I'm thinking about purchasing a welder. Would like to stay under $400. My car has one bad spot of rust on the quarter panel that needs to be welded in. My dad's Toyota needs an exhaust pipe welded back together. Besides that, I'm going to use it on my BioDiesel project and for other small welding jobs around the house/garden.

Right now, with my limited knowledge, I'm thinking about a small MIG welder - like this one:

http://denver.craigslist.org/tls/1187217571.html

Not sure what the limitations are of a small machine like that - for example, it would be nice if the machine was capable of welding aluminum as well.

Any other recommendations of a good welder in my price range?!

Thanks,
James

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1987 Mercedes 300SDL; SOLD
1985 Mercedes 300D; SOLD
2006 Honda Pilot - wife's ride; 122K;
1995 Toyota Land Cruiser - 3X locked; 182K

Small welders for body work and exhaust work can be bought cheaply. Don't buy a welder using flux cored wire for bodywork because sheet metal is too thin for the amperage needed to burn the cored wire.
The ability to weld aluminum increases the cost greatly, starting with another type of shielding gas and a 220V power source.

i would try to find one of these brands. miller,lincoln,hobart. stay away from the cheap machines and as mentioned stay away from flux core. you can weld sheet metal with it if you know what you are doing but its much harder to do and looks terrible. if you want the ability to do aluminum you need atleast a 220v machine and a spool gun. the aluminum wire has a hard time running through the liner and usually breaks inside.
for under 400 you will have to find a used one. if you want anything quality. most of the cheap ones will only run fluxcore. if you find a good lincoln or miller you can run both flux core and solid wire.

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have no worries.....President Obama swears "If you like your gun, you can keep it

I found a new Lincoln, forget the model number, but it was the smallest one that has 220, if I'm not mistaken. Works well. I heard from several guys who'd been through it to avoid the 110 models.

I lucked out and got mine new for $400 from a guy on Craigslist who buys odd pallets of unsold goods. At least, that's what he said, and his inventory is rather large so I'm guessing that's the true story.

Now I just need to find out how to break into that racket as it might be a nice way to make some extra $$ w/o busting my back.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Think GREEN.............Lots of dough with the GREEN agenda....they dont call it "GREEN" for nothing...............aka...all about... MONEY!!

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Matt (SD,CA)

1984 300SD.. White/Chrome Bunts..Green

1997 2500 Dodge Ram 5.9 Cummins 12 Valve 36 PSI of Boost = 400+hp & 800+tQ .. ..Greenspeed

2004 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 Quad Cab Cummins 5.9 H.O "596hp/1225tq" 6 spd. Man. Leather Heated seats/Loaded..Flame Red....GREENSPEED

Global warming...Doing my part, Smokin da hippies..

Fight the good fight!......

No, I've transcended all of that. I need only oxygen and wheat grass to survive.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

I keep toying with the idea of buying a welder. I know that it's not as fast as a MIG, but I really think that I'd be happier with a TIG. But I've never used a TIG. Is it possible to get a TIG setup for less than $1500 that's actually worth anything?

Yes and no. $1500 would be a very bare bones Tig, which makes it all the harder to learn, which is hard enough as it is. The unit I've been using is a dual machine, arc and tig. I share my shop with another guy who has this machine. It was ~1200 he said. The torch is another $200. Then you have to buy your tungsten sticks. The machine has no heat control, and neither does the torch. This means I have to control the heat by how much time I spend in a spot. It doesn't have the high frequency start, it has a lift arc start (touch the tungsten to the metal and lift to start the arc).
If one knows how to tig, it's not much slower than mig, but it takes a long time to get good. It's a two hand+one foot operation. One hand you hold the torch, the other your filler material, and use your foot to control heat (unless you have the torch mounted heat control). The metal has to be squeaky clean, as do the tungsten tips. If you touch the filler rod or the metal with the tungsten, you have to stop immediately and regrind the tungsten tip or you'll get contamination.

If you want a tig, I'd suggest one with the high frequency start, and the heat control, which puts you over $2K.

What are you going to use it for?

Probably the most versatile/best tool would be an oxyactylene torch. You can weld with it, cut with it, and you don't need electricity to run it. More of a fire hazard though.

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1984 300TD

I have a 220v Hobart mig that I'm happy with. Sheetmetal guys seem to prefer Miller, something about a softer arc, and if I recall the 110v was preferred for sheet metal. For anything other than sheet metal it's best to go 220v. In retrospect I should have bought a 110v Miller mig for sheet metal and a used 220v stick for the heavier stuff.
Jorg

I don't think a class is necessary, although I spent months struggling to weld with a crappy stick welder before stepping up and buying a used Lincoln Promig 130 for $300. It's really just point and shoot. I've only used flux core so far and I've welded structural and sheet metal, seems to work fine, although sheet metal is probably easier with gas and produces a better looking weld.

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1983 240D 3.0T 4-speed manual, now sold

1989 Subaru GL Wagon 5-speed Touring Edition

I'm not sure I agree with you about the "no class necessary" issue. If you are welding sheet metal panels that might be, more or less true, but if you are welding structural things where there are consequences for failing welds you better have a pretty good idea about what is a sound weld and what isn't a sound weld.

Beginners almost always don't use enough heat, their welds tend to be shallow and lack penetration.

There are lots of other things that you will learn in a basic welding class that will make things much easier (fitment, multi-pass welding, out-of-position welding, the 'best' type of welding technique for the job at hand, ect) that are pretty hard to pick-up by trial-and-error.

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13 GLK250 (157k)
06 E320CDI (341K)
16 C300 (89K)
82 300GD Gelaendewagen (54K)

http://www.learn-how-to-weld.com/
Good info here, videos are decent also.

Buy a welder within your budget, and get going! Definetly get an auto darkening helmet, makes learning very very easy. Spend less then $100 on one, but more then the $50 cheapy at harbor freight (That one WILL! let you down...)


~Nate

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95 Honda Shadow ACE 1100.
1999 Plymouth Neon Expresso. 2.4 swap, 10.5 to 1 comp, big cams. Autocross time attack vehicle!
2012 Escape, 'hunter" (5 sp 4cyl)

Yeah, don't cheap out on an auto darkener. No sense going blind for a few dollars.
Personally, I use the regular helmet. A quick nod drops it in place. I might get an auto darkener for tig welding though, the lift arc start is difficult when you can't see how close you are to the metal.

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1984 300TD

Auto dark comes in handy when you are under a car.

Jorg

Definitely. Just because the weld looks good from the surface doesn't mean that it penetrated enough to be strong. That's where the skill comes in - to apply enough heat to get proper penetration without blowing a hole in the metal.