Hello all 
What a great forum - not just a great welding forum, but a great forum by any measure - lots of inspiring contributions from many people.
I'm a do-it-yourselfer - any day when I fix something is a good day indeed.
I have a rusty FIAT 850 coupe to restore - I bought it as a project, it had been many years since my first car (a slightly less-rusty FIAT 128 Coupe) and I wanted something to tinker with in my free time. My work as an Excel trainer has taken me over to Australia many times a year. Lo and behold, there hasn't been enough free time to make any real progress, so now it's time for some serious commitment - I've resigned from my job (in January) and finally finish up next week - more time in the workshop after that
I looked through thousands of photos but surprisingly enough, there isn't a single one of this project unless I get out the old hard drives and find the photos of when it arrived. I can't even remember when that was - must be at least two years ago.
The body is a stripped shell and is surprisingly rust-free in many usual trouble areas such as the doors, around windows, and the floors. The big problems are in the sills and those corners of the wheelarches. Luckily the shell is mounted on a rotisserie made from two engine stands, so access to the underside is excellent (though it can't quite tip right over).
Anyway... Welding... Hmmmmm at some point I had an oxy-acetylene setup, remember doing some fusion welding and some brazing - which wasn't an ideal outcome as the flux residue led to problems with the filler and paint on the 128. Then I bought a MIG welder - a Telwin, 150A, with the 1/2 and MIN/MAX switches. That was back in 1997 when I was 17, $800 was a LOT of money for me then, hehe!
My MIG welding (actually MAG welding) always seemed to be a bit of a mess. I wish I'd tried using solid wire instead of flux-cored - that rusty stuff provided with the machine was the worst waste of time ever! And it took many years before I could afford to buy a gas cylinder - the rental situation was horribly expensive for the very occasional use I had of it. With new wire and gas, things were looking up.
Last year I bought a second-hand TIG welder - BOC Smootharc, just a little DC unit. Results were a bit variable but seemed a lot more consistent when using thin MIG wire as the filer material. The pure argon is expensive for me as I buy those green disposable cylinders - the large cylinder I own is an Argon/CO2 mix for the MIG. Plus, I'm very slow with the TIG so have decided to use it for fine work only, where the fit-up is good and the weld finish is important. Such as, a rust hole in the top of a door where I had to make a suitable insert and want a tidy result.
Also last year, I discovered that my old MIG welder works much better on high power/fast wire speed, when I get a nice steady arc and proper penetration, but that rules out the thin sheetmetal work. I used it a few times for various repairs (not anything to do with a car). Turning it down gives spotty results.
So yesterday I treated myself to a new MIG welding machine
I've been looking at these modern inverter machines for some time, and nearly bought a Chinese unit sold by a national tool chain. Actually they have two units - one really cheap ($490, about 250 pounds) and another larger unit with inductance adjustment and Euro torch ($899). Then I found out that both units have minimum current of 40A - which sounded like it might be a bit high for the 0.8mm sheet metal that I'm trying to work with.
I chose the Lincoln Powercraft 180i inverter MIG - it was at the top of my price range ($1299) but is still undoubtedly their 'entry-level' machine. So far, I've been really impressed with the quality evident in the construction (such as in the all-metal wire feeder; compared to the plastic affair on the old Telwin). The torch seems solid if a bit bulky (doesn't have the flexible neck that some have). Controls seem excellent - has a synergic mode which seems like a good idea for me. It even includes a nice regulator/flow meter and gas hose. And importantly, it goes down to 20A. I bought a roll of 0.6mm wire and suitable tips.
I didn't find much online about this machine, so I'm really looking forward to firing up some sparks tomorrow and trying it out on the thin stuff. Comparing it, of course, to my old Telwin. I'm going to be really interested to see what effect all this technology has, such as the inductance adjustment.
Hope to add some photos soon, just in case anyone is ever wondering about the Powercraft 180i and what it's like for an amateur but motivated person to learn with
Thanks for reading (bit long I know...! Sorry)
-Alex
What a great forum - not just a great welding forum, but a great forum by any measure - lots of inspiring contributions from many people.
