ok im 16 and im great with a stick welder and i would like to purchase a good mig welder for auto body and light fabrication. what i have know is a century 220v stick welder. I would like to spend about 350-400 to get a good welder and the sheliding gsas to get started with. what would you suggest. and how long does a gas tank last and how much is it to fill. Im looking at the hobart handelr 125 . thanks in advanced for any input

 

I've been welding for about thirty years...I got a Hobart Handler about 8 or 10 years ago & love it. Plug it in almost anywhere. It's great. I use small tank of CO2 for shielding and it lasts and lasts. Here in Vegas it costs about $25.00 to refill/exchange the tank. The Handler has paid for itself many times over...and I just use it for truck repairs, building neighbors' fences and gates, and a few side jobs. If you like to weld, you can't go wrong with this machine. Good luck. P.S. PRACTICE-PRACTICE-PRACTICE.
Welding of all kinds is a great craft to learn and you'll find uses for it your whole life.

 

is the co2 good for welding thin metals and have you heard any thing good about the craftsman welders

 

If I had to guess, I would say that craftsman welders are no good. No experience with them at all, but IMO there are about four brands that I would consider. Real, proven names in the industry. Hobart is a good choice along with ESAB, Miller (my preference, what I use at work) and Lincoln.

 

I've welded body sheetmetal to 1/4" plate with my Handler. You do have to watch the duty cycle on the thicker stuff. And you have to stitch weld (long tack welds) on thinner stuff to prevent/lessen warping. I've have no info on the Craftsman welders. we know their hand tools are great tho.

 

Since you have the electrical supply the HH175 or HH180 is a much better machine for a bit more money. This is a place to stretch the budget a bit. The 180 will run 030 wire a lot better than the smaller machine. I know it might not seem like it at first glance but the 175 and 180's are twice the machine the smaller ones are. The Sears is junk, stay away from that.

 

C02 is great for medium to thick stock because the weld penetration is deeper. Use a mig gas mixture for thin stock welding. A 110V welder is handy because it can be plugged in anywhere, but I would recommend a 220v machine, just my 2 cents worth. ...Terry

 

the reson i want a 110 is that my 220 is in my dads wood working shop and he dont like the having all the stuff i drag in in there so he built me a 2 car garage conected to his shop and i only have 4 110 outlets and i would realy like to learn how to weld with a mig maybe a futer carrer

 

Not to point out the obvious, but how about just wiring up the garage then, if that's where you want to work? Nothing to installing a 220 line. Grab a wiring for beginners book if you aren't at all experienced, but all you really need to do is get the MIG, find what kind of plug it comes with (there are at least 4-6 different 220V plug configurations for different amperages) and what amperage breaker the welder manufacturer reccommends. Get the breaker, an outlet, box, connectors, and some 8-2 copper wire (though what size wire you need is somewhat dependant on the load again). Should about do it. I would imagine you could get everything you need for less than $75.

Just a thought!

-Sam

 

Unless things have changed, the Crapsman welders are made by Century...and they are nice for door stops or an anchor.



Stryder

 

I just unloaded a Craftsman, it only worked good if plugged directly into the wall socket, add any extension cord, and it sucked. Same problem with the Century I had before. The Lincoln I run now is like a dream compared to the others. I have yet to trip the heat breaker, used to do it all the time on the other machines. For thin metals you are better served using the C25 mix. It costs a bit more, but the welds look and run good. Straight CO2 is good for the thicker guages, but on the thinner guages, it takes more amps to arc, and too many amps are bad on thin metal.

 

RODBUSTERGb basically named all the good brands. I would check out the prices of the spools of wire you will be using per model-- a big thing to consider. I had a lincoln model that cost about $400 and it was a piece of junk, my friend bought one for about $250 and it worked like a charm-(different models). You may want to see about return policies ,also go to your local welding supplier and pick their brains before you buy they wil give you great advice and usually will meet others prices. Most likely a miller or lincoln will be in your future..

 

Miller makes a hell of a machine, but so does Hobart. This Lincoln I have was used, and I really like it, but make sure you have one that has enough amps to do the job, no matter the brand

 

I bought one of the Wals-Mart specials for around $100. It is supposed to be Mig capable, with bottle/regulator hookups, but I just run flux wire. It's worked for everything that I've needed it to. I've rewelded lawnmower decks, motorcycle and car exhausts, recoil springs from an outboard motor (hey, I was desperate!), and even built bumpers and roof-racks for my jeeps (3/8 thickness). It takes patience when burining the heavier stuff, but I couldn't pass up the price. My neighbors think I'm the muffler king, as I have lost count on how many I've done in my neighborhood.

Andy

 

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00920686000

check out the craftsman welders