I'm looking to upgrade my welder to do metal fabrication work.I have a no name MiG welder with only a high and Lowe setting for the amps its OK for general welding but for sheet metal work its a little crude.Theirs so many talented fabricator in the club i need some suggestions on what you guys are using and what do you recommend.Thanks for the help Joe Doyle

 

I've been the whole route

Harbor Freight - Mig (gas) welder, 110v, 4 temp levels
HF - entry TIG welder, 220V 1 temp level

Lincoln 140 MIG (gas) 110V, 5 temp levels
Miller 170 Mig (gas), variable temp levels
Miller 180s Tig (BIG), variable temp levels.

don't bother with the cheap stuff, cause it'll be just like what you have..

the Lincoln has been a nice solid welder, which I bought new for $300.
the Millers are outstanding, but much more expensive. but you can tell the difference on the first weld.

I bought the Lincoln because its 110v, and I can use a generator to run it... I have spots on my property where there is no power, but I still need to weld on the gate or fence posts. its pretty heavy too....

the new auto-set machines are incredible. they auto detect the metal and adjust the settings in millisecond response times..

but the most you can afford.

Sam

 

Im a all Miller guy but thats me and i dont mind paying for something i can get parts for with no problems. It all depends on what you want to weld? How thick of material? Whats you price range? I would just stay clear of the cheap stuff. I mean pay more now but it will last longer! Good luck!

 

I have a Millermatic 185 mig and it is a good machine. However, I took a mig welding class at the local community college last spring and they had new Miller machines with the digital readout/and infinite adjustment for both amps and volts so you could fine tune your weld. They were great! But pricey. If you want to do nice welds on sheetmetal you might want to consider a TIG welder. However, they take lots of practice. I have a used Miller 180 Syncrowave and I've been practicing off and on for several months and still don't have the nerve to weld anything of value that is sheetmetal.

If you are fairly new to welding you will learn some decent technique and safety by taking a welding class at a community college or trade school. As stated above, buy the best you can afford.

 

I agree with what Roger and Sam have said.

I had a lincoln mig that was a home depot special... couldnt get parts for it at a decent price. I killed my Lincoln and it was cheaper to buy a new welder than to fix what I had.

I buckled down and bought a Miller 175 mig and just love it. I do sheet metal work and frame/suspension work all with the same machine. Just dont buy a off brand machine, stay with the better lincolns and anything made by Miller / Hobart.

That being said, I would love to have and learn to use a TIG machine. maybe some day

 

I have a Miller econo tig and really dont use it! It really is said because it just sits there! I used it once to fix the broken four wheel drive lever on my old f350. It was aluminum so i used the tig other than that nothing. The mig is much easier to use just grab and go i guess. If you have extra cash get a plasma cutter!!! They are fun to use, I wonder how i got things done with out! Like i said before you get what you pay for!

 

Joe,
There are a few factors to first consider when purchasing a welder:
1. what are you going to be welding? sheet steel 24 ga to 3/16, sheet steel and plate 20 ga to 5/16", aluminum, stainless steel.
2. What power source do you have available where you will be welding? 110V 15A, 110V 20A, 220V 30A.
3. How portable does the machine need to be? easily carried, luggable, rolling cart, stationary.
4. How much welding experience do you have? torch welding, stick (flux covered rod, buzz box), proficient with mig and/or tig.
5. What is your equipment budget for machine + essential accessories? Basic accessories will run $1-300.00 above machine. (no sense getting a machine and having it sit there gathering dust because you blew your budget on the machine, now you can't buy shielding gas, wire, decent helmet, gloves, jigging magnets and clamps, tips etc. that will also be needed). An entry level mig machine worth having is going to run 500.00 + ~200.00 for accessories. It would take ~ $1K for an upgraded 220V Mig machine with whistles and bells and good assortment of very useful accessories. Add $2- 300.00 per additional metal welding capabilities besides steel.
A Tig machine will run 1600 -2500 and require 220V.
6. How much time are you willing to invest in learning to use the machine? Mig is very novice user friendly, with an experienced welder looking over your shoulder and enough practice material you could learn to do servicable welds in a long weekend. Tig is going to have a steeper learning curve, think of torch welding with a electric torch rather than gas torch. Requires a fair amount of practice and/or instruction as well as reasonable hand eye coordination and determination. (If you have never been able to master using two hands on a joystick in an action type video game, or get easily frustrated manipulating small items, Tig is probably not for you).

