I do not mean to insult anyone, but the question must be asked. Destiny has again showed itself by gracing me w/ 80 ft total of 1” and 1 ½ “ stainless steel sq tube and 30’ ½” rod… Free... I don’t know the tube thickness, but the guy was building outboard motor brackets so for now I can say it will stand up to most any job. Well the natural thing to think is I’m gonna build me a bug. Having never welded, nor am I planning to soon, particularly on this project. I still must start getting it all together for that day. I also have the need in my life to have the ability/knowledge to be able to pull off some other round the house projects. Primary question is will one of these 110 wire fed migs be able to do the task , or am I kidding myself w/ that (go 220). I understand a course,mentor, few books, and lots of practice are all in my future. Its putting the funds together and securing the hardware I need to start thinking about.

I would not trust my life and limb to a 110v welder. They just don't have the power needed to make sure the pieces are fused properly. Those are good for thin sheet metal,as they have very limited penetration.

UNDERSTOOD....... thank you.

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Originally posted by WELDNGOD I would not trust my life and limb to a 110v welder. They just don't have the power needed to make sure the pieces are fused properly. Those are good for thin sheet metal,as they have very limited penetration.

How long you been working in the ship yards? I would trust a 110 wire feed before I would trust some of those "welders" in the yard.
But, WG is right, gather all the stuff and maybe find a guy who is a welder and as he is making your bug he can think about his own. 2 for 1 deal.

With proper technique, a 110 welder would probably work for your bug. Personally, I would opt for a 220 welder as they are usually only a couple bucks more and as Weldingod has mentioned, are much more heavy duty. Usually you only purchase one welder for life, may as well get one that will be able to handle nearly anything you may need it for. A 110 welder will work for most materials under 1/4" (1/4" is kinda pushing it too). A 220 welder would be much easier and be able to handle so much more.

As for welding stainless, you will want to find out what kind of stainless it is and make sure you get the correct welding wire for it.

Just my two cents....I am not the caliber of welder that Weldingod or Big Kid is though.

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Originally posted by bigkid How long you been working in the ship yards? I would trust a 110 wire feed before I would trust some of those "welders" in the yard.

Especially those with tattoos and stuff. You just don't know! :saint:

proper technique is far away. i know that plenty of practice will be in my future. just want to spend $$ once for equipment and dont want to own the wrong tool for the job. am i correct in that wire fed would be my best option?? or is stick the route?

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Originally posted by BeamerBob Quote: Originally posted by bigkid How long you been working in the ship yards? I would trust a 110 wire feed before I would trust some of those "welders" in the yard. Especially those with tattoos and stuff. You just don't know! :saint:

uh-oh, hope Donnys not off work yet. Hurry Bobby, Repent!!!!!!
WG's one of the better welders in my book, I worked the shipyards for a bit, they retire ships for a reason, the rest of the stuff is scrapped. WG's work would be retired:smug:

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Originally posted by abkayak proper technique is far away. i know that plenty of practice will be in my future. just want to spend $$ once for equipment and dont want to own the wrong tool for the job. am i correct in that wire fed would be my best option?? or is stick the route?

I just picked up a 110 wire feed, Lincoln 140, nice little machine. got it for welding up stuff out in the boondocks where a good machine wont go and the repair cant go to the shop.
But the other machine Lincoln makes which is the next size up from the 140 is a 240 volt machine, would be a nice buggy builder. Ships and Bridges, not so good. the cost is about 900.00, you can flux core, or gas with it.

abkayak, in order to weld stainless w/ mig, your are gonna need sheilding gas. And stainless wire of the right grade(not cheap). I do like Lincoln wire feeders(my#1 choice) . The lil 140 Jeff mentioned,is a good machine. It will put 2 pieces of pipe/tubing together fairly well as long as it isn't too thick. Thicker material can be welded if you pre-heat(w/ a torch) the metal real hot and then weld it quick. This works because the heat of the arc isn't being "soaked" up by the cooler metal, allowing the heat to melt deeper into it
Another concern is the filler wire. If you don't get a regulator and bottle of gas,you will have to get "innershield" wire. It is tubular and has flux in it,When the wire melts the flux melts into slag ,which shields the puddle from oxygen. Oxygen WILL create porosity(very bad). Water ,rust,and paint, can also cause porosity.
Anyway ,I'm not so sure you can get a good grade of stainless "innersheild" wire either. And it (stainless steel),can go right over it's own slag, it is one of the hardest metals to weld fluxcore or stick.
It's all easy to me, but I have been a shipyard welder for 30 year this Oct. If it is made out of metal ,I can weld it. Plate,pipe,sheetmetal...and cans. " To be the MAN! ,first you gotta beat the CAN!"

