MIG welder, hobby use

[otto_kretschmer]

I bought my mig at Home Despot a long time ago. Its a lincoln. I bought the kit to use a argon/co2 shield gas and it still welds nicely. Doesn't cost an arm and a leg either.

[otto_kretschmer]

Originally Posted by Deschodt

you guys are amazing... I bought a mig with gas to replace my flux core. And spent a year of testing punching right though metal or doing welds that never stuck. I gave up and in frustration gave all my gear to my brother in law. Welding mystifies me, seems so simple and yet I'm thoroughly incapable of it. (mig anyway, flux core I did, it was ugly but it worked)
I keep hoping someone comes up with a model that senses the metal thickness and type and adjusts it all for you for a newbie welder ;-)

just have to be patient and experiment with the power level and wire feed speed.

I gave up wide fenders and welded the steel I cut out on my 76. I must admit I'm a hack sometimes.





This was with my Home Depot Lincoln welder

[otto_kretschmer]

if anyone is curious

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/816906-skinny-fat-skinny.html

the weld repair turned out good, but I hacked my car a bit. You can't tell unless you get on the ground and look into the wheel well.

meh, its just a car; its just a hunk of steel, aluminum and plastic

someday I'm going to clean the filter in the tank and get the car running again

and then replace all the lines

and then figure out how to get it registered here in Arizona

[Bill Douglas]

You don't need to go too big for general stuff around the home and workshop. MY Lincoln 180C running off a 256 volt power supply works for everything I want to do.

I've welded aluminium without having to buy a spool gun. I googled/youtubed it and there is some aluminium wire that is a little bit stiffer than the other stuff, and it feeds fine through the machine.

[URY914]

Enough about everyone's 30 year old welders. The question is what to my now. I'm looking for one too and found these at Northern Tool. For hobby use only sheetmetal, minor fab work and fixing all the cheap crap that breaks these days.

Lincoln:
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200405530_200405530

Hobart:
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200471413_200471413

About a $100 difference in price.

OK lets have a recommendation from the experts.

Thanks

[1990C4S]

As an 'expert' I'm not sure how anyone can offer an opinion if they haven't used both.

I'm with Milt. I've used lots of 110V machines the 'worked' none were very good. But those machines might be fine, I don't know.

I would buy a used 240V machine from Craigslist before I would buy either of those.

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by URY914

Enough about everyone's 30 year old welders. The question is what to my now. I'm looking for one too and found these at Northern Tool. For hobby use only sheetmetal, minor fab work and fixing all the cheap crap that breaks these days.

Lincoln:
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200405530_200405530

Hobart:
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200471413_200471413

About a $100 difference in price.

OK lets have a recommendation from the experts.

Thanks

I would go with the Hobart , I base that opinion on my experience with the same machine .

[john70t]

I would do gas shielded over flux-core wire even though it will be more expensive over time so the hundred bux saved at original purchase is marginal. Remember to turn off the gas after using or another fifty bucks goes out the door. If you've stick welded before, you will have noticed the added difficulty that chunks of slag (in my case) causes to restarting a run. Plus everything needs to be cleaned down to bare metal again which is an extra 5 min work each time. It adds up.

[rfuerst911sc]

I also find using the splatter shield goop 😁 is helpful in keeping the tip clean . And when my task is complete I turn off the bottle valve and release any gas in the line . I finish by backing off the regulator so there is no tension on it . I do that with my oxy/acetylene regulators also . Just an old habit .

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

I also find using the splatter shield goop 😁 is helpful in keeping the tip clean . And when my task is complete I turn off the bottle valve and release any gas in the line . I finish by backing off the regulator so there is no tension on it . I do that with my oxy/acetylene regulators also . Just an old habit .

And a good habit. Backing the regulators off does 2 things: saves the regulator accuracy, and if you should happen to have a bottle with a slightly leaking valve, an attached regulator with the pressure setting backed off will let you know by moving the primary gauge. But you won't lose any gas. (In the case of explosive gasses stored indoors, this can be a lifesaver.)

The last acetylene bottle I got has a T handle for a square shaft valve stem and it takes a second wrench to seat the valve.

