Welder choosing

[Lonely SOl]

Hi If I get an 100 amp welder, will it be strong enough to weld 8 guage metal and 20 guage metal. What amp would you put it on if you were welding 18 guage sheetal to the car and 20 guage sheet metal to the car

[mike@af]

You need to go with Gas Sheilded MIG. The flux core stuff wont work well at all. Use either .020-.030 solid ER70 wire. 100Amps isnt very much, you will be able to weld sheet, but not plate.
MIG's are not adjusted by amperage, rather how much "heat/voltage" and the wirespeed. Its different for every welder and every application. If you are doing patch panels you really need to take your time and spread your welds out so that you dont get any heat warping. Also dont forget, hammerweld your welds in the HAZ because of shrinking.

[Lonely SOl]

so those eectric welders on ebay that sell for 60 bucks and have 100-150 amp wouldn't work in my case is to spot weld the 18 guage metal to car where the tag plate originally goes and weld the 20 guage or 18 guage where the tail lights used to go. All of this is on Del sol, just to give u an idea. Are gas welders more expensive than electric welders?

[mike@af]

Originally Posted by Lonely SOl

so those eectric welders on ebay that sell for 60 bucks and have 100-150 amp wouldn't work in my case is to spot weld the 18 guage metal to car where the tag plate originally goes and weld the 20 guage or 18 guage where the tail lights used to go. All of this is on Del sol, just to give u an idea. Are gas welders more expensive than electric welders?

Those cheap welders on eBay are labeled as MIG, but they are really just flux cored. The Gas I was talking about was MIG. Metal Inert Gas, with CO2-Argon sheilding gas. I wasnt talking about OxyAcetelyne.

Those welders cheap wire feed welders on eBay are cheap piles of junk. I'd suggest looking at the Lincoln Electric, Hobart, Esab, and Miller welders with the Sheilding gas option. So Im still talking about the electric welders. I suggest doing a little bit of research on welding, and the various types.

You could get one of those cheap Chicago Electric welders on ebay, but you wont be able to do much, not much at all.

[Lonely SOl]

iight Thanks for helping

[mike@af]

No problem. Sheet metal is my specialty around here.

[Devious Designs]

Originally Posted by GTmike400

Also dont forget, hammerweld your welds in the HAZ because of shrinking.

Wow, I didn't know you could hammerweld newer sheetmetal, I thought it was just for ww2 bodies and older. Learn something new everyday

Yea Just what mike said, those cheap ebay welders suck, you can't buy consumables locally, so tracking down parts for the welder is a nightmare. And trust me you'll go threw collets and other parts quickly...check out a lowes or home depot for a lincoln 135 pro, should be able to get one for 400 bucks easy... You'll need a bottle of shielding gas (75% argon, 25% helium for steel), and some cheapy helmet should come with the kit. Its a little more expensive than the cheap ebay ones, but it will last a long time if you treat it right, plus you'll be able to find parts easily. I used a simliar welder (miller 135) for a very long time, so you'll appreciate spending the extra $$$'s.

(sorry for the novel lol)

[mike@af]

Originally Posted by Devious Designs

Wow, I didn't know you could hammerweld newer sheetmetal, I thought it was just for ww2 bodies and older. Learn something new everyday

Yea Just what mike said, those cheap ebay welders suck, you can't buy consumables locally, so tracking down parts for the welder is a nightmare. And trust me you'll go threw collets and other parts quickly...check out a lowes or home depot for a lincoln 135 pro, should be able to get one for 400 bucks easy... You'll need a bottle of shielding gas (75% argon, 25% helium for steel), and some cheapy helmet should come with the kit. Its a little more expensive than the cheap ebay ones, but it will last a long time if you treat it right, plus you'll be able to find parts easily. I used a simliar welder (miller 135) for a very long time, so you'll appreciate spending the extra $$$'s.

(sorry for the novel lol)

You can pretty much hammer weld anything that you can get a dolley behind. A lot of the sheet metal work that existed during WWII is rare today because everyone just covers it up with bondo or fiberglass. So metalworking is somewhat of a lost art in the general perspective, but theres plenty of us out there.

As far as the Lincoln welders at Lowes, they are great buys. One thing I did hear from the local weldin' shop where I get my gas is that the lowes welders are a little bit different on the insides. Im not sure about it, but either way Lincolns are good.

Hey, about the sheilding gas. I use 25% CO2, 75% Argon. I've never tried 25% Helium 75% Argon before. Any difference?

[Devious Designs]

Co2 forms a little bit of water in your lines, helium does not. Ever shoot a paintball gun with Co2? It'll get real cold and damp...not good for a 2 thousand dollar welder. Only the best for my tools.

[slyhog-22056]

Take look at some of the welders that Harbor Freight has to offer. The link below is for the same welder I have been using for 3 years now and I can weld anything I need too including stainless steel, carbon steel. For my delicate stuff I have a AC/DC stick welder with a TIG gun attached. With this I even TIG brass, copper, titanium & chrome moly. Yes I do know what I am talking about I have been a certified welder for over 20 years and wouldnt stick weld anything smaller than 3/4".

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=55236

[mike@af]

Those Hobart welders are pretty nice.

[duplox]

Yea Hobarts are pretty much the same thing as Millers, a few parts are a little different(not as good), but definately still a good machine.