MIG Welders

[w/gcd72]

Would this be a good welder for working on my truck? http://www.airgas.com/browse/product...&WT.svl=162968
i'm looking for one since i have no idea how to weld, and my father hasn't since high school (class of 72)

Thanks

[greasy68]

I'm no weld master but you really can't go wrong with miller, lincoln or hobart. BTW Hobart is made by Miller and is cheaper. I guess it is kind of like cavalier and the corvette. Made by the same people and do the same thing but one is nicer.

[crazy longhorn]

If you are doing chassis work, I would suggest something in the range of 170 amp or bigger , but for the tin work, & lite fab the one you show will work fine for you. I ran an sp 100 lincoln for my tin work for a long time, & just picked up a 200 amp Lincoln for the heavy stuff(that one ROCKS!). I have done a little tin work with the 200, but no lighter than 16 guage. crazyL

[68GenIII]

Cant go wrong with the Miller brand. I would suggest a bigger welder though. Ive got a Millermatic 251 and a Millermatic 180 with autoset. The 180 is just about perfect for any job you tackle working on your truck. The autoset makes it a great welder for a beginer as well.

[MrBeast]

Well, I am a welder for a living so might I make some strong sugjestions here, The machine you are looking at there has a 20% duty cycle. That means if you weld for 2 minutes, you have to let it rest for 8 to recover. If you exceed the duty cycle, the transformer will over heat, and it will produce innacurate voltages, and thus the heat will change and your welds will get messed up, you will experience burn throughs and mess things up and wind up redoing it.

I would sufice to say that machine is too light for what you want to do.

If you are only planning on doing this truck, then you could look at getting the Millermatic 180, which is a good welder, it has a 30% duty cycle, but it has a much higher amperage rating. Thus you can weld longer with it, but it is still a light duty welder.

Now, if you are going to be doing a lot of welding, and you want todo your project right, I would highly sugjest a Miller 212, Cyber weld has them for $1,434.00 Yes it is twice what you were looking at spending, the flip side is, it is a real machine that many fab shops use, It will spit wire on a 60% Duty cycle, running at 160 amps!

If you have any other welding questions feel free to ask me.

[MrBeast]

Originally Posted by greasy68

I'm no weld master but you really can't go wrong with miller, lincoln or hobart. BTW Hobart is made by Miller and is cheaper. I guess it is kind of like cavalier and the corvette. Made by the same people and do the same thing but one is nicer.

This is very true, but Having welded with Hobart machines, I wont use them for anything that is important. I dont like the way they carry an arc.

[abadsvt]

I have a millermatic 180 and i love it to death! Eventually i would like to get something bigger but this is plenty for majority of the work i do. I would definately recommend it. Good luck with your purchase.

Josh

[89 crew]

Originally Posted by MrBeast

Well, I am a welder for a living so might I make some strong sugjestions here, The machine you are looking at there has a 20% duty cycle. That means if you weld for 2 minutes, you have to let it rest for 8 to recover. If you exceed the duty cycle, the transformer will over heat, and it will produce innacurate voltages, and thus the heat will change and your welds will get messed up, you will experience burn throughs and mess things up and wind up redoing it.

I would sufice to say that machine is too light for what you want to do.


If you have any other welding questions feel free to ask me.

The machine is too light, and if I read it correctly it doesn't have gas capability with the machine. You can order it but it will cost you more. You would be better off with a heavier duty cycle, and argon c02 blend! I know it will cost you more. You can think of it this way, if you buy the right machine the first time you will never have to buy another one! Oh, and I'm running a miller 251. Before that I had a Lincoln 185. It was a good machine just almost impossible to get parts for. I finally got mad about the duty cycle and that is why I upgraded.

[Gorn]

I am new at this but my Brother helped me out. He knows nothing about cars but his job is a welding application engineer. He works National welders. Most of the stuff he does is automated. Anyway I showed him how I had to stich weld the pannels to keep from heat warping them. He of course said right away somthing very simular to whay MrBeast said but when I looked at my buget it just did not work out. We talked about it for awhile and final agreed a a small 110v could do it. Fact is with 18ga steel I am never above 50% max power and since I tac move tac move I don't seem to have a issue.

