Craftsman migs any good for welding sheetmetal???

[Blakcharger440]

I just purchased a Craftsman gas/no gas 110v mig welder from Sears. This is my first welder. I had to think about affordability and serviceability as well as a good guarantee and they have guaranteed all tools I have purchased from them in the past really well.

Are these welders any good? Or did I just make a mistake? I will be mainly doing auto sheet metal work with it. It says it can weld 24 gauge to 3/16 metal.

[resq302]

I don't know anything about their welders but I can say that I will never buy their air compressors again as the direct drive motor unit that was on the tank grenaded when I was within two feet away.  It was an oil-less compressor also and we had maybe 2 years of service out of it with usage only like once or twice every other week.  Hopefully their welders are made a lot better.

[is_it_EVER_done?]

The Craftsman units used to be re-branded Lincolns, but I believe they are now re-branded Hobarts (built by Miller). Either way, they are as good as you can get, top of the line welders, but you should find out what it is as far as it's name brand equivalent so that if you ever need to order parts, you will know what to order for.

Did you get the gas adapter with it? If not, you will need one (and gas) in order to weld thin metal. After that, just practice welding some junk metal together at various heat and wire speed settings, cut the welded parts with a cut off saw and see what they look like. That is the easiest way to learn in order to find out what the minimum settings that provide good penetration will be.

I would suggest that you build youself a welding cart as your first project as that will teach you allot. Then you can tackle work on your car if you feel you're ready. As for welding sheet metal (body panels), DON'T GET IN A HURRY when welding. Use only about 1/8th inch long welds and allow them to cool naturally (no water or air blown on them), before you do the next tiny weld. If you try to cool the weld quicker than naturally, the area will shrink which will lead to "oil canning" or warpage. This is one area where you can do a better job than a professional, as a professional is working by the hour, so they have to push the envelope, whereas you can take a day or two to complete the same task, which provides better results. The same thing applies to GRINDING the welds (if you practiced enough, this should only be minimally necessary). Grind tiny areas with natural cooling.

If you need to fill a gap, use a piece of copper pipe (hammered into the shape of what you are welding) behind the welding tip. The weld wont stick to the copper, and will fill the area with much less heat than just filling the void.

Another tip is to weld from the back whenever possible with the copper on the front. This will eliminate any grinding necessary to the surface of the sheet metal as the weld will be flush with the surface.

Sorry for the length and going into areas you didn't ask about, but I'm just trying to shorten your learning curve. Just GO SLOW! I understand that the desire to get the job done will cause you to test how much you can weld at one time (1/8th works, so maybe a 1/4 will be OK to do) - maybe it is - but there will be a point that you will achieve warpage, and fixing that is FAR more difficult to learn to do than learning to weld.

[Blakcharger440]

They didnt mention anything about a gas adapter but they did mention getting a gas regulator,tank and gas.
The welder came with a cart for free. I ended up paying $319 for it.

[73chargers4404]

heres the one i bought it works good. Lincoln Electric makes good welders
.http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=LCN%2DK2185%2D1&N=700+400162+115&autoview=sku

[Silver R/T]

I don't know anything about their welders but I can say that I will never buy their air compressors again as the direct drive motor unit that was on the tank grenaded when I was within two feet away. It was an oil-less compressor also and we had maybe 2 years of service out of it with usage only like once or twice every other week. Hopefully their welders are made a lot better.

I wouldn't buy oil-less compressor in the first place.

[dkn1997]

I don't know anything about their welders but I can say that I will never buy their air compressors again as the direct drive motor unit that was on the tank grenaded when I was within two feet away. It was an oil-less compressor also and we had maybe 2 years of service out of it with usage only like once or twice every other week. Hopefully their welders are made a lot better.

I wouldn't buy oil-less compressor in the first place.

wow! your wit never ceases to amaze us all!!!

[MorePwr]

I borrowed my buddy's Craftsman 110 mig this summer for my Charger project. It worked just as well as Hobarts, Miller or Lincolns I've used in the past. it should do everything your looking for.