I welded my RAT BUGGY with a 110v 140amp mig. Still together and ready to go. and I beat the crap out of that thing. But I also weld a lot at work and at home.

I would go for the 220 machine over the 110 any day of the week. Gas for sure, I don't care for fluxcore. You /could/ stick weld it but Mig welding will be much easier for you. You can purchase stainless wire for your Mig in smaller quantities which will save you some, again be sure you know what type of stainless you are welding and get the proper wire. Most stainless is either 304 or 316. 316 is usually referred to as "Marine Grade" and is also usually preferred for the food industry. 316 is much harder (stronger?) than 304 as it has chromium added into it and has a greater content of nickle (appx 13% nickle compared to 304 at 8%). You /can/ weld 304 stainless with 316 rod/wire and you shouldn't have any issues but welding 316 with 304 rod/wire will introduce impurities into the weld which will cause corrosion or weakness.

If your stainless is a 317M or 317MN, those have more chrommoly added which can be much stronger and have less corrosion but are very hard to weld, same goes for 321 which has titanium added in. These are super strong metals but are much more brittle than 304, great for strength and nearly corrosion proof but not so much for flexing and can break. Proper pre-heat treatments are a must when welding these types of stainless. Make sure you have proper ventilation on these cuz the fumes are wicked. It is usually not recommended to weld 317 or 321.

You may want to look into a nice TIG machine - would be my choice.

Alright, time out, thread-jack here... Don what did you weld that with? Is that welded to aluminum sheet? I watched a friend cut then weld a beer can with my Henrob, but that looks... loss for words....

The Beer can is an oldie but goodie. Hardest one for me was welding aluminum foil to the top of a block as a shim with out any blow outs in one continuous pass of 4 sides, (only my right chest is puffed up, the left doesn't have a pec). Sorry WG, "if you can step across it, I can weld it".

never too much gap,just not enough time! LOL

what's better than 1 can........

Yea yea, the can things are impressive but you should see what my wife does everyday. I was kinda scared to start asking questions about welding here. Didn’t want to dip my toes in the water where many might feel I don’t belong. But I have never shyed away from any form of art/work/trade or whatever that required thought and provided a challenge. Ok….. w/ all due respect, ass kissing aside. I am in the right place for the questions. I have a shall will say a medically challenged kid (Oliver) who I hope you all get to meet @ fall WW and have managed to overcome my need for welding up to now only w/ a little ingenuity. Its all only gonna become a little more necessary in our family life. The SS/bug thing is real low on my priority list, but w/ this kite thing in my head well you know…. That said and 110 all but ruled out , what would be the best kind of equipment to start out with and stay with, to get to the point that I would produce joints that were not only sound but presentable(I got a lot of pride). So now lets just say some day I’ll get to play w/ that free SS, now it goes in the garage. First I must practice and learn w/ 1 system that I would be working with more common weldable materials till I got to the point I was happy w/ my work. Than and only than I start on Olivers’ needs… Next I am not even gonna begin to talk about what it costs us to wake up in the morning, so I budget things out to make things work. I got time to start gathering my stuff and will get equip over some time planning on the CL strategy. My panel boxes is like 30 ft to run to so im not too scared of the 220 investment… Just want bang/versatility, ability to dare I say master??? for the buck. What do you think?......thanks ab.

the best deal that I have found with 220 as your goal, I would think about the Lincoln POWER MIG® 180C MIG Welder. it is 750.00 right now. It is able to weld 1/2" and gas, flux core, you can get an air cooled gun, gas accessories, does SS, Aluminum, mild steal. you can put it on a cart or carry it around by the handle. Miller has a model similar to the Lincoln, but I like red not blue.
Anything smaller will not serve most of your needs, anything larger will be more money and less portable. Unless you plan on opening up a welding shop chanses you wont need anymore than the 180C. One big thing, stay away from off brands, stick with well known , such as Lincoln, Miller. Most any thing you buy from a welding shop is good. HOME DEPOT, LOWES, HARBOR FREIGHT, ETC, NO. They may look the same but they are not. just my opinion.

Thats what im talking about, thats what i needed to know.... and NY CL right now nib.......425$, That one will not be mine but now i can see a light at the tunnels end...... I can do this.

I would agree fully with bigkid, get yourself a portable Miller or Lincoln 220 welder, that 180C would be perfect for starters. It is a unit that would probably be all you would ever need for a home/small shop.