The big issue with buget and a mig welder is that you think the welder is the major cost, well its only about half.

Lincoln 135T $325
Cheap Cart $49
Argon Tank 60CF $119
Cheap auto darkening helmet $49
Leather Apron, gloves $35
11 lb spool .023 wire $28
Fill the tank $21
Assorted clamp $60 (just starting)
Other tools $30
Thats over $700 and I know I am forgeting something. Most of that stuff was gotten at a discount.

BTW: don't bother with the Harbor Freight welders. I tried one. I was just loading the wire in the lincoln and I knew there was no comparison. I know the 110 machines have a bad wrap but I really like mine.

[crazy longhorn]

Originally Posted by MrBeast

Well, I am a welder for a living so might I make some strong sugjestions here, The machine you are looking at there has a 20% duty cycle. That means if you weld for 2 minutes, you have to let it rest for 8 to recover. If you exceed the duty cycle, the transformer will over heat, and it will produce innacurate voltages, and thus the heat will change and your welds will get messed up, you will experience burn throughs and mess things up and wind up redoing it.

I would sufice to say that machine is too light for what you want to do.

If you are only planning on doing this truck, then you could look at getting the Millermatic 180, which is a good welder, it has a 30% duty cycle, but it has a much higher amperage rating. Thus you can weld longer with it, but it is still a light duty welder.

Now, if you are going to be doing a lot of welding, and you want todo your project right, I would highly sugjest a Miller 212, Cyber weld has them for $1,434.00 Yes it is twice what you were looking at spending, the flip side is, it is a real machine that many fab shops use, It will spit wire on a 60% Duty cycle, running at 160 amps!

If you have any other welding questions feel free to ask me.

To weld for 2 solid minutes in a home shop.....that has got to be the "bead from hell"! Most of whats going does really depend on actual useage. If you are doing tin work, its spot/spot/spot.....you will never run that welder very long , so there is plenty of time to cool. My little sp 100 has a 20 percent duty cycle, & has done great on tin. The 200 linclon has a 60 percent duty cycle......even on the heavy chit I am running beads 2-4 " long at a pass(30 second run), & never have had any problems. crazyL

[mike409]

Stick Weld You Can Weld For Hours .......lol
Love My Mig/tig You Guys Know What Your Talking About That Whats Great About This Site............nobody Going To Feed You A Bunch Of Crap I Learned A Lot Just On Mig Welders Here Today ......kool......

[MrShelley]

Funny I should run across this thread because lately I've been thinking of picking up a welder and trying my hand at filling up some trim holes and other small sheetmetal type jobs. So I'll ask the "experts" here on this forum! How does this welder look for a rookie welder like myself? I'll probably only work on sheetmetal with the rare bracket or something like that thrown in occassionally.

Opinions and/or recommendations welcome!

[88JRFAN]

Friend Of Mine Has A Miller Auto And He Said It's A Good Machine. I Just Bought A Lincoln 135t. It Welds Up To 5/16 And Can Weld Aluminum. Payed Around 500 From Airgas. Have Used The 220 Version And It Was Nice. If I Need Bigger, I Can Borrow From A Buddy Or Two.

[bob1967]

I have a lincoln sp135 plus. I have welded alot with it and have never had a problem, I've welded work benches, a cart for the back of a rv, body panels etc. I am going to upgrade to a 220volt in the future, but there is nothing wrong with a 110volt for what most of us do. It was a good investment, you are pretty close on the price I paid 325.00 for welder, 200 for auto helmet and 110 for bottle filled free the first time 20 thereafter, I just use 8.00 leather gloves, don't like welding gloves to bulky. One thing to look at is which stinger fits in your hand better, I welded with a miller 180 and couldn't stand the stinger, but feel more comfy with my lincoln. Also look for one with infinite wire speed and amp range, so you have better control. Good Luck

Originally Posted by Gorn

I am new at this but my Brother helped me out. He knows nothing about cars but his job is a welding application engineer. He works National welders. Most of the stuff he does is automated. Anyway I showed him how I had to stich weld the pannels to keep from heat warping them. He of course said right away somthing very simular to whay MrBeast said but when I looked at my buget it just did not work out. We talked about it for awhile and final agreed a a small 110v could do it. Fact is with 18ga steel I am never above 50% max power and since I tac move tac move I don't seem to have a issue.

