W E L D E R S ? ? ? ? ? ? ? (1 Viewer)
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lx450landcruiser
Moderator
miller 210 works great and have no complaints
ummm i had a millermatic 175 til she pooed out. now i got a hobart handler 180. great machine for the price. it runs a 220v outlet so that might be a deciding factor. i want to get maybe a hobart ironman or maybe even a millermatic 200+ series when i get more cash. i tell ya though. the quality and amount of steel on my cruiser hood it will not rust 
bjowett
Supporting Vendor
I have a Lincoln Weldpack 155 w/ gas conversion 220V... bought it at Home Depot 4 or 5 years back. Nice unit, no problems, didn't break the bank.
personally i would go with a already set up MIG machine instead of one with a conversion kit. from what i have been told the true MIG machines (not MIG convo.) are built better for heavy use. but proabably for a weekend fabber that would be more than enough!
I would seriously consider tig over mig for almost anything except production work. Here's why:
1. with an ac/dc tig you can weld almost any metal. Stainless, mild steel, alum, etc.
2. for repair work (cracks, etc.), tig gives you control to add just enough heat to form a weld puddle, then to add just enough filler as needed.
3. for body work, the tig allows you to form small tight welds without adding a huge bead that needs to be ground off. You can butt weld 18 gauge sheet for patches and not distort the metal to a great extent.
4. for fabricating things out of 1/8" mild steel, you certainly can do it with a tig, producing high quality welds, but it will take a little longer.
In summary
tig: high quality on most metals adding only filler as needed, slower
mig: good quality on mild steel, fast, however, you must add a fat bead of filler to establish an arc.
Anyway, I have a miller tig and a lincoln mig.
1. with an ac/dc tig you can weld almost any metal. Stainless, mild steel, alum, etc.
2. for repair work (cracks, etc.), tig gives you control to add just enough heat to form a weld puddle, then to add just enough filler as needed.
3. for body work, the tig allows you to form small tight welds without adding a huge bead that needs to be ground off. You can butt weld 18 gauge sheet for patches and not distort the metal to a great extent.
4. for fabricating things out of 1/8" mild steel, you certainly can do it with a tig, producing high quality welds, but it will take a little longer.
In summary
tig: high quality on most metals adding only filler as needed, slower
mig: good quality on mild steel, fast, however, you must add a fat bead of filler to establish an arc.
Anyway, I have a miller tig and a lincoln mig.
heck steve i would love a TIG. i mean a TIG takes much more control especially in low amerpage. and the hobbyist wont feel like paying 40-50 bucks for a new tip each time you contact. its good but its a more advanced welding process. i would say leanr your MIG then stick/arc and then finally your TIG. im not real proficent at TIG. it is tough and for body i think a MIG is better cause it does have the ability to use filler better. and many many pros still use MIG cause of its ease of use and heck whos cares about a few minutes of grinding. at least i know with a MIG when im done there will be NO GAPS unlike with TIG until your done you dont know 100% also equipment for your TIG is also higher finding a mask for Low-amp TIG applications, your special suit etc.......its good but i couldnt imgine putting a 1/4 panel on with a TIG..........good lawd that would take forever! and my MIG becomes instantly hot and has minimal distortion when using spot techniques correctly!
Actually, once you have the machine, tig is pretty cheap to operate. Tungsten electrodes are about a dollar, and they last a long time.
In body work, tig gives you the opportunity to add a minimum of heat and material so that you can hammer it flat with a hammer and dolly. This allows full length welds in panels, rather than spot welds.
It took me a few months to learn how to butt weld light gauge material, but it was kind of fun. At first it is harder than mig, but after some time you can do things the mig will never do.
I agree, however, that the mig is probly a better spot welding machine.
no sepcial helmet or suit is needed.
Anyway, watch some of the current crop of "hot rod" of chopper reality shows, etc. They use tig almost exclusively for sheet metal work and high quality fab work.
If you can only buy one machine, take some time and do some research.
All just my opinions, of coarse.
In body work, tig gives you the opportunity to add a minimum of heat and material so that you can hammer it flat with a hammer and dolly. This allows full length welds in panels, rather than spot welds.
It took me a few months to learn how to butt weld light gauge material, but it was kind of fun. At first it is harder than mig, but after some time you can do things the mig will never do.
I agree, however, that the mig is probly a better spot welding machine.
no sepcial helmet or suit is needed.
Anyway, watch some of the current crop of "hot rod" of chopper reality shows, etc. They use tig almost exclusively for sheet metal work and high quality fab work.
If you can only buy one machine, take some time and do some research.
All just my opinions, of coarse.
