Welding

The 110V wire welders, especially ones that only use flux wire are not a great thing. If they can use gas, then they are ok for sheetmetal. Hard to get really nice sheet metal weld with the flux wire. If you seriously want to weld thicker metal, you need 220V whether stick or mig. Stick is cheaper way to weld. As to Zena, one pictured is their heavy duty one with the dual belt pulley. Its pricey for occasional home use unless you are off grid. Most will go for the entry level version (still pricey for what it is, but maybe managable) and it comes with single belt pulley though its output is fine for most welding up through maybe 5/32 rod. However the belt will SLIP unless you convert it to dual belt pulley (most alternator pulleys are interchangable) and use two v-belts. I suppose you could use microgroove pulleys and belt if you can figure a way to make it happen. And make sure the drive pulley and the pulley on the Zena match meaning use same kind v-belts if you go v-belt route. You will be happiest with at least real 16hp engine though the bored out "14hp" China clone engines will do ok. They are tad bigger bore than Honda 13hp. The vertical shaft mower engines arent necessarily realistic in their horsepower labels. The horizontal shaft engines generally are.

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"What would you do with a brain if you had one?" -Dorothy

"Well, then ignore what I have to say and go with what works for you." -Eliot Coleman

Oh, if you run Zena off car engine, you will have to have engine running higher rpm and it will EAT lot gas if you do much welding. Again the single groove pulley standard on the entry level Zena will slip a LOT. You need either two v-belt setup or convert to microgroove pulley that matches your car's serpentine belt, assuming you are leaving the Zena mounted full time and can find an appropriately long belt to handle the extra accessory.

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"What would you do with a brain if you had one?" -Dorothy

"Well, then ignore what I have to say and go with what works for you." -Eliot Coleman

I have been welding for years as a hobby. Even though i have a lot of experience, I am far from a professional.
If I could only use 115 and was starting all over, I would look hard at the Hobart 140 http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/stor...140-mig-welder
I think you would be very pleased with how quick you would be welding. No, you want be building trailers, but it would make a great first machine.
Good luck.

Ditto, Ditto and Amen.

I have a Hobart Handler 135 MIG (110V) with 75/25 gas and it is not bad. Realistically, it is good for 3/16" mild steel. I can make it run a little hotter by using flux cored wire AND gas shielding. For the heavy stuff, I use the Lincoln AC225 stick with my favorite 1/8" 6011 rods. For cutting, I use my 30A Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 39 or the Victor HD with Edge regulators. I have both Oxy/Acetylene and Oxy/Propane and like both for their purposes.

One thing I have been told about my older Hobart MIG (really a Miller) is that it does not have the newer Inverter technology. For best duty cycle on the light machines, make sure it is Inverter based.

The Lincoln AC225 that I have was picked up cheap because it looked soooooo bad. I refurbished it and it is worth every penny. It as built in the mid 60's and it is all copper. The newer stuff uses lighter weight materials. This thing has fantastic penetration and will weld 1/2" with proper prep and grinding. And speaking of prep and grinding, MIG is more sensitive to that so you will definitely spend a little bit more time grinding and wire wheeling the metal. Just a fact of life. A 6011 rod will almost weld rust and paint together.......it is so forgiving.

As a hobby and necessity, I really do like welding and already wish I had a stronger MIG with a Spoolgun.

I have a Harbor Freight Flux Core welder. It is a little messy but it will weld up to 1/4" steel if you bevel the edges and take any needed passes. Can't be beat for the $$.

APPLICATION,
APPLICATION,
APPLICATION.

Is this for general tinkering?
Is this for heavy repairs?
Is this something that will need to be 'Pretty' when you are done (Decorative?),

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BASIC WELDING INFORMATION.

VOLTAGE.
All you need is 18 to 24 Volts and enough amperage to sustain the arc.

AMPERAGE.
It takes very little Amperage to sustain a small wire arc,
It takes more Amperage to sustain a TIG type arc,
It takes fairly high Amperage to sustain a welding rod type arc.

SUSTAIN.
Most people never think of SUSTAINING the arc at full power.
Most transformers start out with a large, standing reserve of power,
(You get a 'POP!' when the arc starts),
Then the arc tapers off pretty quick, usually to the point the electrode sticks to the work piece.

A welder with good 'Sustain' will 'Lean Into' the weld, while smaller welders or cheaper made transformers will allow the weld to taper off, get 'Colder'.

POLARITY.
There is ONLY A POLAIRITY IN RECTIFIED WELDERS.
AC, or 'Buzz Box' welders aren't capable of 'Polarity'.
If the welder you are using DOES NOT have polarity indicators, you should be using AC electrodes...
(A common mistake is the wrong electrode for the welding machine)

Welding 'Polarity' is REVERSE what you normally think of as 'Polarity Standards'.
While AC welding, with no given polarity is possible ('Buzz Box')

The work piece is normally Positive, the electrode is normally Negative.

