I am considering buying a welder still.

When we put in the new floor pans I took the car to a friend's shop and used his mig that had the shielding gas. Certainly, if I had a really major project I could do that again but I would hate to take up space at his shop and use up supplies without paying him something.

So for at least the little or smaller projects I was thinking of buying a mig for home, without spending a ton of money on it. I know that I need to replace the fender apron under the battery tray so I am thinking a welder will probably pay for itself right out of the gate instead of paying someone to do it. I also want one around the house to practice some...I may eventually redo another car (Mustang or other car) at some point when I am done with the Mustang and my boys get older.

I have noticed that the migs without gas are some cheaper than the ones with gas. I have a buddy that his girls do martial arts with my boys and last night while the kids were on the mat we were talking and he said he has a no gas welder that works fine for smaller projects around the house or on his trailer, etc.

Any thoughts on if I would be ok with a no gas mig for smaller projects or should I wait and get one that has the shielding gas hookup?

 

i would wait for sheilded gas
if you are only using it for non integral hidden welds flux core works well, but since you are doing some welds that might show, make them pretty, use gas
also if you are going to practice with it it would be better to use gas
and one last thing the cheapness that comes with a non gas welder reflects on the overall quality in general not necessarily the absence of gas alone....

 

I would suggest getting a welder that at least has the capability down the road to be converted to use solid core with shielding gas. Most quality welders that don't have a gas regulator can be upgraded with a kit. For plug welding you're not really going to gain anything from a shielding gas, but if you decide to do any seam or bead welding you'll benefit greatly from gas.

 

With no wire, you are basically talking about a wire arc welder. My understanding is you either run gas with regular MIG wire or special flux wire with no gas on wire welders. Because the gas helps protect the weld during the process, it is better for thicker material. I think Lincoln gives a range of up to 1/8" thick with flux wire, but you can do 1/4" with gas and regular MIG wire.

 

correct, but its not the gas alone that allows for thicker materiel, its the fact that without flux in the middle there is more steel in the wire, gas can produce a cleaner weld due to slag from the solid flux, and allows for more penetration into the metal

 

Gas helps you weld thinner material, less burn-through. But if you're only going to be doing plug welds which will be ground flush you don't really need gas. However solid core wire does NOT let you weld thicker metals, in fact the opposite is true. If you are using the same diameter flux core and solid the flux will allow you to weld thicker materials due to less cold lap and higher deposition rates.

Side note: I can do 1/4" with flux core using my Millermatic 140, although on occasion it takes more than 1 pass.

 

how so, i went through a full welding course at my high school, and there was never any issues with cold lap using gas shield, also no more deposition with the flux setup at work.

although i think i lesser quality welder with gas might be matched to a mid level flux setup....
basically you get what you pay for

 

There is also the issue of using a gas shield welder outside. If you have any wind, it tends to blow the intert gas away from the weld. If you're inside a workshop then its not an issue. For this reason, I chose a gas mig, but I can use flux core gasless wire on it for use outside.

 

In all the metal shop courses I've taken I've been taught that Flux core will weld thicker materials than equal diameter solid core. (Although solid creates a nicer looking bead.) Lincoln and Miller even state that on their websites:

Lincoln: http://www.lincolnelectric.ca/knowle...sfluxcored.asp

"MIG has a soft arc which will not properly weld thicker materials."

"The flux-cored process is most suited for applications with thicker materials as it is less prone to cold lapping."

"A 115 volt flux-cored machine using an electrode such as .035" Innershield NR-211-MP will generally allow you to weld steel up to ¼"thick. Note that this is more than double the thickness maximum of 12 gauge with MIG on 115 volts."

Miller: http://www.millerwelds.com/education...article62.html

"If you are welding thicker metals (16 ga. and above), self shielded flux cored wire also provides excellent penetration."

"Flux cored wire also increases penetration on the side walls and offers the advantage of better deposition rates (the amount of weld metal deposited in a given time period, measured in pounds per hour) when compared to solid wire."

 

REAVER117, Thanks, always two sides to the story. great post

as for the welder its self, depending on your budget pick up one of the miller or Lincoln 140's, they have built in gas solenoids and con with the shielding gas regulator. at lease you will have the capability in the future.

You want to avoid units like Hobart, Autoarc, weldpac, Clark, Mac Tool, Snapon, any thing sears, Esab and any unit that claims to do more than just MIg/Flux cord. YOu wil find that Hobart and autoarc are made by miller on the same assembly line, there "Cheaper" for a reason, infierriod PC boards and weak drive motors.