The only possible drawback I can think of is replacement parts, tips, nozzles cable liners etc. maybe not an issue since Sears is pretty good about keeping that kind of stuff on the shelves. but might be more expensive. If it is a re-branded Hobart, Miller or Lincoln. parts are everywhere. But look on your welder for a Country of origin. I think you'll find it's Italy... 

I'd love to chime in about oil-less compressors, but......Na

[dkn1997]

I just looked at the sears site and for under 300 bucks, you get a lot, including gas regulator.  seems like a good deal.  and it's a lincoln.

[MorePwr]

I just looked at the sears site and for under 300 bucks, you get a lot, including gas regulator.  seems like a good deal.  and it's a lincoln.

Hmm. cheapest lincoln I see at Sears is $549. what are you looking at?

I see it now. the Lincoln "Handy" mig.  20% duty cycle is pretty weak. Probably work ok on sheet metal, but not much more.

[is_it_EVER_done?]

20% duty cycle is pretty weak. Probably work OK on sheet metal, but not much more.

No disrespect intended, but if you are building a car instead of a bridge, you will NEVER reach the duty cycle (unless you are putting way to much heat into the thin metals that a car is made out of), and there is nothing on a car that requires any more amperage/heat.

I am in no way shape or form, a professional welder, and have never had a lesson, so my opinions are not based on training, just experience, but I have owned the same Lincoln 100 amp for around 20 years, and though I could certainly afford to upgrade it if I ever found it necessary, I can't envision any reason to ever do so for ANY car work (it also has a 20% duty cycle).

I wouldn't try to build a chromemolly roll cage with it, but there has been very few weeks in all that time that I Haven't used it for everything from panel repair/household repairs, to trailer hitches and even my auto rotisserie, plus aluminum work. So a 20% duty cycle is never going to be a problem in real world use.

P.S. I can't even begin to tell you how many times others have borrowed my welder because their 220 volt units (80%+ duty cycle) aren't portable.

[dkn1997]

I will be mainly doing auto sheet metal work with it. It says it can weld 24 gauge to 3/16 metal.

then I guess blackcharger is covered....

[MorePwr]

20% duty cycle is pretty weak. Probably work OK on sheet metal, but not much more.

No disrespect intended, but if you are building a car instead of a bridge, you will NEVER reach the duty cycle (unless you are putting way to much heat into the thin metals that a car is made out of), and there is nothing on a car that requires any more amperage/heat.

I am in no way shape or form, a professional welder, and have never had a lesson, so my opinions are not based on training, just experience, but I have owned the same Lincoln 100 amp for around 20 years, and though I could certainly afford to upgrade it if I ever found it necessary, I can't envision any reason to ever do so for ANY car work (it also has a 20% duty cycle).

I wouldn't try to build a chromemolly roll cage with it, but there has been very few weeks in all that time that I Haven't used it for everything from panel repair/household repairs, to trailer hitches and even my auto rotisserie, plus aluminum work. So a 20% duty cycle is never going to be a problem in real world use.

P.S. I can't even begin to tell you how many times others have borrowed my welder because their 220 volt units (80%+ duty cycle) aren't portable.

No offence taken. Everyone's allowed their opinion. I base my opinion on a year of college for welding/fabrication and blueprint reading + a semester of metallurgy and ten years of hands, on in the industry. two of the years experience  building custom hitches and trailers at Mann's welding here in Seattle. and my own projects here around the house.

The only thing I really disagree with you on is the hitch work, sure you can weld on spring perches, repair a k frame put frame connectors on Bla Bla Bla if you "really" take your time to get proper penetration. but that machine simply does not have the power to properly weld a hitch. IMO

[Blakcharger440]

My manual says that my welder has a duty cycle rating of 40% at the rated output.

[MorePwr]

My manual says that my welder has a duty cycle rating of 40% at the rated output.

How about a Model #.