I was curious, do you guys with mig welders have the mig welders that just have the wire, or the gas attachment too? I am just trying to get into welding so I am kind of curious!

 

I have a small lincoln flux core one that I haven't converted to gas yet. I've got the regulators but still need to get a tank to convert it over. For bodywork a small flux core will work fine, but it doesn't make pretty welds and you get more spatter, but you grind down your welds majority of the time anyways. The flux core wire does get a little pricey if you do quite a bit of welding, I am going to eventually convert mine over to buy cheaper solid wire and be able to make cleaner welds, but my welder has gotten tons of use with only flux core. Very handy to have.

 

I have two mig welders, and I do both gas (mig) and gasless (flux core) welding with both of them.

Using the gas gives you better looking welds, less slag, and less "mig *****" flying around, however I find it to be inconvienent at times, and out of laziness I've found flux core to be just fine for 99% of what I do. To prevent a massive buildup of mig-*****, I just spray the area around the weld with "PAM" non-stick cooking spray.

 

Spraying with pam is an excellent idea, and its good to know I dont absolutly need the gas conversion.

 

Like I said I have both... and welding with gas makes for less grinding. Most of my larger projects (recording studio open frame table 12' wide, various vehicle frames, body work, mower decks, etc) I spend about 10% of the project time welding, and about 20% of the time grinding and sanding. The rest of the time is measuring, cutting, setting up jigs, remeasuring, priming and painting.

 

I have a small 110 welder and found it almost impossible to weld with flux core wire, so much so that I shoved it under the work bench for 3 years (yes the polairty was correct). I finally decided to throw more good money away and try the gas and am very glad I did. It made a world of difference in my welding and I couldn't be happier with the results.

 

I have a Lincoln that can go either gas or flux core.
When I started on the truck, I took everyone's advice and used gas.
I was going thru a cylinder of gas a day, which was unacceptable cost-wise, so
I switched to the flux core, and had no problems.

 

use .030 wire instead of .035 wire, it's easier to use in flux core "mode", and turn the current up more and use wire speed to regulate your weld and burn-through (avoiding such of course)

With my Lincoln SP125 I can weld anything from 20ga sheet up to 1/4" plate with flux core wire no problem.

If I want 3/8" to hold, I do several passes with the SP125, or I drag out the Lincoln 170T 220V welder and fire up the generator (I don't have 220/240V in the garage nor do I have any breaker slots free (old house - old electric - usual problems).

 

Well I cant wait to try welding a few body panels in, just have to wait to find a old bucket that needs patching!

 

Thanks for the tips Frederic, I will try them next time I fire it up.

 

That's the key Preppy, find things to weld that are less important. When I started years ago I went "trash picking" and got myself a bunch of rusty lawnmowers, ground off the rust, and started patching them. I chucked the bodies and kept the engines at some point, but junk is a good thing to work on. Also, some steel production places produce scraps often they'll sell you for pennies on the dollar, so that's another path for you to acquire material.

When you think you're ready, pick up some 20ga or 18ga sheet from home depot, lowes, or ace hardware, slice it into 1" wide strips, and practice butt welding. THEN attack your truck!

 

Well I used to weld alot when I was in school, and farming, but that was with arc, and arc is a little different then mig, but it is like they say, practice makes perfect!

 

With arc welding, you control the weld through the settings on the machine, but mostly with how hard you push the rod into the puddle.

Mig is different, in that you really have no control of the puddle per se, but rather the machine has at least two controls (current, and wire speed) that you set. I prefer arc welding myself, however I find the rods themselves a hassle. For whatever reason, whatever I don't use today, rusts badly thus useless for tomorrow, even in containers. And I often mix them up. It's a "user" error, not a dysfunctional machine.

Flux core mig is just too convienent. I put in the largest spool that fits, then weld until it's gone. Then replace. Toss it in the truck and visit friends, and weld over there.

 

I grew up with a stick rig ( lincoln ac225 "crackerbox" ). I'm gonna buy a welder next payday but can't decide between the Lincoln ac225 or the Lincoln weldpak 100hd wire welder. I have 230 and 110 available and there is only a hundred dollars difference in price, but decisions, decisions- what to do? Which would you prefer?

 

I prefer wire welders, because it's one-handed. This leaves my other hand to brace myself for better welding, hold my work (not too close to the weld of course), etc. Arc welding is fairly easy, but you have to control the weld puddle with how much of the welding rod you shove into the puddle... since my hands are less steady, I prefer the wire welder - ***** control all that stuff.

I use the 120V wire-welder for most things, and only pull out the 220V welder for bigger jobs like 3/8" plate, bracketry, that sorta thing, which isn't too often. Since both my welders are made by Lincoln, I can share accessories between them. Gas fittings, regulators, guns and hoses, etc.