Walt, >>(All the welds on this frame were done with MIG which makes a really sorry job on stainless.<< Hmmm...GMAW does well on stainless, at least on the austenitics. In fact, most non-critcal work on SS these days is with MIG. It's fast and easy to learn. If your frame is sloppy something is wrong. Keep in mind that often a weld can look bad but be good. It can also look good and be lousy. >>But I'm not sure that I want to learn on this project.<< Trust me, thats wise. GTAW is difficult to learn, far more so than MIG. If you can oxy-gas weld you're already halfway there. There is nothing like Tig though. It may be slow but it's precise and is often the only way to fusion join dissimilar metals. (And it's the best way to work with titanium.) >Can you recommend a good welder that runs on single phase 220?< If you only need to weld steel the costs go down because you don't need AC. The weight and power needed go down also. I'm partial to square wave inverters because of their light weight and the arc is very controllable. You can weld a razor blade to a railroad track with a good inverter. A DC only inverter of 100 to 200 amps is more than enough for .250 steel or less. The Thermal Arc PeeWee series or the Miller MaxStar are nice inverters. Look on Ebay, there is a TA 400 inverter ending soon that has no bids for $500 right now. No one wants it because it needs 440 volt 3 phase but I can tell you how to simply change it to 220 single phase. After it ends you could offer the guy less for it and it'll be a steal. There is a Lincoln V100 on there also for $500. But if you're ever going to weld Al you'll need AC and will have to pay more. Best to do some research first... The new TA 185TSW is a wonderful source: AC/DC, pulser, sloper, weighs 40 pounds. It'll cost you $1800 though. Expect to pay around $500 to $1200 if you go for a non-inverter like the Miller 180 or 250. They weigh around 500 pounds though. The Miller SynchroWave models are AC but heavy. Expect to pay $3500 to $4000 new for a ProWave inverter like mine. Of course, you can also MSAW (stick weld) with any constant current supply used for TIG. As with most tools, buy the best you can afford because you'll eventually need it. Frankly, a decent MIG welder should be good enough for most automotive work. (Just stay away from the flux cored models and stick with gas.) Contact me off list before you buy anything, there is a lot to learn. >Your advice was great on the refrigerant scale.<< My pleasure. R12 is so getting so expensive it's sold like drugs: by weight, not volume. You need a good scale for that reason alone. (Helps during charging too ;) > Someday I also want to get a lathe & milling machine.<< Now yer talkin. I have both and they're indispensable. As you know, I have much more complex toys than the D car to worry about and I'd be stuck without these tools. And metalworking and welding will lead you into knowledge about materials and heat treatment, good stuff to know in it's own right. Along with electronics and electrical, add these skills and you'll free yourself from dependence on other's and avoid lots of life's little hassles. Ask that bloke Martin from across the pond. He knows about some of these things and is a pretty handy guy, even if he does need to get out more ;) Sorry bout the length... Gary Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ADVERTISEMENT <http://rd.yahoo.com/M=194081.3551198.4824677.1261774/D=egroupweb/S=170512 6215:HM/A=1663535/R=0/SIG=11ps6rfef/*http://www.ediets.com/start.cfm?code= 30504&media=atkins> click here <http://us.adserver.yahoo.com/l?M=194081.3551198.4824677.1261774/D=egroupm ail/S=:HM/A=1663535/rand=198915665> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: DMCForum-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .
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