welding recommendations?

[hotrod ford]

plan on the start of rebuilding my trucks when i get home. would like to try and get everything done myself besides the machine work for the engine and would like to know how many of you guys weld and how hard or easy is it? what is good affordable welder? what would be the best type of welder to use on the truck? what type of steel should i buy? thickness/gauge wise? also, i have been hearing that there are 110v welders, is this true? thanks

[hotrod ford]

i will be welding mostly sheetmetal, but on the 67' i plan on filling up all the unused holes on the frame. since i'm gonna be using a f600 gauge, i want to put the lights and ignition on it and clean up the holes on the dash. on the 71' though i just want to have a clean looking restore. clean all the rusted metal with clean metal.

[scott123]

like the wrecking crew said, yes 110v welder are great for shade tree. I have a convertible wire 110v. It will do Mig or flux core. The mig wire is great for stitching sheet metal and the flux core can handle some fairly thick wire and amps so you can weld up to 1/4 plate.

I also have a 220 stick welder and rarely use it.

[hotrod ford]

thanks guys, sounds like a plan.

[flyboy2610]

If you're going to do sheetmetal, definitely go with a MIG welder. Lincoln Electric has some real nice 110v machines that will do either flux core, or MIG welding.
In MIG welding, the shielding gas acts as a buffer to keep air out of the weld puddle until the weld cools. It also helps to cool the weld down, so the chances of burning through the sheetmetal aren't as great. Flux core welding tends to be hotter, so your chances of burn through are greater.

[hotrod ford]

i was looking on craigslist while ago and found one for 50 bucks. just like the one flyboy was talking about. i'm gonna get alittle more info from them and maybe i will get it. $50.00, man you gotta love the net.

[hotrod ford]

this is the add;

,mig welder 50.00 used twice, MIG 100 Flux wire wlder,electric welding system,no gas or regulators required, input 120V,24 amps,single phase, duty cycle 10% @ 80 amps, 18% at 60 amps, carry handle on lid, the box is a little beat up but good besides that.

i looked it up on google and the going price is anywhere from $120-$150. i think it's a good deal.

[kaptnkaos]

Hey hotrod ford

I just went through all this and researched for over 2 months, before making my decision...
That mig 100 will only weld with flux core wire. It can't even be made to weld with sheilding gas, so it technically isn't a "mig" welder, just a wire feed welder.
Do some research, and figure what you want the welder to do for you.
After deciding on a Lincoln 140HD, I was able to find a brand new LIncoln 140 in the box, on ebay with a full 5 year manufacturer warrenty for $475. Yeah, that's a chunk of change, but if I have any problems with it, for 5 years it's covered.
All of the consumables came with it, it came with the gas regulaters, and hoses to hook up the sheilding gas tank...
the only thing it didn't come with was the gas tank... For $129 I got a 75 CF tank delivered. (also on ebay)
Total cost at this point (not counting the welding hood and other things I got for myself to make learning easier).
So for roughly $600, I got the same welder and tank that would have cost me $875 at the welding shop, and saved $275, which more than paid for the other items I got...
If I decided to sell it tomorrow, I could very easily recover nearly all of my money, just because of the name and lack of use.
Sometimes, the least expensive isn't the best deal at all...

I still haven't even powered it up...
I don''t have electricity out where I need to use so I have to wire in a dedicated outlet for it.... then watch out...

KaptnKA S

[Merlin68F100]

I got a Marquette welder on C/L for $70 and it just needed a cleaning and a new stinger. ($14). I borrowed a flux core wire welder and use it for light sheet metal and to tack everything I am going to stick weld. The best advice you can get about welding it PRACTICE. Like bowling, everyone can do it but if you want to do it well you have to do it often.

[hotrod ford]

to late. someone showed up at their house at 0700 in the morning and got it with some other stuff. they said that they were kinda p.o. that it was so early, but hey, they made money. guess it wasn't my time to get one.

[FordTruck]

I perfere to stick weld but when it comes to Mig.
Just don't get a Harbor Freight mig welder I made that mistake and I could never get the wire speed just right and and it wouldn't make a contunious weld and even if it did they wouldn't stick or look good. At my welding school we use Miller but my brother has a Lincoln 110 and it works just fine. If your gonna get a mig make shure you can use gas with it because intershield dosen't run worth a darn.

