The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Need Wirefeed Purchase Advice

First off, I want you to know that I have never used a wirefeed welder.

I have a '54 3600 that is going to need some welding done on the body. I'm thinking about buying a wirefeed welder but I know absolutely nothing about them. Most of what I will be doing will be sheetmetal, but may get a little heavier once I get into the truck further. Nothing really heavy as I understand that a stick welder is better for the heavier stuff.

I want to spend less than $300, if possible, but can go a little more if need be to get a unit that I will be happy with.

Any advice, tips, etc. that you folks can give me as to brands, amps, whatever would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Moosetrot J. McCrotchrott-Scourge of the North

I just purchased a "MillerMatic" 135 115 Volt wire feed welder and it is AWESOME!! It came with the cart, guages, and tank for $585. Best deal I could find for the value you get with a brand name like Miller.

Phillip
1951 GMC 9300 Canadian Built
Centreville Va

Are you talking wirefeed or wirefeed/MIG ? If you follow some of the old threads, you will see that the majority of advice is pointing at a MIG welder for the sheet metal.

Any chance of a short course on the difference
or uses of wirefeed/MIG? Been looking around a little and have seen some with optional gas accessories. Given the cost I was thinking of starting out with just a wirefeed that has the gas as an option.

I guess I'd rather buy "right" the first time while trying to not overspend my meager, pitiful budget. I readily admit that I am a reall newbie as far as welding goes but would like to give it a try.
Thanks gain!

Moosetrot

I got the Lincoln Weld Pak 100 at Home Depot ($300). Comes with the flux wire. I soon converted to MIG for an extra $100 plus the tank and the gas. MIG uses a finer wire, and the inert gas acts as a shield to keep oxygen away from the weld, which eliminates most spatter. I felt I needed this to do a good job of welding in patch panels. The welder came with a Mickey Mouse hand-held face shield, which I soon replaced with an auto-darkening helmet. I need both hands to hold and guide the gun. I had never welded before and I found this setup to be very easy to use and a lot of fun. You'll be amazed at all the things you'll find that need welding once you have one.
I have experience with a cheap wire feed from Sears and there is a big difference. The tip is always electrically hot, which is a pain. The Lincoln is not hot until you squeeze the trigger--a much better setup and well worth any extra money.

My first wirefeed was without gas so it used flux core wire, that is, a flux was present inside a hollow core wire. This flux will leave a residue during welding, requiring that you clean each weld, especially between passes if you are building up an area. The flux can also interfere with certain paints, etc if it comes out of the weld later. I finally got a 225 Lincoln MIG that uses 10 pound solid wire spools. The gas shields the weld from air during welding and makes a nice metal bead, no flux, no cleaning. Great for my kind of welding where I have to weld up my holes, etc. Once you get the wire speed and voltage right (amps) then you can just move the gun along almost in a straight line, with very little weave, unless you're filling a big crack. Make sure the gas attachment has a solenoid that only opens when the trigger is pressed to weld, also that the tip is not electrically hot until the trigger is pushed. I saw one where the gas ran all the time and used too much, and its safer with the electically cold tip. You may want infinite heat adjustment - some only give you two or three heat choices and they may not always match your job. Good luck!

Pknauth is right, the 'mask' or 'shield' is an important part of the purchase. I am buying an auto-darkening mask.
I was caught up in a routine of : tilt the mask, hammer, dolly, weld, tilt the mask, hammer, dolly, weld, tilt the mask, hammer, dolly, weld and for a moment forgot to tilt the mask back down. Buzzzzzz. Flassssssshhhh. For days my eyes where swollen and my face turned a strange shade. I looked kinda like Jackie Chan, without the moves.
Love my mig, though...
whizzerick

Stay away from the cheapies - I learned my lesson buying a Schumaker piece of ----. Go Miller, Hobart, Lincoln. Go gas, flux core is miserable in comparison. Buy it right the first time and you won't regret it.

Moosetrot:
I would support what everyone else is saying here. Get a MIG welder with gas. Also an auto darkening helmet, while relatively expensive is the way to go. I bought a Hobert 135 with gas (I beleve they are the same as Miller). It has been excellent for me, especially since I never welded before. The heavier stuff was OK, but I needed (& still do) a lot of practice on sheet/body metal. A MIG welder is relatively easy to learn and it doesn't buckle sheet metal as easy as a gas welder (I learned the hard way). The only thing I would be careful of is to ensure that your unit has a good wirefeed mechanism (sturdy & smooth). I also agree, overbuy now - you won't ever be sorry you bought a better unit.

Ditto Donsz comments. I have used a Lincoln stick welder for years, and MIG is a whole nother animal, but absolutely necessary for sheet metal. I spoke with several guys who are good welders, and everyone said that flux core wire is vastly inferior to the gas shield. I bought a Hobart 135, and attribute all shortcomings to the operator.

Thanks guys! I want to get the "right" stuff instead of buying something that I will need to replace anyway. Looks like old Moosetrot is going to have to save up just a "leeetle" more
and get a MIG. Pretty cold and frozen up here in Wis., anyway.

In a while, if you start seeing me posting a lot of questions about welding, please help me out as much as you did in this thread!

Thanks!

Moosetrot J. McCrotchrott-Scourge of the North

You might also look at the HTP welders. They have cold wire (not hot) till you pull the trigger and they do stitch welding and have a lot of features for the price. I considered very seriously getting one, but I have a century 225 that was given to me and gets the job done. Its hot on the wire when its on, so that's a bit of a pain, but, when I got the auto darkening lens, then that became a non-issue.

I have been using flux core though, and based on the rest of these posts, I am going to get gas fittings and give that a whirl. Welder has a gas conversion option.