[S10Fan]

Originally Posted by Thadious

As a shipwright in the military, I've been stick welding for the last 25 years (5 as a hobby), TIG'ing for the last 20 and MIG'ing for the last 2 (since I started my project). Everyone of them has it's pro's and cons, but for MIG, here's my experience...

Flux core is good for heavier stuff and when you're welding outside as the shielding gas is produced by the heat of the weld and stays pretty local to the puddle. If you're welding heavier (1/8" to 1/4") you'll find flux core is pretty good, but will leave a slag that you have to clean off. Due to the polarity of the process, if you're trying to weld anything thinner, you'll find the heat generated by the weld will burn holes through most sheet metal and you'll just get frustrated.

Solid core uses an inert type of shielding gas depending on the material being welded. Be it argon, helium, CO2 or another mix, but it's easily blown away when working outside... so "indoors" will be your best bet here. There is no slag to clean off and so you will find that it's much easier to deal with... and you're weld is exactly what it looks like. The polarity of a solid core wire is reversed from the flux core and as such, the weld puddle is cooler and designed for more buildup than penetration (not that MIG has much anyways). As such, it works best for sheet metal welding ( I use 0.024" wire for mine... great control ).

If you're looking at cost... buy your welder once... Personally... I'd recommend a 220v welder but that's just me. If you're looking at the cost of wire... the flux core is more expensive (and you don't need shielding gas), but if you figure the lower cost of solid core wire + shielding gas (buy your own bottle), you will see that it works out pretty much the same in the end... with a better result from the solid core wire. The 110v will do most small stuff but don't count on it for anything serious. Also keep in mind the duty cycle of the welder... alot of the cheaper ones have a 10-20% cycle... which means you can weld for 1 or 2 minutes out of every 10 (as rated). Reality is, you will probably weld for more than that, but that's what the manufacturer rates their machine for....

So really... you need to look at what it is that you want to do and where you want to do it, look at your final costs in the end and the desired outcome for your work... and go from there...

Hope this helps...
Ted.

Well said!

I wouldn't trust a 110volt machine for welding a frame clip. I'm sure it's been done many times over, I'm just not convinced it's safe.

Soon I will be welding a clip on my '50 project. My plan is to tack/brace everything together with my Hobart 135 (gas) welder. The rolling frame will be transported to a friends shop and finish welded with a high amp 220volt machine.