[hotrod ford]

i've been looking online at lowes and the depot and they have nice welders there that are 110v and are within affordable prices. a cople of the fellas here say that it would be good to invest the money so later i wouldn't have to replace a beginner welder with a better welder. i don't know, i was looking at the information and it looks like what i will need. here it is:

Black Bull is a line of heavy duty welding equipment. This 4 Pc Welding Kit is perfect for the garage or shop and is designed to meet the specifications of the Pro and serious Do-It-Yourselfer. Its includes everything to start welding; included is a 105 Amp MIG Welder, a heavy duty welding cart, a pair of Leather welding gloves and Welding Helmet. Made of heavy duty construction for years of reliability. Weighs 64 Lbs.

Main Volage 110 Volts ETL; Absorbed Power 2.5KW
Steel Welding Cart Dimensions 32.3 x 13 x 20.5 In
Single Phase Fan Cooled
Includes 1-Spool of Wire (Diameter 0.6mm--.9mm
MFG Model # : AW4KIT
MFG Part # : AW4KIT

or this one:

Interested in welding? Ready to try your hand at wire welding? Have we got the welder for you - the Handy MIG from Lincoln Electric! This compact, portable and lightweight wire feed welder plugs into a 115V, 20 amp outlet and is user friendly. Four voltage settings and continuous wire feed speed adjustment allow you to weld mild steel from 24 gauge to 1/8" thick. And, it's easy to get started since practically everything you'll need to MIG weld is in the box - gun and cable assembly, work cable and clamp, gas nozzle, gas regulator and hose, spool of solid wire, contact tips and hand shield with filter plate and lens. Just add a cylinder of shielding gas. But that's not all - there's also a spool of self-shielded, flux-cored wire, contact tips and chipping hammer/brush so you can use your Handy MIG to weld with gasless, flux-cored wire too.

Welds up to 1/8" mild steel
Welds both MIG (shielding gas sold separately) and flux-cored
Plugs into household 115V, 20 amp outlet
1 year warranty on parts and labor (90 days on gun and cable)
MFG Brand Name : Lincoln Electric
MFG Model # : K2185-1
MFG Part # : K2185-1

[FordTruck]

I would go with the Lincoln there a good welder.

[marxtoys]

It's yard sale season!

The Miller Dialarc 250 AC-DC stick machine that I bought a few years back still works great.

Miller still makes that model - current retail around $1600.

$300 at a sale a couple miles down the road.

My only regret - not showing up an hour earlier. The old man had just sold a 200lb anvil for $75.

Get out and meet the neighbors - you might come home with a deal.

[hotrod ford]

Hey hotrod ford

I just went through all this and researched for over 2 months, before making my decision...
That mig 100 will only weld with flux core wire. It can't even be made to weld with sheilding gas, so it technically isn't a "mig" welder, just a wire feed welder.
Do some research, and figure what you want the welder to do for you.
After deciding on a Lincoln 140HD, I was able to find a brand new LIncoln 140 in the box, on ebay with a full 5 year manufacturer warrenty for $475. Yeah, that's a chunk of change, but if I have any problems with it, for 5 years it's covered.
All of the consumables came with it, it came with the gas regulaters, and hoses to hook up the sheilding gas tank...
the only thing it didn't come with was the gas tank... For $129 I got a 75 CF tank delivered. (also on ebay)
Total cost at this point (not counting the welding hood and other things I got for myself to make learning easier).
So for roughly $600, I got the same welder and tank that would have cost me $875 at the welding shop, and saved $275, which more than paid for the other items I got...
If I decided to sell it tomorrow, I could very easily recover nearly all of my money, just because of the name and lack of use.
Sometimes, the least expensive isn't the best deal at all...



I still haven't even powered it up...
I don''t have electricity out where I need to use so I have to wire in a dedicated outlet for it.... then watch out...

KaptnKA S

Hey Kaptn, is your Lincoln 11o volt?