Clarke 180EN 220 Mig. I love it. Just need to get a gas rig for it now.
fj40charles
SILVER Star
What ever you buy, I'd recommend 220v model. Spend the extra $$ and get a big enough welder to do the job with enough duty cycle. I have a MM210 and it is a great machine.
dude give the TIG a rest,,,, were building functional parts here, not production artwork. TIG is a great process dont get me wrong but for the average joe its way over the top and actually kind of a neusance to use. besides you need two hands and one foot with TIG (unless scratch starting) and i use my free hand and both feet in most of the positions i need to be in.
oh i forgot my 2 pennies worth on the actual Q::
my vote goes for a 220v machine, bigger is always better. however one of the 170'ish amp models will to .120 wall all day long no problems, and the millermatic 135 (120v) is adequate on .120 wall if you know what your doing for good penetraion.
you should also do a search on this topic, it has been discussed many times.
oh i forgot my 2 pennies worth on the actual Q::
my vote goes for a 220v machine, bigger is always better. however one of the 170'ish amp models will to .120 wall all day long no problems, and the millermatic 135 (120v) is adequate on .120 wall if you know what your doing for good penetraion.
you should also do a search on this topic, it has been discussed many times.
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H
Hodag
Guest
Welders
I run a older Hobart Handler 175 and I have no complaints. Use gas, not flux. Ive done all the body work on my 55 and Tinfish's 40, and it went well. If we need to build big stuff we just go to a buddys and use his bigass Miller. Hodag
I run a older Hobart Handler 175 and I have no complaints. Use gas, not flux. Ive done all the body work on my 55 and Tinfish's 40, and it went well. If we need to build big stuff we just go to a buddys and use his bigass Miller. Hodag
For any fabrication you'll want a 220v one. The 110v ones are great for playing, I had one for years, but in the end, just couldn't weld like what you'd need on a bumper or slider, etc.
I'd look at the Lincoln ProMig 175, they come setup with the fluxcore setup and also with all the stuff for MIG (regulator already installed, etc), so you can use either fluxcore or a real MIG setup with it. They go for pretty cheap on Ebay, around $500 with shipping, which is usually cheaper than you can get locally.
I have also used a Miller 185 (now the 201 I think, not the 175), it would weld 3/8" steel in a single pass, that had WAY more power than any other MIGs I've used, great welder for a shop. It was on wheels so easy to move around, but not where you could just pick it up and carry it to your truck, like you can with the 175-ish units.
Remember there is more to buy than just the welder, helmet (good one makes life easier and WILL improve your welding), tank (rent or buy, mine was $200 for the tank for a 99 yr lease, $100 for the gas in the tank 75/25 Ar/CO2, #2 bottle), welding gloves/apron, a grinder (you always need a grinder) etc...
If this is going in a garage I'd highly suggest a few high velocity fans, maybe a exhaust fan for the garage, etc, choking on welding fumes is not fun, I've been there..
I'd look at the Lincoln ProMig 175, they come setup with the fluxcore setup and also with all the stuff for MIG (regulator already installed, etc), so you can use either fluxcore or a real MIG setup with it. They go for pretty cheap on Ebay, around $500 with shipping, which is usually cheaper than you can get locally.
I have also used a Miller 185 (now the 201 I think, not the 175), it would weld 3/8" steel in a single pass, that had WAY more power than any other MIGs I've used, great welder for a shop. It was on wheels so easy to move around, but not where you could just pick it up and carry it to your truck, like you can with the 175-ish units.
Remember there is more to buy than just the welder, helmet (good one makes life easier and WILL improve your welding), tank (rent or buy, mine was $200 for the tank for a 99 yr lease, $100 for the gas in the tank 75/25 Ar/CO2, #2 bottle), welding gloves/apron, a grinder (you always need a grinder) etc...
If this is going in a garage I'd highly suggest a few high velocity fans, maybe a exhaust fan for the garage, etc, choking on welding fumes is not fun, I've been there..
Based on the original post, I think you'd want a 220V mig. Keep in mind that if you are doing structural welding the your penetration (or lack thereof) is absolutely critical. If your suspension fails as you're driving to the trailhead then we may never see another post from you.
Not trying to scare you, but keep that in mind. If you learn by doing bumpers and sliders, then not much bad can happen.
As several have mentioned, Tig is the s***. That said, it is very slow, very expensive and takes a while to learn. By expensive, I mean not only in equipment, but also in labor time as you need to spend a lot more time on prep. It is a superior weld in most situations though.
Stick - great for quick and dirty, plus there are some things like cast iron that shouldn't be welded any other way. I wish I knew more about stick welding.
