Compressor/MIG welder suggestions

[moparstockeliminator]

Hey Guy's & Gals,

I need inputs on Air Compressors and Welders to balance against my own thoughts to correctly and economically outfit my garage. After 7 months of occupying and getting things right around our new house, I can finally turn my attention back to the completion of my Duster.

I'm in the market for a compressor and a electric welder. Besides pneumatic tools the compressor will be used for moderate media blasting, and painting jobs. The welder will be used to install the cage/frame connectors and other such fabrications. I'm thinking in the neighborhood of 6hp/60gal for the compressor and in the neighborhood of a 100 -160 Mig. I would greatly appreciate your thoughts, manufacturer experiences/preferences and lessons learned on these items. I'm intrested in the comparison of oil vs. oiless compressors with regard to reliability and value. Of course as always being a sailor my budgets extreemly limited by what congress feels an american fighting man is worth these days.

Thanks for the assist!
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Lead, follow or get out of the way!
Pete

[This message has been edited by moparstockeliminator (edited March 31, 2000).]

[T748]

I have a Sears 6.5 HP 60 gallon oil free air compressor.It's the perfect size for me.I hav'nt tried painting with it but it should work fine.The only down side to it is it's noisy.The ones that use a seperate motor with V-belt are a lot quieter.On the mig I would go for one larger than the 100.Mine is only rated at 14 gage on the mig and 12 using flux.I did put a cage in with it,but the 150 would have been alot better.I ended up doing multiple passes to get good welds.

[V10nacuda]

First I would have to offer my condolences for your pay scale I understand you fellas are under paid!!!!!! Our worthless commander in chief would rather buy cigars to stuff a fat chick with rather than pay you folks!
On to the equipment. I have a lincoln SP170 Mig. It's a 220v it will do up to 3/8" A buddy has a Miller 110v. He used mine to weld in the subframe connectors & liked mine MUCH BETTER. As for the compressor I myself am looking in to one but from what little research I have done INGERSOL RAND isn't bad.

GOOD LUCK
V10
Hope the worthless one dosent send U off to a foriegn land to waste more tax dollars. He might invade cuba so we don't have to give that KID back

[bemiller]

I got my Air Compressor at Lowe's I run the crap out it doing body work and stuff and it still works great. It is a little loud though. I just move it outside and around the corner and I hardly hear it. I am also working for uncle sam only in the Air Force but the $269 for the comprssor didn't hurt that bad. Lincoln is the only welder I would even consider.

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Check out http://www.donet.com/bemiller/ and let me know what you think!!

[moparking]

I have a Sanborn "Blackmax" which I bought at sams club in 93. 6 H.P. 60 gal.220 v. ,continuous duty motor belt driven.It's not as loud as either of the compressors my buddy has had.I use it for tools and to run my homemade sandblaster. Never had to add oil since i brought it home and it is still clear. The only problem i had was a rusted petcock.

[sanborn]

Whatever you get for a Mig welder, be sure you can get all the attachments for .024" and .032" wire. Fine adjustments on heat and wire speed are very important. For all but the heaviest welding, 200 amps is adequate. Most racers don't use a Mig like a production shop so it doesn't need a high duty cycle, 25-30% is enough. I have used Airco, Esob, Snap On, Miller and Century. I haven't found much difference once I got used to them.

On air compressors, figure out what the max air requirement is going to be. There are lots of charts available to help you determine this. These charts are usually expressed in SCFM (free air). One compressor horsepower = 4 SCFM. That usually tells you what size you need. If you will use valve spring compressors, get at least 120 psi capacity. Diaphram compressors are cheaper but noisy. Don't buy a 3 phase compressor and try to convert it to single phase with a phase converter, you will probably end up buying a new motor (been there- done that). Do invest in a good air line dryer.

[Christopher]

Growing up in the Navy,I know what you mean.(Dad is a retired Senior Chief-24 yrs.)The compressor I have is a Ingersoll-Rand 6Hp 60 gallon that is a oil unit and is real quiet.Sears sell the same unit I have and at less cost too.I've used mine to paint,sandblast,bodywork and of course air tools for mechanical work.Best thing I ever bought.I like the Sears stuff as my pull around 2Hp 20 gallon unit is 25 years old and still runs well.I'm not a welder,so I can't help about that.

