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Hey guys! One of my buddies at work wants to start a hobby or just start welding auto body work and wants to know what would be a good mig welder for the price. His level of use would be just light zappin' in the garage...I am not sure what to tell him as I mostly work with TIG. Any advice would be apreciated !!!! He might also do some welding on a couple boat trailers ,too. He looking in the price range under $300.00 Thanks!!! ToddLast edited by toddzjeep; 06-22-2006 at 12:54 PM.
Reply:I had a fun time fixing an old F150 using a (used) Lincoln Weld-Pak 155 with a gas conversion. I opted for the MIG kit (GMAW) because the extra heat from flux core made it difficult for a novice like me to work thin sheet metal. I would encourage your friend to look for a used unit. He will most likely get more zap for his buck.There are no small projects
Reply:A 175 amp, 220 volt unit would be nice for autobody work and other repairs to a vehicle. As far a boat trailers go though I'd would suggest something even larger. The 175 amp unit would be slow even if it could handle the gage metal on the trailer. If the trailer is of heavy construction it might not even handle the job at all.Seriously he needs to look used. That is not enough cash to buy the right machine new especially if he is serious about the trailers. Even then he is not likely to get what is needed used for that price, especially in consideration of the fabrication work.If he can limit himself to just auto body work he might be able to find a use 130 amp, 115 volt machine. Or something similar. These will handle the sheet metal fine and some of the other work common on a automobile. The limitations are large enough that I don't generally reccomend such machines at all if they are to be the owners only welder. If you can work within those limitations or find other welding resources for the heavier work, the small machines can be useful to have.Generally I think he will have a hard time getting set up for $300. You will need gas for sheetmetal work, mask and whatever else to get started. On top of that finding used welders is very difficult. A Millermatic 135 is around $600 new, mabe a bit more, and are seldom seen used.ThanksDaveLast edited by wizard; 06-22-2006 at 11:27 PM.
Reply:As long as it works, you can get by with the small machines if you just remember that you bought it for sheet metal, and avoid the temptation to do suspension work with it, too.You will really want to make sure you are GMAW-capable, though. FCAW is not for autobody when you have a choice.Ask about ESAB's Easygrind wire, and also Harris' Twenty-Gauge wire, for doing autobody work. |
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发表于 2021-9-1 00:59:54