I'm going to start looking for a welder probably used... defiantly gas mig. I tried doing a search before i ask questions but didn't see an answer. 120 or 220? i don't have a 220 outlet in my garage so thats a problem. My dad could "help" me wire one in, if he wants it in his garage. But is it worth it for someone who doesnt know how to weld in the first place? Ill buy some books or videos and ive been saving scrap metal and old wheels from work to practice on. When it comes time to try to weld on my car am i going to regret only having a 120v setup? I was originaly going to get a home depot gasless setup but have been convinced otherwise.
Well you kinda answered your question. Always buy biggerthat you think you'll need and you will find it still ain't big enough. For a 120 volt unit you will need at least 20 amp service to your shop or the welder won't work as good as it should. Either a Miller or Linclon 135-140 will do you a good job on most car work. Very rarely do you weld 1/4 or heavier on a car. Once you have a welder you will wonder how you ever got along without one.
Get a 220 welder and the biggest you can afford, a 220 welder will have a better resale value if you decide to sell it later. I have a 135 Hobart that I use for sheetmetal and a Miller Dialarc 250 AC/DC for heavy stuff.
Don't worry about voltage, worry about amperage. A 110V welder can be a whole range of amperages, they're not all the same. A good 110V welder can weld anything necessary on a car, including frames. It just needs to be prepped properly. Really, all welding is in the prep work, not in the machine. If you're going to put quarter panels on and weld up floors a Lincoln Weld-Pac 100 is all you'll ever need.
if your ok havin it at your pops house do the 220 for sure if not 120 is just fine for most car related welding. i have a 120 miller 145 series i can weld up to 3/16. 1/8 inch comfortably but 3/16 involves some skill and preheating.
not to sound like a dick, but this has been covered a million times. Doing a search will provide you with everything you will need/want to know
If you are going to learn to weld, I suggest you start off with gas welding. With gas (oxy/acetylene) welding you can see the puddle better, go at your own pace, slow down, speed up regulate the size of the puddle, etc, better and get a real good feeling for the process. After getting good at that, the mig will be a snap. In another thread Dolmetsch gave the following instruction on how to teach yourself to weld. Originally Posted by Dolmetsch You can teach yourself to weld. What do you want to learn? Arc , gas or torch welding? Mig? If gas is one you wish to learn start with making the letter C in writing script continuous. like CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC /This is printing not writing but you get the general idea. You must chase the puddle (puddle of molten metal.) There must be a puddle and it must be exisitng on both the metal welded to and the metal beng welded. Without a molten puddle there is no weld, Only a cold joint. Keep the filler rod near the puddle and in a constant state of nearly melted (Orange). I like my OX set at 8 and my Acet set at 5 , some do it different. This works for me. Light the torch with Acet only then add the oxygen slowly till the wisker in the flame JUST disappears. That is neutral point. If you go beyond this the flame is oxydizing and the weld will be no good. If you leave the wisker the flame will be carbonizing and will also lack integrity. I like to use coat hanger. They make the best and smoothest welds although you can buy commercial steel welding rod that works well. Practice is the key. use the filler only as needed and sometimes you wont need hardly any if things are flowing well. This type of welding is an art form and a true joy to do when you get the hang of it. Strength is excellant and appearance is good. Remember to keep making the continuous C shape with the torch as you chase the puddle down the seem or joint. In all welding , arc , mig ,tig and gas, the puddle is the key, there MUST be a puddle to have a weld. Otherwise it is just an unstuck gob. Do not get discouraged and practice practice practice. If you dont understand part of what I said dont worry just go at it a practice and all of the sudden it will make sense. Try to avoid those who would complicate the procedure with goblygoop and theories. It is a very enjoyable hobbby and opens you to a whole world. I dont know your personality but I learn better on my own by myself. Not everyone is built the same though. Be patient and be careful. Assume that anything that could happen if you take a chance on safety will. Protect yourself and your eyes. Don
Okay,okay!Now I'm gonna jump in here.A220 volt welder is the only way to go,but don't go by voltage alone,duty cycle is also key to a good machine.I did a lot of research before I bought my welder and most guys I talked to said 220 volt and look for the highest duty cycle.110 machines are fine for sheetmetal or light fab work up to 1/8 anymore and you are pushing it.Go to any pro builder's shop and you can bank on their machines being at least 220 volt.My personal welder at home is Miller 175,230 volt machine.I would bought a bigger machine but I just don't have the room.I work in metal fab and welding so I do know abit about this,220/230 volt will give you a broader spectrum,my little 175 Miller will weld 22ga.sheetmetal all the way to 1/4 steel. Once you get a welder,read up on your safety stuff,get a bottle of mig mix ,aroll of .030 hard wire ,and a bunch of scrap steel ,and practice,practice,practice!Oh,did I mention 220/230 volt welders?
