How to transition to MIG?

[Big Barn]

Rob, I got this guy to use 6-50 plugs in my 10-50 outlets. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R3FP8G9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

View attachment 644285

All our outlets are 10-50 and fused/wired for full loads. This keeps things simple, and rather than buy a 25' 6-50 extension cord and put the adapter at the wall I bought a 20' 10-50 cord (6Ga) and can use the 6-50 adapter at the end of that.

Congrats on your choice of machines. :thumbsup: I had only one other I would have recommended as highly, if for a few hun more. (Everlast PowerMTS211si).

btw,

Rob disregard my post #93.

 

[Fallon]

I wired all my outlets & extension cords as NEMA 14-50. 110 or 220 & the common plug on generators. I made my own adapters to go from the 14-50 male to the appropriate socket for my welders or plasma. Not the cheapest option, but the most flexible. I'll have the right extension cable & adapter if I ever go mobile. Easy to back feed my shop with a suicide cable during a power outage too (although I have a proper generator disconnect & inlet).

 

[BigBlue1]

I just replaced the receptacle with 6-50R so the Hobart is a direct plug-in. Also bought a 6-50P plug end for the Lincoln welder. Not my ideal solution to cut off the original plug on the Lincoln but it seems like the right choice.

Rob

 

[BigBlue1]

As a side note, after doing the re-wiring and setting up the new Hobart 210MVP I tried my first test weld. And was immediately severely disappointed. Excessive, excessive spatter and the weld was horrible. Tried various voltage and wire speed settings. All crap. Finally realized that the 'sample spool' of wire included with the welder was flux core, not solid wire. I did not expect that. Polarity makes a difference. Progress has been made. Now to practice.

Rob

 

[Big Barn]

I would guess that is the one single mistake first time users of new MIG / fluxcore machines make.......and are immediately frustrated and discouraged.

Glad you figured it out. I know of guys who ended up selling their machines.

 

[coxhaus]

As a side note, after doing the re-wiring and setting up the new Hobart 210MVP I tried my first test weld. And was immediately severely disappointed. Excessive, excessive spatter and the weld was horrible. Tried various voltage and wire speed settings. All crap. Finally realized that the 'sample spool' of wire included with the welder was flux core, not solid wire. I did not expect that. Polarity makes a difference. Progress has been made. Now to practice.

Rob

If you use solid wire you need to use gas. Probably the best all around solid wire will be .030 wire size for the Hobart 210 welder. If you want to really weld light sheet metal then switch to .024 but I would keep .030 in it for general use.

 

[BigBlue1]

If you use solid wire you need to use gas. Probably the best all around solid wire will be .030 wire size for the Hobart 210 welder. If you want to really weld light sheet metal then switch to .024 but I would keep .030 in it for general use.

I get that. It just didn't dawn on me that Hobart would include flux wire as the sample. So I set the welder up for solid wire and tried a weld. And promptly thought: "It's not the welder, it's you... you suck at all welding!" So I was thankful that I found my mistake and the tests after swapping polarity were much nicer.

I have C25 gas for welding solid wire.

Rob

 

[Big Barn]

At least you can start welding with the flux core.

If they supplied a small roll of solid wire customers would complain because they don’t have the gas.

 

[the old grind]

From WA Tecnology Untitled Document
http://www.netwelding.com/Why_High_Gas_Cost.pdf btw, I'm not suggesting that anyone buy their products.

"Now that AirGas and Praxair have been purchased by a French and German company, another owned by a Japanese company; the only US Owned Argon Producer is Air Products. They announced a 20% Argon price increase effective February 1, 2020. That follows announced 20% increases in 2017, 2018 and 2019! Compounded, that is 207 % in 4 years and substantial increases prior to 2017. OTHERS USUALLY FOLLOW WITH SIMILAR INCREASES."

>500% increase in the cost of argon in 9 years.

 

[Ritothebull]

From WA Tecnology Untitled Document
http://www.netwelding.com/Why_High_Gas_Cost.pdf btw, I'm not suggesting that anyone buy their products.

"Now that AirGas and Praxair have been purchased by a French and German company, another owned by a Japanese company; the only US Owned Argon Producer is Air Products. They announced a 20% Argon price increase effective February 1, 2020. That follows announced 20% increases in 2017, 2018 and 2019! Compounded, that is 207 % in 4 years and substantial increases prior to 2017. OTHERS USUALLY FOLLOW WITH SIMILAR INCREASES."

>500% increase in the cost of argon in 9 years.

It may be time to go back to using c02, we used it for years with no trouble and that was before we had adjustable inductance settings.