Okay I am confident that I can do some basic welding. I looked at the online course and it looks to me like welding is basically soldering on a larger scale (or at least that's how it translates to me). I only plan on maybe doing some muffler work, floor pannels and maybe some other thing. does this look like a good welder for me? http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

What type of welder do I need for "spot welding"?

Also I plan on taking paint off myself. I don't want to do any media blasting and I will probably just use a DA sander. Pluss I will use other air tools not only for shop work but carpentry stuff too when we buy a house. do you think this will work okay for that stuff? http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

 

Well, for spot welds, one would use a spot welder but most of us amatuers simply simulate a spot weld by filling in the hole you made by drilling out a spot weld. In other words, the top metal that overlaps the lower piece will have a hole in it, either from using a spot welder cutter, or by drilling the hole there yourself, but the bottom piece will not have thehole. One then fills the hole with weld to make it look like a spot weld. Hope this helps.

 

That welder is a gasless flux core welder. In practice you will find that the standard gas set-up runs much better, especially on thin stuff. It welds a lot smoother & cleaner than the flux-cored wire which tends to burn holes in thin car panels.
A dual purpose machine is handy if you suddenly run out of gas in the middle of a job but you will find that you will be using it in gas mode most of the time on car panels.
The Clarke machines are a good choice out of the hobby MIGs.

 

+1 on all of the above.
The compressor you are thinking of is to small for what you are wanting to do. I have the Craftsman 33 gallon model and it barely keeps up with me when I am sanding.

 

i agree with soaring....i am not a pro at welding and i found that using gas was soooo much better that flux welding....besides that i'm lazy and did not like to clean slag and spatter!!! i started with a unit very close to the sears and switched in about a week after using a freinds gas welder. a good helmet is a must, stay away from the cheap ones.....

 

A MIG welder is definately the way to go if you are an inexperienced welder. The gas makes learning how to weld much easier. You cant go wrong with a welder from Miller, Hobart or Lincoln. Try looking into a used MIG welder especially if you do not plan on using it all the time or ask some of your friends if they have one you can borrow.

As far as the compressor goes, you need a very large compressor to operate a pneumatic sander. You will need something with more than6.4 SCFM to operate the sander continuously. Chemical stripper would probably be better for taking off large areas of paint.

Good luck with your project!

 

+1 regarding gas, however, price was a prohibiting factor for me. I considered the sears model you listed. However, I went with the Lincoln Weld Pak HD at home depot for the same price. I figured US made, replacement parts available w/o hassle, it was a good deal. In fact I have been using it currently on inner fenders etc. I do not find cleaning up the welds to be an arduous proces. Most of the welds I am grinding down any way, and if not, a wire brush makes quick work of cleaning up the slag. So, I am happy with the flux only welder at this point. There are some limitations though, as mentioned above, and the max thickness is only 1/8 metal and I believ thiness is down to 20 guage. Beyond that you will have to go gas for thinner metal and a more powerful unit for thicker metal. You may also consider the Lincoln weld pak 100 which is dual use, comes with regulator, I think goes up to 3/16 thickness and is only about 299. I think they have it a sears.
Good luck.

 

I am doing the same. I taught my self to weld with a gasless MIG. It works fine for floor pans. I may try some body panels at a future date. Just don't stay in one place long you will burn a hole in it.

 

A MIG is good if you have to hold the pieces together, cause you dont have to hold the filler rod. My choice of weapon is the TIG its is a very precise tool in fabricating. You can get down to a butt joint and make it almost invisible. It takes years of experience to get all of the types of welding down to a art but keep at it and you will surprize the ones that cant lay a bead down.I am 27 and work as a Industrial Maintenance Mechanic since I was 16 and going to school and it is one of the greatest aspects to know : How to weld.

 

two heat ranges isnt enough. 4 is the minimum when welding on cars. You wont get the heat low enough for sheetmetal, and it wont be high enough for thicker parts like framerails and shock towers.

Save up spend the coin and get one that has the option for gas. The little hobart I have was relatively cheap and does an adequate job, runs on 110, and didnt cost much. Best part for you is it is very portable, doesnt take up much space and TMO wont freak out over it when you move.

Need more air compressor for a DA. That one will work for filling tires and footballs. A DA running constantly will drain the tank, causing you to wait for it to fill again, and it will never shut off while you are sanding so the motor has to be a quality piece to keep up with that demand.