AS far as 220 in you garage; I used to rent a house that didn't have 220 in the garage but both my welder and compressor were. It did have a 220 dryer in the house on a 40amp breaker. I went to the electical suply store and told them I needed to build an "extension cord" to go from the dryer to the garage. It was about 50'. They figured out how big the wire needed to be and sold me the cord and ends. This cord is about 5/8" diameter. I ran it through the attic to the garage. Worked great, and now 25 years later I still use that cord when I need to move the welder to a remote area of the shop.
I like that extension cord idea. I used to run a 25ft cord from the kitchen to my room in my old apartment cause i didn't have an outlet in there. As far as at my old mans house goes...Hes kinda paranoid about not doing things exactly right...almost to a fault. But he was a firefighter in Chicago for 38 years so hes seen good ideas gone bad, a lot. I might have to just get a 120v he wants to run 220 to the garage as well but he was saying the way this house is wired it would be a big production. I can't really complain because i don't think hes to hip to the idea of welding or my car in there anyway. So i guess ill take what i can get. On a somewhat related topic... When its time to weld motor mounts in for the small block, i think I'm going try to get someone else to do the welding. I would prefer its done correctly so i don't drop my engine in the road somewhere. If i get a decent 120 welder is that going to be good enough for the mounts? I figure it'd be easier if i had some guy come here and use my welder than to try to trailer the car to them.
Yes a good 110 welder with a talented man holding the torch will do the job just fine. You could tack them and then have a pro weld them. Watch and learn as he does it. There are also mobile guys who have gas (or diesel) powered welders on their trucks
Mobile hu? That sounds about right. Not that I'm in the market yet, but its nice to plan ahead. thanks.
Some welding machines today are dual voltage. They can be set up for 110 or 220 input. You might look into that before deciding.
The mobile units are usually stick units. Handy to have but the gas engines drive the neighbors nuts. I've spent many an hour welding with one. I have a buddy who built many cars with a 120V Miller sidekick. Very few were the times that it wasn't heavy enough for working on a car. After all how many times do you actually weld anything on a car that is over 1/4 inch thick except maybe a few items on the suspension. Then you can fit them up, tack them together and pack them over to your buddies to weld up with his big welder. I have a monster of a Forney stick welder in the garage that is almost as old as I am and there isn't a piece of equipment on the planet that is too heavy to weld with it but I have never used a setting over half way on it in the 20 years I have had it. No matter which welder you buy I would suggest buying it from a welders supply house that has people there to do repair work on it. Wire feeds will need repair at sometime or another and it is a lot easier to get something fixed if the people doing the repairs are the people who sold the unit. I'd also stick with a Miller, Lincoln or Hobart if it were me doing the buying. Again due to being able to get repairs or replacement parts more readily.
Ok so i checked and i have a 20 amp circuit to the garage. Perfect. What do you guys feel about this for a first toy. Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 3200HD Wire Feed Welder
Yup, good unit. I have a similar 110v gas unit and it does really well. There really isnt much you cant do with this machine and good technique. For the $$$, this is great. Lots of guys will jump all over this and say a 110v is a waste of time. Not true for the average home user. You are not building frames for production, not restoring tractors, ect. I am fortunate enough to have several good machines, and thought I would sell my 110v once my 'big Miller showed up. I supprise myself with how often I use the 'little' machine. Its great. Good luck!