[URY914]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

I would go with the Hobart , I base that opinion on my experience with the same machine .

Thanks Rick. A valid recommendation from a owner of one of them.

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by URY914

Thanks Rick. A valid recommendation from a owner of one of them.

Too bad you didn't live closer I would let you borrow it for a week to play around . I am far from expert level welder but I do ok . I had a few pro's tell me my 914 GT metal flares looked as good as they could do ! Did those outside in the Florida heat with my Hobart . Welding is a " touch " skill and not everyone has the touch . But with your handy skill set you will be making the frying bacon sound in no time 😁

[URY914]

Used to have a Daytona Mig, bought about 30 years ago. Remember those? They were about the first home mig to hit the market. Grassroots Racing magazine used to use them a lot on their project cars. But it finally bit the dust. Now looking for a better grade replacement. Unless a Lincoln user chimes in I'll probably get the Hobart. Thank again.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by URY914

Used to have a Daytona Mig, bought about 30 years ago. Remember those? They were about the first home mig to hit the market. Grassroots Racing magazine used to use them a lot on their project cars. But it finally bit the dust. Now looking for a better grade replacement. Unless a Lincoln user chimes in I'll probably get the Hobart. Thank again.

Lincoln comes in all flavors and the china ones are at the HD. You will spend more on a good Lincoln than the equivalent Hobart, if there is an equivalent. I don't know the pricing structure and if Lincoln and Miller keep the welding supply houses in business by some kind of pricing protection. We all know that price fixing is illegal but try and buy a Sony TV at a deep discount. That sort of thing.

Whereas the Hobart delivers a lot for the buck for a US made unit, Miller (an unrelated company other than common corporate ownership) offers complexity and performance at a price.

Everlast has been getting good reviews for a few years now. It wasn't always that way so they've had a steep road to climb. But they do support their product. Note: I don't have any interest in EL and don't own one.

The idea of the average shop lizard having his/her own welder has increased dramatically in the last 20 years. Every manufacturer has responded in one way or another. And a lot of new ones have popped up. A couple of early responders were Everlast and Longevity. I use an AHP TIG which has enough whistles and bells for my skill level. And as I mentioned, I have a Hobart 210 which is a nice unit and will work well for anyone except those needing things like pulse MIG, etc.

[T77911S]

I bought one from northern tool several years ago.
I can stick weld and mig weld. also came with a mig gun.
I got one that runs off of 240 for about 5-600 I think.
I love it.
the amp and wire feed settings are infinite. that is they are NOT A,B,C D, type settings.

[berettafan]

I bought the Miller 110 Mig when i had to do the front pan in my '70. Absolutely paid for itself and was a perfect machine for that use. That said if i were buying Mig for general use i'd go for one of the heavier duty machines.

Or REALLY what i'd do now is learn Tig and just go with that.

[Bill Douglas]

That Lincoln 160C I mentioned that I run off the 256 volt power supply is the same machine as they had rows of at the night class. I thought if it's robust enough and of suitable quality for the tech institute, it will be fine for me.

[otto_kretschmer]

Whatever welder you buy, you will have to become proficient in it, and learn tricks to get whatever job you're working on done.

In welding my fenders back on, after making a few tacks to hold the fender in place, I needed to complete the weld and fill in all the gaps.

One trick I used was to get a piece of copper tubing, about 8" long. I took a hammer and flattened one end and then bent the flat end a little. The other end was a handle.

I would place the copper face on the far side of the weld as a back stop and kept placing tacks evenly on the gaps between the fender and the car.

tack-move-tack-move-tack-move...

when I got all the gaps filled I ground the weld down flush and used a flashlight inside the fender to look for holes, and then welded the holes, and again ground down the welds and repeated until I was confident I got everything.

buying the right welder is just the beginning

[porsche4life]

Go watch some videos on these. Seem like a great value for the money. https://www.harborfreight.com/unlimited-200-professional-multiprocess-welder-with-120240-volt-input-64806.html

[cabmandone]

Hobart and Lincoln both make a nice 120v mig. I have a Campbell Hausfeld that can do either flux core (I primarily use flux core) or gas shield. Nothing fancy, just dials for speed adjustment and toggle switches for heat adjustment.