Welding? Question

[LUVITLO]

I've done a little welding with both stick and wire welders, I'm wanting to get a junk rig to practice on so I can do the customization on my Explorer myself. Now with that said........ I'm looking at wire welders and there are so many different amperage so what amperage is used on the body panels and what amperage for frame welding?

 

[Ronin8002]

I've done a little welding with both stick and wire welders, I'm wanting to get a junk rig to practice on so I can do the customization on my Explorer myself. Now with that said........ I'm looking at wire welders and there are so many different amperage so what amperage is used on the body panels and what amperage for frame welding?

Rough guideline...1 amp for every .001 of metal thickness. So if you want to weld 1/8" steel (.125") then it needs to be able to put out at least 125 amps. Not a hard and fast rule..lots of factors come into play, like wire used, shielding gas, etc. My lincoln powermig 180 amp does 1/4 steel no problem with .035 flux core wire, for example. It can use gas and solid wire also, which is most likely what you're going to want for body work.

With that said if you want a cheap machine that can do both solid and flux core, and has a decent level of power, try the harbor freight 170 amp. Its 220v like mine. If you dont have 220 in your garage, just make a 10 guage extension cord and run that to the dryer outlet, thats what I do and its worked great.

You really need a 220v unit to get good power for thick stuff. You can always turn it down for thin metal. Downside is you can't just plug it in anywhere. But even the 110v machines need to be on a dedicated 20 amp circuit to get the best output. Just dont expect to be able to really get deep penetrating welds on much thicker than 1/8" steel with a 110v unit.

 

[JDraper]

If you're going to weld sheet metal, I'd suggest a MIG welder. Automotive sheet metal has a high content of zinc in it which makes it next to impossible to weld properly with a stick welder.

I've done a lot of stick welding and just started welding with a Hobart Handler 140 MIG welder that a friend bought. Personally I'll stay with the stick welder for metal 1/4" and thicker, but the MIG is nice for the thin stuff.

 

[LUVITLO]

Thanks gettin a 220 is not an issue my stepdadinlaw does electrical work and has installed one for a dryer for me.

 

[Ronin8002]

Another thing that will help no matter what machine you get: buy an auto-darkening helmet. It well let you focus on what you're doing instead of trying to use one hand to hold up the fixed shade hand held face shield that comes with a lot of welders. The 40 dollar harbor freight auto darkening helmet works fine...I've used it for the last year and a half and haven't had any issues with it at all.

 

[LUVITLO]

My wifes dad in Texas has one of those , he taught me how to use his wire welder and i liked his helmet but I think it cost more than 40 bucks

 

[Ronin8002]

My wifes dad in Texas has one of those , he taught me how to use his wire welder and i liked his helmet but I think it cost more than 40 bucks

Oh yeah you can spend hundreds on a helmet. The really nice ones have a huge lens and a built in particle filter. But the basic ones work fine too.

 

[College Student]

Many helmets can be modified. I can use a MIG and SMAW well but TIG seems to be impossible for me. The auto darkening helmet is best to start with so you don't have to shake the helmet shut while holding your hands still. Word of advise if using someone else's helmets talk to them first, I say this because in a rush I tend to forget my dad's helmet actually has magnifying lenses in it.

Edit:

As for the welding thin sheet metal test on unseen area first as you will tend to blow through at first. (wear boots)

 

[LUVITLO]

I was accually thinking of getting a ranger bed and practicing on the sections I won't need. I want to chp my top right at the rear windows then cut off the back just behind the wheel wells, then cut the ranger bed and use the tailgate section, add 3-5 inches to get clear of the tow package and put a roll pan with a notch for a receiver to slide in and make it into a kind of extended cab sport trac version. Should turn some heads being a second gen explorer sport

 

[College Student]

I'm already interested. When you start send us a link to the thread.

 

[LUVITLO]

Gonna be a while before the chop, I gotta get a decent 4door family ride before I can take time to cut and fab my dream ride.