mig or arc welder

[quins90lac 10+ year member]

Ok Ive been looking in to getting a welder and im wondering what would be the best welder for a beginner and which would have the most uses in an automotive setting? The things i need welded as of right now are fixing some rust in some of the sheet metal and welding some bolts in place on the back of my water inlet tube. so which would you get for a beginner and to do the things listed above

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[myhcca15 10+ year member]

mig...i'm a certified mig welder and it is easy to do bro

 

[Hii Im Justin 10+ year member]

mig.. stick is easy too

 

[quins90lac 10+ year member]

ok couple more questions . 1 being what size welder would i need to weld steal with mainly sheet metal and to weld some nuts in place ? second being would a 90 amp flux wire welder work for this or would i need a bigger gas one to do that with? third what kind of plug's do these welders use is it just a normal 110 plug or a 220 plug?

 

[williambrea 10+ year member]

I say stick, its cheaper and more versitile in an automotive setting...

Plus you can buy rods such as 6010 6013 that require little to no prep work....

Its harder to learn but has more potential and is cheaper

 

[tuck05 10+ year member]

I had the same question as you a few years ago. Either a 110v small mig or arc, or a 220v mig.

I bought a Lincoln 175HD Weld Pak mig welder. It is a 220v welder that I've used to weld on tons of things. Truck exhaust, table saw, towing package, axle paddle, three wheeler sprocket, built a custom radiator bracket for my 4wheeler, welded a broke tie rod back together on my 4wheeler, etc... You do have to get a special plug for it. Nema type 6 or something if I remember correctly. Go to an electrical supply store or a welding store and they will have the plug. Great welder IMO.

The lincoln can weld up to 3/8" steel out of the box. It comes with everything needed to use flux core wire. You can also purchase a new trigger lead so you can weld aluminum, and they also have a trigger lead that allows you to weld up to 1/2" thick plate with a couple passes.

I taught myself how to weld with it. Pretty easy to learn.

My .02