I'm wanting to get into fabrication, need advice on a welder
03-23-2011, 08:15 PM
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I'm wanting to get into fabrication, need advice on a welder As the post says I'm wanting to get into metal fab for my camaro along with a few other things.
The kicker is that I don't and will not in the near future have access to 220v power anywhere other than by stealing it from the dryer in the basement.... not going to work out well by any stretch.
Here is the list of things I want to be able to do in the next few years. All if it will be on mild steel with the exception of making on connection on my camaro's factory SS exhaust.
Anyway here is what I want to do -
Exhaust work (primary use for the welder - clamps fail)
SFCs
Boxed LCA's
Rear end fab (welding the tubes, attaching brackets ect.)
Random bracket making
At some point the car is going to need a cage. I would also like to try making log style headers for a turbo car at some point.
From what I am reading I don't need shielding gas for mild steel - that and any welder I would buy will be convertible into mig from flux core wire.
I also do understand that a 110v welder will have a low duty cycle. That is something that I can deal with as is the splatter and stink from flux core welding.
This is the welder I am currently looking at buying though lack of funding may lead me to the harbor freight welder of the same type. It seems like about as good as it's going to get without having to stealth install a 220v line into the parents garage.
Will that welder do what I am wanting from it? If not what will it do and what won't it do?
The kicker is that I don't and will not in the near future have access to 220v power anywhere other than by stealing it from the dryer in the basement.... not going to work out well by any stretch.
Here is the list of things I want to be able to do in the next few years. All if it will be on mild steel with the exception of making on connection on my camaro's factory SS exhaust.
Anyway here is what I want to do -
Exhaust work (primary use for the welder - clamps fail)
SFCs
Boxed LCA's
Rear end fab (welding the tubes, attaching brackets ect.)
Random bracket making
At some point the car is going to need a cage. I would also like to try making log style headers for a turbo car at some point.
From what I am reading I don't need shielding gas for mild steel - that and any welder I would buy will be convertible into mig from flux core wire.
I also do understand that a 110v welder will have a low duty cycle. That is something that I can deal with as is the splatter and stink from flux core welding.
This is the welder I am currently looking at buying though lack of funding may lead me to the harbor freight welder of the same type. It seems like about as good as it's going to get without having to stealth install a 220v line into the parents garage.
Will that welder do what I am wanting from it? If not what will it do and what won't it do?
Last edited by Cronic_Moronic; 03-23-2011 at 08:20 PM.
03-23-2011, 10:26 PM
#2
consider a hobart 140 welder,it will do more.you will run across alot of projects that require 3/16 thick steel.you can get a used one on craigs list for $400 or less.make a big long extension cord for a 220v welder, I have 30ft cord for out side welding.you can get a hobart 187 for $500 or less on CL.
03-24-2011, 11:32 AM
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I got the Lincoln Easy mig 140...can do everything from basic all the way up to rollcages and its 115, if i need to do more advanced stuff then I'll go to a fab shop.
03-24-2011, 01:25 PM
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FYI I'm pretty sure that the Hobarts that Harbor Frieght sells are factory reconditioned units. I have a Lincoln sp135 and haven't come across anything I can't weld (besides Aluminum). Also, go for the gas setup right away flux core sucks ***! Check with a local welding supply shop before you buy they can be a wealth of info. We have Airgas here and those guys know their stuff.
03-24-2011, 08:02 PM
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I'm not going to try headers for a while would a miter saw with a metal cutting blade suffice for small projects?
03-26-2011, 11:20 AM
#7
the one that you linked to will be a bit of a stretch for the kind of work that you're listing, but the 135/140 models (they're pretty much the same ones, just different years and product lines) will work OK for you (the axle stuff listed will be a bit of a stretch unless you get really good at welding with it but definitely possible, the axle tubes will take some beveling and a heavy weave or multiple passes).
I love my hobart Handler 135, and would recommend it in a second, but of what's on the market new, I think one of the better deals are the lincoln power migs (note, I hate their similar older design models that they still sell). Miller and hobart are the same company and use a lot of the same parts (My hobart came with a miller gun... in the box), but they try to sell the miller's as a higher end welder typically for a few $ more and at least with the 1xx class welders I'd recommend against them. The added features that you get for the few extra $ do not give you any additional capability, and I feel that their and the more aggressive wire speed tracking makes them harder to use for someone that is just learning and even for someone that isn't 100% comfortable with it.
The eastwood welders are re badged old school Lincolns... a good deal for the money but again, I don't like them, mostly because they have a real rube goldberg quality to the wire feed setup and the power supply can be touchy.
There are a lot of other cheaper welders out there on the market, and a lot of them are decent BUT, if you use them a lot you may have problems finding replacement parts, typically they have cheaper switches, wire feed parts... that wear out/break much faster, and a bunch of them are missing features or don't work quite as smoothly, making them more difficult to use, and MUCH harder to get a good weld (in some cases harder to get any usable weld) for a beginner. A good example is my brother has one of the HF welders and it's power supply is not as smooth as others, making it difficult to get a nice looking bead (when he first got it he called me over to test it because he wasn't able to get it to lay down a bead at all) and the wire is always live so you can't line it up and start welding which even someone who has done a lot of welding may find frustrating. He's given up using it for anything but "sticking stuff together" and then either takes the work to someone to finish weld it, or covers all the welds with JB weld or bondo to make them look nice.
