mig welder

[1968z28]

what's a good quality mig welder for body work up to frame work?

[joesauer]

Miller.

[BULLITT65]

snap on makes a nice one, but it may originate from miller. I bought my wire feed used with gas for $400 off the internet. Works like a charm

[1968z28]

been looking at a miller 211.  i like miller's wire feed mechanism better than lincoln.  miller seems simpler to change over for different wire size.  should i get the spool gun for aluminum or buy a tig?  i occasionally need to repair damaged aluminum engine blocks.
thanks

[BULLITT65]

If you "occasionally" repair aluminum I would think you would be more knowledgeable than us...

Sauren327 is another member that seems well versed in body panel replacement and may have something to add here

[dino67]

Miller or Lincoln are both good. Other brands may work ok until you need consumables or parts, then it could be a challenge.

[WayneinNZ]

After 14yrs repairing all forms of welders I would probably toss up between the Miller 211 or the Lincoln 180I for home use as you mentioned for panel and frame work.
Both will run MIG nicely with mixed gas shielding, 0.6mm solid wire for panels and 0.9mm - 1.2mm solid wire for frames.
I would not recommend gasless wire (flux cored) to anyone unless you are desperate or wanting to weld up an old galvanised gate post in a paddock.
A spool gun would not be a good choice for aluminium blocks.
You just wont get enough weld intensity from it.
You would most likely not get good penetration and really for any good aluminium work you should be welding with AC and HF which you wont get with these welders.
With TIG on AC with HF and a large enough source and good torch you will get a better result, better penetration and less inclusions. Make sure you use the correct tungsten and correct size collett etc.
The heat input from TIG can be very high and you run the risk of melting rather than building up if you are not careful.
Run it with a foot control so you can readily ramp up and down as you weld.

I hope that helps

Merry Christmas
Wayne

[1968z28]

thank you Wayne.  that's exactly what i wanted to know.  i have been paying someone else to do my aluminum engine block repairs and i think i can do better.  they've ruined 3 hard to find blocks.  what's a good tig machine for part time mostly hobby use capable of repairing blocks?
thanks

[WayneinNZ]

If you can find an old miller synchrowave 250/250 that would be my first choice.
Its an older machine but is built tough. You can run straight and reverse DC polarity, AC and it has HF as well and you can stick weld with it also.
I dont see many come up for sale here in NZ as they are popular and very reliable.
More modern machines can be pricey and these days they are mostly inverter type power sources.
Personally I prefer a chunky transfomer and a good bridge, usually you get a much nicer arc and you dont need to be a rocket scientist to operate it.
On aluminium you need to run continuous HF on AC with pure Argon gas. An engine block would probably need to be pre-heated as well to help the weld "wet in" to the parent material.
The Lincoln machines were also very good up until a couple of years ago ( in NZ at least ) when they changed thier diode supplier and all sorts of wierd things started to happen. They may have come right now but I havent had one in to check out for a while.
If I were you I would still try and find a GOOD machine shop, doing it yourself could do some serious damage if you are a novice Ali welder.
Try and find a place that does boilermaking or high pressure pipe welding, usually they are pretty good tradesmen and tend to enjoy a job that is a bit out of the norm for them.
If you want a home / hobby machine then mostly they are scratch start, dont get one of these. They will be single phase and I dont think you will get the heat output out of it that you need to keep the work piece hot enough to get a good weld.
Make sure if you buy one it has HF.
If you are welding Ali be very careful as there are very severe radiated arcs. Completely cover you arms with a dust coat and wear leather gloves and a welding helmet of course.
If you dont you will get badly burnt.
Shop about, stay with a known brand for good after sales service and be prepared for it to be a bit costly if buying new.

Cheers
Wayne

[dutch]

This is what I wish I could have:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi10LItQBpo

[Stingr69]

I like my Miller.  I have found reversing the polarity seems to help with sheet metal work but I am far from an expert.