Welding question

D

DWMOONEY

Junior Member
Need advise, I am looking at purchasing a mig welder to do repairs during the restoration of my 1931 Ford Model A Coupe. I have not done Mig but have used Tig. I would rather put the money into parts for the car so I am looking at getting buy with a cheaper welder. Will a Mig flux welder do what I need ? Or do I have to use Gas which increases the cost. Thanks for your sugjestions.
 
Check out Eastwood. They have a super great selection of welders, all types.
I have use them for other product and found them to be a 1st Class company.
 
There is no question you need gas with a MIG for restoration work. The gas allows pure metal to be deposited and not slag like a flux wire. I have a Lincoln SP100 and had it for 25 years and love it. I learned to use it by myself and have become pretty proficient with it. My advice is to use a copper backing plate (smashed flat copper plumbing pipe in my case) behind the welds to serve as a heat sink and prevent blow through. I always do butt welds, so as not to have a pocket with a lap weld for rust and crud to get into and cause trouble. There are a number of posts here if you search for MIG, weld, etc. You can learn a lot by searching this board.
Rusty Nelson
 
I faced the same dilemna and opted for a Clarke Mig welder which can be used with or without gas. Less splatter and a better weld with gas. I used in on fenders, etc. Used a copper plate under ho;es in th fenders then filled them closed. Worked well for me with a cost of around 300 dollars.
 
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Check out Century Welders. Infinite heat and wire feed. Some welders have 4 settings for the heat range. Get a 110 volt machine.
 
flux core wire is for welding fence posts

the remains of the flux will eventually eat thru your paint

stay away

if you have used TIG, then flux core is like wearing pajamas to a wedding
 
Look for local and regional bankruptcy auctions . They are quite a few around in the larger cities . You would be amazed what you can buy for a fraction of the retail price. I picked up a Lincoln mig top of the line new with a cart bottle and flow meter with 25 foot leads for just 500 and new from Lincoln it was close to 5 grand. A good used mig welder is still better than a wire flux cheap machine . Good luck with your search buy the best machine that you can afford. It will be cheaper in the long run and do more proficient welding than a cheap. Outfit.
 
I have a miller 211 and love it, you can also get the spool gun for running aluminum it plugs right in..
 
MIG will get you by but if you are familiar with TIG, you will never be satisfied.
Forget the restoration until you are tooled up to do it right.
 
I bought Lincoln SP125 new about 20 years ago. It was several hundred dollars at that time, but you can find good used ones now for a fraction of what I paid. As mentioned, the flux core will look like turkey droppings compared to gas shielding.
 
Where do you live? I have a super nice Miller 250 with two different gas bottles that has been used very little. I bought it from a lady who's husband passed away and he had told her to call me if something ever happened because I would...you know the rest of the story. I already have every type of welder (including a Linde 225)anyone would need, so I didn't need another, but I bought it and other equipment because of the situation. If you or anyone else lives in or near NC, I would be glad to send pictures or have you come try it out. This welder would be more than you would ever need and you could add a spool gun for aluminum if you choose. Email me at v8fordman@hotmail.com if interested.
 
I have an old CENTURY that I bought from a friend. It works fine! I had to put a new cable liner in it. Cable liners for a welder are the same as the wound "shroud" that we all know from yard equipment throttle cables. Simple to change. The wire wears a slot in them over time. Not a big deal! I have a bottle of CO2/argon, but I don't always use it. My choice! I've come to love that machine. I've run Linde s and others. Yes. you can do bigger and better work with them, no doubt. But I can burn holes into 16 and 18 ga so it will certainly weld any car body metal . Century was made a number of years ago by Lincoln. BTW, a small bottle of CO2/Argon costs me about $18-20. the last bottle I bought was over a year ago.
Terry
 
If you can TIG, you are way ahead of the curve. If you cant swing the deal on a good one, I'd start with a O/A rig and gas weld it and then hammer finish it.
I only played with one flux core rig, it belonged to my neighbor, and he asked me for some help. I couldnt make it work, I used every cuss word I knew and even invented some new ones. I gave up and took his stuff home to work with my own equipment.
Everybody has their own opinion, but I have had the best results with the big three...Hobart, Lincoln and Miller. This was the old stuff, before all the mergers.
NCG, ( National Cryogenics ) was also good, but that was a while ago. Not sure if they are even still around.
I grew up with Smith torches, so that is what I know and like the best. Harris and Victor are also good, but I dont prefer them.
This is one area where I think you get what you pay for, stay away from the cheap stuff. Good Luck!
 
I found that just an old gas welding setup for me worked well. I am no welder and thus this method worked for all the welding I needed to do on my huckster. When I needed some "heavy" welding done, I would take it to the local machine shop. I also purchased a stick welder which I used very little because like I mentioned above, I am no welder with any experience.

So now that I find I have all this equipment, I use it very little. So guess my $.02 worth is to get what you may use but don't spend a lot of money on expensive equipment that you may not use in the future. Just have someone with equipment do the work you need.
 
Join a Model A club, buy a good TIG welder, let the club members know you have one and know how to use it, you will have all the help with your restoration you will need.. Really the TIG will work great for the restoration, a MIG is a bit faster but I vote for a TIG, it will weld anything.
 
Lincoln's go on sale a couple of times a year when the new models come out, great savings.
I thinks the miller is a better welder, and the Lincoln next. IMO
 
If you're only planning on welding thicker metal like chassis work, then the mig is fine. Buy a good one like everyone is telling you. I own Millers, and love them. My mig is my "go to" welder when I need it done fast. But when welding sheet metal, I'm not looking for fast. I'm looking for good. So I grab the tig. Tig welds (and O/A welds) are way softer than mig welds and finish much easier. Just my experience.
 
You kinda get what you pay for. But the guys are right, check Craigslist and the sort, lots of guys upgrade. Yes, gas is better than flux core. I've ran lots of .035 innershield with good results but it does spatter a bunch and make way more mess to clean up than the gas. I've got two welders and a torch kit and I wouldn't be without any one of them. The torch for heating, brazing and heat welding. A Miller dial-an-arc stick welder for heavy work, it's real nice as I can buy a few sticks for specialized work (eutectic 9598 is a good example of this, great for removing broke studs) or cast iron rod, ect. Then a Miller 212 that I just got this past year that's set up for gas work. It's fantastic because it can be used with 120 or 240v, you can add a spool gun, and can weld anything from sheet metal to frames (but gas isn't as good welding out doors, any breeze blows the gas away and messes with the weld). The best part is, if you get something used, as long as it's not junk, if you find you need something else or want "more" of a welder, you can sell it for what you paid and get another. I'd also suggest stopping in at a welding supply and ask if they have any "demo" nights, that would help you test some different types of welders and see how they preform.


Looking for the front bumper emblem that has "Ford, Made In Canada"
 
Looks like everyone's one the money. Buy Lincoln or Miller 110 volt Mig with the Gas. The cheapest way is to buy the bottle and then take it in and refill it as you need to, instead of a contract for X amount of Dollars a month. It's worked for me for 10 years. Remember MIG welding is a balance between the Wire speed and the Voltage to get a good weld.

John Poole (The Old Auto Body Shop Teacher!!!)
 
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