[Brian_wo]

I have a campbell hausfeld upright and I can't over work it and I have a miller matic 130,thats a 110 unit that works very very well,I hear that they have just came out with a 170 amp one thats the same size as the 130 but it is a 220,I think that would be the better choice if you have 220 and I also hear it's only $600,thats a deal as far as I am concerned.
personally I would not buy a sears compressor,the motor is attached the compressor unit and it transfers the heat,that ends up causing trouble if you use it much.

[Glen440]

I have a Campbell Hausfeld 6 horse 60 gallon
compreesor. Its oil. Not too loud, lots of air. I've sandblasted, painted with it. I also have a Lincoln SP 120, 110 volt Mig. It works good. It has a ton of adjustment to fine tune your welds. 220 Migs are the best though. Gas is also the way to go. I've tried a gasless and didn't like it.

[Larry S.]

I've got the same Sears air compressor as T748, and have used it for everything but blasting (which I intend to do in the near future). It works great and has not given me a bit of trouble, but as the other guys said, it is a bit noisy. Brian, I can't figure out why you think having the motor attached to the compressor will cause heat related problems, it has not caused any problems on my unit. Just the act of compressing air creates heat! If you don't think so, just feel the line feeding the air from the compressor to the tank when it is running!

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1970 392 Hemi Cuda

[440chargerr/t]

I'm working a Devilbliss 6hp 60gal oilless for the past 5 years. it runs my sandblaster which is a serious air hog and my jitterbug and DA sanders once again air hogs. As for the noise, build a small shed off the back of the garage just for the compressor and run sch40 or better pvc lines into the garage w water traps and you can have air in the garage without the noise. Then rather than having just one plugin for air you can have them at the work bench and all four corners of the garage. Breaker box on the inside wall controls the power. Still need to make the drain cockpit easy acces to drain at least once a weak.

Originally posted by moparstockeliminator:
Hey Guy's & Gals,

I need inputs on Air Compressors and Welders to balance against my own thoughts to correctly and economically outfit my garage. After 7 months of occupying and getting things right around our new house, I can finally turn my attention back to the completion of my Duster.

I'm in the market for a compressor and a electric welder. Besides pneumatic tools the compressor will be used for moderate media blasting, and painting jobs. The welder will be used to install the cage/frame connectors and other such fabrications. I'm thinking in the neighborhood of 6hp/60gal for the compressor and in the neighborhood of a 100 -160 Mig. I would greatly appreciate your thoughts, manufacturer experiences/preferences and lessons learned on these items. I'm intrested in the comparison of oil vs. oiless compressors with regard to reliability and value. Of course as always being a sailor my budgets extreemly limited by what congress feels an american fighting man is worth these days.

Thanks for the assist!

[Brian_wo]

Yes the act of compressing air causes heat and if you don't think having the motor and the compressor attahced does not build even more heat than one that don't then think again,I have seen first hand what happens but then if you don't use it much then it may not cause much trouble,I used to use mine every day for hours on end and I have a buddy that still does,he is out in the garage every night and with his sears style it broke down a lot because of the heat build up,now that he changed compressors he does not have that trouble any longer and I have not had trouble like that myself

[Larry S.]

I've been using my Sears compressor on a pretty constant basis for 3 years now, no problems whatsoever!

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1970 392 Hemi Cuda

[Brian_wo]

you have been lucky I think but it's not something I would buy unless the price was right,I'll buy anything if the price is right

I hope you continue to not have any troubles with it because they always break down at the worst times and a new one costs to darned much.

[ARIZONA]

...Whatever you get for a welder make sure it uses standard consumables. These are the wire, tips, nozzles etc. The brands sold as 'Daytona' and 'Cebora' are made in Italy and do not...

[turbododge]

Concerning the issue of heat from the pump or motor, they both generate bunches of heat, and probably don't heat or cool each other. The biggest problem with direct drive compressors is that they are usually oilless, which means teflon piston rings and a low duty cycle. Overheating failures are very common in these units. If they are not contractor models, they also spin at 3450 rpm instead of 1750. For long life, I would go with a belt drive, oil type unit, with at least 70% duty cycle. 2 stage is best and keeps the air dryer. In my opinion, a cheap oiled compressor will outlast an oiless at least 2 to 1.