I'm a do-it-yourselfer - any day when I fix something is a good day indeed.
I have a rusty FIAT 850 coupe to restore - I bought it as a project, it had been many years since my first car (a slightly less-rusty FIAT 128 Coupe) and I wanted something to tinker with in my free time. My work as an Excel trainer has taken me over to Australia many times a year. Lo and behold, there hasn't been enough free time to make any real progress, so now it's time for some serious commitment - I've resigned from my job (in January) and finally finish up next week - more time in the workshop after that
I looked through thousands of photos but surprisingly enough, there isn't a single one of this project unless I get out the old hard drives and find the photos of when it arrived. I can't even remember when that was - must be at least two years ago.
The body is a stripped shell and is surprisingly rust-free in many usual trouble areas such as the doors, around windows, and the floors. The big problems are in the sills and those corners of the wheelarches. Luckily the shell is mounted on a rotisserie made from two engine stands, so access to the underside is excellent (though it can't quite tip right over).
Anyway... Welding... Hmmmmm at some point I had an oxy-acetylene setup, remember doing some fusion welding and some brazing - which wasn't an ideal outcome as the flux residue led to problems with the filler and paint on the 128. Then I bought a MIG welder - a Telwin, 150A, with the 1/2 and MIN/MAX switches. That was back in 1997 when I was 17, $800 was a LOT of money for me then, hehe!
My MIG welding (actually MAG welding) always seemed to be a bit of a mess. I wish I'd tried using solid wire instead of flux-cored - that rusty stuff provided with the machine was the worst waste of time ever! And it took many years before I could afford to buy a gas cylinder - the rental situation was horribly expensive for the very occasional use I had of it. With new wire and gas, things were looking up.
Last year I bought a second-hand TIG welder - BOC Smootharc, just a little DC unit. Results were a bit variable but seemed a lot more consistent when using thin MIG wire as the filer material. The pure argon is expensive for me as I buy those green disposable cylinders - the large cylinder I own is an Argon/CO2 mix for the MIG. Plus, I'm very slow with the TIG so have decided to use it for fine work only, where the fit-up is good and the weld finish is important. Such as, a rust hole in the top of a door where I had to make a suitable insert and want a tidy result.
Also last year, I discovered that my old MIG welder works much better on high power/fast wire speed, when I get a nice steady arc and proper penetration, but that rules out the thin sheetmetal work. I used it a few times for various repairs (not anything to do with a car). Turning it down gives spotty results.
So yesterday I treated myself to a new MIG welding machine
I've been looking at these modern inverter machines for some time, and nearly bought a Chinese unit sold by a national tool chain. Actually they have two units - one really cheap ($490, about 250 pounds) and another larger unit with inductance adjustment and Euro torch ($899). Then I found out that both units have minimum current of 40A - which sounded like it might be a bit high for the 0.8mm sheet metal that I'm trying to work with.
I chose the Lincoln Powercraft 180i inverter MIG - it was at the top of my price range ($1299) but is still undoubtedly their 'entry-level' machine. So far, I've been really impressed with the quality evident in the construction (such as in the all-metal wire feeder; compared to the plastic affair on the old Telwin). The torch seems solid if a bit bulky (doesn't have the flexible neck that some have). Controls seem excellent - has a synergic mode which seems like a good idea for me. It even includes a nice regulator/flow meter and gas hose. And importantly, it goes down to 20A. I bought a roll of 0.6mm wire and suitable tips.
I didn't find much online about this machine, so I'm really looking forward to firing up some sparks tomorrow and trying it out on the thin stuff. Comparing it, of course, to my old Telwin. I'm going to be really interested to see what effect all this technology has, such as the inductance adjustment.
Hope to add some photos soon, just in case anyone is ever wondering about the Powercraft 180i and what it's like for an amateur but motivated person to learn with
Thanks for reading (bit long I know...! Sorry)
-Alex
to the forum.
