just a bit of info on 110volt migs
Had a buddy buy a new MIG 110 volt (Im not going to say what brand because this effects all brands) well he gets it home and sets it up and the damn thing won,t weld worth crap, he calls me over, I try it and hes right, but before I go blaming the welder I notice the lights got dim as we struck an arc so I suggest he brings it over to my shop and we test weld there, its a a TOTALLY differant experiance......my shops wired with 20 amp 110 volt circuits and 10 ga wire, his shop has one 15 amp socket wired with 14 ga wire and all his overhead lights are on the same leg.....and to make things even worse hes using a 50 ft 14 ga extension cord so he can weld out in front of the garage in case of fire,......if your having problems with a mig welder it might be the feed circuit not the welder

read thru these and the sub links it will save you a bunch of money and time/effort and mistakes, most 110 volt welders are great for exhaust systems and sheet metal repairs but NOT when the weld failing may result in the car going out of control or the frame or suspension failing, a decent 220 volt 180-210 amp welder is vastly superior to a 140 amp 110 volt welder, if your working on frames and suspension components
BTW it USUALLY HELPS TOO REVERSE THE POLARITY OF THE LEADS IF YOU ARE USING 110 volt FLUX CORE WIRE!!!!!

QUOTE"
Taken directly from a Joe Kalassa , a welding instructor from Lincoln Eletric

"“Some teams fail to achieve proper fusion, which basically happens, for instance, when you take a little 110-volt welding machine and work on heavy things like shock mounts,” Kolasa says. “Some people feel they can do anything they want with one of the smaller machines that is intended for thin materials. If you were to use that machine when it comes to something like a shock mount, you might as well skip welding it and just stick some bubble gum there instead because it won’t work. It’s a misunderstanding of the welding process that comes from a lack of education.”

ASK QUESTIONS HERE (they have always given me good advice)

http://www.millermotorsports.com/mboard/forumdisplay.php?f=3

http://www.hobartbrothers.com/aboutus/downloads/

http://store.weldingdepot.com

http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/

[QUOTE=turtlevette;1081951]what kind of unit do you need to weld aluminum?[/QUOTE]


ALUMINUM is USUALLY, and probably best welded with a TIG welder , BUT there are MIG welders with aluminum spool guns that do a decent job, just be aware that ALUMINUM requires a good deal more amps due to its faster heat transfer rates
no 110 volt welder I know of does a good job on aluminum

http://millerwelds.com/education/TIGhandbook/

http://millerwelds.com/resources/improving-your-skills/mig/

http://millerwelds.com/resources/improving-your-skills/tig/

these guys (below) can give you great advice:thumbsup: on which welder to use

http://www.millermotorsports.com/mboard/forumdisplay.php?f=3

Ive played with dozens of welders, Id suggest talking to your MILLER and LINCOLN dealers and asking lots of questions at your local BODY REPAIR SHOPS before buying any welder, but Ive found the newer MILLER MIGS to be rather effective, and the LINCOLNs aren,t bad either.
I bought the 220volt miller 252 but I used a 110 volt 140 amp a a friends shop, and I owned one briefly, and for light stuff its fine.
like most things you get a better long term deal, in tool performance and parts availability with a name brand and the better versions vs off brand cheap crap.
generally they have a reputation to hold onto and try to prevent obvious flaws rather than try for the quick bucks, yeah its a bit more $ up front but usually worth it.

I just sold my lincoln mig when I bought my MILLER MIG, both got the job done, but I prefered the larger 220volt MIG

http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2 ... de=K2471-1

http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2 ... ode=907335

http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2 ... ode=907321

your rarely sorry that you spent alittle extra on better tools but frequently sorry later when you get cheap and buy crap...........BTW it may not be all that difficult/expensive to wire your shop for 220 volts , and it might be worth the effort especially if the current 110 volt feed is not a 20 amp circuit, if your useing a welder, even a great welder on a restricted amp supply will be a P.I.T.A. to use.
Had a buddy buy a new MIG 110 volt (Im not going to say what brand because this effects all brands) well he gets it home and sets it up and the damn thing won,t weld worth crap, he calls me over, I try it and he right, but before I go blaming the welder I notice the lights got dim as we struck an arc so I suggest he brings it over to my shop and we test weld there, itsa a TOTALLY differant experiance......my shops wired with 20 amp 110 volt circuits and 10 ga wire, his shop has one 15 amp socket wired with 14 ga wire and his overhead lights on the same leg.....if your having problems with a mig welder it might be the feed circuit not the welder

If your in the market for a new welder think long and hard about what youll be using it on and buy something that covers ALL your potential welding jobs ,not just the minimum needs at this time!
first ID suggest posting that question here (below) because they are the EXPERTS and Ive only been MIG welding a few years now (40 years with arc welders and an oxy-acetolene torch and 10 years with a TIG

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/co ... ay.php?f=4


now that being stated....

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/onephase.php

this is a decent selection (above)if limited to a 110 volt welder

if you've got 220 volts I feel this is a better choice for a shop

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig ... 0_autoset/

very good

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig ... matic_212/

better

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig ... matic_252/

EXCELLENT
this is the miller 252 that I sellected for my shop MIG after trying about a dozen options, yes it lists for about $2500 but you can find it for $2k if you shop carefully

much more than youll need for body work,alone,(above) but a great versital shop welder, that can do frame and suspension work that wold be difficult with the smaller amp and duty cycle welder,and with optional accessories it can even weld aluminum.
keep in mind a QUALITY welder will last for many years and youll find it more than pays for itself many times over and over again

If your having problem welding body sheet steel with one of the cheap welders with those range buttons that control the amps and wire speeds,it would help if I knew which welder you had and the amp and wire speeds available

this is one good example of why some of the less expensive welders tend to be a bad value, dropping to the .023 wire should help, but its not a cure in all cases, 22 ga sheet steel is too thin for .030 wire in most cases, your normally SCREWED when the wires thicker than the sheet steel your welding, and 22 ga is.0253 thick
you NEED,two infinitely adjustable a dials that can finely adjust the welder amps, from zero to the max rated amps and infinitely adjustable wire speed, from dead slow to fast
having preset amps & speeds works great if those amps & speeds fall close to what you need and slight adjustments in technique can compensate, if not your basically fighting a loosing fight, and your skill won,t compensate

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/calculator.htm

http://www.engineersedge.com/gauge.htm

when I suggest anyone think thru a welder purchase and avoid the cheaper non-name brand welders its due to experience, look Im not rich, and Ive been on a strict budget most of my adult life, both my kids make far more than I EVER did per hour already and their both still in college.
the reason I suggest saving up and buying the more expensive welders, is that the more expensive welder have far more adjust-ability, and in most cases have far more dependable wire feeds, consistent amps
Ive beat my head on the wall, trying to get decent welds using my friends cheap welders , and some I bought in the past,enough to know the difference)
theres not much that makes you realize the difference like use of two similar rated welders , and finding out that as an example,use of a miller or Lincoln, welder makes your welds look good, but your attempts with a harbor freight welder look like crap and your basically using the same skills, and that its not your lack of skill but the equipment thats the difference, now IM not saying cheap welders won,t produce decent welds, because if your application fall within the range of their preset (hi/low),or (A,B,C,D,E)range in wire speed,and amps you may be able to produce acceptable welds, but your chances increase dramatically when you control all the factors,individually with a rotary dial in the weld process

viewtopic.php?f=60&t=1594&p=6235#p6235

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/power-settings.htm

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/wire-speed.htm