I agree that pvc piping can be a problem, especially if it sees pulsations from the compressor or spikes from closing valves or tools. If you use pvc, I am told there is a specific grade required. My choice is copper. It is easy to assemble (solder), strong, and never rusts, plus all the fittings are available at home centers.

[This message has been edited by turbododge (edited April 02, 2000).]

[440 Jim]

This is what I have:
Cambell Hausfeld 6hp, 60gal, 10.2 SCFM, 220V
Millermatic MIG 185, 220 V

I am very happy with both.

Opinions:
The single stage "6hp" compressors are O.K. and the price is right ($400 Home Depot). A 2 stage unit is wonderful, but costs twice as much and you may not need it, I didn't.

MIG welders, only buy a Lincoln or Miller. The 220 Volt machines are much better and will last a lifetime of home use. The Lincoln 170 is nice for your price range, or the Miller. Get the 0.023 wire set up for sheet metal, 0.030 wire for stuctural (3/16") and up. You can do heavier with 0.023, I like to have both.

[bsbn]

I was recently in the market for a welder and a compressor,here is what I bought. Devilbiss 60 gallon 6.5 h.p. 220 volt, oil lubed, 125 psi, compressor for $379 This is enough compressor to do spot blasting of rust or paint,and it will do fine for all priming or painting of fenders or doors. It is possible to paint a whole car or blast a lot but you will spend time waiting for the compressor to catch up, and if your painting a whole car if you run out of air it could cause problems. I plan on having a body shop spray the color coat on my cuda. For a welder I bought a Lincoln 155 wire feed 220 volt for $499 + $110 for the gas kit.I think the Century brand is a better deal but the store was out of stock so I got Lincoln. If your only going to weld on automotive metal get one of the higher power 110 volt welders.The gas works better on the thin metal than the flux-core does.I"ve had problems using other brands of wire with my Lincoln, but I found if I adjust the wire spool retainer and put a small vice-grip plier on it the cheaper brand wire works fine.
Oh yeah you may need a gas tank I got a 20 pound C02, Its about 2 feet tall, for $125 MOPAR RULES

[moparstockeliminator]

Thank's for all your inputs, sorry I didn't respond sooner but uncle sam's had me tied up.

I purchased the Campbell Hausfeld single phase 220V 6hp/60gal unit before having to get underway. I anchored it to he garage floor this past weekend and will wire the 220 this weekend. I couldn't beat the price (327.00 before taxes) so it sort of made up my mind for me.

I've narrowed my welder choices to the Miller Matic 172 Challenger, the Lincoln SP175 plus and the Hobart Handler 175. What's too much to pay for these units, anyone know the wholesale and retail prices for these puppies?

Thanks again for the assist, Pete

------------------
Lead, follow or get out of the way!
Pete

[Brian_wo]

what a great machine that miller 130 is! I love mine.

[AZMOPAR]

Ive owned a Campbell Hausfeld 6hp compressor for 3 years - run it all the time - works great - no oil leaks and not problems.
I have a MillerMatic 35 which Ive owned since 1984 - I replaced the main contactor about 2 years ago - just as a matter of maintanance not because of a failure. (I did find the Miller contactor was available for 1/3 the price at an electrical supply house rather than from Miller.) I'd buy Miller in the future.

[vsteel]

I also have a cambell hausfield (sp?) 5hp 220v professional modle and just love it. (belt drive with cast iron pump)

For the welder, if you are going to be doing fabrication you might want to look into one of the lincon buzz boxes. They are cheap, reliable, can weld almost anything. I have used one for years and love it. Yea a mig you don't have to clean slag, but for what I do, I can't justify the price. (very fine precise welding though you are better off with a mig)

[This message has been edited by vsteel (edited April 25, 2000).]

[Christopher]

My next door neighbor and I went in 1/2's on a MillerMatic 90 mig welder.We paid $300.00 for it complete and the local welding supply outlet sells the same unit new for $600.00,so I think we got a good deal.