[redlightning]

Curtis,I have the same arc welder that you have and it works great.I was thinking about getting one on those little 110 flux core welders for some body work or just to use to tack with.What did you not like about the 110 flux core?

[curtis73]

Originally Posted by redlightning

Curtis,I have the same arc welder that you have and it works great.I was thinking about getting one on those little 110 flux core welders for some body work or just to use to tack with.What did you not like about the 110 flux core?

Primarily, its just not enough juice. It won't weld heavier stuff. Sure you can assemble 1/2" thick steel, but you're not really welding it, you're kinda gluing it with little molten steel patches. It won't penetrate thicker steel for the type of really strong welding I need, like frames and hitches. 3/16" is its max.

Plus, flux core (just like stick) is very dirty. If you grind into a good MIG weld, its solid with no voids. No matter what you do with flux core, the weld contains boiling flux, so it is more like swiss cheese.

I'm just ready for some serious welding; the kind I can't get from arc or flux core.

[oldred]

Originally Posted by curtis73

Primarily, its just not enough juice. It won't weld heavier stuff. Sure you can assemble 1/2" thick steel, but you're not really welding it, you're kinda gluing it with little molten steel patches. It won't penetrate thicker steel for the type of really strong welding I need, like frames and hitches. 3/16" is its max.

Let me pass on a little trick you can do when using a small welder, especially a 110 volt, when welding anything 1/4" or over. Take a torch and pre-heat the joint to be welded to about 400 deg, just too hot to touch with your bare hand, and you can then get the penetration and flow out that you need. After doing this the only limiting factor will be the duty cycle but with multiple passes and a little patience you can achieve a good weld on heavier stock with one of these little machines. Pre-heat is often a good idea anyway on thicker steel but with these little machines it is a necessity if you want to make a good weld, try it and you may be surprised what you can do with 110 volts!

I am not saying this negates the need for the larger 220 machines but for those who are limited to 110 volts it sure can make the job easier.

[nitrocorsair]

oldred hit it. Pre heat is your friend for thick materials and low amperage machines. As far as a 400 degree pre heat, heres two quick ways to get you about 400 degrees..
Light your oxy acetylene torch, fuel only, no O2. run the flame over the piece to be welded depositing a layer of acetylene soot on the entire piece. Blacken the hell out of it. Re-adjust your torch to a neutral flame and heat the piece. When all of the soot has burned off, you are at approximately 400 degrees.

Another trick is to start heating the material and every 20 seconds or so, take a piece of splintered pine ( about the size of a pencil) from a 2 x 4 or any other solid pine construction material and slowly rub it on the surface. Its called a pine-smear test and is a ligit way to test preheat. Pipe fitters do it to this day. Pine will smear, smoke and smolder at about 365 degrees, close enough for what you are doing.
As far as doing dry TIG with the machine in the picture, it cant be done. That is an AC machine so scratch-start TIG is out of the question.
You need a DC polarity option to do scratch TIG.

Lee

[curtis73]

Ok... off to shop. Thanks folks.

[OneMoreTime]

I got one of the cheapy infrared thermometers from HF and use my propane torch..the biggy one the weed burner to preheat with..gotta get the whole area of the weld hot I have found..makes the little 110 volt welder sing...

Sam

[curtis73]

Originally Posted by OneMoreTime

I got one of the cheapy infrared thermometers from HF and use my propane torch..the biggy one the weed burner to preheat with..gotta get the whole area of the weld hot I have found..makes the little 110 volt welder sing...

Sam

I've been known to use a preheat torch with a 220v MIG. It makes certain that penetration is complete, and I can almost make it look like a TIG weld. They turn out so pretty

[bamadog]

for my money the lincoln 225 square wave has a lot of bang for the buck. Its the updated version of the 185B square wave which was a great welder and can be found on ebay at a good price used. I had the 185 for better than 10 years without a problem till it was stolen. I just put in the 225 a few weeks ago, they are both hard to beat!

Originally Posted by curtis73

I need help picking a welder. I have a Lincoln stick welder and a 110v flux core hobby welder, but I need a good 220v MIG. I'm looking to buy used since new = out of my budget. I'm looking for the ability to really smack some heat into things like vehicle frames and hitches. You can always turn it down, but you can't turn it up past its max.

What amperage?
Any specific features I should look for?


Do you think 200 amps is enough? The heaviest I can imagine needing to weld is 1/4" mild steel. Since I'm getting used, suggest some good reliable brands/models that still have a good parts supply in case I need to repair it.

[low50s]

i really like the millermatic 150's they work real good and can weld up to 1/8 steel it works amazing i would highly recomend them

[Chris Kemp]

About six weeks ago I bought the Hobart 500304 Ironman 210 Single Phase Mig Welding Package 220 volt 210 amp mig welder. It arrived at the local yellow freight about a week and a half later and I picked it up. All I can say is that I absolutely love this welder! The total cost was only 1101.38$. It came with everything except tank and helmet. I looked at used welders and the various discount tool welders and I kept coming back to this one. I looked at Miller and Lincoln also but they were in a higher price range. When I checked with the two local Hobart dealers they both told me that they couldn't buy the same welder as cheap as I could so they didn't even try to compete with the price. I bought it from a company called toolfetch.com Right now they are running a five percent discount and free shipping and that is the same deal that I got. I know that it is about 400.00$ more than you want to spend but check out this warranty:
"Hobart's 5/3/1 warranty - five year warranty on transformers, stabilizers and generators; three years on electronics (drive motors, rectifiers); and one year on guns (MIG and plasma torches)."
That is why I went ahead and got a new one. I have been welding for more than thirty years and this one is a good one. The last mig that I had was a Millermatic 200. I liked it also but I lost it in divorce. In 1989 I paid close to 1500.00 for it so I was well pleased to find this one at such a good price. This welder will do anything that the average hotrodder would need to do. When you go to the site be sure and look at the reviews, mine is under the name doodle.

Chris