Re: Help choosing welder and Air Compressor

To me the welder is marginal. It should do the heater channels and floor pans without a problem. But if you want to do more later, for example 1/4 inch steel, you will find it will be under powered.

The air compressor I would not even consider as it is not enough. Check the CFM and PSI ratings on all of the tools you would ever consider using. Generally get the biggest and most powerful one you can afford. Even this may become under powered for you later on. I have an 80 gallon upright tank which the compressor is rated at 13.7 SCFM@175PSI which I purchased as a remanufactured unit.

4play (@\|/@)(.\~/.) >

I'd be slightly more patient and buy used... Welder parts are all serviceable... compressors are dogs to try to sell.

Only gas for the welder.... I tried it the other way --- never going back..

For thicker steel check into arc welding... I commonly find good stick welders for $70-100

And multiply the hungriest tool's average CFM requirement by four.

There are two basic kinds of compressors - those rated for 90psi and those for about 175psi. (My neighbor the painter calls the later the White Units.) You probably don't need the later. Your tools are almost certainly intended for 90psi, max. Go with the Red Units.

Somewhere there's a page showing the average CFM of various air tools and how to estimate what you need. Wait. Ah, good old Google. Keywords: average CFM compressor turned it up! Go here:

I'd have to compromise with that multiplier to find one that's affordable.

YMMV! But I think the advice of people here is better.

The whole secret about selecting an air compressor is NOT bars (psi). Instead, look at the CFM rating. CFM is the true measurement of an air compressor. By the way, CFM goes down as the bars go up. In other words, the more bars you use, the less quantity (CFM) of air you have available.

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Welders....

To find good used ones... check with a welding supply outside salesman. Tell him you want one for the garage. Normally he'll have a customer who's looking to upgrade. Tradeins are funky. If you sell Miller you only want Miller trade ins on the floor. Welders are VERY simple and many parts are very universal since most of the unit is considered a consumble (tips, feeders, handles, elements, clamps, cables etc). If your locale has a "used only" type paper (bargain trader etc) comb the pages for a few weeks... they come up freequently.

When choosing our Oiless compressor, I asked an old pro for some pointers... he said for arbitrary garage use, that it may be more cost-effective to check into electric tools for the hogs. Example... we bought a couple industrial (used) angle grinders for $15 ea. ... the same in air would have SUCKED BIG air. Sanders are another one that may be best in electric.

We air have cut-off tools for small burst type work... for some tools, electric have more power.

T.

Sorry to drag this on but taking everyone's comments on board I think I'll forget about using the compressor to drive a sander or grinder it just doesn't seem worth the extra money for a huge compressor when I could buy an electric one that I'll only use once in a while anyway.

So considering that I'm only going to be using this compressor with

4cfm rated tools like an impact wrench and a drill, I have seen a compressor in my price range at northern tools uk:

It's a little confusing with the ratings though as it gives two cfm ratings. 14cfm displacement and 9cfm free air delivery. Any idea which I should take as a measurement of the "real" cfm?

This is my compressor and MIG:

they work pretty good for what I use them for. Also I used these to replace a heater channel.

That will work for impact tools just fine. I'm just astounded by how expensive those things are in the UK. My deepest sympahties. Maybe you should look for a good used unit.

Is that a Lincoln Pro-Mig 135?

If it is, how do you like it?

Thanks, Dan

yes its a Lincoln 135, I really like at and it did wonderful for welding in the heater channel and a few other tasks I have put it to. It was pretty easy to learn to use. although I am still learning some new things with it, for a small house hold use welder it works great. The compressor is good for running impact wrenches and small paint guns. I don't think I would use it for big sand blasting jobs, although its ok for small jobs.