"RogerN" wrote in message
...

"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 18 Jul 2010 08:21:19 -0500, "RogerN"
wrote:

I've been trying to do some body work and rust repair on my truck before
I
sell it and I'm getting close to the point of needing to weld in some
metal
to replace the rusted metal. This isn't so much to increase the value of
the truck as it is to learn to do some body work and rust repair. My
welder
is a Century 145A (IIRC) 230V Sam's Club special that came with the MIG
Gas
regulator kit.

For my current location and to weld thin auto body sheet metal it would
be
nice to have a 120V welder so I was looking at what is available. Seems
the
economical MIG welders (Harbor Freight, Northern Tool, etc.) are set up
for
flux core and the thinnest they advertise to weld is 18 Ga. and the
addition
of the MIG kit puts their price near the price of the little bit better
MIG
welders.

Looking around, I found a welder that looks interesting, a Millermatic
211.
It will run up to 140A on from 120V or up to 210A from a 230V supply.
Sounds like just what I need, light duty running out to my auto body and
heavier duty shop welding. Plus it is ready for a spool gun (on sale
locally for $179). Everything sounded great until I looked at the price,
$949 on sale locally, sounds like a good price for this welder but still
pretty expensive. It would fill all my MIG needs in one machine plus I
could add aluminum spool gun capability. And it looks like a bottle of
Argon for TIG + MIG aluminum and a bottle of 75/25 Argon/CO2 would set me
up
with all the gas I need for about anything I'm likely to weld.

Any recommendations on a favorite MIG welder for auto body sheet metal?

RogerN

You have conflicting objectives, wanting a MIG that can do heavier
welding, including aluminum, but still a best choice for autobody.

The dual voltage on the Millermatic 211 has conflicting capabilities, on
120V it has the exact same current and duty cycle ratings as the
Millermatic 140, but on 230V it has capabilities of a higher power welder,
that what has caught my interest. However I may be better off getting a
small 120V unit for auto body and a used heavier welder for welding
heavier metals and aluminum.

An excellent welder for autobody is the Lincoln SP125 plus, may be
SP135plus now, with continuously variable heat setting. If you visit
a restoration or custom body shop, that's what you'll see at the
workstations.


I'll look them up and see what kind of deals they have on them at the
local welding suppliers. If I get a 230V extension cord I may be able to
use my Century MIG welder, I don't remember its specs but I think it can
do thin auto body sheet metals.

RogerN



Get one of these flange/punch tools for sheet metal work if you don't
already have one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/air-pun...tool-1110.html