GuglioLS
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2005
- Messages
- 1,143
- Location
- Edgewood, NM USA
- Tractor
- Jinma 354, 1953 Ford NAA Golden Jubilee, Komatsu Bulldozer
My next project is to build a trailer to trailer my ISEKI G-174.....My new Lincoln 125 amp 20% duty cycle 110 /120 volt is my new toy and has no gas option....or should I say if I buy the gas valves etc....I think this unit is A/C input and DC output....my only question would be...."What" speed...(like dial setting) ....or would trial and error....or just plain practice be the answer I'm lookin' for....I'm usin' 0.35 wire that came supplied with the unit...I owned a gas/flux mig welder unit about 2 years ago that was made in Italy....I didn't care for it at all....so I returned it and bought a O/A Harris copy(China Made) this set sort off blew up(caught fire) my fault for not checkin' the tip as it mentioned to just finger tighten the tips....Hmmmm....so much for that idea.....so I went with the Victor copy so far so good.....first thing I check now is the tip for tightness before turning on the tank valves....anyhow I'm all ears on this mig welding subject....my first welding job a couple days ago....I welded the wire to the brass tip....that sucker is welded better than the metal I was weldin'.... yes and alot of splatter...that is also tough to remove....so I'm confident this little portable will weld what I need to weld....just need practice....and a little knowledge....yes I bought the auto darkening helmet....Thanks guys.....Ampa :thumbsup:
I have a miller 135 110v mig that I like a lot but at only 10% duty cycle, unless I'm only tacking up some work, it gets to be problematic. Duty cycle, btw, is how many minutes per hr you can safely weld. So 10% is 6 min per hr. I'd spend the dough and get a good 220 machine. Also, get a good autodimming helmet. It will make life much easier for you. I'm going to either the 211 or 252 Miller to get a superior machine. Spend some time at millerwelds.com Their instructional videos are excellent. I wouldn't worry about welding 1/2" in one pass necessarily. In a previous life I made a living as a welder. It is not uncommon to just layer one course on top of another to fill a weld and be able to control the heat, penetration, and general quality/appearance.
I have a Syncrowave 180 for Stick and tig which I intend to turn into a mig welder via sale/purchase. The 180 is a nice machine but my eyes and lack of practice have made tig about unbearable for me now. There was a time I could make any welding test anywhere and I was a hand with tig...but you don't just walk up to it and do quality work...so mig is where it is at for me today. Practice, practice, practice!
Ampa... your "tip to work" distance (stick out) should be around 3/8".
if you melted the wire to the tip, then you must have touched the tip to the metal you are trying to weld.
remember that the Cu tip is going to be hot (live) when you pull the trigger. try this; have the wire sticking out of the tip around 3/8 to 1/2", touch the wire to the metal, then pull the trigger.
I wouldn't be welding a trailer until you are a little more experienced.
also, if the wire you are using says AWS class E71T-GS on it, it's mostly intended for static loading and sheet metal work I.E. hand rails, fenders, hobby crafts and such.
it is not intended for dynamic loading, as it has no requirements for impacts... especially at low temps.
thus, you can use it on some parts of a trailer, but not all.
you may want to save up for a AC/DC stick machine so you can cover most situations. you'll need 220 V supply though.
good luck.
t
you're right, MIG is a Jet fighter,