Hi, I'm sure this question has been answered before, But a quick search really did not turn up any concrete answers, Atleast not for me. But my question is: What welder is best for building car frames with? I want to start out by building a go-kart to help me learn the best way to weld that is best for me. I have seen where people say TIG is best, And some say Stick/ARC is best, I'm sure it boils down to personal opinion, But I would like to know if MIG would be good and strong enough to build car frames with? I would also like to know if one that works off of a 110 socket be powerful enough, I have seen where people said only 220 is strong enough, But I live with my girlfriends grandparents for now, And I don't know if they would be too thrilled about having their garage rewired as they don't have a 220 outlet. I figured I would ask the pro's their opinion on this before I buy a welder and discover that it is not good enough. Thanks in advance for any help you could give me.
If it is as simple as popping in a new breaker and not having to go through a bunch of wiring, Than I can do that. I know how to open the breaker box and look for tripped breakers and stuff, I have done that many times, I just did not know if it was just as simple as replacing one, Or if I would have to do some wiring in the breaker box. The reason I said anything about go karts is that is what I am planning to learn with, I may build a couple of them to get myself familiar with welding structural load bearing frames, But my ultimate goal is to build my own car. I have always wanted to build my own car for as long as I can remember, When I was little my favorite toy, Was a roll of aluminum foil.... Seriously. I would build cars, Motorcycles airplanes etc. with it. I have always loved to build and make things ever since I gained to coordination to do so. And I have always loved cars aswell, So it just seemed right for me to combine the two, Building my own Car! It is the number one thing I want to do before I die.
First, it's not your house...
PAY someone to install the 220 circuit.. DON'T do it yourself. if you start a fire, it's not ,well I burnt down my house, it's crap what did I do..
next when you buy your welder, not going to comment on what one/voltage/etc to use, as I'm to new to welding to really comment other than I bought a 220v machine, but anyways,, buy the biggest fire extinguisher for a stick building.. again burning the plase down would suck when it's yours but it even be worse if you caused your girls grandparents to be homeless.
I understand, I was just asking if it really was that simple. I was not expecting it to be, But I just wanted to know for sure. About how much would an electrician charge me to install the new line? I don't want to get ripped off, The more money I can save the more money I can use to buy a better welder.
When I bought my welder I bought some gloves, A chipping hammer, And a cheap Kobalt helmet. As far as the jacket, I could not afford one this month, But I wear a 3x shirt size. I will probably take the helmet back aswell as the welder as it is not an auto darkening one. The gloves I bought are Kobalt ones aswell, And I like them, They are thick but too thick, And they have a cinch around the wrist part, Most of the ones I have seen online do not have a cinch. I may take you up on the offer for the stuff you mentioned though, But it may not be until next month though when I have more money. Would the 210 MVP be able to weld car frames strong enough? I don't want to make a frame and then the welds break when I am going 50mph down the road..... I don't think it would end very pretty for me if that happened.
That machine will do all you need plus more..perfect for what you are wanting.
I use a Lincoln 180 here at the house and it has welded many a jeep frames.suspension mods.motor mounts..etc etc and yours will 210 amp
I forgot to mention a few things...
1..you dont need any of those fancy shmancy welding gloves they try to sell you..most of those have nylon or poly in them..they melt......
You don't need the big heavy insulated gloves either..just a good pair of leather work gloves are more than fine for .035 or less fluxcore or MIG welding..
2.. another thing you will have to invest in is a good extention cord for the machine,they have very short cords...12 gauge for the 110 side,10 gauge preferably for the 220 side
I use a 10 gauge 90' cord that was being thrown out on a job because someone smashed an end on it and i put my own ends on it
At first i used my machine with the cord ran to my dryer outlet untill i put a service panel in my little shop..i am in the process of clearing land and building(hopefully) a new 40x60 steel frame shop.
3..your first project should be building a cart for the machine to wheel it around where needed,find some scrap angle or tubing,even scrap conduit will work but try to stay clear of the galvanized smoke while welding it..
I use an old weight lifting machine frame i was throwing out from being wore out and built this one for now as high as the table i work off of and put old lawn mower wheels and caster wheels from harbor freight on it wheel around on the ground..
Let me know about the gloves.glasses,,jacket..etc..i box them up and get a shipping prices for you..