Positive work piece, Negative electrode is 'Straight' welding polarity,
While 'Reverse' polarity is Positive Electrode, Negative Work Piece.

'STRIGHT' polarity will 'Dig' deeper into the material being welded.

'REVERSE' polarity, the weld will tend to stand on the work piece, instead of penetrate into the metal.
Reverse is often used for lighter metals, like sheet metals, when you can't turn the Amperage down far enough.

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The MOST SIMPLE welder you can have is two car batteries wired in series for 24 volts, heavy jumper cables to carry amperage, and DC Rods.

Control the penetration with rod size,
Smaller diameter rods will dig deeper,
While larger diameter rods will tend to give a wider weld puddle, but less penetration.

This is what I've come to use for 'Field' repairs.
A two battery vehicle allows you to get to the work piece, then weld quite easily. It's also good for 'Field Repairs', I wouldn't try to construct anything complicated, but it's a real life saver for small jobs that need a lot of amperage.

The battery life will suffer from a 'Direct Short' (The welding process),
And your 'Duty Cycle' is limited to how fast the batteries can convert chemical energy to electrical energy,
But for short duration (Duty Cycle) deep welds on heavier work pieces, this is a very simple way to do serious welding.

Batteries also do very CLEAN welding, no fluctuations in the welding current.
There is no 'Sustain' issues, what you get at the initial arc is what you will have to work with throughout the welding process.

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Rods (Electrodes) are rated for AC/DC/Position.
Some are AC only,
Some are DC only,
Some are AC/DC,
Some are rated for only FLAT welding,
Others are rated for vertical or overhead welding.

Some are rated for specialty metals welding...
An example would be welding for a high vibration or flex point, you would use a high nickel content rod, with a low hydrogen gas bubble producing rating.

High nickel content rods are also easier to grind the weld when you are done, and the weld will resist corrosion.

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Wire welders and 'MIG' are not the same thing...

Wire welders, using a 'Flux' core wire are basically just an electrode and current,
While MIG is metal filler wire, shielded by inert gas (MIG = Metal, Inert Gas shielding)

Don't confuse the two or you will be sorely disappointed...

Using gas shielding outdoors, or anyplace there is a draft, will produce poor welds.
The air movement will remove the gas shielding, and the weld will suffer from oxygen contamination.

Most 'Utility' welding guys will use flux core in a gas shielded welding machine.
This gives shielding while the wind is blowing,
And 'Utility' welds don't have to be 'Pretty'.

Guys that worry about what the weld is going to look like will use a smooth flowing wire, and gas shielding in a controlled environment,
No 'Flux' and no wind to disrupt the weld shield.

If you are doing sheet metal work,
Its worth mentioning there is 'Easy Grind' wire that allows the weld to be smoothed down MUCH easier.
This wire also blends well, flows well and is generally pleasant to work with in non structural welds.

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The third type of welding,
TIG, this is TUNGSTON ELECTRODE, INERT GAS SHIELDING.

This is DIRECT welding, there is no 'Filler' unless you add the filler with your other hand.

TIG is PINPOINT PRECISE, and you control all aspects of the weld puddle with power to the tungsten electrode, or movement of the electrode.

Some people think that TIG is hard to learn, but in a few welds you will get the hang of it, and since it's pinpoint precise,
This is the form of welding that gives you the LEAST 'Heat Effect Zone' around the weld.
This is important when working with 'Tempered' materials.

TIG will weld about any electrically conducting metal WITHOUT CONTAMINATION to the weld.
TIG is the most structurally strong welding you can do.

TIG is NOT something you want to buy your supplies at 'Harbor Freight',
Once you learn to TIG weld, you can connect two pieces of ANY metal together.

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Cheap, Spool welders, Wire electrode, is the 'Hot Glue Gun' of welding.
Easy to do, but doesn't hold very well, and very difficult to produce a quality weld.

MIG is a step up,
It's fast, and once you learn the differences, it's a reasonable weld.
MIG welding is never going to produce the penetration of a 'Stick' welder, or the control of a TIG welder,
But it will produce welds that are both reasonable strength, and fairly controlled.

'Stick' welding is the heavy duty work horse.
It digs deep, produces very strong welds (with imperfections), but generally gets the job done when other welding forms are too weak or too slow.

TIG is the absolute purist weld, along with the strongest weld you can produce.
Purity is strength, and TIG will produce a pure weld.

TIG with the correct filler rod, will weld about anything to anything, and it's PINPOINT precise...

TIG is SLOW, to the point of putting you to sleep to watch someone TIG weld...
And TIG takes practice to develop the skills for correct welding...
These skills are perishable, if you don't practice them, they WILL go away.