The big issue with buget and a mig welder is that you think the welder is the major cost, well its only about half.

Lincoln 135T $325
Cheap Cart $49
Argon Tank 60CF $119
Cheap auto darkening helmet $49
Leather Apron, gloves $35
11 lb spool .023 wire $28
Fill the tank $21
Assorted clamp $60 (just starting)
Other tools $30
Thats over $700 and I know I am forgeting something. Most of that stuff was gotten at a discount.

BTW: don't bother with the Harbor Freight welders. I tried one. I was just loading the wire in the lincoln and I knew there was no comparison. I know the 110 machines have a bad wrap but I really like mine.

[89 crew]

Originally Posted by MrShelley

Funny I should run across this thread because lately I've been thinking of picking up a welder and trying my hand at filling up some trim holes and other small sheetmetal type jobs. So I'll ask the "experts" here on this forum! How does this welder look for a rookie welder like myself? I'll probably only work on sheetmetal with the rare bracket or something like that thrown in occassionally.

Opinions and/or recommendations welcome!

That welder looks to be better than the other one. This one gives the option of gas instead of just flux core. It will still have the 20% duty cycle but If you are just welding body tin with small welds it should work. They say it can go up to 5/16" I doubt if you will get a decent butt weld if used that way. I would recommend v'ing the work area out if you are close to max thickness before the weld. If you ever decide to do heavier welding you will wish you had bought a heavier machine. The pro's- reasonable price, handles gas, 110v power, If used properly it should handle aluminum, stainless steel, and steel.

[Gorn]

One thing my brother did explain to me was that most of the 110v welders are the same. Really does not matter if its a 90T 100T 125T 135t or 140t. If you look at their real outputs the are all between 88-95 amp machines. Just to double check what he told me I went to Lincolns web site and down loaded the operator manuals for the 100t and 135T. They are almost exactly the same. Power requirment, Power output, they even had the same Wire feed voltage chart.

The T stands for tapped voltage. That means there are 4 setting for voltage A,B,C,D. If you are looking at 140C that means you voltage does not have the steps its completely adjustable. Once you get into the 140C price range it is tuff to justify a 110v welder.

Another thing, these are fine for normal 75/25 gas and thats what all your setting data is based on but there is a fad out there in some bodyshops to use the 98/2 shield gas and put a .06 gap between the metal. This process turns you mig into a spray welder. There is very little heat build up and you do not have to stich weld. The 110v machines do not have the power for this.

[nuke1]

miller 210 here, would not use any thing smaller

[MrBeast]

Originally Posted by crazy longhorn

To weld for 2 solid minutes in a home shop.....that has got to be the "bead from hell"! Most of whats going does really depend on actual useage. If you are doing tin work, its spot/spot/spot.....you will never run that welder very long , so there is plenty of time to cool. My little sp 100 has a 20 percent duty cycle, & has done great on tin. The 200 linclon has a 60 percent duty cycle......even on the heavy chit I am running beads 2-4 " long at a pass(30 second run), & never have had any problems. crazyL

As I said, the 180 will do the job, but it is a bit on the light side, for sheet metal it will get the job done, but if you start getting into any kind of frame mods, or say you decide to build a trailer or a trailer hitch, somthing requiring that you weld thicker pieces like 1/4" or 3/8" thick material, you are going to easily max out what that welder can do, that is why I recomend that he go with the Millermatic 212.

