[Rupert]

I need a light duty welder. I have some experience with a stick welder....have made tool box frames for my truck, some large steel gates etc. I'm not a very good welder, but I'm a really good grinder..they all look great.

Anyone have any experience with a light duty 110volt wire welder? What can you tell me? Mostly I will use it for 1/8" thick or less square steel tubing.

Regards & thanks in advance!

[alamo5000]

What are you wanting to do/make? If I don't know I know the people to ask.

---------- Post added 05-31-15 at 10:33 PM ----------

You Tube

You Tube

[hks_kansei]

I assume by wire welder you mean a MIG welder? (the gun with the wire automatically fed through)


While i'm not a welder (only really done a bit of oxy) people I know who weld a lot have been extremely clear on never buying a gasless welder. Apparently without the shielding gas even a MIG or TIG will be no better than an Arc welder (Stick welder)

[wombat2go]

Hi Rupert,
As you will be expert already with gas torch, you could consider an oxy-acetylene set for hobby work.
It is good for steel fusion welding, brazing and silver soldering, and also good in the shop for heating rusted nuts etc.

I prefer brazing with the flux coated rods and I can make neat joints in tubing and bike frames etc.
The geezer advantage of oxy: it is slower, forgiving of a bit of shaky hands, and easier to see what is going on in the puddle.
Here is a joint on 1/2 inch tube an oak/steel security door I made a few years ago.
(Taken with the -M 1:4 100mm Dental Macro on the K-01 with the AF080C)

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[Rupert]

I appreciate the responses....the video was very helpful....though not too encouraging for an amateur welder like me.

Wombat, those are the kind of steel tubing I weld most. My welds with a stick welder look almost as good as yours, but only after a lot of grinding and sanding!
What I am trying to do is cut down on the size of the equipment. I gave my box welder to a friend and now need a very small compact welder. My shop is small and I am remodeling it, trying to conserve all the space I can.


I have replaced my big table saw with a 10" fold-up table saw (works perfectly!) and want to keep as much open space as possible for small projects like cabinets etc.

I just built these cabinets last week...




It's a small shop, so space is important and I only weld maybe once a year or so. Mostly things like these gates I built 30 years ago.








I'm looking at these but have no idea which one might work best for my limited needs?
Search Results for

Best Regards!

[jnorth]

I have occasional use for a torch for heating/cutting but otherwise a MIG would be my choice. With the frequency of use you would probably be a bit annoyed with needing the argon/carbon bottle kicking around. Do your research on the welder, pick a MIG that has a proven track record. Mine is a earlier model that works great when it gives me the wire, but doesn't always want to play nice with the feed. Next larger job I have for it I will probably replace it 'cause of the feed, not for the rest of its performance.

John

[condor27596]

I just sold a basic Home Depot wire welder to a friend. No gas just wire. It was under $200 new. I or my friend that was really good repaired my honda and it worked great. I had a crash many years ago we replaced the entire front corner.

[reeftool]

The inexpensive small ones work pretty well for auto body panels and other light steel welding. Buying the flux core wire avoids the cost of the gas bottle. Harbor Freight has them for under $100. I can rent a better one from the hardware store down the road for $25 for a half day and that's enough to do any projects I might be doing around home. I have a small oxy/acetylene torch set that covers any brazing and silver solder work I might want to do.

[Aggie89]

I have a Century Inverter Arc 120 that works quite well. Supposedly made by Lincoln Electric and runs off 110v at 15 or 20 amps. It's small, no bigger than a small shoebox and I've run 1/16" 6013 to 1/8" 6011 without issue. Duty cycle is short but I usually take break after 1 or 2 sticks so it's never been an issue. Picked up mine for $110 in new condition at a pawn shop but they're available online at the big hardware places and Amazon.

[Ex Finn.]

Go and visit your local welding supplier and have a talk with them, maybe rent a machine to try one out.
I love my old ESAB Migmaster 250. I don`t use it all that often but would hate to be without it.
More machine than what you are looking for but bigger is always better
http://esabna.com/literature/archive/manual/f-15-001 - f15-999/migmaster 250_f-15-087-e.pdf

[Rupert]

I appreciate he input from you guys... I'm sort of leaning toward this one.....
Lincoln Electric Weld Pak 125 HD Wire-Feed Welder-K2513-1 - The Home Depot

It seems to have good approval from most purchasers, is not too big, and is not too expensive. If I do get it. I'll post a review in this thread.

Best Regards!

[condor27596]

I've welded a bunch of stuff with tam hat model.

[RGlasel]

The inexpensive small ones work pretty well for auto body panels

I've got an '85 Mustang GT that needs some new sheet metal, so this is very encouraging. I always had problems with the rod sticking on an arc welder, and the muffler shops I used to sell to always said MIG was easier than arc welding. As it happens, I've got a 220V circuit in my garage, is it worth getting a 220V MIG welder if the most demanding job will be the rear quarter panels and floorpans on my Mustang?

[Ex Finn.]

I've got an '85 Mustang GT that needs some new sheet metal, so this is very encouraging. I always had problems with the rod sticking on an arc welder, and the muffler shops I used to sell to always said MIG was easier than arc welding. As it happens, I've got a 220V circuit in my garage, is it worth getting a 220V MIG welder if the most demanding job will be the rear quarter panels and floorpans on my Mustang?

A 220V will leave room for expansion and you will not be pushing the machine hard at all.

[reeftool]

I've got an '85 Mustang GT that needs some new sheet metal, so this is very encouraging. I always had problems with the rod sticking on an arc welder, and the muffler shops I used to sell to always said MIG was easier than arc welding. As it happens, I've got a 220V circuit in my garage, is it worth getting a 220V MIG welder if the most demanding job will be the rear quarter panels and floorpans on my Mustang?

Yes, if you have the power and want to invest in a more expensive welder, by all means go 220. If you plan to use it a lot, a 220V welder will last longer. The little cheap ones are only for occasional use but considering Harbor Freight has one currently for $79, even if you only got one body job done an threw it away, it would be a decent investment considering a body shop would charge thousands to replace a body panel.

They are easier to use but play around with it for a while welding together pieces of scrap metal before tackling a job if you have never used one before. The wire on a MIG can stick just like a rod. Practice, practice, practice! You need to get the heat right and the wire feed.