Owen Posted September 3, 2004 Share Posted September 3, 2004 That's damn good for the HH175! I have the HH135, couldn't afford the HH175 as it was at least $800 at the time. Don't get a Craftsman, it will blow up and then take 2 months to get it fixed, only to blow up the same nite you take it home! So what's this about migging stainless, is it one of those like migging aluminum where people tell you "it can't be done with your small machine", but in reality it can? I've found that by turning up the gas pressure on my small machine, I can get some pretty damn good beads on 0.25" aluminum. One day I'll get a TIG for better workmanship though. Owen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted September 3, 2004 Share Posted September 3, 2004 I welded some stainless with my MIG for the first time just the other day. Got a 2# spool of wire for $17 and just fired it up. Worked perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Kahuna Posted September 7, 2004 Share Posted September 7, 2004 For what it is worth! I got a chance to see Miller reps at a airshow last month and they let me play with their stuff. The Miller 135 or 175 are sweet setups for a small garage shops. I can't imagine anything that I would need anything more. And the cost savings from the tig I can send out non migable stuff to proff. welder. They had some refurb hobart 135s for two ninety on show special. wish I had grabbed one. The Miller rep told me that the Hobart 135 is the same as the miller 135 with the exception of plastic parts vs millers aluminum parts. They are the same company, one just gets cadilac status and the other chevy. That being said. I am buying a lincoln sp135. I have used the hobart, the miller and the lincoln. As far as I can tell, it all comes down to what color you like. I like red!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 I recently bought a Lincoln Weld Pak 100. I have zero experience welding. My original intention was to get a Hobart 135 or 175, but the deal on the Weld Pak 100 was too good to forego (it was a returned item at Home Depot). At this point my plan is to purchase a good, auto-darkening helmet, the appropriate diameter and material wire spool, and to commence my attempts at welding sheet metal. The immediate application of interest is the 280Z hood – which unfortunately is light-gauge, and thus probably challenging. I’ve observed in other threads some skepticism about the suitability of a wire welding (no gas shielding, at least not yet) on light-gauge mild steel. However, these are non-structural parts, and I don’t particularly care about aesthetics (splatter and burned holes are OK – this is not a show car). Am I setting myself up for trouble? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 Michael, If you're willing to play with the settings a little (wire feed speed mostly) and be patient you'll be fine. I have a Hobart 135 with a gas setup but most of the sheet metal welding I've done with it has been without gas. I even used some of a banged up 240Z hood as filler material to replace rusted floor and firewall. Turns out the hood metal was as thick if not a little thicker than the floor. Be sure to use the .030 wire. I found that if you tack a few spots to hold everything in place and then lay a short bead, move a small distance and lay another bead back to the first and then continue that pattern it works very well and prevents most warping. So it is possible and actually not all that hard to use self-shielded wire to weld thin sheet but if you can convert to gas it makes a much cleaner weld. I also found that if you burn through it's best to stop and let things cool before trying to fill it and then go slow or you'll end up chasing the hole and making it larger. Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMAHAWKZ Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 I just started welding stainless with my lincoln mig, went to the welding supplier and I asked him about shielding gas for stainless, he told me I needed tri mix to do it right he claimed it would keep the weld really clean which is important with stainless, makes sweet looking welds. He also refered me to the lincoln web site for more info on shielding gas, it gave alot of info which will help you get the most consistent good looking welds with the proper penetration. The esab web site has some good info too. As for welding sheet metal on cars do youself a favor buy a good quality welder which has rehostat type adjustment stay away from the the ones that click into detent youll be happy you did. Don't bother with flux core type wire on a mig its nice if you have to take your welder out to your job site but if your in a garage get the gas. I used flux core for 2 years and then bought the gas set up should have bought it from day 1 the added expense will pay off in better welds and less clean up/grinding, remember cleanup causes more heat and thus warping. 1 more tip if you are welding sheet metal get a spool of .025 wire with matching size tip, the thinner wire puts less heat to the piece, better results, less burn thru, less warping. TomahawkZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 One welding rep told me the cost difference between gas and self shielding wire is negligible. I know it is tough to shell out the $$ for the gas kit, but the sheilded wire costs more. the biggest reason to go gas is no smoke. The fumes from the fux core wire is a killer. Also to use sheilding gas, make sure you turn off the shop fan. A steady breeze will blow the gas sheild away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chris240turbo Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 I've got a lincoln mig 125, maybe same welder as Mike? works great on mild steel, and OK on stainless, so long as you back shield it with gas. doesn't do a very good job on aluminum, and the conversion kit to weld alum. was pricey. Buy a Mig, and practice practice practice, I played with mine for a month or so, and thought I was doing pretty well, then my father came for a visit and tried it out, he's welded for the last 30+ years, and his first pass with it was far better than any of mine, it's all about practice... