I mostly use it for thin metal - including body panels with .023 but run .030 and .035 for heavier stuff. 2 knobs and I still use it.

I also have a Titanium multi welder with all kinds of knobs and buttons on it - MIG, TIG, and Stick attachments. I had a 30% off is why I bought it. It is a smooth welder but takes me longer to get the heat and wire speed right. The TIG on it is a lift arc unlike the Miller SD180 which is a frequency arc - just different.

Most of the MIG welding I do is not over one minute in duration before a stop. I may spot many times - off /on for 5 minutes. I weld 20 gauge to 1/4". Anything heavier I use the stick. I have a cart and a 12 foot 220v extension cord which allows me to roll the Maxus with 023 and the Titanium with 035 all around my shop/lift.

If I had to choose only one to keep I would choose to keep the 2 knob Maxus. There are other brands out there also as simple as this Maxus. Whatever get a 220v. And I like CO2 for a shield - steel. Cheaper