Welder - Should I Upgrade??

[johnnydel29]

I think I have feeling I know what the answer is going to be.

I currently own a Lincoln Pro-mig 140, 110V machine. It works great. As I became more experienced at welding, I began to build and modify implements for my tractor, and I am planning on building more. Fortunately, there is a steel factory near me that sells scrap quite cheap. My machine has done a good job so for, but I feel like I am pushing it, always on the highest heat, and ususally I am welding 1/4" steel. I have had no problems so far, and all the welds held fine. Of course, I would have to go slow and sometimes do multiple passes.

Will a 220v machine make a lot of a diffenerence?? Am I actually making this 110v machine work too hard, since I am welding pretty thick material most of the time?

 

[zzvyb6]

I have the same 110 Lincoln, but did better welds with my old Sears 220v AC buzzbox, even on cast iron. I replaced it with a Miller Thunderbolt, but still miss the old buzz box.

I make it a practice to never repair heavy steel with the 110 unit. I want penetration and weld strength (fix it once).

Yes you will need to locate a convenient 220 outlet. Also make a 50' extension cord for the days when the welder has to go to the machine. I've been known to throw the Miller in the front bucket and take my pto alternator out to the wreck in the back 20....

 

[carpenter383]

You can buy a new lincon stick welder for around $250 I think. That's alot cheaper than a good mig welder. Then when you need to weld thick stuff use it. For thin stuff use the 110 unit. I have an old miller 220 mig. It will weld 1/4" pretty good, but I think a stick welder would still be better for the thick stuff.

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

used lincoln AC stick welders around here top dollar is about 100......little different learning curve but for most tractor suff, i much prefer a stick over my little sp135 mig...

 

[Kays Supply]

After 20+ years of using my old AC buzz box, I finally passed it on to my son. I replaced it with a Miller Tig / AC - DC machine. It will do Tig or stick. The DC stick is so much better than the old buzz box. I seldom use the Tig since it welds thin metal or thick so well with the DC stick.

 

[billbill1]

I am not a welder at all so this is just for input purposes. I have always heard that the 110V units were for nothing thicker than 3/16" and that they were best on 1/8" or thinner. You just don't get the penetration you need.

 

[sal64]

220 mig welder is the way to go very easy to weld with , stick welder is harder to use .i have a miller 3 phase i can weld almost any thickness steel or sst.

 

[greenmule]

Yeah,a 220/230 mig is much better than a 110,and yep,you knowed the answer,
Also Any dc stick welder is a tig machine,gotta scratch start and of course you'll need the torch and stuff.

 

[JasG]

I would say the answer depends, how often are you doing heavy welding. I have the same model you have and yes it takes a lot more prep to get a good weld but it can be done on thicker material. As far as wearing the welder out or damage to it, that should not be an issue. Most of the welding I do at home is for a friend and it's all 3/16 and thicker material. At work we had a 220 volt wire welder, a 110 volt and 2 stick welders. We got rid of the 220, due to we always used the 110. If it could not be done with the 110, then we would always use the stick.
If you are going to upgrade, you already have a wire welder, I would go with a stick. Can do so much more. Sticks for every application, cast, hard facing, bolt extraction, high strength etc.

 

[greenmule]

I agree,I got a stick machine don't have a mig machine,I can weld down to 1/8 thickness on steel,and up to whatever thickness,but if I was going to buy a mig machine it would be a 220,wouldn't waste my money on 110.

But,stick welding is a nother world compared to mig welding,if the man has never stick welded,than he would be better off getting a 220 mig,

If this was his first machine and he had never welded would advise him getting a dc stick machine.

 

[EddieWalker]

It really comes down to what you can afford. If you can afford the 240 volt mig welder, then you will be very happy with it. If it's more then you are willing to spend, then you can get an Arc welder for a few hundred bucks that will weld just about any sized steel that you will ever need. Arc welding is different then Mig welding and allot of people who learn on Mig don't like Arc. It's a different type of welding and requires learning how to weld all over again. It can be frustrating to see the results of an Arc weld when you are used to what you can do with the Mig.