Yeah, My first two projects were going to be a cart for the welder, And a welding table aswell. And yeah, Let me know how much shipping would be, If it is not too much I might be able to do it this month. It would be shipped to zip code: 23805 in VA.
I thought about finding an old mower with atleast a 15hp motor and swapping out the pulleys and a couple other things to make it go faster... I could just see it now, Doing 20mph down the street on a riding mower, The neighbors wouldn't know what to think, lol.
I am going to go against the grain here. 10+ years ago I bought a Hobart 135. I have a 220v Miller but still use the Hobart 110v for almost everything. Why? Because I have it dialed in and I know it.
Heavy metal has never been a problem. But to do so, does not always go with conventional thought. I have welded a 100+ things which were 1/4-1/2" and structural. These are things which have been abused and I have had no failures. To do so I weld with the SMALLEST wire .024. Never .030 or .035 and NEVER flux core. Always shielded gas and always clean metal.
This welder is in it's groove with the smaller wire and it simply will not heat saturate with the thicker wire. It does take longer and it does put a lot of heat in while doing so. Many of the things I have done are 2 pass items but, like I said I have abused these things and never had a single issue.
Here are a couple examples. Yes I know I cut the edges of the bucket backwards but I re-cut it correctly latter. The bucket was a 1/2" parts with a 1/4" wall:
I have even welded 1/2" blades on an industrial bush hog which were used again for several seasons clearing property, brush, small trees, etc.
I know I am going to get lambasted for this but I have had zero problems welding thick metal with a 110v welder and I can post photos of stuff all day long.
As far as duty cycle, keep in mind there is a thermal cut off. I have welded to the point of the welder shutting off from the thermal cutoff many many times....Keep in mind the thermal cut off is WAY WAY past the duty cycle limit. This is non stop welding for a long period of time.
I have done a 1000+ projects with this 110v welder in the past 10+ years, I have abused it. All I have done to it is change the inner liner occasionally. If it dies today I have zero complaints.
Very Nice welds...I would love to be able to weld that good. So, for someone starting out and wanting to weld automotive and or truck frames, you would recommend a 110 welder?
I am having a hard time with that question. All these guys are giving great advice. Many professional welders have told me I can not do what I do with the box I have but in reality, the professional welders never had to. It is part of what makes the hobbyist different then the professional. If you lived near me and I could show you some things I would say no problem. I have a couple friends I have shown them the ropes with the same welder and they love it.
Some of it is people try to weld with .030 on these welders and it is simply a different ball game. I weld everything .024 because these welders love it and .030 just does not work as well. (not to say it is not usable or workable).
Since most would like to buy one welder, buy the top end of a welder you can afford, you will never be sorry.
BTW, there is a mystique about TIG. I do a lot of TIG welding too. If you buy one welder, buy a MIG. If you plan on buying a MIG and a TIG buy your MIG first.
When it comes to aluminum, MIG welding is good for aluminum trailers and things like that. 90% of the aluminum we do in the hot rod world would be TIG'd; tanks, intake manifold, etc:
Your right, that is a tough question, especially if you don't know the experience or exact skill level of the person asking the question of which welder to buy is. I have to agree with you, buying the top end of a welder you can afford would be good advice, you can't go wrong with quality.
Would love it if you could teach me to weld like that...how about a trade, I'll teach you how to paint, you teach me how to weld like that...LOL. Only problem is, your in Indiana...I'm stuck in Canada.
I agree with 69 Widetrack. Those are some nice welds. I am going to try to get the best welder I can afford, I am seriously considering the Hobart MVP 210 welder, It kinda has the best of both worlds, 110 and 220 all in one unit. The only thing I do not like about the Hobart, Is the fact that the power settings are pre-set.
Here's a tip that might help...a lot of these welding supply places have demo welders...see if you can't take one for a spin and see what it does and how it works for you...try a few different ones, you don't by a car without test driving it...right?
That's great advice Kelly, especially since he isn't in as big a hurry today as he may have been a few weeks ago. So, this might be a plan for you...go test driving welders...and don't be afraid to ask when the demo welders are coming up for sale....who knows, you might come home with a full size Cadillac and paid for an Economy Chevy.
Ray
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