[JumpingTheGunSon]

I'm getting pushed to gas welding using Oxy and Acet but I'm thinking I'll get cleaner, safer welds with Mig (miller 211 is where I'm looking right now)

Here's my situation: I will be welding trailers, body panels, and a bunch of 1 1/4 inch 11 gauge square pipe.
That's about the extent of it right now.

Do I miss out on anything by going with gas due to the cheaper cost? I know heating and cutting are a benefit, but the gas sure burns holes in that 11 gauge stuff with my inexperienced hands.

Thanks,

JTGS ("Yore Jumpin The Gun, Son!" - my late father, every day of his life)

 

[DougAustinTX]

Use the O/A to make cuts and holes and use the mig for building the trailers.

 

[walker]

You should be able to totally build a trailer with no O/A rig. You will need a 220v mig, an abrasive chop saw, and an angle grinder. The part that bothers me is that you are building a trailer with little or no welding experience, and that is a combination that is bound to fail. I just don't want o be the guy behind you when it does. My advise would be to take a welding class, then start cutting your trailer parts, tack them and have an experienced welder show you how to weld them and guide you through the process.

 

[farmall]

I agree with walker. If your work breaks people can easily be injured or killed. It's easy to make pretty, cold MIG welds that fail.

Practice makes a weldor. A LOT of practice. Relentless practice, with bend testing to verify the work. Don't be discouraged, DO embrace practice.

If you get a quality 6" angle grinder, you can use the vastly more effective 6" cutting disks and skip the chop saw for many tasks. (Do get a chop saw, but with a 6-inch grinder you'll need it less which reduces carrying metal to the chop saw) Nice, clean cuts, portable, and it's fast. I no longer buy 4.5" grinders since 6" are the same size and will run 4.5" rocks.

 

[gwiley]

There a few really nice things about starting with OA:

1. It is slow enough that you really learn to watch and understand the various weld characteristics. YOU have to manipulate the weld puddle far more with OA (or TIG) than with other processes.

2. It is hard to beat OA for cutting unless you have the cabbage for plasma. You can get by with abrasive cutoff disks, but that gets really old on 1/4" plate.

3. It is hard to beat the clean welds on thin material you get with OA (unless you go TIG).

4. The torch is great for heat bending and pre-heating.

My vote would be to get the OA rig, learn to weld well, then buy an AC/DC stick machine for the thicker welding jobs.

Either way you should probably not make a trailer your practice project. Take the time to really learn about the materials, test your own welds, etc. I think that those of us who are teaching ourselves and asking friends for advice as we learn really don't know what we don't know until we have spent a LOT more time welding than we thought we would need to.

 

[jbmprods]

There a few really nice things about starting with OA:

1. It is slow enough that you really learn to watch and understand the various weld characteristics. YOU have to manipulate the weld puddle far more with OA (or TIG) than with other processes.

2. It is hard to beat OA for cutting unless you have the cabbage for plasma. You can get by with abrasive cutoff disks, but that gets really old on 1/4" plate.

3. It is hard to beat the clean welds on thin material you get with OA (unless you go TIG).

4. The torch is great for heat bending and pre-heating.

My vote would be to get the OA rig, learn to weld well, then buy an AC/DC stick machine for the thicker welding jobs.

Either way you should probably not make a trailer your practice project. Take the time to really learn about the materials, test your own welds, etc. I think that those of us who are teaching ourselves and asking friends for advice as we learn really don't know what we don't know until we have spent a LOT more time welding than we thought we would need to.

I 2nd this. good OA and stick welder are less expense than then a decent mig unit and the combo is much more useful. definitely steer away from trailer fab till you become proficient.....jim

 

[lugweld]

I will put this out there: IF you learn to weld Oxy Acetylene, you will be able to pick up about any other welding process fairly easily, and be better at it when you do. OA cannot be fully replaced with plasma.

 

[StevefromOhio]

Here is what some of my friends have done when they have to choose between processes.

They get an Oxy Acetylene torch and tanks and then get a DC inverter type stick welder. You then can get a tig torch set up with that inverter and tig weld steel with it. So they end up with three processes instead of one if they got a mig. A good inverter can be bought for around $350. Check out pawn shops for torches as they are often pawned. I bought my first torch and tanks for $100 from a pawn shop many years ago and I still see them for under $300.

The torch is essential especially when you need to heat up nuts and bolts, bend metal and even cut metal. I use mine often.

The cutting of steel can be done with a cold chop saw. But I would recommend getting a plasma cutter if you are going to build anything.

Also check your local Craigslist. They often have listings for used equipment and you can often find good deals there.

And yes, if you are inexperienced in welding, then I would recommend getting trained if you are going to be building trailers. There is a lot to learn about welding. It is more than just buying a machine and melting metal.

 

[Broccoli1]

MM211 all the way.

 

[jbmprods]

MM211 all the way.

why half step Ed....mm252:cool2:

 

[ranger225]

i agree about learning with the torch for all of the reasons stated by gwiley. a must have for anyone doin metalwork, and torches are a dime a dozen on ebay. you can outfit yourself with a really nice and capable rig for minimal investment. you wont be dissapointed, and the will last you a lifetime then some.heres my o/a set.and ALL what u see was less than a mig setup[less u buy em brand new], and they work flawlessly

 

[ranger225]

torches/tips

******* peg board for torches

 

[DSW]

I think if you choose the MM211 you will be very happy, especially if you have the ability to run it on 220v. On 110v alone it's nowhere as useful, but it gives you the ability to "grow" when you can add a 220v line.

As far as the torch is concerned, Learning the basics with OA is a great help to learning other processes. The bad part is it's not easy to find someone who can really help you learn and it's not really the ideal choice for many projects. Thats not to say you can't make it work, but you'll get farther, faster with mig, and be less frustrated.

As far as the trailer, I agree 100% with everyone else. A trailer is NOT a learning project. You need to be able to make solid welds, every time, in all positions. That means welds that can pass bend tests, not welds that just "stick" metal together. That MM211 has the power to do this on 220v, but not on 110v. Expect to spend a good bit of time practicing to get to the point you can even think about building a trailer. Expect to spend a good bit on money on steel, wire and gas for that practice. If you are serious about doing this yourself, look into taking a night class at a local tech school for welding. When you look at what all the steel, wire, gas, electric and so on would cost you, not to mention having someone that can give you advise while watching you weld, a class is usually stupid cheap.

Also most people want to build a trailer to "save" money. Usually thats seldom the case in reality. After you buy all the material, lights, wheels, axle/s and so on you usually end up fairly close to what a factory trailer will run you, even before you add in your time and what the welder and tools will cost you. The only advantage is that you can build something custom cheaper than what a custom trailer would run, but you are usually better off just getting a stock one and then making small noncritical alterations to it.

 

[technomaster]

I would go for mig welding. I would think its cheaper to get a mig welder. But the wire and wire feeder might be an arm and a leg to buy. Mig welding is stronger also.

oaw welding i think takes for ever to weld with. you also have to play with the flame to make it perfect.