Welder Suggestions

[One Way]

Before selling our power equipment business in PA and leaving the frigid mountain winters 5 years ago to enjoy SC, we had a MILLER MIG welder. I am not a licensed or certified welder by any means, but we did quite nice work with the MIG. We used the Argon gas with the best results. I do not need that big of a welder anymore to begin the resurrection process on our 78 Z. How good are the flux core units which are much less costly than the gas MIG units. Looking for some hands on feedback. I have never used a flux core MIG. Thanks, John-Lugoff, SC

[Mark Maras]

 I've had a great deal of experience with both types of wire. Flux core wire is my choice for welding on unclean or coated steel. ( paint, rust, galvanizing etc. The cleaner the steel is, the better the weld will be but when you do weld the crud, you won't have the porosity of a hard wire setup. I've been using E71T .030 fluxcore  in a little 100amp Lincoln for replacing the floors and battery area in my 260. The nature of the welding (nothing continuous just a bunch of one second bursts.) on these Zs doesn't max out the duty cycle of even this small Lincoln. I wouldn't want to use it for anything much heavier than sheet metal but a small welder and flux core wire is my choice for this project.

 I did trade in my old small window hood for an auto darkening one. I found that when welding delicate seams, my accuracy was a lot better when I didn't have to lower my hood with the usual head nod.

[Kurbycar32]

The auto darkening hood is worth its weight in gold, and its like 40 bucks at the old harbor freight.  I used a Miller MIG welder and CO2 to make some terrible welds on my car but i had the luxury of borrowing it from a friend

[Patcon]

I had a 100 amp welder and I hated it. I have used flux core wire but don't like it either. It is probably good if you're welding outside where the shield gas can blow away. I use a Hobart 210 with .025 and can weld and weld to my hearts delight and never hit the duty cycle limits.

[grannyknot]

I had a lincoln 120 mig that I used for years with no problems, I welded new pans into my Z and I pushed that little thing and never reached the end of it's duty cycle. I tolerated the fluxcore until I could afford the argon setup and I would never go back to fluxcore, messy, crummy welds.

Chris

[One Way]

The auto dark shield is a must have. When I bought my first one about 20 years ago, they were a relatively new advancement and quite expensive compared to the current cost of the helmets today. I usually like to get a known brand product-Miller, Lincoln, Hobart-just for the sake of parts and repair for the welder, but I have seen some nice pricing on some units from Eastwood, USAWELD, and a few others. The debate on flux core vs. gas seems to be a tough one. Best option may be to get a unit that can be used in either mode. One thing for sure-auto dark helmet. Thanks for the input, John-Lugoff, SC.

[Hardway]

I was in much the same boat several years ago when I bought my welder and I took all the advice above.  I ended up buying a Hobart Handler 150 that I picked up at a pawn shop for $300 including the HF cart it was sitting on.  It had some miles on it but it works perfectly.  It is 220V, setup for gas which I have a bottle of argon for it, and parts are easy to come by as places like NH Northern, Tractor Supply Co., and all welding supply stores support Hobart.  At the end of the day it is more welder than I need but I know that if I take care of it that welder should handle any project I throw at it for the rest of my life. 

 

I did some small sheet metal work on my previous Z using it and welded some metal track together for some barn doors my wife and I built a year or two ago.  I rarely use it but it is priceless when I need it.  Add the auto darkening helmet, some good vise grips, and it is a great tool package that will always be with me.

[Mark Maras]

 I should have mentioned in my previous post that I don't have 220v avail. at the Z & I borrowed a friends' welder for the sheet metal welding. Hardway is right, you can't go wrong with a 220v with argon. It will give you many more options (flux core & alum. wire, CO2 or mixed gas) than a little flux core welder. My favorite 220v was a Miller that I used years ago.

[jwtaylor]

I have an Eastwood 135 MIG welder that I got on sale for about $300.  It's a good small 115 volt welder. I use 25/75 mix gas and get clean welds.  I have not had any problems with it at all.

[Remoto]

 

I second the Eastwood 135 MIG welder using 75% Argon / 25% CO2 mix shielding gas. Mine runs off 110v in my garage and offers a variety of settings to fine tune the weld.

 

The attached image shows a weld I made last night while replacing my 240z's floor pan. 

Edited November 5, 2015 by Remoto

[ksechler]

I have an Eastwood 135 MIG welder that I got on sale for about $300.  It's a good small 115 volt welder. I use 25/75 mix gas and get clean welds.  I have not had any problems with it at all.

Ditto.  No complaints here either.

[Patcon]

Remoto,

That looks good. Are you doing a series of single tacks or short sections of weld?