TO STICK OR NOT TO IS THE QUESTION
 

Hello, all i did a search before posting on this about welding sheet metal. I am still left with a question. I have to do some some welding, floor pans driver side, and door welding. I saw a neighbor of mines welding with a HF 80 amp inverter. He is welding similar things, that i need to weld. He even welded something to the frame using several passes. Since he weld outside he tells me that its perfect. Was wondering if you guys thing its a great option and will the weld last. ( not rust out) I see everybody normally use mig but i will be welding out side, were its been windy lately, in raining south FLA. I know HF has bad reputation , but the reviews online make it look like if this welder is good, a needle in a hay stack)

dont like gasless mig but that is an option

Not good for sheet metal work however we use one for maintenance type work like welding casters on rottisseries and the occasional frame repair.

thanks for the replies, so it seems that it should not be done, i spoke with the neighbor this morning, he was telling me that in cuba that is what they use. He told me that a 1/16 electrode is what he uses.

You can weld sheet metal with a cheap mig welder. The flux core wire splatters a lot but it will work. The gas set up is the way to go. They have videos on youtube showing how to convert the cheap mig welders to gas for less than $100.

Thanks for the replies, I am actually talking about arc welding

I would try using a arc welder on scrap sheet metal first. You would have to be brave or a good welder to try and use it on something that has any value. Wire feed welders don't heat the metal up as much as a arc welder would on sheet metal. It might work but most people use a wire feed welder for that kind of work.

neighbor has some 1/32 rods for this
I would rather use a good mig myself

I was told back in the late 80's that it is not legal to weld a stucture or sheetmetal with an arc welder. Now that can be taken not with a grain but the whole box of salt, it was from the Snap-on man trying to sell me a welder. It did work however and I am still using it in my shop today. I think it may have something to do with the heat and the warping that is gonna make it a bad idea, just get you a couple pieces of scrap sheets and play with them and burn some sticks and see what you get. Jim

I purchased a little Hobart 140 wire feed mig(120v) for $300 with gas bottle( full) and cart from the local classifieds. It's not gonna do huge thick repairs but for body work it's sweet. (Miller or Lincoln would be nicer but more $$)

It came with a roll of flux core stuff. Having tried both, flux core and the actual mig wire w/ gas...... Couldn't believe how much cleaner my mig welds were. Huge difference in feel, quality and weld clean up required.

I'm not saying a stick wouldn't work but for the ease and quality of repair I get, AND IM SUPER NOVICE WELDER SKILL, it's worth the few hundred bucks to get a little mig. The right tool makes ALL the difference.

Agree with all the MIG advice. One weekend I ran out of gas so I tried the flux core wire from Home Depot. 10 seconds of using it and I said "I'll wait till the welding supply shop opens on Monday" then did something else. I was welding a floor pan in the corner and litterally could not see a thing due to the accumulated smoke.

Good luck!