Welder Selection Help

[kenmac]

my linclon 220v 135 says you can weld 1/4.It doesn't do that great of a job on 1/4 so I leave a small gap to get better penetration. I don't know what size the welder you are getting ,but from the price it sounds about the same size. I wouldn't trust mine to hold 1/2 .

 

[johnday]

Guys; The way I'm reading everyones posts, sounds like there is quite a number of guys expecting to weld in one pass. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gifDid I read this right? I was taught on thicknesses greater than 3/16", you should expect to weld in mutiple passes whenever possible.
Also, to use square groove, or V groove technique. Burn in your root pass with 6010/6011, then cover passes with something like 7018. Tell me if I'm wrong. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Jim_in_Omaha]

Dan,
I would agree that you need a stick welder. If your going to make tractor toys you will want decent penetration into the metal that a low cost wire feed probably won't do. Stick is very versitile. Check out the rod selections for various metals and tasks. I have a Miller Thunderbolt XL 300 ac/dc job. It blazes away real good. And I don't have it cranked up very far. A cheap wire feed would probably work fine for the trailer pockets with a couple of passes but it wont penetration into the side rails very good.

As far as the MIG stuff goes. Don't forget that if a person goes for the gas. Theres the deposit on the bottle if you don't have one. That would kill a good chunk of your $250 budget. I picked up another bottle with some tri-mix to weld up a stainless exhaust for a motorcycle. By the time I was done it was $37 gas, $165 deposit on the bottle which I will get back when I turn it in, $17 for a 2lb roll of stainless wire. Used on a Miller 175 MIG. It does weld beautiful.
thx
Jim

 

[CTyler]

Not sure what 220(volts?) your refering to but I have a Millermatic 251 that does 1/2 in a single pass. There are bigger more powerfull Migs. The 251 is about four times as much as the price you have listed.

 

[Laminarman]

The new model from Miller, can't tell you the model number. Sells new for about $725 complete as I've stated.

 

[DavidVT]

The price range will eliminate a new TIG unit but I have to say TIG is not bad at all!

My office has several small lincoln inverter welders that are used with TIG setups to weld everything you can image.

I learned on the job on these TIGs and am amazed at what you can do with them. Heavy steel and stainless steel is a daily operation with these 24x7 welders.

I found a link to one that is a bit more fancy than ours:
http://www.weldingmart.com/Qstore/p001729.htm
That does not include the gas and stinger setup I think......

Good luck regardless of what you get.. I have enjoyed learning to weld and am saving up for the exact same rig we have at the office!

 

[kenmac]

I was refering to my 135 mig.It does ok on 1/4 in stuff but thats about all. I do agree with you on the stick welding & making 2-3 passes. Weld 1 side, air arc the back side & weld it with 7018 & you have a very strong weld. The 7018 is a good rod.

 

[_RaT_]

<font color="blue"> Heavy steel and stainless steel is a daily operation with these 24x7 welders</font>

I don't understand why you would choose TIG to weld heavy steel. It's slow compared to MIG or ARC and does cost a bit more in terms of gas. For all around welding of thin metals and various metals, I understand TIG is ideal.

I learned to weld with stick and was certified with 6011 root pass with 7018 filler.