924Board.org

[wdb]

anyone know if this would work for light gauge stuff , exhaust,body panel rust repair work , etc .

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=33224

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=55060

[Alex Roy]

stick A/C welder, would work, but not ideal for working on sheet metal or body parts. You'd be best off with a wire feed, or mig. Harbor freight sells spot welders too....that'd be best for body work.

[Smoothie]

I started with a "Solid-Ox" welder from Kmart. It was an underpowered novelty item, but I had some fun with it as a young lad.
Next I got a Sears 200Amp AC Arc welder (stick welder) that ran on 240V. Range was limited since it had to be run from a special 240V, 50A circuit. It was really meant for heavier structural parts like frames and bumper brackets, but you were supposed to be able to do lighter work on sheet metal and the like with stich welder and spot welder attachments, but I didn't have great luck and didn't like working with them. Also - a major pain in the A is getting the arc started with an AC stick welder especially when working with lighter materials because the rod tends to get stuck to the work until you get the amp setting and technique just right. Set way too low you just get useless sparks, set higher, but still too low your rod gets stuck to the work (the welding rod), set too high and you're burning holes through the material.

Having had all the fun I could stand with the stick welder, I went for a wire fed mig/flux welder. It runs off a 120V, 20A circuit so I didn't have to rewire the house for it and I have a 10 gauge extension cord that extends the range another 50'. By changing tips, it will accept wire of different thickness and can be used as a mig welder along with a bottle of the appropriate gas (CO2, Argon, CO2+Argon, etc.) and with the correct wire, weld steel, stainless steel, aluminum or it can be used without gas with flux-core wire. It's good for everything from sheet metal to approx 1/4" steel. Still has to be set correctly - both wire feed speed and amperage, but it's way easier to get the arc started and the weld flowing than with an AC stick welder.

There's also a product from Alumiweld that looks interesting for sheet metal fusing. Racing used Swedens' equivalent of Alumiweld's product for fusing aluminum to fabricate his intake manifold, but they also have something for sheet steel. It works with just a propane torch and should be good to eliminate warpage which is commonly a problem when welding sheet metal.
A dedicated spot welder would also be good for sheet metal as Alex mentioned and would minimise the warpage problem.

As far as the extra-low priced 120V AC stick welders like in that one link, I've only heard to avoid them, but I don't know if the people saying that were talking from hearsay or first hand experience.
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"..it's made in Germany. You know the Germans always make good stuff."


'82 924T, US version, dark green metallic, 5 speed Audi 016G gearbox

[Joes924Racer]

What a 49.00 dollar welder id stay away from it..smoothies right you want to go with a low cost wire feed and get the argon goin, wire feed is much easier.
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1979 porsche 924 Na
1980 porsche Turbo 931GT Replica
Have u ever driven a turbo.

[Sleykin]

I don't like to pay for frustration That is exactly what you would be doing with a $49 special from HF. One of the guys at work bought one and it is useable if you are already good with AC SMAW. Go down to a good welding supply house and try out a few of their machines or take a class. All MIG welders are not created equal. I had a cheap MIG for a few years and kept going back to stick or OA. I bought a Miller 175 and got rid of the buzz box, and rarely use the gas for anything but cutting. I also have a 350 amp AC/DC Miller with a TIG box that will weld about anything ... but it takes so long to set it up and connect the water etc I rarely use it either.
Probably if you are only doing body work a good O/A setup would be the least initial cost and most versatile tool. Check Pawn shops and the nickle for a used set and no matter what ya get plan to spend some time learning to use it and burning up a lot of material before you see truely good welds.
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Glenn Neff
Medford, OR
87' 924S

[Sleykin]

Sorry about the rant... It's just that I spent more on "cheap" welders etc. than I did on my Porsche. Then I went and spent that much again to get good stuff.

RANT MODE OFF
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Glenn Neff
Medford, OR
87' 924S

[wdb]

thanks for the help guys , I know a little about welding and frustration , my welding expierience has been a torch and coat hangers and a little stick . spent more time fixing the holes I made than actually welding anything .

[Sleykin]

Don't get me started on coat hangers & O/A
Too much carbon for a good weld.
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Glenn Neff
Medford, OR
87' 924S

[Lizard]

LOL do it right get a MIG, wirefeed or fluxcore MAY work for sheet metal and exhaust but you are probably going to end up making a few holes, spend the coin and do it right, I have roughly $700 in my welder so far
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3 928s,

[CBass]

[Lizard]

hey cbass you really need to get out here and give me some welding lessons man, oh and the calipers have been taken down and are in excellent condition just need a main seal and boot to complete
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3 928s,