Looking for a MIG welder

[boatfisher]

Hey everyone,

I'm in the market in buying a MIG welder to do a few repairs. Does anyone have any suggestions on any reliable but yet affordable companies I can look into?

Thanks.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

how much are you willing to spend? I recommend a miller or lincoln unit myself.

 

[alldodge]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

Hey everyone,

I'm in the market in buying a MIG welder to do a few repairs. Does anyone have any suggestions on any reliable but yet affordable companies I can look into?

Thanks.

:welcome: to iboats

Price is pretty much the issue so long as you stay with a quality built machine. Agree with Scott and will add in Hobart. I have a 220V machine and does everything I want to do so far

 

[gm280]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

I'll second the Hobart MIG welder. However, most any quality MIG welder will do the job. And most can use parts from the others too. I bought the 115 volt version so I had more portability to take it to other location if need be. To be completely honest, I have yet to find anything I needed to weld that the max setting was actually needed on my 115 volt Hobart yet! And I have used mine a lot too... So buy a good Miller, Lincoln or Hobart MIG welder and you will have no problems...

 

[nwcove]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

you need to think about what type of repairs you will typically be doing. a 110v lincoln/hobart/miller( stay away from cheaper gear) unit is great for basic stuff, but if you think you may get into bigger projects, spend the extra $$ now. and if you dont have an enclosed area to work in...you wont be happy with a mig, any breeze will cause grief. jmo

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

I have a Craftsman, that was made by Hobart, so in a round about way, I would recommend the Hobart and I would not look for a new one, look around for a used one, there are lots of guys out there that "Think" they want to weld stuff and use them very little and they get rid of them. Every guy out there thinks they want to fix boats, cars, trailers, make fences, fix the gate and then just never follow through and it sits on a shelf in their Garage.

It is amazing how many really good buys you can find by watching Craigs List or some other service that people can sell their goods on. I just saw a 110v Hobart on Yahoo's Free Cycle the other day, new in the box, lady was getting rid of it, because her husband left her.

 

[alldodge]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

Not disagreeing but if you use flux core wire with a mig you can weld outside in blowing wind. The welds don't come out real pretty, but penetration is good. I have yet to get any shielding gas and reverse my polarity to make good looking welds. I still use nothing but flux wire because most times I'm welding outside (farm welding so to speak). One of these days ..... maybe

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

I picked up a Lincoln SP175 back in 2000. While the machine is 220. I made a 30' extension chord that allows me to reach anything. Plus I can weld aluminum, and stainless too. I even rented it to my service department for the past 5 weeks for some serious welding on a passerelle box repair.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

I have a 110 Lincoln MIG. I use both flux core and plain wire with shielding gas. I way prefer using shielding gas if I have a choice but I can weld thicker metal with flux core. I needed portability hence the 110V and at the time there were no dual voltage units. For larger stuff I use my 220V TIG.
I also say stay with the Lincoln/Miller/Hobart choices. Also, get one with variable voltage, not tapped. Way easier to fine tune the arc. I think most have variable wire speeds as well but make sure that is also variable.


I would definitely buy a dual voltage MIG if I was buying one today. The dual voltage Lincolns are way less than what I paid for my unit when I bought it 24 years ago.

This is what I would buy today:
http://airgasoutlet.com/products/li...=4df3c9a31959e02276a6a316f08a48c2&fo_s=gplaus

Here is a great forum for welding to ask more questions:
http://weldingweb.com/

 

[Fishing Dude too]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

Buy a 220v unit will be happier. It will cost less to run for one and will have a longer duty cycle

 

[gm280]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

I have the 115 volt Hobart like previously stated. And all my welding is done outside so I don't have the fumes building up in my shop. I recently rebuilt a boat trailer (Bringing a trailer back to life, if anyone cares to see it on here) and had zero problems doing any of the welding using shielding gas (Argon/C02 mixture). And I have welded some 1/2" joints with two passes. So standard 1/4" welds are so easy that I seriously can't think of any need I will ever have for anything bigger. And over 90% of the time I weld with setting in the 2 or 3 current settings. Very rarely do I ever use the max current output. So until I come across something my welder can't do, I'll stick with what I have...

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

It's not the size of the welds but the thickness of the material that determines the size of the welder. I can do 1/2" welds all day with my 110V welder. Penetration would suck, but I would make a pretty weld.

 

[Idlespeedonly]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

I have 2 120v lincoln's, both have gas on them. I dont remember the model numbers though. One is the nicest welder I have ever used, the other lincoln, I wouldnt give to my worst enemy.
So, I would try to find somewhere that you can try some out before you go spend the money. I sure wish I had on the second one I have. Because I would have never bought it.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

Miller - MIG Welding Calculator


basically the amperage required is about .8 amp per .001" of thickness. 3/8" material will be about 300 amps

 

[no704]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

I've got a Clark 220 that I've had for a few years. Works great, got it from jc Whitney for around 300$.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

Scary..........

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

Go to the second page here to see if a 110V welder will work with the thickness of metal that you are welding.
http://www.lincolnelectric.com/assets/global/Products/K2471-2/e723.pdf

 

[gm280]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

bruceb58, I understand metal thickness and the need for heat penetration, and while I'm no were near a professional, my son is certified welder and so I use his knowledge to weld different things. That 1/2" joint I alluded to earlier was not the width of the weld joint but the thickness of the metal I was welding (tapered for a better weld). I used two passes to complete it and it did have good heat penetration too. In fact I welded a lot of holes that were drilled out on my trailer that I recently finished rebuilding and I took a solid piece of aluminum behind those holes and filled them in from the front and grinded them off. You would have to seriously search for where they were now. So I have welded enough to know I don't need anything larger then I presently own. But that is just my needs and others will need larger and more capable. I don't ever see me needing anything more then what I have to build some trailers and such. :joyous:

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

I'm not a huge fan of the 110V units since you outgrow them so quickly. I had one and then upgraded to a Hobart 180 which has handled everything I've needed it for. I've run 4-5 large spools through it with no issues.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Looking for a MIG welder

All I know is that I wouldn't do any welding on my 24' cuddy boat trailer with a 110V unit, especially with shielding gas, that was going to be anything at all structural. I don't think there is a piece on there that is thin enough for my 110V MIG even using flux core. Your trailer may be another story since it is for a very light boat and, from the pictures, all the metal looked to be very light gauge.

Even with my single axle utility trailer that is rated at 3500 lbs, I wouldn't be able to weld anything on it with a 110V welder.

I am basically saying this for the OP. He needs to decide on a welder based on the material he is working on and go by the specifications listed in the welder manuals.