The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest welders

I haven't used a welder in 15 years. I am getting ready to start on some panels on my truck. I decided to get a mig but am not sure which one to get. I looked at hobart 140. Can anybody help me compare Hobart, Millermatic, or Lincoln. My past experience was stick welding so mig will be new to me.

Thanks,
Brian

Hi Brian,

Look through this thread for a previous discussion on MIGs: http://www.stovebolt.com/bboard/cgi-bin//ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=22;t=004328#000000

Hi Cribb66
Buy as big a one as you can afford. I have a lincoln 145 and wish it was bigger. If you welded before you will love using a mig. any darn fool can look good remember to push the weld not drag.

I have a 110v Clark - nice machine.
My dad has a 220v Hobart - also a nice machine.

Miller has always been my favorite even back in the 70's when I had 6-8 guys welding. I still have a Millermatic 200. However I find that Blue has cheapened thier product to the point it is no better than Red. Regardless you don't need a 220V/250Amp machine to do sheetmetal repair. Get something that suits your needs and uses .023 and .030 wire with a decent duty cycle. Hobart, Blue, Red, Airco, whatever are all OK for the hobbyist

I have a Lincoln Weld-Pak 100(110 volts)that I like very much for sheet metal repairs and an old P&H stick welder for larger projets.I agree,buy the largest one you can afford.

I got a Lincoln Migpak 15 on ebay for $400, which seemed like a good price about a year ago. Its a 30 amp 220v single phase dual mig welder that puts out 30-175 amps. Since its 30 amp 220 volt I can plug it in to the same outlet as my dryer.

I paid another $250 or so for an 80 lb bottle of argon/02. I also bought a cheap cart and a self-darkening helmet from Harbor Freight, which I've been happy with. For me the cart is more like a stand to keep everything on as I don't move the welder around too much.

I really enjoy welding and am very happy with this welder. With the things I've done to my '51 it has really come in handy.

I think the Migpak 15 is a canadian package that is the same as the SP175 sold in the US. The main difference between the Migpak and the SP175 is the the Migpak includes more stuff, like extra tips, face sheild, two spools of wire ...

For sheetmetal welding you should use solid wire, which means you need a gas mig welder. The flux-core wire is great for some stuff but not the best for sheetmetal welding.

I bought a Handler 140 last year after using a Clarke for a few years. Buy the Hobart, its a great machine. I'm into lots of sheetmetal repair now and can't believe how much better the Hobart works compared to my old Clarke. You'll need to get a tank of "mig mix" because the flux core wire is not good for sheetmetal. The Hobart comes with the guage kit for the gas. When I was comparing I found most of the other brands sold the gas kit for extra money. Lots of info available at http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/

I've heard good things about Hobart and am thinking of buying one.

my hobart 135 (model before the 140) is made by miller so most parts are interchagable. If yo guys that own hobarts look at your mig gun I bet it says miller on it, mine does.

Miller and Hobart are both owned by ITW corp. Hobart is the so-called dept store brand. Miller is more high end. That said, some of the Miller and Hobart equipment is identical internally and some is different. In some cases a lot different. Miller has an excellent web site with tons of educational info. Lincoln also has good info. http://www.millerwelds.com/education/library.html

Never hurts to get a short welding course at your local tech school, but that's my current gig... welding teacher.

As one of my students related: "In life there are two places where penetration is important... welding is one".

Hey gtow69...Your Lincoln Weld-Pak 100, Do you have the conversion kit on it for gas welding? If not, what size flux cored wire do you use for auto body sheet metal? I just bought the same thing and the .030 size wire seems a little big for sheet metal.

Thanks

So with all this information before me, I am guessing that a CH wire feed flux core welder (availible at Wal-Mart) is not the way to go for someone who has never welded before.

well...maybe... I have a century 125 gl, a lot like the 140, and I built the flatbed and did all the body work on my 59 1 ton and the 47 jeep both of which in my sig. So go look at those - all done with flux core. You can make a welding spoon (see the 47 jeep) that wicks away heat and prevents burn through - and can be used as a 'backer' to just fill in holes with a spiral weld from the outside in. I am only 'good enuf' as far as welding skill goes.

I also have an article on how to build the flat bed in the tech tips section if you want to see more.

Well, I shop at Wally World, but Welders? I catch on a little slow. :p

Yeah they got a couple of Campbell-Hausfelds.Same aisle as the compressors.