Welder help? got one for xmas not what i was looking for.

Another welder question.I know..
I was going to buy the hobart 190 but the wife stole my money...
Anyway I was going to upgrade from this little old 115 century welder.
It works better than the 90 amp HF one,so I took the harbor freight back and got a welding helmet instead...
Well I like this Century welder and it works for sheet metal and 1/8" stuff.
I am running flux core so I read that I should reverse the polarity to get a better stronger weld.
I was thinking that instead of reversing the polarity I should go buy some gas and solid wire,from what I read it will be a lot better than flux..
So what Kind of gas should I get, Argon?? Also what type of wire for sheet metal and what type of wire for thicker stuff.

My brother does my critical welding on suspension stuff with a 220 buzz box so I will not be doing that,mostly sheet metal and little brackets.

Thanks

 

I have a 110 volt because I don't have a 220 service in my garage and no room in the panel for it. I got the Miller 140 and it does a nice job. It met my expectations. I have used flux core and didn't even drive across town for a free one. Don't even bother.
If you have a 60 amp 220 outlet, definitely step up to 220.
I also have an old Lincoln Sae-200 portable outside and do all but my light welding with it.
Also remember, those smaller welders might weld 3/16 or 1/4 inch metal but when you have one cranked up, the duty cycle is 20% or less. That means you can't get much done.

 

I have the little flux welder too. I spot things together for others all the time. i can weld tin cans together without getting it hot and warp panels then when my hotrod buddies need some thing "thick" welded together they come over and i use the old arch welder, then they go home and finish up with their mig welder

 

hey; you guys that said you got welder for christmas.... is christmas earlier this year??? or you been PEEKIN????

 

75% Carbon Dioxide, 25% Argon works fine, and is a bit more economical than pure Argon.

 

I have a 110v Lincoln 100 that I use for all my sheet metal work . I use .023 Lincoln wire and 75/25 gas with it . Does a good job . It will handle just about anything except frame work . If all you are going to do is sheet metal then the Hobart 125 is more than enough for that use . Now if you can wait , I would save up and buy a 220v welder so I can do frame work too . That Hobart 175 is a great welder for the money !
But if you really think about it , most all the welding you will do is sheet metal .

In the end it's your call and you can only buy what you can afford to pay for . Hobart makes a good welder for the money . If you aren't in a huge hurry to buy one , then I would wait till after Christmas to buy one . That's when all the stores run big sales to cut down on inventory ! You can also find some great deals on C/L too !

Just make sure you will be happy with what you buy because it has to last for many years . Also make sure you get the gauges for shielding gas too . Good Luck and Happy Welding !
Just a thought !

Retro Jim

 

Your probably too smart to go back to school (thats a joke!) but you cant beat taking a community college welding course. Welding can be alittle more involved than just sticking two pieces of metal together and it helps to know different things .... it'll be fun!

 

rule to live by...always get the biggest welder you can afford..you can always turn a big welder down,,, but you can only turn a small welder up so far... nothing worse than out welding the duty cycle...

 

Yup, you work with what you have but go for the best you can afford. I grew up with only a 180 amp Forney AC buzz box and welded a lot of stuff with that, and was glad to have access to it. I'd hate to go back though,lol. People do get by with flux core but it still sucks, at least get a wire feed with gas.
I work part time in a fab shop as a contractor. There are company employees and other contractors. The other day at lunch I was telling another contractor I thought the wire feeds were over used and they made lazy-assed welders out of the young guys coming up. He laughed, raised an eyebrow toward one of his employees and said "see, I ain't the only one who thinks that". I'm sure there are those of you who will argue but I don't trust a wire feed to anything that I expect maximum structural integrity from. Those tasks still go to the big engine powered portable or good shop DC machine and usually 7018 rod.

 

My Dad built 2 cars using an old Millermatic 90 Wirefeed. Dont tell me you cant do anything with 120. Any Light fab, sheetmetalwork will be absolutely fine with 120.

Id buy the 125 if thats your spending limit. You couldnt go wrong with the 140 though. The 140 you could do alot more with.

I have a lincoln SP135, and a miller 180... I have .023 in the lincoln and .030 in the miller.

both work wonderfully, although i have gone through 2 drive mechanisms in the lincoln, although i have put 12+ LARGE rolls through it.

 

i use 110,220,arch and oxy/acet for my welding needs.
two years ago i couldnt arc weld to save my life.
so i set aside the migs and used nothing but arc for all my welding,overall i think it has made me a better welder,i have learned to slow down and try for neater looking welds,which also may have improved the strength of the welds too.
mig is looking better too.

 

^^^^Words of wisdom right there...^^^^

 

This thread is some good readin'. Thanks, ya'll.

 

I'd get a welder than can handle any car-building task you can throw at it. Something like a Millermatic 211.....it works on either 110volt or 220volt. A smaller welder may have you wanting for more.