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toysport Posted September 17, 2004 Author Share Posted September 17, 2004 I am getting either Miller or Lincoln and practice practice practice. -Thanks- John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2126 Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 Toysport, you mentioned that you intend to section your struts! If you are, infact, a person with little or no welding experience......DO NOT WELD THE STRUTS YOURSELF!!!!!! The stuts are a critical structural component of the car. If you have a failure you will be wishing you had taken the struts to a professional welder, provide you are still alive! I have alot of welding experience and I choose to have my struts welded by a certfied pipe fitter. SAFETY IS ALWAYS NUMBER ONE! Also, it is important to inform the welder that a shock goes inside the strut and to be cautious not to have excessive weld penetration. If this happens you will be trying to figure out how to grind away the protruding welds from inside the strut tubes, so you can insert the shocks. Just some food for thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted September 17, 2004 Share Posted September 17, 2004 The stuts are a critical structural component of the car. If you have a failure you will be wishing you had taken the struts to a professional welder, provide you are still alive! I have alot of welding experience and I choose to have my struts welded by a certfied pipe fitter. This was discussed fairly recently, but if you weld ABOVE the spring perch then it's not really so critical. I sectioned mine about 1.5" from the top of the tube just because that's what I had seen done before, but I think it was Terry who pointed out that the spring perch sits quite a bit lower than that, so the load of the chassis weight won't be carried by the part you've welded. You'll have some lateral loading and some pulling from the strut extension, but there won't be nearly as much load if you do the sectioning up top as there would be if you followed JohnC's post on sectioning and sectioned right where the new spring perch was going to go. Also if you did weld up high and had the settings too hot, your weld is easily accessible to be ground away. If it were to break, the suspension wouldn't come apart because almost the whole length of the strut would still be captured in the tube, and it would make a hell of a racket to let you know something is wrong. My $.02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toysport Posted November 2, 2004 Author Share Posted November 2, 2004 SAFETY IS ALWAYS NUMBER ONE! I agree. It's better to be safe than sorry. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeatrpi Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 I bought a refurb Lincoln SP-100 from weldingmart.com for $370, free shipping no tax. I got a bottle from EBay (Indiana Oxygen Co, $86) and a fill ($30 from a local shop). That was everything I needed, except gloves. It works great, but as others have pointed out the heat settings are not infinite. I wanted to save some money, so I made the sacrifice. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z2NV Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Bought a Hobart Handler175 that was reconditioned for less than $500 delivered from Tool King off of eBay. Checked with local welding shops, and they couldn't touch that price. Also, for those of you naysayers regarding reconditioned, it came with the exact same warranty period as new. I have learned over the years, that it seldom 'pays' to buy cheap tools or machinery. The off-name import stuff will be a nightmare in the event that you ever need any kind of parts or servicing. I now appreciate that "you get what you pay for" (especially in tools and equipment), and if I can't afford it, I wait til I can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonsZ Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 The Lincoln 185 is a great welder. I picked one up and it is totally perfect for my needs. I never welded TIG before. I knew hoe to Stick Weld in 1992, but this is totally better. It has high frequency start, and it is a total no-brainer to become decent on it. It'll start from 1/2 inch away but works best within 3/16" of the pool. I have welded 9 linear feet of mild steel and 3 linear feet of stainless, I do not see any difference (except the way the back of the weld looks (they call it sugar, it looks more like brocolli, I'm not back gassing). Anyway, I managed to weld .040" sheet to 1/8" bar, it took a little time to get the hang of it, but it turned out great. My second inch of welding was decent and my 12th foot was darn good. I could even use stainless rod on mild steel and it worked great. I haven't even turned it above 75Amp and it goes to 185! AC/DC, I can't wait to get started on my custom cold air intake. Not sure if I'll use Aluminum or Stainless. The other cool part about it is it doesn't seem to matter much how clean the metal is, I welded right over light rust, and it seriously left a beautiful grey bead through the yellowy orange rust like it wasn't there. It does work better with clean metal though. The trickiest part was getting the heat right, I have thumb control and if you go too hot it burns through, not hot enough and the pool is too small and the bead looks clumpy. The Pulsed control works well for welding next to an edge or when I did the dissimilar sizes together. It's damn fun too especially with the miller elete helmet, no fumbling with manual helmets. A friend of mine was impressed how fast I picked it up from NO experiance with the tig, but it is just that easy! He struggles with his MIG 'cause it won't start without clean metal and since he is not using a gas shield he has to stop and reclean the metal every inch or so. I don't quite know how he doesn't have any slag, but I don't know how the flux core MIG differs from the coated stick. Of course this welder wasn't cheap. I am very happy with it though and although I probably won't use it to it's fullest, I think it was worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 The other cool part about it is it doesn't seem to matter much how clean the metal is, I welded right over light rust, and it seriously left a beautiful grey bead through the yellowy orange rust like it wasn't there. It does work better with clean metal though. Well... now you have impurities in the weld. It "may" look OK but its not. Clean your parts, both physically and chemically, before welding. It makes welding much easier and the welds with be stronger. Preparation is especially important for proper aluminum welding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonsZ Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 Thanks, the books don't quite get that point accross, chemically? What do you recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 Acetone. Don't use any degreaser/cleaner that has chlorine in it (Brake Kleen, Bleach) because the residue turns into small amounts of chlorine gas when heated. In WW1 that stuff was called Phosgene and the Germans sprayed a lot of it on the British and French troops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaime240z Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 Can one use denatured alcohol? I have a bunch of it that I use for cleaning plastics, composits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad-ManQ45 Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 I use acetone. On mild stell, before the acetone I wipe it with OSPHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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