What welder to buy?

[god910]

I went to a local shop to see about getting my cat removed er... Replaced and have a few mufflers welded on. The guy told me $50 to "replace" the cat, and $40 to install both mufflers. $90 total, although it isn't a bad price (in my area anyway) that is $90 I could be putting toward a welder. Just as a reference point, I can goto Lowe's and buy a Miller 135 for $327, so $90 is 1/4 of a new welder. (Throw me a fricken bone here, I'm trying to talk myself into buying a welder.) So what are you guys using for your welding tasks? I don't need anything TOO fancy (hoping to keep it around $400) but I want to do what I want to do. Sheetmetal work, frame work, (rear backhalf for my P/S 66 Chebby) exhaust work, etc. Also, I know SHIT about welders, so lemme know what I should look for in my quest for a welder. (Amps, 110/220, yada yada) Links are cool too! TIA.

[patgizz]

go to the forums at chevytalk.com and check out the "in the garage" forum, there is extensive talk of welders and a hell of alot more info than anyone here can give.

[Goph]

I have a little Lincon wire welder that is ran off 110v

 

IDK to much about it because my dad bought it but it is really nice and is said to be able to weld 1/4" still but i'm yet to try it.

[god910]

Thanks Pat, I just thought about that last night. Man, I need to start going back there more often. Only down side is, a guy that I work w/ want to trade my truck for a paint job on one of my TGP's :shock:

[GnatGoSplat]

I have a little Lincon wire welder that is ran off 110v

 

That's the one many people recommended to me when I was looking for a good welder for light use. Lincoln WeldPak 100 or something like that. I never bought one, got too many projects to finish before I start new ones.

[SleeperRed90TGp]

So you want a welder. Good tool to have and there even fun gluing things together. 8) I did the same thing you are thinking of only the muffler shop wanted 200 to weld up my 2 ½ exhaust so I got the Lincoln pro 135 for like 330 including tax due to a mistake by the store. Millers were closer to 500 and the Lincoln sp135 was going for about 450.

 

These welders will only use flux-cored wire out of the box. That means its tough to weld 16 gauge thicker ok. If you get a bottle of argon 25% c02 mix or straight c02 (splatters like hell) you can use the hard wire and short arc to your hearts content. Draw back you have to pay for the bottle. Cost me 20 for about a week and I hardly used any gas. You can buy them or rent them if you want it around all the time. I don’t do that much so I use the cored wire when I have a little job. Like welding to a frame. It will easily burn through.

 

If you want to weld alum you need a kit that’s I think about 50. Can’t use alum in the coiled wire liner cause the alum flakes off and it will plug. Have to use a smooth plastic liner. Oh and you can’t push it as far or it will bird nest at the drive rollers. Most small alum wire welders have the drive rollers in the gun so the wire is being pulled. You need a bottle of straight argon or argon and 2% co2. Same for ss but you don’t need the kit.

 

I worked with this little welder for 3 or 4 days off and on doing my exhaust and and later welding a front sub frame back together on a Saturn. After having purchased well over 150 welding machines of all varieties (mig, tig, spot, gang spot, sub arc, robotic mig and tig) through out the years I would say for the price this little welder stands out.

 

Tig is by far the most versitial but the cheapest one I have run across was about 1800 + 220v which is another expense. I didn’t recognize the brand either.

 

You will need a real helmet about $20 caus you can’t weld with one hand especially on round stuff and a #6 or 7 lens $3-4. The #9 they supply is to dark unless you really crank it up. The welder that is.

 

I am no expert on welders but I thought I would lend my .02 since, nobody else did.

 

Jud