I only have one welder, it's an AC/DC Arc welder. I like to use 6013 rod in it and have good results on things that I make or repair with it. I like Mig, but can't afford to buy one that will do what my Arc welder will do. I seem to have something that needs welding five or six times a year, so it's more then paid for itself over the years.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[JB4310]

I've got a portable Honda powered 170 Amp DC stick welder, everyone said they were the easiest to use but I have struggled with it, just as much as any other welder I have. (Hobart 135 amp mig and a AC buzz box)

What are you guys using for rods and what polarity? I heard electrode negative, (which I think is called straight polarity, even though it sounds backwards?) was the way to go but have not seen any great improvement.

I'm talking repair and light fabrication up to 1/2" flat and some vertical, (forget about overhead).

Thanks, JB.

 

[greenmule]

I use 6010 plus,on dcep.

 

[xlr82v2]

JB4130,

For most DC SMAW (stick) welding, you should be running DCRP (DC Reverse Polarity, ie. electrode Positive).

As for rods, it all depends on what you're doing... here's a rundown of the more common rods you'll see.

• 6010/6011= good for very dirty metal... very aggressive, lots of dig, very deep penetration. Does not leave very pretty beads behind. Just the characteristics of this rod. 6010 is a DC only rod, and 6011 is the AC/DC version of 6010. A rather difficult rod to run compared to all the others. All position.

• 6013= Good general purpose rod, good for general repairs on mild steel. Mild to moderate penetration. Often called "the farmer's rod". Not my favorite, but it's not bad. All position.

• 7014= Another good general purpose rod, good for general repairs on mild steel. Iron powder in the coating for high deposition rates. Mild to moderate penetration. All position. I like 7014 better than 6013, but for the welding we're doing, it's basically just personal preference.

• 7018= "Low Hydrogen". Intended for use in situations where the weld is critical and must meet "x-ray" quality standards. Requires special storage procedures to retain this "low hydrogen" characteristic. Mild penetration, very high strength. 7018 is generally my go-to rod, even though I don't have the equipment to store it "properly". It's a great general purpose rod, even stored "improperly". 7018 is a DC only rod, however there is also 7018AC available, which is designed to run on an AC only machine. All position.

I've got all of these rods on hand... but if I had to limit my choices, I'd just keep 1/8" 6010/6011 for the really dirty stuff, and 1/8" 7018 for everything else. 7014 would be my #2 choice after 7018, then 6013.

 

[greenmule]

Well,I disagree with you that the 6010 don't make a pretty bead,[kinda like saying the baseball glove won't catch].

Plus,you are supposed to clean your metal before welding,maybe thats why your 6010 beads don't look good? Only reason for not cleaning with grinder or brush,would be you can't get it in there.

Plus,plus,6010-7010-8010 rods pass x-ray every day here in good ole us of a.

Plus[yeah you guessed it],plus,plus,if you are not storing your 7018 rod in a heated oven type container,after opening can,than you no longer have a low hydrogen rod,so might as well use a 6010,[yeah I know 6010 doesn't have the tensile of a 7018,so,use a 7010 if you feel that the 6010 won't beat the tensile of the base metal,which is generally way less than 6,000 psi].

 

[nunyabinis]

I started with a Lincoln 110volt MIG welder and quickly sold it and upgraded to a 220volt unit.


It made a WORLD of difference. Like night a day.




.

 

[SuperDuty335]

Well,I disagree with you that the 6010 don't make a pretty bead,[kinda like saying the baseball glove won't catch].

Plus,you are supposed to clean your metal before welding,maybe thats why your 6010 beads don't look good? Only reason for not cleaning with grinder or brush,would be you can't get it in there.

Plus,plus,6010-7010-8010 rods pass x-ray every day here in good ole us of a.

Plus[yeah you guessed it],plus,plus,if you are not storing your 7018 rod in a heated oven type container,after opening can,than you no longer have a low hydrogen rod,so might as well use a 6010,[yeah I know 6010 doesn't have the tensile of a 7018,so,use a 7010 if you feel that the 6010 won't beat the tensile of the base metal,which is generally way less than 6,000 psi].

Let's see those pretty 6010 beads...mostly so I can see how bad mine are.

 

[greenmule]

Well,you shouldn't have to come to my house to see a good looking 6010-7010-8010 weld,go to your nearest pipeline/gas company fab shop,they might be able to point out a few. Plus,although I like looking at pictures on the internet[thats an under statement],I don't send pictures.

 

[J_J]

Just buy what you can afford after educating yourself about welding.

If I remember right, I believe that most industrial welding is done with MIG. You guys talk heat. Amps is amps, and therefore heat is heat. I think two good welders, one using stick, and the other using MIG, will have equally good welds on the same material. It is easier to automate MIG, whereby stick is a little more difficult.

This is analogous to the auto darking helmets and the regular helmet. Some swear by one or the other. Which is best, it's just personal preference. JMHO

Just curious, which type welding can put down more weld correctly, in a given amount of time, on a similar welding job, MIG or stick?

 

[JB4310]

Will a 220v machine make a lot of a diffenerence?? Am I actually making this 110v machine work too hard, since I am welding pretty thick material most of the time?

I would say if you like the 110 mig you will be very happy with the 220, I've never used the 220 but everyone swears by them, I've got a Hobart Handler 135 amp 110 volt mig I use with the gas but it is very limited, not good in my opinion for general repairs. more suited to cleaner lighter work.

I use 6010 plus,on dcep.

I should first say sorry for HJing OP's thread.
Thanks, I have every other type rod but not 6010.

JB4130,

For most DC SMAW (stick) welding, you should be running DCRP (DC Reverse Polarity, ie. electrode Positive).

As for rods, it all depends on what you're doing... here's a rundown of the more common rods you'll see.

• 6010/6011= good for very dirty metal... very aggressive, lots of dig, very deep penetration. Does not leave very pretty beads behind. Just the characteristics of this rod. 6010 is a DC only rod, and 6011 is the AC/DC version of 6010. A rather difficult rod to run compared to all the others. All position.

• 6013= Good general purpose rod, good for general repairs on mild steel. Mild to moderate penetration. Often called "the farmer's rod". Not my favorite, but it's not bad. All position.

• 7014= Another good general purpose rod, good for general repairs on mild steel. Iron powder in the coating for high deposition rates. Mild to moderate penetration. All position. I like 7014 better than 6013, but for the welding we're doing, it's basically just personal preference.

• 7018= "Low Hydrogen". Intended for use in situations where the weld is critical and must meet "x-ray" quality standards. Requires special storage procedures to retain this "low hydrogen" characteristic. Mild penetration, very high strength. 7018 is generally my go-to rod, even though I don't have the equipment to store it "properly". It's a great general purpose rod, even stored "improperly". 7018 is a DC only rod, however there is also 7018AC available, which is designed to run on an AC only machine. All position.

I've got all of these rods on hand... but if I had to limit my choices, I'd just keep 1/8" 6010/6011 for the really dirty stuff, and 1/8" 7018 for everything else. 7014 would be my #2 choice after 7018, then 6013.

I've got every rod listed except the 6010, I've found the 6011 and 6013 very easy to work with the AC machine, welding shop gave me some 7014 again for the AC, said they are as smooth as butter.

No one has mentioned the 7024, has real thick flux/coating, only for flat work but is super easy to lay a nice looking bead.

I have very little experience with the DC, so I'll get some 6010. Is the 6013 and 7014 also good for DC? and when is Electrode neg used with DC? I thought that option was what made the DC easy to use.

This is my go to machine (the AC buzz box) I literally found this on the side of the road 30 years ago! scavenged some leads and have been using it ever since. Also pics of the other 2.

JB.