A few things:
- You can buy wire feeders designed for CC power sources (those designed for stick/tig) or modules for them. I have an LN-8 wire feeder but the manual lists a CC/CV module that you can buy for it so it can be connected to a CC power source.
- Flux core is basically incapable of doing bodywork because of how dirty the weld is and the amount of penetration inherent to flux-core welding (which you don't want when doing bodywork). Lincolns "innershield" wire is way dirtier than the hobart stuff.
- Adding to Atomarc's conspiracy claims, some of the real cheap wire feed gas conversion kits are "constant flow" without provision for a solenoid, which means after you spend the money on the (cheap) welder you then spend money on the (cheap) conversion kit and blow thru argon like nobody's business. Make sure your kit includes a gas solenoid, or make your own (I converted my lincoln weld pak to run mig). Otherwise you'll waste dollars in argon. Also, buy (not rent) the biggest argon bottle you can.
- If you're looking at this thread and thinking about what to buy, go for a multiprocess. I have a kubota diesel powered lincoln 10-LX ranger and love the thing. It can run stick alone, I can hook my LN-8 feeder & tweco torch to it and run mig, or I can hook my miller HF box & weldcraft torch up and run tig. I realize this is overkill for a lot of people but it's worth quite a bit to me (both in welding jobs and ability to repair things around the garage/farm & fabrication)
- Atomarc suggested a sears HF box to add-on to their stick welders. As far as I know sears doesn't produce any welding equipment any more, all I see now are clarke and lincoln. My dad has a craftsman ac buzzbox that lasted 25 years in a very dirty/wet environment before it finally croaked. Old sears equipment is pretty solid as far as I'm concerned. Miller still produces HF boxes, I know several other manufacturers do or did, they run ~175-300 on ebay for older models.
- I'd peruse ebay for a HF box to do tig with a pre-existing stick power source. You can scratch start tig but with a HF box you'll get cleaner welds, pre/post flow capability and can do aluminum. I paid about $300 shipped for my Miller HF box, which works great. If I only had a regular stick box I'd get the newer miller HF boxes that you can plug a pedal into. My ranger can take a pedal directly so I'll just use that, but a pedal will improve your welds and make welding pipe/aluminum/ss much easier.
- I'm a member both on the hobwelds forums (
www.hobartwelders.com) and shopfloortalk, both are excellent resources for learning more.