It is a bit more money, but the few hundred dollars more it will cost is well worth it the first time a couple of years down the road you run into somthing the 180 wont do.

As well the 180 is not as adjustable as the 212, it has an autoset speed for the wire, all you do is set the voltatge.

When I buy a new wire feed machine I am getting the Millermatic 252 because you can weld aluminum with it.

[Jered33]

I have a Lincoln 135 with gas and use easy grind wire, works great on sheet metal. I also have an millermatic 200 for heavier jobs. It just depends on what you are wanting to do. Most of us are just hobbiest so it hard to justify 2000 for a welder we will use little.

[MrBeast]

Originally Posted by 89 crew

The machine is too light, and if I read it correctly it doesn't have gas capability with the machine. You can order it but it will cost you more. You would be better off with a heavier duty cycle, and argon c02 blend! I know it will cost you more. You can think of it this way, if you buy the right machine the first time you will never have to buy another one! Oh, and I'm running a miller 251. Before that I had a Lincoln 185. It was a good machine just almost impossible to get parts for. I finally got mad about the duty cycle and that is why I upgraded.

No, the 140 uses gas just the same, MIG stands for Metal Intert Gas, if it is a mig welder, AKA a Wire feed, it will use gas, now one thing I will disagree with you on is using 75/25 (75% CO2 25% Argon) Because the Argon is so light it tends to float away, and because of this expecially if you are using Flux Core (FACW) it can lead to Porosity in the weld. This factor will be greatly increased if you are welding outdoors, or in a space that has a well pronounced draft, or potential drafting gusts.

FCAW is a good process for doing what we do because it comes with a flux core that as you are welding becomes molten, floats to the surface of the weld, and serves to shape and cool the weld for a better weldment. This is extremely useful in the overhead and vertical welding positions.

[MrBeast]

Originally Posted by MrShelley

Funny I should run across this thread because lately I've been thinking of picking up a welder and trying my hand at filling up some trim holes and other small sheetmetal type jobs. So I'll ask the "experts" here on this forum! How does this welder look for a rookie welder like myself? I'll probably only work on sheetmetal with the rare bracket or something like that thrown in occassionally.

Opinions and/or recommendations welcome!

At a minimum I would get the Millermatic 180 but your best bet again would be the 212, somthing to keep in mind, if you go straight for the 212, it is a welder you can keep for the rest of your days, the 180 you can potentially outgrow as your projects increase in size, the cost difference between the two is 4-500.00, it really isnt that much, and it is by far cheaper than having to get a new machine down the road because you will have a machine that is very capable.

As well MIG welding is stupid simple, really you can learn to do it through trial and error, as well spending the 50 bucks to buy an instructional video would be well worth the while.

Somthing else you want to think about getting is a good quality auto darken hood, that will make all the difference in the world.

As well, if your local college offers night classes, you ought to think about taking some, most will offer a non degree welding class where you can learn how to properly operate a machine.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask me, if I dont know the answer I can get you one.

[pissonNOS]

http://www.airgas.com/browse/product...&WT.svl=440142
just bought that little guy a while back dont remember it only having a duty cycle of 30% tho either way its not too often i weld for 3 minutes straight

[manimal]

I LOVE my Hobart beta mig 250!
-Lance

[MrBeast]

Originally Posted by pissonNOS

http://www.airgas.com/browse/product...&WT.svl=440142
just bought that little guy a while back dont remember it only having a duty cycle of 30% tho either way its not too often i weld for 3 minutes straight

That is a 210 amp machine, which is about right, it is really on the same power level as the Millermatic 212, it costs less than the 212, but it has half the duty cycle, Which isnt nessicarily a terrible thing, It ought to get the job done for you just fine as long as you dont push the machine too hard.

[Super-Dave]

I bought the Hobart 180 with CO2 gas bottle and it burns great. I have done sheet metal and this week ran a bead around the ends of my track bar to beef it up. I have a 212 and a 300amp stick at work if I need bigger.