Hi i was looking for a welder for quarter panel and engine bay shaving, something decent but not to expensive, used a welder that a friend had that i thought wouldve worked but just put holes in my panels even with the brass behind the panel, luckily i tried before i attempted to actually do my qp, but will welders that plug into household outlets work well or will i have to get a argon tank with it?

 

You can pick up a cheap 110 welder with optional gas coverage outlet for maybe 300 used. I'd look on CL for a Hobart or miller personally

 

Pretty much agree. I picked up my Lincoln electric 110 welder (gas optional) for trade on Craigslist. Traded a .22 long rifle for it (~$100 value).

I mostly do flux with it since it's cheap and if you don't care about the looks, it gets the job done.

 

You probably bought a welder by now, but for a nice starter tig welder the everlast powertig 185 really can't be beat. Shipped its around $850, and for most peoples needs that'll be the only welder you'll ever need. It's also a dual voltage machine so you could use it on 110 or 220 power. If you call everlast up they will usually hook you up. The 185 is a great machine and I loved it but decided to upgrade to the 255 ext everlast.

For a mig welder a little Hobart 140 is a great little welder that'll weld up to 1/4 inch and plugs into 110 outlet. Never had a problem with mine.

 

i had an everlast. it turned out to be a 3monthlast, the replacement was a 30secondlast. the end result was a full refund and a miller.

aaron

 

Eastwood 135 Mig. You can buy them brand new for under $300. After you buy a gas bottle and have it filled you'll be ready to roll. Its the best cheap mig welder Ive every used. Its by far not the best welder but its the best cheap one and has the same quality a Lincoln would.

I just put quarter panels in my car with it and it worked flawlessly

Just an FYI, when getting into a bottle exchange program with your local gas supply, they will charge you the cost of a new bottle up front ($250ish) plus the cost to fill every time($30ish). I bought a used bottle on ebay for under $75 with a good test stamp and turned that in to my local gas supplier and got into the program for just over $100 for a full tank of gas.

You will also need a mask and half decent grinder to get you through your project.

My entire set up is pretty cheap for a home hobbyist:
Eastwook 135 Mig welder
Harbor freight auto darkening mask and welder cart
Dewalt 4.5" angle grinder