Best welder for body work?

[bigwhitey]

So whats the best welder for doing body work on my XJ. My 220 ARC welder don't work to good on thin stuff. Any ways, do the cheap harbor freight or tractor supply welders work well for this?

[scott473]

to be honest, I have a little craftsman 115V welder that I use, it only has 2 settings, high and low, and then line speed high and low, I put them both on low and do 1" welds every 5 inches after its tacked togather. I wont say its the best, but I can vouch that it works.

[Midnight Krawler]

Yes, the cheap 110 wire feed welders will work but, a mig would be much better. It's best to use a series of spot welds to help avoid warping. If, you have 220 volts then stick with a 220 welder. The 110 welders are only good up to 1/8 in steel.

[bigwhitey]

I'm keeping the 220 stick.
I was just wondering what would be best for thin sheet metal. I don't want to spend all my time filling holes.

[ChicksDigWagons]

You might want to look into the HF TIG unit. $200, no first hand experience but I think it would be the cats pajamas for inexpensive sheetmetal work. Flux Cored wire feed is a PITA to do sheetmetal, I'd advice at least a gas sheilded mig setup for that, lower the amps the better.

[hackedxj]

Buy a good brand name set up for gas, at least 130 amp. A small 220v is only a little more money if you have a plug in, I have a 220v 180 hobart and I haven't used my stick welder since and it does a good job on sheetmetal.

[bigwhitey]

I ended up borrowing my buddies lincoln 140 and it's working great.
Project cheromanche is under way. I guess I should buy stock in bondo before I finish. I'm going to make the auto parts store rich on that stuff this weekend.

[Captain Ron]

You might want to look into the HF TIG unit. $200, no first hand experience but I think it would be the cats pajamas for inexpensive sheetmetal work. Flux Cored wire feed is a PITA to do sheetmetal, I'd advice at least a gas sheilded mig setup for that, lower the amps the better.

I dunno, but a 250DX does ok on sheetmetal... in a pinch. :D

http://64.226.116.160/ron/post/rzr01.jpg

http://64.226.116.160/ron/post/rzr02.jpg

http://64.226.116.160/ron/post/rzr03.jpg

http://64.226.116.160/ron/post/rzr04.jpg

--ron

[AJPulley]

I bought my Hobart 140 mainly to fix the floorpan holes. But, I've used it for a few things and it does well with 3/16 in. and thick flux wire so far. I haven't tried it with 1/4 in. yet. I have thin wire and C-25 for the sheetmetal. I like it so far.

[Captain Ron]

You might want to look into the HF TIG unit. $200, no first hand experience but I think it would be the cats pajamas for inexpensive sheetmetal work. Flux Cored wire feed is a PITA to do sheetmetal, I'd advice at least a gas sheilded mig setup for that, lower the amps the better.

If I had to choose, I'd stick to a good MIG unit. Even with a ton of great technique, in typical body panel work, it gets hard to control shrinkage with TIG.

In terms of sheetmetal, body work is not exactly close fitment, which good TIG work requires. Sure, you can use a ton of Silicone Bronze, but shrinkage is still a killer.

I've been demoing a 350P with a Python gun. If you've never used pulse MIG before, let me tell ya, it's sweet. Really sweet.

Now, if I could just get it to do razor blades... :D

--ron

[fourwhldrv]

I dunno, but a 250DX does ok on sheetmetal... in a pinch. :D

http://64.226.116.160/ron/post/rzr03.jpg


Is Polish Potato Vodka required for sheet metal welding???

Will my welds get better...or worse?

Could I use Luksusowa instead? Maybe grain vodka like Belvedere or Ketel One, or perhaps that French grape vodka impersonator, Ciroc.

Let us know. I want to be sure I am doing the best welds possible! ;)

DJ

[Captain Ron]

Is Polish Potato Vodka required for sheet metal welding???

Will my welds get better...or worse?

Could I use Luksusowa instead? Maybe grain vodka like Belvedere or Ketel One, or perhaps that French grape vodka impersonator, Ciroc.

Let us know. I want to be sure I am doing the best welds possible! ;)

DJ

I dunno about your welds, but your advanced drinking skills will be better if you stay away from all the over filtered stuff. :D

--ron

[4.3xjguy]

If all your conserned about is body work then from what I hear the millermatic or hobart 130s (or is it 135, im not sure) have the nicest arc for that kind of work.

[What Rd]

Is Polish Potato Vodka required for sheet metal welding???

Will my welds get better...or worse?

DJ
Chopin is required for sheet metal and . . . ok, everything!
Your welding may not be any better, but you'll enjoy the experience and have not a trace of a hangover the next day.

[What Rd]

On another note -
how bad is it that I'm seriously jealous of Ron's TABLE!?!

[Captain Ron]

On another note -
how bad is it that I'm seriously jealous of Ron's TABLE!?!

It's a chunk of metal alright. I've worked with various weld tables over the years and they all have their purpose. What we require has a few special needs.

It's not uncommon to be working on 120 plus inches of sheet that needs to be squared up, or flat within .005" over long distances, that's the reason the table is so big. Working with #4 and #8 stainless means the table has to be out of aluminum to keep the scratches down.

So what I end up with is 48" x 120" .750 thick 6061-T6 tool plate mounted on a frame that doesn't interfere with the various clamps we use.

You don't even wanna know what it costs. Every time I sit down at it, I need a drink. :D

--ron

[What Rd]

So what I end up with is 48" x 120" .750 thick 6061-T6 tool plate mounted on a frame that doesn't interfere with the various clamps we use.

You don't even wanna know what it costs. Every time I sit down at it, I need a drink. :D

--ron
Damn - you're right. Just imagining what that must have cost has me
looking for my Chopin.

[XJourney]

17 post and everyone forgot an important point.

use .023 wire and 75/25 co2/argon mix

This is what I use in our Snap on MM140SL MIG . Which is a VERY nice welder but @ $2899. It is one of the only 110 Migs that can weld 5/16 in a single pass.

And to keep warping down reverse the polarity and use 5/16" spot welds.


http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=&item_ID=12617&group_ID=1736&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog