Convert Miller 130 to gas, and classes?

[muddstopper]

Sodo, lately at my shop, there hasnt been much going on. Lasr sept I tore my rotatorcuff and was out of commission for a few months. Currently, I had a full knee replacement two weeks ago and am trying to graduate from a walker to a cane just to get around. Growing old aint for @%!es'. I do have a project that has been setting waiting for me to get back to it when I am able and its certainly not a project fit for a 130amp mig machine. I think I posted a few pics of it when I first started the project. A few pics you can pcik out the ones you think suitable for a 130amp mig machine

 

[Sodo]

That splitter looks like a fun project but better keep moving on it. Fingers crossed for no duty-cycle shutdowns !!!! Hope you've got enough wood to feed that hungry beast.

A few pics you can pcik out the ones you think suitable for a 130amp mig machine

Frankly they all look suitable for a 130amp MIG. (yes I know what you meant to type)

But none look suitable for a newbie who just bought a FINE machine and is looking for classes or help getting started.

Planning, marking, cutting & fitting the steel takes 90-99% of the time. The welding time is nothing in comparison. Newbies don't know this but you certainly do, having projects as shown. IMHO it is irresponsible to the forum ---to blow smoke at newbies just because they're not project experienced.

Also there might be a machine somewheres that can be outwelded by an old guy on a walker, where the old bugger is getting ticked off by the slow-downs. I bet my dad has one, with a bunch of dents ontop from his cane. I haven't seen his eqpt in 20 years, I've forgotten and am afraid to look.

FWIW mudd I'm not convinced and still advise newbies to put duty-cycle worries in the "internet legends" file. :laughing:

Gimme about 10 years maybe I'll be writing the same thing on forums too. I guess I never thought of that before --- that buying commercial equipment when you cant possibly need it is like an elixir to youth. Just hope that when I get old I'll still remember that tip!!! I may need that sooner than expected. :laughing: :laughing: I'll probably forget it in the next couple weeks. Currently need something for my booty-cycle though, maybe we needa tractor subforum for that. :wink:

 

[Arc weld]

You know what my next project is going to be...

A shovel! Only problem is I don't know if I can build one big enough to handle the crap spewing out of our self proclaimed expert Sodo's mouth. If anyone has some extra manure spreaders bring them along cause it's going to be a big pile!

This a forum open to anyone. There are farmers, hobbyist's, contractors, experienced welders, retired welders, machinist's and a whole slew of other people on it. I don't remember reading any rules that prevent anyone from being on it regardless of how much or how little experience they have. Sodo uses the term "newbie" as a derogatory term with suggestions that these newbies have no idea what they are doing and will never get any better. Everyone on this forum should take exception to that! They are coming here for advice not to be talked down to by someone who thinks they are clairvoyant and can know exactly what everyone needs.

 

[Furu]

You know what my next project is going to be...

A shovel! Only problem is I don't know if I can build one big enough to handle the crap spewing out of our self proclaimed expert Sodo's mouth. If anyone has some extra manure spreaders bring them along cause it's going to be a big pile!

This a forum open to anyone. There are farmers, hobbyist's, contractors, experienced welders, retired welders, machinist's and a whole slew of other people on it. I don't remember reading any rules that prevent anyone from being on it regardless of how much or how little experience they have. Sodo uses the term "newbie" as a derogatory term with suggestions that these newbies have no idea what they are doing and will never get any better. Everyone on this forum should take exception to that! They are coming here for advice not to be talked down to by someone who thinks they are clairvoyant and can know exactly what everyone needs.

Dave
Stated oh so well.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[Sodo]

Uh-oh. Forum expert gets in a huff when the hobby/maintenance guy (Sodo) tells a newbie his Miller 130 won't have any problems with duty-cycle (Miller 130 is a fine machine!).

Here's the duty-cycle cycle. New guy gets 115v MIG. Someone writes in that they had trouble with duty cycle on some off-brand 115v MIG 20 years ago and wants the newbie to worry about it. Want newbie to be ready to buy a bigger machine. Sodo has been using (20% DC) 115v MIGS for 20 years, never had a single duty-cycle shutdown. (Note: It could be a problem with 10% duty-cycle MIGs. Sodo has zero experience with 10% duty-cycle MIGs)

Sodo thinks the "experts" should help the newbie learn to weld, and have success, and enjoy the machine he's got. Even if its a budget machine, lots of people have great success with $179 Harbor Freight MIGs. An expert should know that the always-mentioned duty-cycle thing is so unlikely to be a problem they could first of all, just skip it. And secondly, if it does happen (very seldom if ever) rather than tell the guy he just bought a doorstop, tell him he just has to wait a few minutes for the machine to cool down.

It bothers Sodo to see experienced welders pepper thii tractor-subforum with (this) BS. For what? It turns up later and a guy welding for 3years starts preaching it to the newbies too, the experts join in and the cycle continues. Someone's gotta say SOMETHING!

But nobody does, probably because they see beat-downs like this. Only hardhead Sodo is willing.

Sodo is a hobby/maintenance welder, for 30 years. Never had any welding instruction. He would enjoy some welding instruction because he probably has developed some bad habits over 30 years. He's no expert, just enjoys welding, building stuff, solving problems, building what he can't buy. He can't see spending $800 on an implement when he can build it for $900.

 

[muddstopper]

Uh-oh. Forum expert gets in a huff when the hobby/maintenance guy tells a newbie his Miller 130 won't have any problems with duty-cycle (it's a fine machine!). Take note- some of these fellas are pretty adamant about duty-cycle being a significant concern. They don't take lightly other members disagreeing with this.

I suspect it's because they've been exaggerating about duty-cycle for years and prefer to keep the flame burning, so to speak.

seems to me that a person asking for advice is doing so because they feel a need to know the answer. Answers can be as varied as there are folks answering the question. The only time I see disagreement is when someone disagrees with you. To me, the only one keeping the flames burning is also you. You dont think duty cycle is anything to be concerned about, you claim to have never hit the duty cycle on your machine so a small duty cycle shouldnt ever be a consideration to a first time welder purchase. I, on the other hand, have hit the duty cycle on a welding machine and feel that the duty cycle of a machine should be given careful consideration when purchaseing a welding machine. Different opinions, different personal experiences, pure and simple. The problems start when you feel your opinion is more accurate than my opinion and then you start huffing and puffing trying to prove you know more than the person you disagree with or that person is just repeating internet talk without actually having any knowledge or experience on the subject. Anything to prove you are right and everybody else is wrong. To compound the problem even more, you give matter of fact advise about the size of welder the newbie needs to purchase, without any knowledge as to the intended use of the welding machine. You pass off recommendations of longer duty cycles and 220 volt machine as inappropriate equipment to a person just starting out welding. Doesnt seem to matter to you that the intended project is or could be, a simple wood splitter with 50tons of force on those little poor penetrating welds, or a muffler on a VW. According to you either weld can be accomplished safely and efficiently with a small welding machine. I wonder how many newbies have bought the smaller welding machines and ended up just giving up on doing any welding because their welds where always failing, or maybe soon realized after the purchase, the machine they just bought isnt up to the intended task, but they have spent all their money and cant afford to upgrade to something that will get the job done. I think a small mig should be a part of any size fabrication shop. I think they are wonderful machines and wish I had of kept one of the small ones I have owned in the past. I also realize now that the small migs where not very smart purchases when I started learning how to weld. Not smart because I quickly out grew them and didnt have the money to buy bigger and better.

 

[Sodo]

OK thats the other thing. Members will tell the newbie that their 115vMIG is only good for welding exhaust pipes.

For a beginner, a 115v MIG is sweetest around 1/8 -3/16" thick steel. They can weld thinner 1/16" material, and 1/4" material nicely as you gain a little experience. Then thinner (like exhaut pipes) and maybe thicker, with joint preparation and more experience. 115v MIG is not a dead end, they are very versatile tools that are small, easy to store, don't tie up a loat of cash, and are easy to sell if you don't use it. The guy with lots of projects around can be pretty good welder quickly. Much quicker than stick-welding.

If a guy learns stick-welding quickly he's got natural ability and can learn all welding IMHO. Getting confident welding 1/8" with stick may take years, maybe a week or 2 with a MIG. Most regular people can get success, fix their stuff, build stuff much quicker starting with a MIG.

 

[muddstopper]

OK thats the other thing. Members will tell the newbie that their 115vMIG is only good for welding exhaust pipes.

For a beginner, a 115v MIG is sweetest around 1/8 -3/16" thick steel. They can weld thinner 1/16" material, and 1/4" material nicely as you gain a little experience. Then thinner (like exhaut pipes) and maybe thicker, with joint preparation and more experience. 115v MIG is not a dead end, they are very versatile tools that are small, easy to store, don't tie up a loat of cash, and are easy to sell if you don't use it. The guy with lots of projects around can be pretty good welder quickly. Much quicker than stick-welding.

If a guy learns stick-welding quickly he's got natural ability and can learn all welding IMHO. Getting confident welding 1/8" with stick may take years, maybe a week or 2 with a MIG. Most regular people can get success, fix their stuff, build stuff much quicker starting with a MIG.

I'll agree with these statements, the small migs do have their place. But I still believe a poor choice for a first machine simply because of the limitations of the machine. You can always turn a large machine down, but once you hit the limit of the smaller machines, your stuck. I feel, personal opinion only, that anybody without any welding experience, probably doesnt have a clue as to what kind or size machine they need to buy. Also, I think a lot of folks fail to do the proper research needed to make a good decision. They jump on forums such as this one looking for advice, and then get fustrated when all the arguments start. Notice the OP hasnt replied back to this thread. Neither you, nor I, can read the OP's mind. or even have a clue as to what the OP really wants or needs, we can only give our opinions based on our personal experiences and on what information the OP has given us. Neither of us can predict what the OP envisions for future welding projects, or even what the budget for purchasing a machine might be. Telling everybody a 115V mig is a great starter machine can be very misleading. For someone wanting to just do light duty welding, a 115v machine might be all they ever need. telling someone that has visions of building car trailers, or other heavy fabrication projects, why not start them out with a machine that can actually perform better and give better results as their experience level grows.

 

[ultrarunner]

I have use my 110 machine for security bars...

Found it worked much better when coupled to my 5000W Honda Generator... many of the older homes have 15 amp circuits without ground.

 

[Arc weld]

"Sodo is a hobby/maintenance welder, for 30 years. Never had any welding instruction. He would enjoy some welding instruction because he probably has developed some bad habits over 30 years."

Bad habits... you don't say! I can't see you taking instruction from anyone. :stirthepot: I also can't see any instructor wanting you as a student.ullinghair: You'd be too busy arguing with the instructor and trying to tell him how to do it. Oddly enough there are some new apprentices just out of school that are the same way. You'd do good to type less and read more and you might actually learn something but we all know that's not going to happen. Wishful thinking I guess.