| Author | Message | ||
| jjrsmp12 Rating: N/A |
I will be replacing some rusted frame members in my wheel well areas on my 1980 Eagle. Can someone suggest a type of welder for this? Nothing too extravagent, just enough to weld 1.5" .125"thick steel. Also, any suggestions when welding in the wheel well? Thanks | ||
| Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary)
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The 110V welders from Home Depot Suck, I'm told. I use a 185 Miller MIG for almost everything, I wouldn't want less. I have no patience for crappy welders. The little red ones from the welding shop, although they LOOK just like the ones at home depot, but they are not. I'm told those are OK. Buy from a welding shop. Gary | ||
| TWODOGS (Twodogs)
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lincon wire welder....about 300.00 | ||
| Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary)
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I'm told the consumer-marketed ones are great for attaching simulated turkey-turds to metal. Not so great for penetration. I have no personal experience, my blue welders come from a welding shop, granted--$1200. Gary | ||
| jjrsmp12 Rating: N/A |
My bus is about 50 feet from the garage outlet. I am planning on not using gas. How do you handle getting power to the welder? Extension cord? | ||
| TWODOGS (Twodogs)
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yep...at least a 10 ga. | ||
| Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary)
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Yep. I found a remnant piece at HD, bought the ends and made one up. pre-made 220 cords cost a fortune. Gary | ||
| Gary Stadler (Boogiethecat)
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Git yerself bout 50 coat hangers, ya know the metal kind. Straighten em out, wrap bout four together & stagger em, n you can make prerty long wirez for welduhr xtension cords with em.cover em with tape so they dont make sparkx when they touch-if you hook the other ends to a car battry you might not even need a weldr cause you can weld with the ends | ||
| Gary Stadler (Boogiethecat)
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TRUTHFULLY, Money spent on a decent welder is a good insurance policy that your welds won't fall apart. A lousy welding machine will mostly make lousy welds even with a talented operator behind them. A good machine will be more likely to make good welds even if you don't have years of experience in welding. If a weld is just for decoration it probably doesnt matter, cause if it falls off it can be put back on. But if it's for any kind of structure, using a crappy welding machine is simply dangerous. What if your "members" fall off and hit the tires while you're underway! I use a Miller 175 mig with CO2. It's done my whole bus quite well. Flux core is ok but not nearly as easy to make a decent weld. In an emergency last year I had to use a cheepo stick welder with rod that was too big for the job, because that was all that was avaliable. What a mess, and I'm a GOOD welder, even with proper stick. Never again, my Miller comes with me from now on. In this matter, I totally agree with Gary the gearhead... Either buy or rent a decent machine, have a pro do your welding, or don't do it at all. | ||
| Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary)
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Yeah, but we're not in complete agreement. I don't think you can make even a good "Decorative" weld with a crappy welder!  Gary | ||
| Wayne Buttress (Eagleman)
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I have been using a lincholn 135+ for welding mild steel up to 1/8" on my eagle. It uses 20A 110v. Need a dedicated 20a circuit. If you know how to weld, this will do the job. | ||
| R.J.(Bob) Evans (Bobofthenorth)
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Go to a local production shop - not a blacksmith shop - a production shop where they turn out multiple copies of the same thing. Ask them what they do with their old welders. Chances are - if you are prepared to wait - you can pick up a reconditioned industrial welder for a fraction of new price. | ||
| Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary)
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....that run on three phase and is completely useless.... | ||
| Cliff (Floridacracker)
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If your looking for a 175 mig, Tractor Supply is closing out last years. Hobart is now making a 180. So the 175's must go. They are 599.00 I believe and that includes a cart. 100.00 less than the 180. | ||
| Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary)
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I used a hobart every day for almost two years, was a great machine. Gary | ||
| jimmci9 #2 Rating: N/A |
i've got 2 wire feeders... a 140 amp lincoln... 110 vac... innershield.. but has the regulator in case i want to use gas... and a millermatic 250 amp..220 vac... uses gas shield on .030 solid wire... i've used the small lincoln to make decorative iron stuff.. good penetration... its only a 40% duty cycle, so its kinda slow... and i use .030 ( i think) innershield wire... so something small.. hobby-type stuff, its pretty good.... i do have a dedicated 20 amp electrical circuit... and i've also powered it from the miller bluestar i've got on my service truck.... | ||
| BrianMCI Rating: N/A |
I picked up an old Lincoln SA-250 production stick welder mounted on a trailer, it's got a Continental 4 cylinder that runs like a top and it welds like nobody's business. It's maybe a bit more than I need but sure works like a champ, lays a beautiful bead and best of all, it cost me 600 bucks. Brian | ||
| Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary)
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Oooh Baby! does it have 120/240 taps too? Gary | ||
| Cliff (Floridacracker)
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Here's a Hobart 180 on E-bay 3852733457 for 551.00 and free shipping | ||
| BrianMCI Rating: N/A |
No, sorry to say, it doesn't have ac outlets..It's all business... but it sure would be nice if it did. I have to say it just sounds great when it fires right up and purrs. And man can it fry bacon! Love that sizzle. Brian | ||
| Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary)
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When I was replating my boat in SF's China Basin, I had the pleasure of meeting a few real "Old Salts", one guy, Tony, worked in the shipyards at hunter's point and on many liberty ships. He used to come by and give me some valuable tips about marine hull repair, and some great stories too. He used to say, "You know you got the arc right when it sounds like eggs a'fryin" Too bad on the taps some came with them, most didn't. Gary | ||
