Best welder for learning to spot weld

[Mac2Night]

The more I look at different projects I have, all of them only require cutting old spot welds and re-spotting new panels (4 front floors in two different EBs). I feel certain that by the time I pay someone to weld these panels in (I plan to remove and then screw the new ones in place), I could have bought and learned to spot. Plus, I have always wanted to learn to weld some anyway.

Any recommendations as to how I can make this process easier?

 

[Hank_]

I purchased this welder and have been very happy with it http://www.eastwood.com/mig-welder-110vac-135a-output.html . I used it for all the metal work on my bronco plus several other projects around the house.

Henry

 

[ehumaui]

Miller 135 with gas

Rc

 

[nvrstuk]

http://www.hobartwelders.com/products/wirefeed/handler190/

Been using Hobart for decades...

 

[AaronWelch]

Well I think you need to ask yourself some questions here:

How much welding do you plan on doing?
Any other projects?
Do you have 240 available where you will be welding?
How much do you want to spend?

I was in the same boat as you. I needed to replace my floorboards and my inner fender supports. I am was not sure how much welding I was going to do in the future and I was on a budget so I went with this one from Northern tool:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200441249_200441249

It worked great and handled everything I threw at it. Now I am not a welding super stud like some of the guys here but I found it pretty easy to get a feel for after watching a few videos on youtube and for the money it was a no brainer. Just take your time.

 

[rock7174]

I have the eastwood 135 I'll sell you for $100 plus shipping (probably another $50) Used to weld up some exhaust and that's it. My wife surprised me with a thermal Arc that does arc, mig, tig and also has a spool gun for welding aluminum. The eastwood 135 will suffice for sheet metal work. Its in mint condition. PM me if interested.

 

[Explorer]

Watch Craigslist for a Hobart 140. I've seen a couple lately, new or nearly new for $300-$350. It'll handle anything you need to do on a Bronco. If you have the money, a MillerMatic 211 runs on 110v or 220v. I've had mine every since they came out and couldn't be more pleased.

 

[Mac2Night]

Rock7174,

PM SENT! ;D

I have the eastwood 135 I'll sell you for $100 plus shipping (probably another $50) Used to weld up some exhaust and that's it. My wife surprised me with a thermal Arc that does arc, mig, tig and also has a spool gun for welding aluminum. The eastwood 135 will suffice for sheet metal work. Its in mint condition. PM me if interested.

 

[Fairlane514]

Once you start welding, it opens up a whole new world of fabrication and projects. The smaller welders that run off of 110 are fine for a little while, but you will outgrow it.

Look for a used Millermatic 210 or 250 that runs off of 220 and you will be able to weld from light duty to frames etc.

I have had both machines and my bigger one is just all around better and more versatile.

 

[nickgp]

Hobart, Lincoln or Miller with a gas kit. You wont be sorry. Keep away from CCS. Cheap Chinese Shit!

 

[rjrobin2002]

I loved my hobart 187 wired 220 and they sell pretty cheap on craigslist. I upgraded to a miller 252 only cause i started aluminum welding also. I feel the hobart 187 actually made a prettier bead and it will handle anything you ever want to weld, where the 135 have trouble on 1/4" materials.

 

[Broncitis]

All these suggestions are for MIG welders, not spot welders.

MIG's are used to plug weld, butt weld, or lap weld panels.

Actual spot welding is resistance welding between electrodes where no filler metal is used. These machines can get very large and very expensive, but there are some smaller ones that work well that are suitable for the home shop for small restoration shop.

I have two of the traditional tong types. One is a cheap one from Harbor Freight that looks like a knock off of a Miller I have that is mounted to a removable base stand for off vehicle parts.

There are also machines that have hand held electrodes so you do not have to have bunches of specialized tongs to reach hard to access areas around panels. I am looking to get one of these in the future.

Eastwood and other also have other specialty spot weld type tools attachments that can be powered off a standard welder or are self contained.

MIG's are more versatile overall, but a nice spot weld is very clean with little to no cleanup or grinding prior to paint paint. With some practice and the correct wire and settings, a MIG can leave nice plug welds that do not require much cleanup either.

As for a MIG, I like the 220 machines for overall versatility and they typically have better wire feeders. I have a Miller 210 and like it a lot for what I do.

 

[Steve83]

Spot welding is really efficient & effective for assembly-line robots, but it's NOT the best way to connect panels. Panel adhesive is much stronger, and doesn't induce metal fatigue or corrosion like welding does. But for repair welding, MIG is far superior to spot, and far more versatile.

I dropped the loot for a MM211/SM100, and it'll fill rust holes in 22ga steel/Al, or butt-weld 3/8" plate in a single pass.

If you're just beginning to learn how to weld, DON'T buy a "beginner" machine. They're VERY difficult to use, which makes them nearly impossible to learn with (especially if you're teaching yourself). A pro-level machine is much easier for a beginner to use.

 

[70 Steed]

Agree that MIG welding is not the same as spot welding.

If you are going to get a MIG welder and can afford it get a Millermatic 211. They are very easy to learn on. Miller is having a 10% rebate right now.

 

[Steve83]

I got my 211 & spool gun delivered to my door from an authorized eBay seller for less than the machine alone would have cost from Miller at that time. And Miller charges extra for shipping.



http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/product.php?model=M00245
http://www.millerwelds.com/products/wire_feeders/spoolmate_100/
http://www.millerwelds.com/products/special-offers.html

 

[hsach]

One thing to remember when welding on these early Broncos, the original metal is extremely thin. Practice a lot on metal off the Bronco, but when you start welding new metal to existing Bronco metal you can burn through it fast. You will need to dial back the heat in certain situations. Welding 16 gauge pans to the existing metal makes me want to rip out the entire tub and start over with thicker metal, I can't believe the difference between the two.

 

[Naughty Bronc]

Millermatic 211 the only way to go.... 110/220v

 

[broncosbybart]

I would recommend a nice 220V MIG with solid wire and a gas bottle. Rosette welding floor pans into place is very easy and if it looks ugly, you can always grind the welds down with a flap disc or grinding disc on a 4.5" grinder.

That said, welders aren't cheap. If you did all the work and got the floor pans to the point where the only thing to do would be to weld them in, I'd think you can get someone to do it cheaply. That is the easy part and if someone charged more than $100 to do it, they'd be ripping you off. It all depends on how much you 'need' to buy a welder.