109jb

MIG- automatic wire feed with a gas shield. Requires a welded and a bottle of inert gas to supply the shield. Leaves a clean comlete weld.

Gassless- also an automatic wire feed, but this uses a special flux-cored wire. Think of a hollow tube filled with "Flux" the flux burns at the same time as the wire and provides the "shield". This method leaves a residue from the flux that must be removed.

From your posts it is apparant that you have little or no experience with welding. As someone else pointed out, local community colleges usually have adult education classes and welding is quite often on the list. I'd suggest you attend one of these first, or ave someone else do the welding for you.

mustangmatt63

Get yourself a MIG and take a community class! Its a cheap way to learn how to weld properly and is well worth the $ and effort!Good Luck!

gothand

It is overkill if you're strictly looking to weld some sheet metal, but if you have and electrict dryer plug, you have access to the high voltage for the 230V welder. I built an extension cord with the dryer plug on one end and use my welder and compressor with no problem. If I used either of them more often, I'd wire in a dedicated subpanel and outlet(s), but for the once or twice a month I need it, it is not a problem.

FWIW, I got a brand new Lincoln 175 off of Ebay for $400 and picked up a re-certified tank for another $100. Works great!

Jeff

ky

if you get a welder, make sure it has access for a argon bottle. the flux core wire welders with no bottles dont work for crap. youre not gonna be happy with a welder unless you spend at least 4 or 5 hundred on it. we got ours when it was brand new in like 2000. a 130xp wire feed Millermatic. it was a few grand. lincoln or miller ftw. nothing else compares. i know a little about welders cause i worked with this guy who is super picky on the quality of tools he gets and he bought his miller tig welder for like 10k. dont buy one of those cheapass ****ty welders for like a couple hundred bucks. they wont work right and youll just get pissed off at it for burning holes in everyhitng you weld.

mortman

From a welding distributers stand point your best bet is to get a Mig welder. wire welding with flux core wire is smoky, messy and a lot of clean up but you can weld thicker materials. Using gas (Argon C02 mix or 100% C02)and what is called hard wire, gives you a cleaner weld and less clean up.
Stay away from thoes cheaper units (Clark, auto arc, lincolns HD series, lincolns weld pac series and hobart) Go to your local welding distributor and ask to DEMO a lincoln 140 and miller 140. Ask their advice, they are there to help (i hope). If you have never welded i would recomend the Millermatic 140, there about 625.00, 30.00 for wire, 189.00 fo 80cf cylinder and 45.00 for the gas fill. plus you have the option to do allum in the future should you feel compelled to so.

gooser

would a m.i.g. be suitable for puddle welds?

john721

MIG stands for "metal-inert-gas". All welding involves a "puddle", the puddle is the molten steel. My experience with 120v welders has not been that great. They draw alot of amps, and will trip your 15a household outlet frequently. I would stay away from the fulx core wire, as mentioned earlier in the post, the flux shields the arc, and needs to be cleaned off after welding. The "hard-wire" is cleaner, and IMO, better suited for sheetmetal. The flux core generates more heat due to the flux vs bare wire with a 75/25 shielding gas.

HGC

I may be beginning to come to my senses. Looks like $600 to $1,000 to get what I need and then I have to learn how to do it. I'll visit the local Miller distributor tomorrow and check it out. I think I may ask them if I would be better off just having having a weld shop weld the patches in. There is also a small repair shop here and the owner's specialty is vintage Mustangs. I'll check with him about welding the patches. There are less than 10 small patches. I have never needed to weld anything before and I may never need to weld anything again...at least not enough to justify the learning curve and cost. Since I worked in a body shop years ago I do have the skills to straighten metal, do
Bondo, prepare the car for paint, disassemble, reassemble, etc. I'll probably justdo the work I already have the skills forand hire thewelding done. I'll let you know what happens.

john721

If that's the route you're going to take, and you have the skills to "fit" the patches, you can save alot of money, if all the guy has to do is walk in a weld..... If you're in S. Florida...I can help you out...

HGC

South Florida? Don't I wish. It's 14 degrees here in Central Illinois, but thanks for the offer.