any advice for my first welder to get to do sheet metal?
CK5
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recomended welder for beginner sheet metal
- Thread starter wazzabie
- Start date
lincoln / miller / hobart / weldmark
then 110 unit
and get gas it helps a lot with cooling on thin sheet metal.
also check craigs list for used deals. i had 1 a bit ago and had no problem selling it on craigs list fast.
www.craigslook.com is a super tool for searching craigslist.
then 110 unit
and get gas it helps a lot with cooling on thin sheet metal.
also check craigs list for used deals. i had 1 a bit ago and had no problem selling it on craigs list fast.
www.craigslook.com is a super tool for searching craigslist.
runamok151
1 ton status
get on w/ a variable output. i have the lincoln pro mig 135 w/ 5 preset voltages. takes gas or flux core and is a great little welder. but sometimes one setting is too cold and the next one up is too hot causing you to burn through the sheet metal. i wish i had the lincoln sp 135 w/ the variable output. then i could adjust the output to get exactly the bead i need. iirc, all hobarts in this range are presets too. miller makes both.
get a buddy with a tig machine and learn...i use a snap-on muscle mig with a gas setup, and that thing is the meanest 120 welder i've ever used. i've welded single pass prepped 1/4" on one pass like a machine was doing it. well worth the money
The BEST thing is one with a variable ouptut. This is hard to find in 110V, but Lincoln and Miller both have one. The Lincoln is like $800, the Miller maybe $1100. Both of these are powerful enough that you might not miss having a 220V welder for a while. A $200 Harbor Freight welder can be made to work, but it's much harder and you will end up with holes in the metal from time to time. They don't have MIG in 110V, and I don't think you want to do sheet metal with flux core and stepped output.
Used quality welders are a thing of beauty.
Used quality welders are a thing of beauty.
Look up Snap-on Muscle Mig...they have a mig 110v welder
only major problem with snap-on stuff is parts only from them. on most of it.
crawdaddy
1/2 ton status
Miller makes a 211 machine that is DVI or dual voltage input so it is a 110 and 220 you just switch the plugs. It has variable output and is overall a bad arse welder to start with. I paid just under 1200 for mine.
I'll concur with the Craigslist suggestions....
For my money I'd rather have a brand name, quality USED welder than a brand new off-brand welder.
I recently scored a Lincoln PowerMIG 255 from Craigslist for pennies on the dollar and it's a phenomenal welder. Overkill for simple sheetmetal work, but I will say this: Once you've been seduced by the ability to fuse metal together, you will probably want to do more than just sheetmetal repairs......it's FUN!!
My first welder was a Lincoln 175+ (220V, variable outputs) and it was a really good welder for sheetmetal. Something else that can help on almost ANY welder that uses sheilding gas is to play with the mix that you use. A 75/25 mix of ArCo2 will burn hotter and if the welder isn't very adjustable you may burn through a lot. I found that using a higher Argon content 92/8 "Gold Gas" allowed me to have a "softer" arc and better control over burn-through on sheetmetal.
On a fancier machine, you can really play with the power settings and wire feeds to achieve the same thing but for an entry-level welder it's another aspect you can use to "tune" the welder for thin materials.
For my money I'd rather have a brand name, quality USED welder than a brand new off-brand welder.
I recently scored a Lincoln PowerMIG 255 from Craigslist for pennies on the dollar and it's a phenomenal welder. Overkill for simple sheetmetal work, but I will say this: Once you've been seduced by the ability to fuse metal together, you will probably want to do more than just sheetmetal repairs......it's FUN!!
My first welder was a Lincoln 175+ (220V, variable outputs) and it was a really good welder for sheetmetal. Something else that can help on almost ANY welder that uses sheilding gas is to play with the mix that you use. A 75/25 mix of ArCo2 will burn hotter and if the welder isn't very adjustable you may burn through a lot. I found that using a higher Argon content 92/8 "Gold Gas" allowed me to have a "softer" arc and better control over burn-through on sheetmetal.
On a fancier machine, you can really play with the power settings and wire feeds to achieve the same thing but for an entry-level welder it's another aspect you can use to "tune" the welder for thin materials.
crawdaddy
1/2 ton status
x2 on what greg said about gas. The 90/10 or 92/8 gas also has less splatter than a 75/25 or straight argon. Less splatter makes for cleaner looking welds. The higher the argon content the deeper the weld will penetrate but for automotive you really don't need more than 90/10.
Bama67
Registered Member
I just bought a Hobart handler 187 from Tractor Supply. I think it was a good deal at $599. This is a very capable, nice machine, I have been using it to patch my Blazer's rust. I use it with gas, but it is capable of up to 1/2'' plate with flux core wire.
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