If you're serious about doing fab work with it (more than just the occasional "sticking stuff together") get one with a mig gas kit. I can get most things done with flux that you can with a proper MIG, but most can't or are not comfortable with it. The fact is that even that being the case I still have mine setup for mig and only keep flux core around for if I run out or if I'm welding outside where the gas would get blown away.
I love my hobart Handler 135, and would recommend it in a second, but of what's on the market new, I think one of the better deals are the lincoln power migs (note, I hate their similar older design models that they still sell). Miller and hobart are the same company and use a lot of the same parts (My hobart came with a miller gun... in the box), but they try to sell the miller's as a higher end welder typically for a few $ more and at least with the 1xx class welders I'd recommend against them. The added features that you get for the few extra $ do not give you any additional capability, and I feel that their and the more aggressive wire speed tracking makes them harder to use for someone that is just learning and even for someone that isn't 100% comfortable with it.
The eastwood welders are re badged old school Lincolns... a good deal for the money but again, I don't like them, mostly because they have a real rube goldberg quality to the wire feed setup and the power supply can be touchy.
There are a lot of other cheaper welders out there on the market, and a lot of them are decent BUT, if you use them a lot you may have problems finding replacement parts, typically they have cheaper switches, wire feed parts... that wear out/break much faster, and a bunch of them are missing features or don't work quite as smoothly, making them more difficult to use, and MUCH harder to get a good weld (in some cases harder to get any usable weld) for a beginner. A good example is my brother has one of the HF welders and it's power supply is not as smooth as others, making it difficult to get a nice looking bead (when he first got it he called me over to test it because he wasn't able to get it to lay down a bead at all) and the wire is always live so you can't line it up and start welding which even someone who has done a lot of welding may find frustrating. He's given up using it for anything but "sticking stuff together" and then either takes the work to someone to finish weld it, or covers all the welds with JB weld or bondo to make them look nice.
If you're serious about doing fab work with it (more than just the occasional "sticking stuff together") get one with a mig gas kit. I can get most things done with flux that you can with a proper MIG, but most can't or are not comfortable with it. The fact is that even that being the case I still have mine setup for mig and only keep flux core around for if I run out or if I'm welding outside where the gas would get blown away.
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03-26-2011, 05:48 PM
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I've done a little more reading and research and I think I'm going to get this welder over the HF or a more expensive welder. I'm just not comfortable spending much more than that until I know I'm buying something that I will enjoy using and that I will have use for.
I do hear the comments about getting a mig right off but the expense for the gas regulators is more than I want to spend. I might just end up doing nothing more than sticking exhaust pipe together with it.
I do hear the comments about getting a mig right off but the expense for the gas regulators is more than I want to spend. I might just end up doing nothing more than sticking exhaust pipe together with it.
03-26-2011, 09:46 PM
#9
thats a good price,who makes that welder?use shielding gas.get a big tank the small ones always run out during a welding project.make a welder cart for your first project.old bed frames are useful.watch craigs list for a hobart 140.
03-26-2011, 10:28 PM
#10
Northern tends to have some decent stuff and that seems like a really good price (I'm pretty sure that I know what cheap chinese welder is being rebadged there, and they sell for $50-100 more on ebay), but again, I would stay away from stuff that might be hard to get replacement parts for (contact tips, nozzles, feed parts, gun liners... all wear out).
The other thing is that if you decide that you don't want to keep it, a name brand bought for $400-600 will probably resell for not that much less then you pay for it, and if you pick one up used (again, parts are available if they're worn out) you will probably be able to resell it for the same as you spend on it, where I doubt that you'll be able to sell that used for any reasonable amount...
The other thing is that if you decide that you don't want to keep it, a name brand bought for $400-600 will probably resell for not that much less then you pay for it, and if you pick one up used (again, parts are available if they're worn out) you will probably be able to resell it for the same as you spend on it, where I doubt that you'll be able to sell that used for any reasonable amount...
04-05-2011, 05:36 AM
#11
IF you can afford it, I strongly recommend my welder, the Millermatic 211. This welder will do both 220/110, so you can do either with just a change of plug. You will be amazed at how nicely the 220 welds. Make an extension and use the dryer occasionally (I did in my rental). But for smaller stuff the 110 works fine. The main reason for Millermatic is that you just put metal thickness and wire size in and it sets heat and wire speed to make it just right. This is the HOBBYISTS welder. I read several articles that tested before I bought and unless you were the best welder you couldn't beat its auto settings by doing it manually.
If you don't have the money, search C/L for used red or blue (I prefer blue). Get something quality...
If you don't have the money, search C/L for used red or blue (I prefer blue). Get something quality...
04-07-2011, 12:18 AM
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I have a Lincoln 135 and it has been a great investment. Sure it can't do work like the big boys but it holds its own around the garage without breaking a sweat.
