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I just stumbled across this site and saw lots of good information so I thought I'd sign up.I took some classes about 8 years ago and got pretty good with OA and stick but never really could MIG weld very well. After a long absence from metal work I've finally come back to it due to a new hobby, VW restoaration and customization. One of the local shops is having a sale on OA kits and they give you a 4 hour introductory class with the purchase of any welder. Once I saw that, I decided it was as good a time as any to get back into the swing of things.Between the Victor "Performer $159.00" and "Super Range II $189.00" Which would serve me better?I'll be doing mostly sheet metal work with some heavier stuff later on. Thanks everybody!
Reply:I'd say whatever has the widest range of tips included in the kit. What is the diff between the two?Get it hot and hit it hard...
Reply:Near as I can tell the regulators on the super range II just have a bigger face. Everything else seems to be the same....
Reply:BluSpecs, if you are going to be primarily doing automotive sheet metal restoration, you don't want O/A as a primary welder. Unlike Model A Ford days when you fixed a fender with O/A and a wire coat hanger, modern automotive sheet metal is a higher strength alloy and much thinner. Which means it'll warp much easier with heat and O/A simply puts too much heat into the metal before reaching welding temperatures. You'll have wavy body panels that'll require tons of Bondo and associated labor to level. I'd recommend a 220 V mig with CO2, like a Miller or Hobart 175. And if you can afford it, go up to the Miller 210 or beyond. A good (Lincoln, Miller or Hobart) 135V unit would also do the sheet metal, but lacks growth capability for thicker stuff. Follow the instructions and with a good unit, you'll be running acceptable beads in 15 minutes. I'd stay away from the cheaper Italian manufactured mig welders sold by Harbor Freight, Campbell Hausfield, etc., since many of them have poor arc stability (they lack the better transformers, chokes and filter capacitors found in the better units) and some have a hot gun all the time. Also make sure you get a C02 regulator. Most of the better units include an Argon/mixed gas regulator which will probably freeze up with CO2.You can run a mig bead almost before the work knows it's been heated. Well, that's an exaggeration, but you won't have near the distortion problem and long term the mig will be a lot cheaper to run. Being stored as a liquid, a bottle of CO2 lasts a long time and you avoid the hassle of leasing and refilling O/A bottles. O/A is handy for cracking frozen nuts, etc, but you may be able to do that more cheaply with a small Mapp or $50 Mapp/Oxygen torch from Lowes, HD, etcrather that buying a bigger rig.Last edited by OlPilot; 03-17-2004 at 06:14 PM.
Reply:I'd say as long as the difference is only gague faces, go with the $159 unit. Who the hell looks at the gagues more than once a month if the torch is working anyhow.For VW work, you'll be needing a torch.Using the torch for body work will be a chalenge, so you probably want to wangle your way into the 4 hour MIG course too. After all, having sold you a torch and with the potential of selling you a MIG, it's in the dealer's intrest to teach you MIG.BTW, Lincoln's lower end machines are all made in Italy, so parts & service may require a boat ride, or using OP's services to ge the machine fixed.Appreciation Gains You Recognition-
Reply:Thanks for the replys!I figure that if I can re-learn to weld well with an OA torch everything else should be easy! I also figure I'll pick up a Mig welder within a year or so after I get back into the swing of things and get compfortable welding again. |
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发表于 2021-9-1 01:02:54