ShopTalk Forums | Aircooled VW Tech & Restoration Help

Ive been considering buying a welder and getting a book and learing how to weld for some time now but I dont know what type of welder I should get. Ive read enough to know that Lincoln, and Miller are two very good brands. Mainly Ive been leaning towards the 135 series because of the 110 volt hookup. The only thing that scares me with those is the $$price$$. Ive also looked at Sears and I saw this

http://www.sears.com/sr/product/summary ... 0920676000

In case the link doesnt work, its a craftsman mig welder. that runs up to 120 amps max. Will that be sufficient for my VW welding needs? Mainly I would like to do some panel repair once I learn. My A pillar has rotted out on the passenger side, and a couple other areas need some work. And another question that I had was if i did buy this, can I then hook up gas to it? Im kinda confused on how that works. Can you weld without the gas? Any books that you long time welders would recommend? Im also thinking about taking a class in the spring at my community college. Im sure that that would probably be recommended to do also. Sorry if this post is kinda jumpy Im just trying to get some ideas of what I want and what Im going to do. Thanks

no one? ::bump::bump::

Personally? For just a little more money you're looking at a Lincoln, so why take chances?

Make sure that whatever you purchase you can hook up gas to it - or it's basically worthless. Flux core doesn't make good, predictable welds, especially in the hands of a beginner.

Take the class. Best thing you could do for yourself.

.I agree buy the nicer one I weld for a living, and you get what you pay for. My advice would be try your local welding supply house. Lots of times they have welders in the back for you to try out. The trick to mig welding is setting up the machine. The rest is easy to pick up on.

Step up. The newest Hot VW magazine discusses the Lincoln 135 mig plus. Nice welder, variable settings. A guy on Ebay sells them for around $530 and they ship direct from the factory. If that is too much, look at his other auctions or in his store. Good prices, free shipping.

free shipping! and do they come with the gas setup or will i have to but that seperately? thats actually not that bad of a price. Ill have to check around at local shops and see if they will let me try some equipment out.

check out harborfreight.com Free shipping for anything over $50 and lots of choices. Definetely go with gas welding from the start and get an auto-dimming helmet. Add a few extra $$ for various tools needed like clamps and an angle grinder (a welder's 2nd best friend).

Spend a little extra $$ now for a good welder or you may find yourself wanting a better welder in the future and selling your current welder cheap...

do dremels have a grinding disc attachment that would work for removing those nasty newbie welds?

Yes, the Lincoln 135 Mig Plus comes with everything necessary to setup for gas welding (gauges, hoses, valves, etc) except the bottle.

One of the ad's is below:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... gory=45032

The main reason I've recommended him is I received the welder in three days and with price of the welder and shipping, he was the cheapest I've found. Someone might be able to offer you a better deal but it was the best one that I could find at the time.

Dremel has attachments but you'll spend more time changeing the tiny discs then grinding itself. Get an angle grinder, you won't regret it. They have thinner discs made to cut metal (cut of discs) that's good for general metal fabrication as well.

http://www.chpower.com/index.asp I got my welder from here directly. I got model WG300000AJ and does everything I need (basic sheet metal to chassis modification). Has everything you need and it's setup for gas already, just hook up a bottle and go and has built in wheels. If you can afford a little more go for the WG306000AJ model (next step up). Only a little more $. But I'm satisfied with my current welder and don't see a use upgrading anytime soon.

Check out my site at www.runtrod.com for some of the stuff I'm doing with it.

Money is what I was worried about too. I had finally saved up enough money to buy a Miller 135 and set aside the time to get it and a friend of mine handed me the latest "iwanna" paper. Someone had a Miller 130XP welder for $300. It was barely even used and I bought it. Add in a bottle with 75/25 gas (purchased not leased) and you are still under $500. Just something to consider.

having used the craftsman one what I found was it had two general settings too hot and not hot enough. specifically when welding sheetmetal. the Lincoln and miller has a much better temp ranging capability. while the sears is most likely made by one of the two. getting parts for the lincoln and or miller will be a lot easier just my 2 cents

FYI. These guys have Lincoln 135's for $416 w/ free shipping...
http://www.powertoolstore.com/Qstore/c000027.htm

Good price. I will have to remember that store the next time I'm shopping for tools.