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Just basic things? Well, I was of in a faraway land doing strange and complicated things with vehicles and I had a mishap when one of my vehicles was run into by a couple of over exuberant fellows in the dark of night. With an email and a USPS mail delivery I received the Harbor Freight $99.00 120V MIG Welder and it allowed me to do some great welding to return my vehicle to service with only a short down time. But for what I needed to do the inexpensive $99.00 120V welder worked out great, and I went on to do a few other little projects with it. It wasn't perfect for but for what I needed at the moment, it was the right tool. Granted a much more expensive welder would have worked, but for the cost verses the return in savings (slightly over $15K) it was the right tool at the right time.
Look around, lots of products out there; MIG, TIG, Stick ... nothing better than making something with your own hands and FIRE.
i've only used a couple, so my experience is limited. however, i've not really heard anyone bag on the hobart handler 140. but, i'd look at the used options around you. sometimes you can find deals on higher end equipment for the same price as new entry-level stuff. any major brand will probably suit your needs.
I used mine for a while with absolutely no issues, and of course it gives you the option of solid core with gas or flux core as well. Really easy and simple to master.
But.....
If you have the money, step up to this machine instead:
Even if you don't currently have 220 capabilities, it allows you to have that option in the future. 220 welding is just so much smoother with better heat control, plus your not maxing out you're machine with heavier material like you would with the 140. (My 140 is now designated to thin material like body panels, or flux core if needed)
And of course the added benefit of the Spool Gun should you not want to get into tig at this time.
Plus, Eastwood gives you phone support, should you have any issues.
I used mine for a while with absolutely no issues, and of course it gives you the option of solid core with gas or flux core as well. Really easy and simple to master.
But.....
If you have the money, step up to this machine instead:
Even if you don't currently have 220 capabilities, it allows you to have that option in the future. 220 welding is just so much smoother with better heat control, plus your not maxing out you're machine with heavier material like you would with the 140. (My 140 is now designated to thin material like body panels, or flux core if needed)
And of course the added benefit of the Spool Gun should you not want to get into tig at this time.
Plus, Eastwood gives you phone support, should you have any issues.
Look at Eastwood. I’m not a HF fan. How much do you want to spend?
liking eastwood. looking closer. I'm flexible on spend. I'd like to get the "right" one and purchase it once. would like to keep it under $1000 total (unit plus all the needed extras)
Depends how versatile of a machine you'd like. As hobbyists we use a Lincoln gas mig and never have issues, our welder is about 15 years old and works flawlessly. Personally id stick with a Lincoln or Miller, cant go wrong with either, but there is other options for a reason.
For clean welds you are going to want a gas, flux core welders tend to leave a lot to be desired.
If you think that you'd ever be welding anything above 1/4" thick it would be beneficial to get a machine of 220.
Regardless, enjoy playing with the metal glue when you get it! fun times playing mr welder!
well its harder to weld than i thought it would be. here is my last practice run, on my first day / time trying.
im getting warping. I guess i should slow down? move the spot welds around more? use compressed air for more cooling?
Indeed correct, warping is from heat. Best to move around and do stitches at a time. Or turn your heat down, but you'll loose penetration. Watch some YouTube on techniques, you'll be an all-star in no time!
Ideally you want to melt the two pieces together, and not "bond" them together. From my experience, playing with different gauges, and finding the melting point helps. Turn your temp up until your melting and blowing through the metal, then back it down until your slightly melting but also building instead of blowing through. It's a fine balance but once you learn gauges if metal you will instantly have a clue of how much heat can be applied.
Problem with not having enough heat is again your basically bonding like glue and not forming 1 piece and when it breaks you'll see the weld is actually ontop of the metal and not formed into it.
It's a fun time, metal glue is my favorite to play with!!!
quick update. here is my latest attempt in pics. this is a 4 inch patch in the center. I'm still getting some warpage and, more unfortunately, burn through.
the burn through happens at spots where there is gap. the HARD part is getting the patch to fit without gaps.
I'm wondering if I should not just lap weld a patch. lap of about the size of a spot weld. so much easier. not a good idea?
Prefacing with I'm another amateur but a little further down the road from you. I bought a hobart handler 140 when they were $500 and got an entire setup with C25 canister new for under $1000 total around 2015. I have welded in two floor pans and several rust repair sections on a total of 5 vehicles so far. MIG is the metal hot glue gun.
It looks like you are figuring things out. Like your stated goal, "just looking for something to do the occasional basic thing."
Looks like you're practicing on thin sheet. For thin sheet metal (most of automotive welding), heat/warp/burn-thru is the enemy. You can mitigate heat by doing individual tacks rather than a bead. You figured this out. But instead of doing 5 tacks in a row and then moving (as it looks like in your first welding image - post #20), move after each individual tack. AND this was a big tip for me - don't point the tip 90 degrees to the metal - the stinger will be pushing welding wire thru the thin sheet and asking to burn-through. Point the stinger obliquely, over the seam but angled sideways 45 or more degrees into one of the sheets. This makes the effective cross-sectional area of the metal thicker (from the perspective of the stinger) than the actual thickness of the sheet.
Some other things that can help - thinner welding wire. Going down to 0.025 is helpful. Backing with a copper heat sink paddle can be difficult to set up but can work. And absolutely minimize the gaps - bridging gaps is asking for burn-through.
Be wary of grinding welds down too much to make them all pretty - you may be creating paper thin areas and not have any idea. It's not easy to check thickness when you're done. When rust comes back it'll eat thru thin parts quickly. If it's not a cosmetic area it might be worth leaving the welds. Even if it's cosmetic minimize the grinding/flap disc. You should expect to need a small amount of body filler. Regular bondo (don't get the 5 minute quick set stuff it's more trouble than it's worth) and the bondo finishing glaze (the finishing glaze is really nice).
Weld-thru primer is helpful but not the panacea some claim it to be. Proper paint on the backside is always better when it can be done. Cavity wax (or fluid film with a cavity tip) is another option.
This guy on youtube, Fitzee's fabrications, was a massive gold mine of body welding art. This video alone blew my mind how he doesn't even have to template or measure, just cut and weld. And the pieces fit perfectly and in the end it comes out perfect:
thank you for the tips. much appreciated. never thought about the angle of the tip but it makes sense
i did see that chanel on youtube. the man has skills.
I have a rusted section, on a different car, that i would like to patch. in the floor pan. smal area, few inches. im thinking i might overlap the patch on the floor pan by a forth inch / centimeter or so. that makes the chance of burn through so much less. bad idea?
