Noddle Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Are gasless mig welders worth buying ?, I'm looking for something cheap to do panel / exhaust type welding with. Nigel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paz8 Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 No, not for thin metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexideways Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Not for old an rusty metal either, I redid the frame on my friend's Protégé 4X4 and lord did I hate it. You'd be better off with a small oxyacetylen rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roninjiro Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 i personally know its possible b/c i had no choice but to do it, but i used to weld and fabricate for a living. for first timers i highly DO NOT recommend a flux core welder for Panel work, but you MIGHT be able to get away with exhaust and boy it WILL look ugly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexideways Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 One thing that's good to know though, some of those little welders can be upgraded to use gas with an optional kit so you can try to take a look into it. As ronijiro said it'll work but, you'll have alot of grinding and body filling to do afterward cause, it does'nt make clean welds on thin sheet. Flux core is designed to weld really thick metal where you have to build lots of heat to melt it. The flux produces gases as it burns that serves the same purposes as the gas in a mig but, on top of things, it forms a crust over the weld to protect it from oxydisation while it cools down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e_racer1999 Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 gasless MIG? doesn't the IG in MIG stand for "inert gas"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ledphoot Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 read this forum.... http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=117591&highlight=harbor+freight+welder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paz8 Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 The gasless welders are usually called "wire feed welders", I'm using a Miller MM135 and it makes the other small migs look like toys. The difference between welding with gas and self flux wire is like night and day. But we all have to use what we got and make it work, it's part of the fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bschiltz Posted December 24, 2006 Share Posted December 24, 2006 gasless MIG? doesn't the IG in MIG stand for "inert gas"? MIG is technically GMAW or Gas Metal Arc Welding, but usually means any wire feed welder. Flux core "MIG" is more like stick, or SMAW I guess. What if you got a normal MIG setup, but used flux core wire with 8-10 PSI of shielding gas, rather than 20 PSI so you use less gas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e_racer1999 Posted December 24, 2006 Share Posted December 24, 2006 ^ i understand about GMAW; AAMOF i'm planning on getting a MIG-capable arc welder myself (after xmas, of course ). it just seemed kind of odd to have "gasless" and "MIG" right next to each other, since true MIG has a shielding gas. although i think i know what he meant: MIG (arc) vs. TIG (oxy-acetylene) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warrenHLS3083301 Posted December 24, 2006 Share Posted December 24, 2006 i just bought a miller 175 with my christmas bonus, and cant wait to try it out. With the cart, bottle, and plugs it cost me 1400$cdn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zV8 Posted December 24, 2006 Share Posted December 24, 2006 i just bought a miller 175 with my christmas bonus, and cant wait to try it out. With the cart, bottle, and plugs it cost me 1400$cdn Let me know how you like it, thats what i'm planning on getting at the end of the month, minus the cart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted December 27, 2006 Share Posted December 27, 2006 No, not for thin metal. Well hang on there... if you're talking body steel, they do just fine IMO. I have no problem with my Lincoln (110v running .030 flux core) doing body work. I've used my friends Hobart with the gas and to tell you the truth, I don't see much diffrence. Yes the flux core is a bit cruddy looking and dirty, but you always do a bit of grinding/filler work if you're talking about a body panel people are going to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ledphoot Posted December 27, 2006 Share Posted December 27, 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zV8 Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 grinding a weld isn't a big job either, with a angle grinder you can take a weld down in a matter of seconds. especially patch panels, there gonna be small most the time so ugly welds aren't a big deal. Of course we all want a nice welder, but theres a huge difference between a mm175 which will end up above $1000 with gas, and a small unit for $400 that will get most practical jobs done easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8_DatZun Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 not trying to hijack the thread but i didnt see a use in starting a NEW thread for this question... has anybody tried the mig 200 welder off harbor freights website.. it has the gas option and is on sale for i think $399 believe it said it welds up to .036" steel which is what... like 18 gauge? if its a decent welder that may be the way i go... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zV8 Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 I wouldn't get that ^, but i can't speak from experience either. I'd rather get a hobart 140 for that price, than get a cheapo 220v HF unit. Who knows though, it might weld great. It's just that the manuals for those units say only a few parts are available for replacement, which kind of scares me...lol. Tractor Supply had the Hobart 187 on sale for $550, but i can't find any left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ledphoot Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 I bought one of those "cheapy" foreign built 110v migs from a flea market seller in 1991 to use when I had just started doing bodywork part time in the corner of a shop in a junkyard. I figured if I could put in 3 1/4 panels before it died I could make money on the deal at $199. It was flux or gas and I used flux wire to save $$. I ended up doing salvage reconstructs for a man that dealt in nothing but RX7s for the next 2 yrs building 2-4 cars a month and other work on the side as well. That welder is now at my friends shop with a "homemade" switch and you have to hold the lead as straight as you can to get a good feed but it still runs a bead to this day!! I know for a fact I've burned 50 rolls or more of wire and made many 1000's of dollars before I replaced it. It was used exclusively for sheet metal work and an occasional exhaust or header repair and to build an aquarium stand for a 100 gal aquarium. I kept it clean and kept wiring tight and used the proper lubes and sometimes had to take it apart and replace a wire end or such but it held up well for my investment. The $1500 Snapon I replaced it with lasted 3 yrs and had several replacement parts and then I had a heat selector knob burn up and no one would touch it so I rigged it to work on one setting and keep it as a spare. I now have a $450 hobart 140 110v and love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zV8 Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 I bought one of those "cheapy" foreign built 110v migs from a flea market seller in 1991 to use when I had just started doing bodywork part time in the corner of a shop in a junkyard. I figured if I could put in 3 1/4 panels before it died I could make money on the deal at $199. It was flux or gas and I used flux wire to save $$. I ended up doing salvage reconstructs for a man that dealt in nothing but RX7s for the next 2 yrs building 2-4 cars a month and other work on the side as well. That welder is now at my friends shop with a "homemade" switch and you have to hold the lead as straight as you can to get a good feed but it still runs a bead to this day!! I know for a fact I've burned 50 rolls or more of wire and made many 1000's of dollars before I replaced it. It was used exclusively for sheet metal work and an occasional exhaust or header repair and to build an aquarium stand for a 100 gal aquarium. I kept it clean and kept wiring tight and used the proper lubes and sometimes had to take it apart and replace a wire end or such but it held up well for my investment. The $1500 Snapon I replaced it with lasted 3 yrs and had several replacement parts and then I had a heat selector knob burn up and no one would touch it so I rigged it to work on one setting and keep it as a spare. I now have a $450 hobart 140 110v and love it! I know you can weld thicker metal with multiple passes, but would a 140 handler be able to safely weld 1/4" steel on a utility trailer for example? Because I have a trailer I need to re-weld a few bad welds on, but most the other work I will be doing won't require a 220v welder. So i've been really reconsidering the mm135, hobart 140 etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ledphoot Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 240z' I pull a boat trailer I built with mine. I also have replaced the tounge on my car trailer with it as well. I "V" the places I want to weld and fill it in at high heat. If i am doing more than this I have a stick welder I drag out. Just for repairs I wouldnt be afraid myself although anything over 1/8 is pushing it unless you "V" notch it for penetration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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