| Kyle Brandt (Kyle4501)
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A good MIG welder is the easiest to use/ learn. I have a Millermatic 172 with shielding gas, and it makes welding easy! Good welders are not cheap (the good machines are expensive too), but junk is cheap to buy and expensive to use. So buying a cheap unit is false economy. Go to a welders supply type of store , tell them your needs and listen to their advice. Usually they can help you find a good used unit. As far as the extension cord is concerned, it depends on how many amps are being used. If the cord is too small it will cause a voltage drop that will cause problems welding. Good luck! (BTW I invested about $900 in my welder including gas bottle and all accessories and have not regretted it once! It's been one of my best investments.) | ||
| Frank Allen Rating: N/A |
I have a older hobart small wire welder which uses argon co-2 mixture runs on 110 v or 220, has done a great job for me for yrs, if i replace it i will get a miller as i have used them in the plant and they do good Frank Allen 4106 | ||
| H3 (Ace)
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I tig weld with a Miller Maxstar and also stick weld with it. It runs on 110 or 220. I also use a Lincoln mig welder that was purchased at sams. It uses fluxcore wire which works well in non breezy areas for quick fixes! Ace | ||
| Bob Oakman (Bobsbus)
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Penetrating eight inch steel doesn't require a real Hefty welder. Taking care to get the amperage right and taking your time to prepare the steel tubing by grinding angles to make "V-grooves" is helpful for good weld penetration. I used MIG with and without the gas. Same results from both. | ||
| Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary)
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Horsefeathers. if you have to vee-notch 1/8" material, it is because you are not penetrating. I have seen welds done with hobbyshop welders that are standing up, not laying down. I've never seen a consumer welder do any sort of a decent weld on anything but sheetmetal. Gary | ||
| Bob Oakman (Bobsbus)
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I suppose you don't have to v-notch it... When I was was a welder back in the 70s, we always did it on the heavier steel that required multiple passes. I just figured, since I was a little rusty at it, and with a low powered machine, it was a little insurance. Ya' know, shaky hands seems to come with age. I blew a lot of holes that I had to fill. I just ain't steady like I was in my younger days. | ||
| Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary)
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You know what they say, welders do it hotter. I'm kinda shaky, until I actually light up the arc. I had to do some TIG once for a gunsmith, and he said Man, I don't know if you can do this, you shake like a dog $#ittin' razor blades! As soon as I struck an Arc though I was solid as a rock. Gary | ||
| H3 (Ace)
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Is he talking about penetrating eight inch steel as the post says or does he mean 1/8 inch steel. I would agree that if it is 1/8 inch then he may not be penetrating but if he is talking 8 inch then he WILL have to v-groove the material! Tig welding is a lot slower but anyone with coordination can do it and it alos is a lot cleaner. Ace | ||
| Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary)
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I presumed he meant 1/8 with a home depot welder, he would need a 7.875" vee groove and about 900 passes, LOL. I'm shopping for a TIG, but if I had to choose one welder (And I did) it would be a 175 or better MIG. Gary | ||
| H3 (Ace)
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I bought a Miller Maxstar Tig and it performs well for tig or stick welding! If Ihad to do it again and I might, I would buy a lincoln! Ace | ||
| Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary)
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That's the lunchbox one, right? I almost bought one for small stainless jobs, like lifeline stantions etc, but I think I will need to be able to do heavier stuff as well now, So I'm looking for a big boy. I found a 300A hobart in a surplus yard, for a measly $200 (Base unit only), but of course it turned out to be three-phase. I do think the maxtar is cool, what don't you like about it? Gary | ||
| H3 (Ace)
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It didn't come with a foot control for one! Other than that it's a great little machine! It will stick weld just about anything. I used to weld up my imfamous tanks! LOL Ace | ||
| Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary)
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Oh yeah. that's right. I can't imagine using TIG w/o foot control. There's no foot-feed addon? Gary | ||
| H3 (Ace)
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yea there is but it's pricey and that's from and aftermarket supplier Ace | ||
| Stephen Fessenden (Sffess)
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I use a Hobart 135 Mig welder. I can weld 3/16" easily. I bought a used Daton 250 Amp stick welder with a 100% duty cycle on 160 amps with an Air Products arc stabilizer for heaver projects, such as trailer hitch, farm equipment. The amp mig welder can do the job if you slow down to get penetration. My tendency has been to try to go too fast and not get penettation. | ||
| Philris Rating: N/A |
I have a Maxstar 130 with a thumb wheel. It was $100 more than without but can not be added later. As I do primarily aircraft welding I had to have a remote. It can be changed to a foot control but thumb works better for me as many times I am in positions where I can't get a foot on the floor! I also have a Miller syncrowave 250 in the shop (great welder, but a little pricey) and only use the Maxstar as a portable. The 110/220 capability comes in handy when using it away from the shop. | ||
| VetteZ07
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The Hobart "Handler 175" is being closed out, you can get a discount on them right now. The new Hobart Handler 180 is replacing it. Both of these are 220VAC units. 220 volt units will provide a more stable arc, so it's easier to weld with. Best prices right now are at Sears and Harbor Freight. Sears, Hobart, Miller & Lincoln are all good units, just stay with ones that are 175 amps or better. Expect to pay $550 to $700, and DO get the gas. With gas it's called MIG, without it's called wire feed. If you are going to be outside in a windy area, wire feed flux wire is best as the gas blows away with MIG welding. Indoors, you can't beat MIG. Most 175amp units are good to 5/16" and some to 3/8" (thick metal). You also want a 30% duty cycle or more. HTH- Barrett |