what size wire feed welder

[Castiron9]

So what do any of you body-work,,welder's,, recommend for someone learning to work on our own patch panels and rocker panel type work...Thinking about getting one and starting to practice on repairing rust spots..Thanks.............

[Randy70C-10]

If you just want something cheap to mess around with, you can get a small flux core welder and some .023 wire for welding sheetmetal. Be prepared to do some grinding though. If you want good clean welds you'll need a mig. I use a Lincoln SP-125 with C02/argon mix, migs are a little costly. Mine was around $800 with the welder, hoses, tank and regulator but they are worth their weight in gold.

[lux hauler]

The link below should take you to some posts on welders in the "paint & body" area. There have been some pretty good threads on this subject there.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...der=descending

[Stepsides 4Ever]

I've got a little 110V MIG that is handy for lightweight stuff, plus it goes just about anywhere. If I had it to do over again, though, I would have saved my money up for the 220V MIG welder (I used to use a Hobart Handler 175 at work and I fell more in love with Hobart welders...)

Welding (IMHO) is prolly 20% theory and 80% practice. There is no substitute for time spent under the hood.

[Palf70Step]

I have a little Lincoln 110 welder and it works great for me. I picked it up from here
http://www.weldingmart.com/

It was the SPT100 Mig set up Refurbished by lincoln...Lincoln gives them full new warrenties also(3 years). Everything you need but the tank. $370 and no shipping. I use the .023 core wire also.

I'm a novice relearning all this, but thought it was a good deal and it has worked great for me.

[veltex]

Several years ago I bought a Hobart handler 120 to dink around with and teach myself how to weld, still havent done it, tac something here and there rarely, handy to have though, today I was changing a headlight and one of the little tabs came off its spot weld on the ring that holds headlight in bucket, plugged in, turned on gas, set to very low, tic tac, good as new. I dont think the 120v wirefeeds will weld much in the way of thickness, but for body work and general purpose they should be ok, I did do a messy weld on a brake rotor to a semi truck wheel to make a tetherball pole for my kids (still holding), maybe some of the pro welders can respond?

[Stepsides 4Ever]

The most important thing with an undersized welder is preparation...vee out thick sections (anything over, say, 1/8") and clean all the rust and paint away from the weld area. You can't just burn through the rust and paint like you can with a stick welder. MIG is a very localized, pinpoint welding process, so one of those auto-darkening helmets is a real help. As a general rule, use the forehand technique (push the torch, pointing away from the area just welded) with MIG (leaves a cleaner weld) and backhand (drag the torch, pointing into the area just welded) with flux core. You can also weave or stitch as you weld if you are welding heavier sections...weld an area, step forward about a quarter of an inch or so, weld, and whip the torch back to backfill to the previously welded area on larger areas. Even with the larger welders you need to vee out heavier (over 3/8") butt-welded sections to get good penetration. Another trick is to leave a gap between heavy plates when welding to ensure good penetration...don't leave a big old loaf of bread looking bead on the surface and then grind it down smooth and think it will hold...if you do it right, there should be very little grinding necessary to smooth it down.

On sheet metal, very little preparation is necessary other than removing the paint and rust from the weld area. Learn to fill holes first...take a piece of pipe and practice capping the end of it. It's not hard...then when you accidently blow a hole in your sheetmetal, it's a simple matter to fill it. Otherwise that hole will get bigger and bigger...

It's all a matter of practice, practice, practice.

[67dragtruck]

I really like the lincoln models. I use a sp175plus. I would suggest getting a model that has variable controls for amps and wire speed. I find them easier than the ones with a few presets for amps.

Tom

[Blue Beard]

Check out this site for good prices...

http://www.cyberweld.com

[mrein3]

Originally posted by Stepsides 4Ever
I've got a little 110V MIG that is handy for lightweight stuff, plus it goes just about anywhere. If I had it to do over again, though, I would have saved my money up for the 220V MIG welder (I used to use a Hobart Handler 175 at work and I fell more in love with Hobart welders...)

Welding (IMHO) is prolly 20% theory and 80% practice. There is no substitute for time spent under the hood.

After taking a community ed class that was taught by the local tech school welding instructor I was pretty sure the 110V rig would be a tad on the small side.

To avoid what stepsides 4ever discovered the hard way I started out with the Miller 175 (220V) power source.

And I disagree with the 80/20 rule. There is no replacement for "seat time" however you have to know what is going on. I would say it is more like 50/50. You MUST know the theory. Time with the stinger in your hand is much better spent when you know what is going on with the process.

I'll never be as good as somebody that welds 24/7 but by following established practices (theory) I know the stuff I weld together will stay that way.

[Ron]

I use the Lincoln 175 Plus. About a grand complete out the door. It is an excellent machine for sheet metal and has the power for frame work, etc. Use 0.23 wire for sheetmetal and 0.30 for the heavy stuff.