I want to try welding, what kind of welder do you recommand for welding relatively thin metal like body panels and exhaust pipings? Any info or links appreciated.

And happy new year!

 

MIG, you can keep the heat down on thebody panels. Also for exhaust it is nice, since it is faster and you can tack easier.

Plus, MIGs are a lot cheaper than TIG.

 

here is my suggestion:

http://store.cyberweld.com/millermatic135.html

the real serious people out there will talk to you about tig and 220V but this is a nice entry level welder for the hobbyist and has the advantage of essentially working anywhere due to being 115V based.

anywhere with a standard outlet and a 15-20 Amp breaker can use this thing.

you can take it to a friend's house, etc. even track side if you wish.

 

Thanks for the replies. I'm looking at these two welders cuz I can get them locally. Does anyone have any experience with them or should I stick with the one tom91ita recommanded.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr...e=Yes

http://www.harborfreight.com/c...93804

Thanks.

 

The one you posted from harbor freight uses 220V. Make sure you have that kind of power where you are going to use the welder.

The Craftsman one is just a Clarke one with Craftmans name on it.


Get the Miller. It blows both of those out of the water. you can usually get them cheaper on ebay.

 

pay REAL close attention to what is coming with the mig. entry level migs are typically set up for flux core wire and have NO gas regulators, meters, etc.

there might be a lesser miller out there, i thought i was giving you the link to the 135. the one linked actually has the "auto-set" feature.

there is quite a compromise to go with the 115V and having a dial with "infinite" adjustment is nice instead of just 4 wire speeds and 4 power settings.

you want the complete set-up with gas bottle, etc. i recommend you get the bottle local so that you can just swap for full a lot easier.

on ebay, look at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Miller...wItem

 

A miller 135 is a perfect beginers welder, I have used a couple, traditional miller quality and reliability, the kind of tool you can pass on to anyone if you out grow it and it will be good to them like it was to you. I had a miller 175 for about a year and a half, it was a great machine.

 

Thanks for the info. Just a few more questions, how does the other welders compare to the Miller 135 in terms of ease of use and weld quality? And it seems like both of them doesn't include regulators. How much are the regulators? I'm just trying to buy it locally so that if I have a problem it can be easily retunred/exchanged without big shipping charges. Does any stores sell the Miller 135 welder? Thanks.

 

Its a MIG welder it will be easy as pie to weld. Point and shoot. Weld quality depends on your skill.

Oh yeah buy your safety gear first. Dont go welding in a wife beater

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Fenrir51 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Dont go welding in a wife beater </TD></TR></TABLE>


haha sunburn with a speckled burn pattern in the making.

i am looking at starting to weld myself, and was thinking of picking up the lincoln electric 135 or whatever it is. (getting it from a friend)

 

trying to get into welding too. what type of metals can you weld with Mig welders?

I hear that you can only Tig aluminum.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Honda Sport &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">trying to get into welding too. what type of metals can you weld with Mig welders?

I hear that you can only Tig aluminum.</TD></TR></TABLE>

While I have heard of people setting up MIG machines for Al, I have never seen it done.

If you're seriously looking to get into welding, just go straight into TIG. People advised against this for me...they said "learn to crawl before you can walk." I brushed them off and signed up for a TIG course at a local community college and got my certificate about 4 months later (it was a 1 year program, but I was so excited to learn how to weld, I finished early). I even got the state to pay for me to go through scholarships (Georgia has the HOPE scholarship) and only had to pay for supplies (helmet, gloves, etc).

I have never tried to stick or MIG weld, but am now very comfortable TIG welding mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and inconel (and other nickel alloys).

After I pay off my wife's engagement ring (one more year, woo hoo!) I'm buying a Miller Dynasty for the house.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DaX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

While I have heard of people setting up MIG machines for Al, I have never seen it done.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Probably because spool guns aren't cheap

I've done it in a pinch with my miller...swap some wires, use a teflon liner, .035 tip for .030 wire, pull the gun out far enough so the liner stays straight, start playing with the settings.

In other words, just TIG it since you'd have to jump through hoops or pay a ton for a spool gun.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JT2MA71 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Probably because spool guns aren't cheap

I've done it in a pinch with my miller...swap some wires, use a teflon liner, .035 tip for .030 wire, pull the gun out far enough so the liner stays straight, start playing with the settings.
</TD></TR></TABLE>


My friend works at a shop that makes awnings. They gave a 210 setup just for aluminum.

If you want to do it right, you get the teflon liner, one size bigger tip than the wire, non-knurled drive rollers, and at least 0.035" wire for feed strength.

 

I'm sort of in the same boat trying to pick up welding really. I've been reading a welding book and it says it's best to start with a oxyacetylene welder. It says that it will teach valuable lessons about metal joining, metal characteristics etc. I see everyone on here seems mostly discuss MIG and TIG setups. The book makes it sound like a cheap starter MIG will suck *** and you'll have ugly welds due to not being able to see the puddle well. Plus with a cheap MIG I won't be welding aluminum but I assume you can weld aluminum with an oxyacetylene setup and cost as much as a cheap MIG. Of course I expect my welds to suck at first no matter what machine since I've never welded but wanted some feedback on my thinking here. I'll probably want to weld for fun at first but then thin walled steel and aluminum tubing for mold support structures in my composites business.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by crx12 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm sort of in the same boat trying to pick up welding really. I've been reading a welding book and it says it's best to start with a oxyacetylene welder. It says that it will teach valuable lessons about metal joining, metal characteristics etc. I see everyone on here seems mostly discuss MIG and TIG setups. The book makes it sound like a cheap starter MIG will suck *** and you'll have ugly welds due to not being able to see the puddle well. Plus with a cheap MIG I won't be welding aluminum but I assume you can weld aluminum with an oxyacetylene setup and cost as much as a cheap MIG. Of course I expect my welds to suck at first no matter what machine since I've never welded but wanted some feedback on my thinking here. I'll probably want to weld for fun at first but then thin walled steel and aluminum tubing for mold support structures in my composites business.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'll say it again - I STRONGLY recommend taking a course at a local community college. I even got the state to pay for mine through the HOPE scholarship. I had never held a cutting torch and didn't know the first thing about welding before I went. I jumped head first into the TIG course and got my certificate in four months. If you want to learn to TIG, learn to TIG, don't try working your way up through the various types of welding. I am now comfortable welding mild steel, stainless steels, chromoly, aluminums, and inconels.