I concur with 29 nash, get your basics down pat with gas welding FIRST!-----Next, don't be fooled by buying a 110 rig (thats for very thin stuff), start with a 220 outlet, that will handle anything the novice welder can come up with! Don't use any flux core wire, use co2 gas with .035 coated wire with a good Miller or Lincoln machine! I started with gas welding in USN in 1951, & have made a lifetime occupation in the welding field, & well BEFORE any wire & plasma were introduced in the welding industry, my advice-----Start with oxy/acetylene basics!-------------Don
I've read that Co2 burns hotter, so is good for thicker stuff, like frames or trailers, but that mix is better for thin stuff, like patch panels and floors. Also, that gas welding is good practice for TIG welding, not as much for MIG. Ant thoughts on this?
Get somebody to check out your garage to see what it will take to get 220.A 120V welder will be good to learn on and for sheet metal and other light stuff,but don't expect to weld frames and heavy stuff,not enough penetration.
Ok I have a question that might get me a shit storm Why is it that everyone says this or that welder won't weld heavier than(what ever thickness)If your welding inch plate you don't run 1 inch wire or rod but make multiple passes.Other than time and excess material usage gas/wire etc.I do not understand why you supposedly cant weld say 1/4 plate with a GOOD Brand name 110 machine with multiple passes just like you would inch plate with a Millermatic 440 powered machine.
What good is a shop with out a torch? You can use a torch for heating, bending, cutting and all sorts of mechanical repairs . So I'm saying take 29Nash's advice get a torch first. Learn to weld with it and then go for an electric machine. The torch will teach you all kinds of things about heat control and how metal reacts to heat and the welding process. As for as electric machines, I think there is a simple rule "if you are going to be doing Frame and Chassis construction, use a 220 v machine". It will do smaller metal jobs fine but it is often over looked that in addtion to reducing welding amps you may need to down size the wire for the job. 110 machines are fine for just about anything that doesn't involve chasiss construction.
Leon. it is all about penetration of the metal and the amount of heat/time it takes to make a weld.Not intending to confuse, but over penetration with to powerful of a machine it just as dangerous and will cause weld faiure quickly.It takes a balance and multible passes are good in some cases but generally do not allow the penetration required for a strong weld. They oftentimes are like using bondo to cover things up. Do a Google on " welding penetration". There are some good explainations there.
Run the 220 line yourself. It's not that hard really. If you have two adjacent spots on the house breaker run a breaker box to the garage. If you have a garage breaker box w/ open slots, easy, but check to make sure the wire running to it will handle the amps. 20amp wire on a 60amp breaker you'll burn something up quick. 40-60amp double breaker depending on welder, 60amp wire, conduit, and a plug end. Done. The wire will be the most expensive part. If your not comfortable get an electrician in, or pay one to consult and inspect. You'd be surprised how helpful the home store people are as well. Well worth it in the long run.
220. buy a 175 or so. yes 110v works, and I have done some frame work with a small 110v, but after getting a 220v I will say from experience "If you can afford to do it once, then spend the extra and buy 220 so you dont regret it later." Done.
just for the record I'm not saying anyone SHOULD weld heavy weldments with a light duty welder was just wondering WhY. I agree buy the best you can buy.when I buy something like this I try to buy the next best UP from what I think will be fine.2 identical welders 110 or 220 I'm going for the 220
Another point I would elaborate on is that I have seen lots of people oxy/weld wthout welding glasses. Welding glasses make it much easier to "SEE" the "WISKER" that is reffered to. Seeing that Whisker is very important in determing the temperature of the welding flame. To increase the heat(hotter) you add gas to make the wisker bigger then add oxygen to bring the flame back to neutral burn. The reverse of that proccedure will make the flame cooler.
If I just want to do bodywork on my 50, I can get away with damn near any mig, yes? (filling holes, patching areas)
I see what you are saying but I think generally the more powerful welders in the past reqired 200volts to get the amps. The new types of circut components may be changing that. My heliarc is an older machine and it is a 4Ft. cube (big) and there are machines availble now 1/10 the size that will do equal.
The Jalopy Journal
