Oxy-Acetylene welding

i've been doing some reading.....

and i think that for my budget....i may be better off getting an Oxy-Acetylene setup rather than the miller MIG machine i wanted.....

the mig would run me about 750 + bottles.

the O-A would run about 350 With bottles....

with the O-A i can cut which i cant with a MIG.


but the welding is a little harder....I'm sure i can learn though....I'm a pretty bright fella.....sometimes....




anyways....i haven't been able to find any info on welding vertical pieces of sheet metal. all the examples i find are being welded flat.

can this be done with gas welding? I have a lot of body work to do on my 6, but i need to be able to weld heavier stuff like bumpers and frame parts. TIG is way out of my price range.

what about welding upside down under the heep?


share your thoughts on sheet metal welding with gas....


help me decide what i need :stout:

 

when working with sheet metal, too much heat is gonna warp the metal, and thin metal is hard to blue flame weld with.....in my opinion.
I'm not an experienced welder, but I'd go the MIG rig if you can
if nothing else, when you're project is completed, you could sell the unit and recoup some of your cost

 

i vote for mig as well. it is just so much more simple. i can stitch weld in a floor board in 30 minutes with mig, probably take 2 hours +with oxy. oxy is a lot more of a hassal but great to have around. maby look around on cragslist for a oxy setup in your area. and buy the mig machine. but i have both and would want it any other way, even if i was offered cash for either.

 

Mig for sheet metal. Torch welding can be done, but the guys I've seen do it have a ton of experience. Heat is both your enemy and your friend. You need the heat to weld the metal, but too much will warp it beyond belief. That, and you'll end up blowing more holes in it that you'd think. When you go Mig get one that's gas ready. Flux core will work but its not as clean.

 

drat.

i was hoping to be able to get away with the less expensive option.....

guess i gotta keep saving......I need to stop buying the "deals" that come my way or i'll never get one!

i only put a little money into the "play" money account....so saving up takes a while....last time it got close i found a set of pretty much brand new trailer tires and rims that i really needed (mine were cracked and bald...kinda like me!)......then someone offered me some narrow wheels and tires for my CJ2a, really close to new condition.

now I'm getting the 77 cj5.....at least I'll get some money back from that so it wont be as big of a purchase.



maybe i'll get the Hobart instead of the miller and save a few bucks....


your thoughts?

 

I learned to work sheet metal before migs got popular, You'll have to learn how to "hammer" it if you go the oa route. I'd probablysuggest the mig route or even a 110 stick route with small rods works well but probably more info is out there on learning to mig for a beginner. As for welding the heavier stuff with oa I still sometimes use it for for pipe(gates&fences)when electricity isn't available but you'll still have to learn how and a mig or stick will make that process quicker.I might suggest getting the welder then bootles later as money permits flux wire works well enough most of the time.hth

 

I grew up on oxy-acetyl and arc. broad heat is difficult to deal with but the torch has broad uses. Brazing lays nice and flat with good heat but requires constant sponge and water cooling of the body panel (a second person manning a sponge works well).

Then 220 MIG came along. pinpoint heat, easier but challenging to learn so newbies get more "booger welds". Then, grinding the thick booger weld is like working through railroad track! 110 MIG is limited on amps (heat) so flat weld fills tends to become more boogeriffic with pieces of wire sticking out and lots of swearing. Many people here have good results with this 110 unit after learning the low amp quirks. You are limited to basic sheet metals.

So, I will narrowly vote oxy-acetl even though I love MIG -- just the 220 version so I can weld anything. Unfortunately, 220 MIG is cost prohibitive. With a torch, you will also have a cutting option available too!

 

i just bought an old miller 200 for 350 bucks and a free tank but i have also used oa and it doesnt really matter which one i use and it comes out look fine but i like the 200 better

 

X2 on Craigslist! Good place to find deals, but you have to move on 'em quick. Lots of other guys watching too.

 

Don't ask me or my dad how he now I now how acetylene bottle's are flammable...

 

I have the Hobart Handler 140, IIRC, the largest 110 volt MIG out there.

I LOVE IT.

I picked mine up on e-pay for under 300 bux. Look on Craigslist, but hurry, they go quick.

nuf said...

 

For sheet metal I use a 110V MIG fluxcore. Agreed they spatter alot but you have to smooth the weld anyway and the little balls of spatter come off w/ just a touch of the pad. As far as the weld quality, they produce a very good bead once the machine is dialed in correctly (a little tougher than a gas shielded MIG). The best thing about them is they are cheap. A fluxcore unit will cost less than either of the options you suggested and you'll find a lot of uses for it.:v6:

 

:iagree:

 

i see....said the blind man

if i got a mig that goes down to 30A, is that low enough for sheet metal (16g or 18g i think for body)? or should i get a cheapy that goes lower?

i'll still need a bigger welder for frame boxing and rock bumper-making i think

 

Having done both MIG and OA sheet metal welding, I'll tell you right now...get the MIG. Welding with gas is an art, and it takes a lot of time to get decent results...and the thinner the metal, the less room you have for error. With 18 gauge it's just so easy to blow right through. And I always had a really hard time keeping the heat down with gas. With MIG, you get extremely precise control of the heat, and with sheet metal that's half the battle.

I've got a Hobart 135 (110V) and I love it. You can get them with the regulator and hose (don't have to be used) so you can run flux core until you can afford a tank too. I welded a floor board and new floor support in my Olds a few months back. I used 18 gauge cold rolled steel, which is pretty standard thickness for body panels. I had to weld the floor support in from the underside of the car...welding out of position (upside down) is um...interesting. Not as bad as you would think though. Avoid it if you can. If you're going to be welding big stuff (frames, etc) get a used stick welder. I got a nice Linde 230 amp buzz box at a garage sale for $50 .

If you know anyone with a lot of welding experience, have them show you around...otherwise, get a good book and a bunch of scrap metal to experiment on. Reading the book will give you some ideas on technique, and how to get good penetration...but actually practicing is where you'll learn how to do it. Eventually, you'll want a torch too just because they're so handy for other things. I'd start with the MIG or wire feed though. Get a decent one if you can afford it...you'll appreciate it in the long run.

 

i have been a welder for 35 years a mig with .023 er70s c25 mix 75 argon 25 co2 will get you anywhere any position you need to be and easy to learn in carbon steel later you can switch gas and wire weld stainlessand allumenum

 

welded sheet metal for years with a torch, sold it and bought a lincoln flux core about 4 years ago and am very happy with it. there are things that can be done much better with a torch but it's hard to beat the convenience of pluging it in and flipping a switch to weld. seemed like every time I really got into it with the torch, one of the bottles would run out

 

You can pick up a cheap arc welder in your local trader paper. No gas to buy, no wire feed to jam up, just some rods and your in bussiness. P.S. try to get one that works off 110 a/c you wont believe how fast a 220 runs up your electric bill!!! P.S.S try 6013 rods for pretty welds its the easiest stick to learn on, and use 7018 for strength. Good luck.