looking for a new welder to do some body work on old 60s ford trucks...got any options for me? Im not a welder!! but im gonna learn.

 

The serious, pro welders are going to tell you to use a TIG. For an amateur welder to set up a TIG will cost BIG bucks. For an amateur welder to LEARN to TIG will take some time.

My suggestion for your usage would be MIG WITH shielding gas. Use a CO2/Argon blend gas and .030 E70S6 wire and you will be tacking together sheet metal in no time. Do NOT try to use flux core wire for what you will be doing.

Once you learn to set up the welder, get some scrap sheet metal and start tacking it together with a butt joint. Do NOT try to just take off and run a bead from one end to the other. You need to skip around all over the patch panel with a series of tack welds. This will keep the heat from building up and warping the panels.

Good luck,

 

The small Holbarts are a good MIG welders, will run on 115vac which make it highly portable. Normally sell for around $400 complete with gas regulator. You will still need to get the gas bottle from your local welder supply. Buy the 80 cuft bottle so you don't have to pay monthly rental fees on it. Then for your first project, build your self a welding cart.

 

My Lincoln standard 110volt MIG does the job for sheetmetal, anything 1/8 and thinner. Except mine uses .025 wire thickness. Mine also only cost me 430 bucks and it was worth it. I do bodywork myself and like MBDiagman mentioned you have to tack weld bodypanels over n over not a constant bead. For a novice, practice welding on 1/8th thick steel. That way you can practice your beads without having to worry about burning through. When you think you are getting better you can tackle thinner sheets of steel and more cumbersome joints. But for a base skill just do beads on a flat piece pushing away from your body and pulling towards along with going any other direction. The motions you can use are circular (I use on flat work) or side to side for joints but either is good to use so get comfortable with both hand/wrist motions.

As for over head welds do not try these until you have more than just a few good solid welds under your belt. Tack welding is easy since you hold it for a second or two but laying a bead on say a frame while at an awkward angle takes skill n patience. Adjusting the welder is difficult for the first couple times but after its like second nature. I adjust the welder by sound of the weld. You do not want to feel the wire pushing your hand away neither do you want to have to wait for the wire to come out. A bad ground spot can be causing a bad weld even if you had the thing set up perfect 5mins ago so a good ground is needed 100%. Should be a constant sound n no popping or excessive splattering.

Like MBDiagman said also stay away from fluxcore welders. In my opinion stay away from them period. If you want that type of welding use an Arc welder (stick). MIG, TIG or ARC are the ones I will ever use. But for bodywork you will want a MIG not only because a small unit can do the job they are not too expensive. Also you can buy the wire at a hardware store such as Home depot or Menards or a welding store itself. Good luck and wear goggles you do not want your retina's burned.

 

Hobart Handler 140 MIG.
Beautiful little welder,and it plugs into the wall,220 not required.
Approximate weight-60lbs.
Perfect for body work.

 

.023 wire for bodywork, not .030

 

I have a 180 Hobart Handler and keep .030 in it at all times. It works great for sheet metal. It's just a matter of setting it up a little different. If you get a 140, then the .030 won't be much good because you can't deal with thicker material anyway. With the 140, smaller wire would be the ticket.

 

I have a 180 Hobart Handler and keep .030 in it at all times. It works great for sheet metal. It's just a matter of setting it up a little different. If you get a 140, then the .030 won't be much good because you can't deal with thicker material anyway. With the 140, smaller wire would be the ticket.

 

The Miller 135 is a great choice for sheetmetal and just about anything on a car including some structural. I keep .030 in ours all the time and it works just fine.

 

I have a 115V Miller mig - I like it!

 

The Miller 135 is ok but I would recomend the 180 (more verastile for thicker jobs). .23 for Body is much cleaner and easier to use. .30 is too thick for sheet metal.

When welding sheet metal, don't let it get hot! use a wet rag on the area arround the weld to keep it from warping.

 

I'm glad you told me that .030 is too thick for sheet metal. I have welded in probably a couple of dozen patch panels with .030 and have had no problems whatsoever. Maybe you need to do a little more experimenting in setting up your welder.

 

Miller 115 mig. I've used both sizes of wire. Each work well, just have to adjust differently. I like the .030 wire best. it seems to fill faster and smoother for me. The smaller wire works better for a friend of mine. I think its a matter of preference.

Definiltely go Mig with shielding gas. Tig is too expensive and flux core is just too messy to do sheet metal nicely (I did however use Flux core on several cars before I got the new welder and gas).

It was a tough call between the Miller and the Hobart (basicaly the same welder but the Hobart is cheaper and has less adjustment).

 

What's with the attitude? Just so you know 20 patch panels is really next to nothing, beginner.

Josh

 

Bullitt

I did not boast about the number of patch panels that I've done so I could claim to be a pro body man. When it comes to body work, I'm nothing more than an experienced amateur. I only stated that to show that the .030 wire works perfectly well on sheet metal.

Fix,

When I bought my Hobart 180 a few years ago, I researched the Miller and the Hobart quite thoroughly including lots of reading on a welding forum. The Pro's consensus of opinion on that site was that the machines had the same mechanism, but there was an automatic wire feed method system used in the Miller that drove them crazy. Most everyone recommended the Hobart over the Miller for that reason.

The Hobart has more usable controls than the Miller. The quality of the two machines is virtually the same and they are both made on the same assembly line.

I am a Miller fan. I use a DC Miller stick welder at work and AFAIC it is the best that can be bought.