Answering these questions will make it easier to make recommendations. DON'T overbuy power even if you have a large budget. The more top end power a machine has the harder it is to throttle it down for lightweight work. You'll be doing far more lightweight welding than heavy, there is very little metal > 1/8" thick on a vehicle that might need welding. Even if you do have an occasion you need to do heavy welding, you can tack it together with a smaller machine then take it to a pro for final welding.

 

Not a talented fabricator, but... there's something to be said for oxy-acetylene. If you can develop the skills, it should be better for sheet metal work than MIG, since the welds are softer, you can hammer weld, and shrink. It's portable, and can cut as well as weld.

 

Ox-AC setup should be in every shop, It has a lot of uses that would be difficult or impossible to substitute for. But to weld sheet metal with one has the steepest learning curve of all. The heat affected zone is much larger than with a mig or tig, so shrinkage and warping will be a much bigger problem with hammer and dolly work nearly a necessity. One thing most don't know is that you can weld aluminum about as well with an Ox-Ac torch as with Tig.
If you use the right wire you can hammer weld mig weld seams.

 

i have done everything on my bronco from rollcages to bumpers to sheetmetal with my Hobart Ironman 210. I also use the Hobart Airforce 625 plasma cutter for all cutting, I would not use anything less than these two for any semi-serious builder.

 

I've owned a few lesser brand MIGs over the years. I got by but I borrowed a Miller when I installed my IFS and had to have one when money allowed. I love my new Miller. 175 or 180C I believe. Electrician me isn't, but the the 220V models just seem like they aren't working as hard when you lay down a weld that takes longer than a couple seconds. OXY-Acetylene is only good for removing frozen bolts and cutting rebar in my hands.

 

i got a Hobart 140. I got it with an auto dark helmut for around $500.. It's welded anything from 22ga sheet metal to 3/16 steel without a problem. I burned my share of holes with it untill I got the hang of it, but like everyone else says....it's a learning curve.

 

I too have a Hobart 140 (Hobart is made by Miller but sold thru mass merchandisers like Northern Tool). It's a 115V luggable. I haven't found anything I wanted to weld that it wouldn't handle so far. With Mig, you DEFINITELY want shielding gas, and the 140 comes with the regulator and hoses for the gas. Beware of smaller units that can be "converted" to shielding gas use, by the time you buy the conversion kit you are over the price of the 140. Unless you live on a farm or weld bridges, you are not going to have much need for > 200A unit.
The secret with sheet metal is to use the right size wire. The wire should be ~ the same size as the thickness of metal you are welding, so use .025 wire (and matching tip) for sheet 22 - 16ga. I live and die by ESAB Easy-Grind wire. I wouldn't use anything else for body work.
The second secret to avoiding blowouts is to start each weld bead with a fresh cut end on the wire. I keep a pair of long needle nose pliers with wire cutting area right beside me or in my pocket when welding. Clip off the balled up tip of the wire after each weld bead no matter what size bead you just ran, even if it was a tack. Keep the wire at 1/4 - 3/8" extending out of tip as well. The plier jaws are used for cleaning splatter out the shield tube around the stinger tip and changing hot tips.

 

Thanks guys for all the input i thick a miller or a Hobart unit is the best bet.Now the question is a 110 unit or a 220 using it on sheet metal work and general fabrication stuff.Thanks for the help.

 

I have never had a chance to try welding myself. A buddy of mine picked up one of those fancy new Miller $1800 units at an auction a few weeks ago. The owner left it behind in his shop when he stiffed the landlord out of a ton of rent. When they auctioned off all of his tools and equipment, the welder went for $205.00. I wired his shop for him, so he could use his new Miller. As I was putting my tools back in the truck, he rolled out a Lincoln 225 and loaded in my truck.
Now, I have a lot to learn!