Technical Cheap 110V Welder for Sheetmetal on 53 Chevy

Here are some photos of the welder and the bottle I bought for $240. Supposedly I need some new gauges but probably not a regulator (according to the person I bought the welder from.)

 

Can anyone offer some advice on what other tools I need?

I know I need gloves, an auto darkening helmet, a welding cart, and a couple of accessories for the welder.

Aside from that, will tin snips and an angle grinder be all I need to do most of the sheetmetal work? Or do I need some die grinders, dremel tools, etc?

I saw one of these 4 1/2 Skilsaw Angle grinders at Home Depot for a good price. Will that work? I'm hesitant to invest much because I'm in the midst of potentially selling my house and not sure I'm going to end up with a garage for a while once I leave.

 

Ok harbor freight cart...ya got a welder to make it stronger. You are gonna need a pistol grip angle grinder...I really like my CP. A 4.5 grinder is a great tool, just a little big. Go get some of the new 3M cubitron 2 rolocs in 60 grit and a back up pad for your new set up....weld it up and grind away....but not to much...practice and have fun

 

Thanks, does the CP stand for Chicago Pneumatic that Harbor Freight carries? I have a small compressor that is 20 gallon 4hp. It might be 30 gallon 5hp but I'm pretty sure is 20 gallon 4hp. Will that probably run the pistol grip grinder ok when grinding welds?

 

Harbor freight CP is a sound alike there's is central pneumatic. Sense you have a compressor get 3" cut off tool cheap and handy.

 

In my opinion, you will most likely not be able to use air tools. What kind of air compressor do you have? The most important part of any air compressor ( and if it will be good for running air tools) is the cfm. If it's not marked, the way to tell if it will be good enough is by looking at the tube that runs from the pump down to the tank... If the outside diameter of the tube is smaller than a dime, or maybe even a penny, it's probably not good enough to sustain enough air volume to run air tools for more then a few minutes at a time. If it's really small, you would be better off running electric type grinders, or invest in a better air compressor.


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cheap harbor freight electric grinders........... one of the few things there that you will almost asuredly get double your moneys worth out of. i buy nothing but those when they are on sale since 1 out lasted 2 dewalts. commonly on sale for 9.99 but i've gotten them as cheap as 6.99. i usually have at least 1 brand new unopened and 2-3 in use at a time. so cheap you can have them set up with specific disc to avoid change overs as much.

i used to like the HF cut off/grinding/flap disc combo packs but the last 2 i got seems like they went back to the old crappy source to make them. they sucked for a while and then got better again for the last few years until a coupla months ago. and actually the grinding and flaps in those still seem decent but the cut offs not so much...

 

Oh thanks so much, I should get an electric one since my compressor is too small. I will try to get a harbor freight electric grinder... where should I look for a cheap cut off tool?

 

grinders cutoff tools and and that stuff is a harbor frt deal very cheap last long time. tin snips right hand cut left cut and straight cut not harbor frt. buy wieser or really good name stuff there. the welder you have now with practice will work well. buy the best wire you can get. no harbor frt here either. have fun

 

Good buy on the Lincoln! Great start for a good tool collection. Don't sell it when you're done with the Chevy, it'll come in handy years down the road for other sheetmetal needs. Later on you can pick up a quality 220v MIG for heavier work. As mentioned, get the HF 4-1/2" grinder and I'll probably get reamed for this but the $40 (on sale) HF auto darkening helmet has been all I used for the last few years and it works fine. I can still see! Start saving your pennies now for a decent air compressor. A 4hp/20gal is good for filling tires and not much else. A home shop needs a minimum 5hp/60gal to run air tools and of course bigger is always better!

 

Please buy safety glasses AND a face shield.
The HF grinder, cut off wheels, and flapper discs will get the job done. If you're using HF cut off wheels that's why you need the face shield, they will chip and chunk on ya.
Get quality snips, the HF snips are not worth a damn, they barely cut light duct material, even then not cleanly without bending.
welding helmet, I buy good ones, your call.

 

Thanks so much that is good advice

 

i've got one of the on sale $40 HF auto darkening also. i've worn glasses since i was 10 months old and am 42 and have my eyes checked yearly. my vision actually improved 1 step the last 2 years in a row(same amount of time i've been using the HF auto darkening) so the people that don't trust them should feel a little more at ease. USAWELD.com has a NICE autodarkening for $99. i keep saying i'll try one of those maybe but my cheap HF serves me well.

and i've never had one of the HF cutting disc chip/break on me but the last few times i've bought them you can watch the material disappear about the same rate as the metal you're cutting. i needed to cut a small section out on my 62 uni and it took 2 full HF cut off wheels. they sucked like that a few years ago and i started buying elsewhere. got better and i went back to the multipack at HF. the multipack is still a good deal. as the 10 piece pack is usually on sale for 9.99..........

 

With your same setup I had a Lincoln SP110 and it was weak on the 15a circuit ... big difference on a 20amp circuit, would burn through hot mill scale with no problem

 

I know a lot of guys who did good work with a 110 Lincoln. the gas makes it much better.
or do rivets, looks better that screws

 

If the receptacles closest to where you want to weld will not hold without tripping use the outlet for the washing machine or any of the kitchen outlets. Those outlets will be on 20 amp breakers. The washing machine will be the only outlet on that circuit. Buy a drop cord with # 12 wire and run it to where you want to weld.

 

Your house should have 12-2 wire and a 20 amp fuse for your plugs. If not, anyone with a little knowledge of electricity should be able to install a breaker and a plug a few feet from the breaker panel. You will need a good quality extention cord to go from the plug to the welder. This should be about twenty five feet long so you can get your welder to where you need to weld without moving your project all the time. These little welders don't really have much lead for their gun. Get a cart or make one so your welder and bottle can be rolled around to your weld area. Get a couple of the cheap 4" grinders from Harbor Freight along with a couple of ballpeen hammers. I would buy the grinding and cutoff discs from a quality tool supply company. Last I would buy some of those little sheetmetal clamps that hold two pieces of sheetmetal together with just the right gap for mig welding. For welding up little holes, get some thin pieces of 16 Ga. copper to use as a backing. The weld will not stick to the copper.

 

it's also easy and cheap to make your own HEAVY DUTY extension cord using the 12-2 you'd use to wire the house and a coupla ends. heavy duty 110 cords are to terrible price wise but i made mine to use for 220 as i could make a 25ft for about $40 and to buy one made is over $100.........

 

good move! And good luck!
-Pat

 

Oh wow awesome advice. Thank you so much!

 

in answer to your question, no, you do not have to rewire your house. 25 amps is 25amps. no diffference if it is powering a 25 amp vibrator or a welder.LOL

 

I'd be selective about auto-darkening helmets. I used to have a cheapo from Northern Hydraulics, and I thought it was OK because it worked. About a year ago, I saw that Amazon had a Hobart helmet with very high customer ratings for a very good price. I bought one, and couldn't believe the difference. Also, if you are far-sighted, get a magnifying lens of the appropriate power and weld without your glasses on. Works wonders. If you have to wear your glasses, do not use the ones with auto-darkening lenses. Ask me how I know.

 

The main thing you NEED in a 110 volt welder for sheet metal is that you need the welder to kill voltage to the wire when you let off the trigger. If this welder in question will do that you will be OK . You would not believe the difference in the ability to fill in holes when your welder has this ability. I bought my son -in-law a Lincoln welder new at home depot (open box deal) for $300 two years ago, it was a great deal, just this week I bought my son the same Lincoln welder (another open box deal) for $400, I thought it was a good deal.