Thanks for the tip. Yeah that's something I have learned all about, I am working on a pipeline project and each section of pipe gets welded to the next so those are big issues. I have been wanting to get a welding machine for a while now, maybe this is a good reason to do it. I don't know if it's a good idea for the first weld project to be this housing but you have to start somewhere, I don't see it being super delicate, you just have to make sure you get nice welds inside and out that don't leak or warp the housing. I assume it's just MIG with no special requirements. I've done a (very) small amount of TIG for bike frames.
I am a quality inspector for my job so now I have need to observe the work being done... not sure how I'd feel just trusting the mechanic to do it right the way I request. If I do it I'll know it's done right. Plus then I can take as much time as I need to get the 3rd member out, if it's all sitting in the driveway.
You'll need a decent sized MIG with solid wire gas shielding capacity if you want the best weld you can get. I'd recommend Miller....but there are plenty of other machines out there that work, I've just had Millers for 17+ years and they've never let me down.
Millermatic 211 MIG Welder With Advanced Auto-Set 907614
This is the newest version of the Miller 211. I have the previous generation. The price is $1100...but there's up to a $300 rebate currently with Miller's Build with Blue promotion....though the automatic rebate is $100. Shop around on price. Cyberweld isn't always the cheapest.
This will weld all the way up to 3/8". It has "autoset" which I was very skeptical at first, but IT WORKS.....and it works really, really well. Autoset basically takes the guess work out of welder settings. It does the work for you. The only thing is: your travel speed needs to be a little higher. It will weld 1/2" with proper prep.
Nice thing is: it'll do sheetmetal (it has autoset for .023", .030 and .035 wire) too. It's an extremely versatile machine.
It'll also do aluminum with a $200 spool gun attachment (and a bottle of 100% Argon).
It has an adapter plug system that will let you run off 110V or 230V....obviously, if you go over 3/16" thick material, you need 230V....but it's nice if you need to weld up the gate at your parents house and just grab a 10 gauge extension cord and take care of it (though you'll need 20A breaker to plug into...15A won't cut it if the extension cord is long).
I have the previous generation 211. It was a much larger, less portable unit, but the one complaint I have about the newer machine is it only takes the 3 lb spools of wire where the old, larger unit like mine takes the 11 lbers. That is literally 1 of only 2 complaints.
My second complaint is that Miller didn't (as of last year when I checked) make a 1/8" extended shielding nozzle for the gun like they do the big machines. When welding overhead, the spatter falls down on the tip and can cause problems. I rectified the issue by simply not seating the nozzle all the way onto the gun.....welds overhead fine that way.
I have a Miller 250 as well....this machine is so good though, I've all but stopped using the big one and it's a 3rd the price. The smaller gun is nice too for getting into tight spots...though the duty cycle is obviously lower.
Hope this helps.