O/A or O/P - not so great for welding, but look at what Ehsan's guys can do with it. Plus you can use it for heating and cutting.
Mig - great all around process. Once heard you could teach a monkey to mig in 5 minutes. I guess that's true, but no guarantee his welds would hold. One critical thing to keep in mind with mig is just cause the weld looks pretty don't mean it's gonna hold. Plus, for structural welds, either spray transfer or flux core is the best way to go any way. The assmonkey that build some of the s*** on my truck thought he could weld because it looked so nice. Great, except I can't trust the s*** unless I pull it apart and re-weld it.
If you go mig, do yourself a favor and go 220V. If not, you may highly regret it. The 135 machines are great for being portable and doing sheet metal, but if you want to do even .120 then get yourself at least a 175 machine. The HH180 is a nice rig. The HH is a tad easier to learn than the MM175 since the MM175 has infinite variable versus the HH having set taps.
Remember prep is the key. Miller has a great student pack for like $25 that covers all the major types of welding. It is a great bargain and I think anyone getting into welding should get it.
My current setups include:
MM210 - mig
T/A - tig and stick
Cutmaster 38 - plasma
Victor Super Range - O/P
As several have mentioned, Tig is the s***. That said, it is very slow, very expensive and takes a while to learn. By expensive, I mean not only in equipment, but also in labor time as you need to spend a lot more time on prep. It is a superior weld in most situations though.
Stick - great for quick and dirty, plus there are some things like cast iron that shouldn't be welded any other way. I wish I knew more about stick welding.
O/A or O/P - not so great for welding, but look at what Ehsan's guys can do with it. Plus you can use it for heating and cutting.
Mig - great all around process. Once heard you could teach a monkey to mig in 5 minutes. I guess that's true, but no guarantee his welds would hold. One critical thing to keep in mind with mig is just cause the weld looks pretty don't mean it's gonna hold. Plus, for structural welds, either spray transfer or flux core is the best way to go any way. The assmonkey that build some of the s*** on my truck thought he could weld because it looked so nice. Great, except I can't trust the s*** unless I pull it apart and re-weld it.
If you go mig, do yourself a favor and go 220V. If not, you may highly regret it. The 135 machines are great for being portable and doing sheet metal, but if you want to do even .120 then get yourself at least a 175 machine. The HH180 is a nice rig. The HH is a tad easier to learn than the MM175 since the MM175 has infinite variable versus the HH having set taps.
Remember prep is the key. Miller has a great student pack for like $25 that covers all the major types of welding. It is a great bargain and I think anyone getting into welding should get it.
My current setups include:
MM210 - mig
T/A - tig and stick
Cutmaster 38 - plasma
Victor Super Range - O/P
One last thing, get a good helmet. Please don't skimp here. We only get one set of eyes and seeing the buttmunches on OCC and other shows not using helmets etc is just fxxxing stupid.
You'll soon learn that the cost of the welder is expensive but so is outfitting the weldor properly.
You'll soon learn that the cost of the welder is expensive but so is outfitting the weldor properly.
hey junk i dont know if you know this or not-a stick/arc welder is basically a TIG and a TIg is basically a Arc welder. i am sure almost all of us have a lincoln AC/DC 225 laying around. well you can get a conversion (you still get to use both) but for about 300 bucks. i am probably going to do that to my lincoln.yes i am so much happier with my auto darkener. i had a fixed shade 15 and getting the arc to start exactly where you want it is a pain. with auto-darking no more of those problems.
anyways go to your local CTC or JVS and see if you can get a eveving welding class. i know around in my area they have it for abot 100 dollars and it covers your arc,MIG,and oxy-fuel and prep. its a great course and makes the learning curve much faster.
anyways go to your local CTC or JVS and see if you can get a eveving welding class. i know around in my area they have it for abot 100 dollars and it covers your arc,MIG,and oxy-fuel and prep. its a great course and makes the learning curve much faster.
Junk said:
junk- you sound like you are on a few welding forums. my HH180 is a good machine. i was debating of weather to go 220 and re-wire my garage and well i did it and love the extra power. i had a MM a ways back used it at my buddies shop til the feed drive fkt out on me and it would have cost a big amount to fix. with that said i think i wanna get a even a bigger MIG now.
about flux core. you cant beat a sheilding gas style for the cleanest welds and good prep. Flux is good for a area where sheilding gas wont quite work (windy area) but the slag and the like it producces to me isnt worth it in the "clean up" time. i like my welds just to scrape a few times and have just dust come off and with my Co2 argon mix that is what happens..........i am newvous about working with my body panels on my cruiser since its gotta be perfect :whoops:
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