I am limited on funds, but want to fix my floor pans in my car. Just need something to weld 18 guage sheetmetal. What kind of welder is preferable? I dont want to spend alot because ive never welded before and will be using this to learn on. thanks.

 

ibought small mig at harber freight had 7 years no trouble forward third genners

 

the harbor freight isnt bad but the wire feed on the one I bought is jumpy and flux core isnt a good wire to use on thin metal tends to burn holes even on low settings, if you can afford one that will do both use a .025 wire and 80/20 mix of argon CO2 their is a huge difference no splater and less chance of burn through. harbor freight has one thats around $200 IIRC or one of the small lincoln's can be had for about $300.

 

Stay away from the flux core only machines. But any small 120 volt welder capable of running with gas will do for material that thin. I'm partial to Millers myself, but I like Lincolns too. Hobart welders are practically the same as a Miller, same parts, for a bit less $$

The lovely thing about Miller welders, that sets them apart from the others in their "class", is they have infinite voltage control in even their lowest machines. You don't get that feature in a Lincoln until you reach their 216 series welders. Voltage taps work alright 90% of the time, but I don't like them at all, especially when you want to be in between two of them! Plus the Miller Auto-set feature is nice when you're a beginner. Look for a used one, can't go wrong with those three brands though IMO

 

I agree.

Joel

 

Youre gonna like welding alot its one of those things you bite the bullet on.

 

You're telling me...

Wait until you have a $1200 welding helmet, about $200 in tungsten, $1000 + in just filler wire alone... And that's at home, not at work

I find welding rather addicting, I must say. And it's not the fumes. Every time you lay down a gorgeous weld, it's like your "fix" LOL

 

I'll second the "Stay away from Flux core for floor pans" comment.


I just repaired a few spots in mine, had no gas so I decided to use some .035 flux. i was blowing holes left and right on the lowest heat (Lincoln 110v MIG).

 

.030" flux for floor pans is fine. Been using Flux since the early 90s. Hardly ever use gas anymore.

Done lots of body panels, quarters, etc.

-- Joe

 

when your just learning though flux isnt a good idea, but yeah done lots of panels with flux and it works fine but you have to have the eye for it so to speak lol

 

My floor pans are in pretty bad shape, that was probably more of my issue than the flux.


It did pretty good when i welded in the new front shock towers.

 

Your problem might have been the wire gauge. .030" is about the smallest flux you can get, and what you want for sheet metal. .035" will blow holes.

You can get thinner mig wire, but unless the sheet metal is paper thin, .030" should be fine. I've never had a problem even but welding quarter panels.

-- Joe

 

Flux is a dirty weld with slag clean up where gas is not.

 

After you wire brush flux you cant barely tell the difference, and if you prep you're work and set it right it doesnt pop all that much.

I think OP should find a 135 or 140. I bought my miller 175 to do exhaust and now im messing with stuff thats at the limits of my welder so go as big as you can because you will find something to use it on.

 

A 110V 140A gas shielded MIG will do exactly what you want.

Lincoln or Hobart, Miller is more expensive.

I like being able to have infinite adjustability of the voltage, but if you are decent you can live with a 5 or 6 position voltage setting.

 

I hope to one day have half the skill at welding that you do.

 

I forgot about this I went to my buddies shop got ready to weld up an exhaust and got pissed off when I turned that dial and it clicked. You can live with it but its like having a non variable speed drill, really sucks when you're working on thin stuff.

 

A 70 amp flux/mig combo welder typically has two settings, 30 or 35amp and 70 amp.

A better, bigger, super, wonder welder typically has either 4 or more settings. For example, a 120 amp might be 30 60 90 120.

Either way, almost all of them the lowest setting is around 30 amps. There are some advantages to frequency and arc modulation for things like aluminum, but really what we're talking about is what is needed to fix thirdgens.

Use smaller wire, and learn how to control the wire speed.


-- Joe

 

Tips from fixing rusty floorpans:

If the welder sounds like it's hissing, it wants more wirespeed.

If you are fixing rusty floorpans and you leave some floorpan that's not thin enough to fail the 'screwdriver as a punch' test, don't be surprised when your nice welder settings are suddenly way too hot for a portion of the metal and you are blowing through.

A piece of aluminum makes a nice backing plate for when you have to fill holes that you've created.

The more time you spend fitting patch panels, the less time you spend welding, and the better the overall product looks. If you're fixing floorpans only though, to hell with it. All that will be under the carpet anyway.

Posterboard makes a nice template. Set it over the hole and pushdown with your finger and rub on the posterboard all the way around the hole. It will make a nice mark on the other side of the posterboard that you can cut along with a pair of scissors and save a lot of time!

4.5" x .065" cutoff wheels are nice but throw sparks and make a BIG mess. Use them to start the cut but finish with a sawzall or 'magic pointy finger' (airsaw).

If I breathe in fumes from spotwelding galvanized patch panels all the way around in steps to avoid putting too much heat into the metal it gives me migraine headaches the next day.

Buy some rust converter and weld through primer.

 

The fumes from the galvanized coating burning off are toxic, grind that stuff off first! Breathe much more of it, and you'd be puking your guts out, it's nasty stuff... Lots of paints will do the same thing too

 

Just a small tip for welding floor pans. I have had VERY good luck tacking every inch or so then after connecting the dots. The extra metal mass and electrical conductivity really make a difference to not burn through.

 

Guys-take a peek at this site for medal fabrication in the auto section.Tips and tricks from the pros.

www.allmetalshaping.com


Might want to bookmark it.Includes welding tips.