Buying Welding Equipment Options

[saigon71]

I started looking into welding equipment for body/hell hole/jackstand repair of my 914. A friend told me that MIG is the way to go for this. My question is what specifications do I need in a MIG welder to get the job done without a lot of grief? Also, what gage steel should be used for making patches?

Thanks

[Porcharu]

One thing that has not been mentioned here is the ability to reliably run small wire (0.030) Using the small wire really helps on sheetmetal - a good welder (person not the machine) can make perfect welds on thin stuff with big wire but a hobbyist (like me) cannot and the small wire really helps with burn thru. My Miller 180 is OK but it jambs about 10% of the time even with a nice Tweko gun and hose setup.
When I was a teenager the shop foreman that I worked with would TIG weld razor blades (sharp ends) together and empty beer cans during the Friday beer busts and challenge the other guys to match him - they never came close. Dude could weld anything. I wish I had 1/10 of his welding skill.

[scotty b]

One thing that has not been mentioned here is the ability to reliably run small wire (0.030) Using the small wire really helps on sheetmetal - a good welder (person not the machine) can make perfect welds on thin stuff with big wire but a hobbyist (like me) cannot and the small wire really helps with burn thru. My Miller 180 is OK but it jambs about 10% of the time even with a nice Tweko gun and hose setup.
When I was a teenager the shop foreman that I worked with would TIG weld razor blades (sharp ends) together and empty beer cans during the Friday beer busts and challenge the other guys to match him - they never came close. Dude could weld anything. I wish I had 1/10 of his welding skill.

Your welder is NOT the issue. Any decent machine can and will run any size wire well if properly setup. If you have a jamming issue there is a problem somewhere EXTERNAL of the machine. A kink in the liner, wrong size roller, tension not set properly. I run .023 in the 140 at the shop, and everything from .023 to .040 on my 250 at home. No problems with either machine running any size wire. Start at the wire and work your way to the tip of the gun checking and re-checking every piece until you find the real issue. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)

[Mark Henry]

One thing that has not been mentioned here is the ability to reliably run small wire (0.030) Using the small wire really helps on sheetmetal - a good welder (person not the machine) can make perfect welds on thin stuff with big wire but a hobbyist (like me) cannot and the small wire really helps with burn thru. My Miller 180 is OK but it jambs about 10% of the time even with a nice Tweko gun and hose setup.
When I was a teenager the shop foreman that I worked with would TIG weld razor blades (sharp ends) together and empty beer cans during the Friday beer busts and challenge the other guys to match him - they never came close. Dude could weld anything. I wish I had 1/10 of his welding skill.

Your welder is NOT the issue. Any decent machine can and will run any size wire well if properly setup. If you have a jamming issue there is a problem somewhere EXTERNAL of the machine. A kink in the liner, wrong size roller, tension not set properly. I run .023 in the 140 at the shop, and everything from .023 to .040 on my 250 at home. No problems with either machine running any size wire. Start at the wire and work your way to the tip of the gun checking and re-checking every piece until you find the real issue. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)

I agree plus keep your welder clean, cover it after use. If it's sitting under the grinder bench move it! Where the wire comes off the reel I loop a small piece of cloth on the wire so the wire is clean. Use name brand wire. Don't run over the whip........

I've welded sheet metal with 600v watercooled welders....then change the settings and have a go at 1" plate
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)