Welding 3/16" & 1/4" with 120v wire-feed

[brain55]

3/16 is what the manual says but they will actually weld much thicker. All of the companies do that to make you buy their larger and more expensive machines. Miller even pays off tractorbynet and other forums to block all searches that contain '120v' and 'mig' together. Since the larger machines are too expensive for the average DIYr it forces people to go to a pro to have their stuff welded and the end result is PROFIT for miller and welders. You are all in cahoots! It's a CONSPIRACY and it is out of the bag now!

I knew it! Lol

 

[k0ua]

The truth finally comes out. Just follow the money.. It is all a big conspiracy.

 

[justme23005]

I think a thread about projects that we've done with our 120 mig welders would be interesting. I use mine all the time.. If something thicker needs welding, I use the 220 stick.

 

[dragoneggs]

I think a thread about projects that we've done with our 120 mig welders would be interesting. I use mine all the time.. If something thicker needs welding, I use the 220 stick.

I agree. I thought that was the intent of the OP here but it spiraled out of control. That said, this thread at least provided some humor but sadly got personal.

 

[radioman]

Anyway, back to the TOPIC, which is "Welding 3/16" & 1/4" with 120v wire-feed".

My Miller135 says (in the owners manual) that a 20A circuit is required. In WA state, residential garages & kitchens may be on 20A circuits while the rest of the rooms in the house are often 15A circuits. I suspect that a 15A circuit might supply the machine in some of the lower 'thickness' settings, but you're better off looking at your panel and choosing a 20A circuit (as the owners manual specifies DIRECTLY) to use the full capacity of the machine. And if you MUST use an ext cord, it should be a minimum 20A cord and as short as you can get away with. (Sorry have no info or experience with a Century or Chicago other dept store welder)

Using a 15A circuit (25%less!) or a 15A extension cord may be one of the reasons some 220v folks conclude that a 120v welder can't work.

You are mostly correct here. But ask yourself what is the limiting factor for a 15amp circuit or can it be changed to 20? its the requirement for the amperage usually. Lets forget the length of wire for this discussion and the house is wired correctly with each breaker for each room and not sharing it with another room that could suck the power and trip.

now with that being said - you can quickly identify if you have a 20 amp circuit assuming its wired correctly by looking at the outlet. does it have a sideways t ? if so then its a 20 amp. Many newer houses are wired with a 12/2 wiring but has the cheaper 15 amp outlet and a 15 amp breaker. You just need to look at the circuit you want to use and see if it wired right by checking to see if it 12/2 with 20 amp breaker but has a 15 amp outlet. I can tell you that majority of the current 15 amp plugs cannot accept 12/2 wire in the quick connects but some people wrap it around the screws. I can not tell you if this is code or not in your area but this isnt normal.

If I were you, I would just run a new dedicated line with 10/2 wire with 20 amps breaker and plug just for the 120v welder. better to be safe then sorry. the cost is minimal. The 10/2 wire can carry 30 amps- but its less voltage drop for a 20 amp and in welding I'd say thats a good thing so the wire will less likely to get warm due to less resistance. Again safety is being built in.

 

[downsizingnow48]

I agree with justme2005. A practical thread focused on what a 120v MIG can do well would be very useful. I have been able to do everything I need with my old Thunderbolt ACDC or a torch. Maybe if I knew more I could talk myself into buying a 120v MIG!

 

[weldermike]

Hahahahahah!!!!
Thanks for the chuckle this morning

X2 lol.

 

[KubotainNH]

I agree with justme2005. A practical thread focused on what a 120v MIG can do well would be very useful.

Ditto, I like my 120v cheapo wire feed for doing what I do the most. Weld thin tube for small projects, tack on a nut/bolt or stitch weld a piece of sheet metal to a car. My 220v stick is way to hard to work with on this stuff but for the big jobs the 40amp breaker is turned on. Can't beat the power for the thick stuff. Too bad this thread started off on the wrong foot, it really could have been interesting.

 

[NS Gearhead]

I think a thread about projects that we've done with our 120 mig welders would be interesting.

I've got a couple in my sign

My garage is wired 220 in opposite corners... I just don't have anything that requires it yet.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Getting back to this again, I'll repeat what I said before to an extent, but since the thread has circled back that way...

Most transformer MIGs rated at 140/135 amps are only theoretical numbers. Really, they are about 90 amps, slightly higher in "spurts"...duty cycle is rated at 90 amps on most, and it's pitifully low...Most people running a 140A mig run past this limit and are running wide open with ne'er a duty cycle issue, so something is wanky there. Put a gauge on it, and you'll see for yourself the output doesn't match up.

In real life, most people would consider a 1/8" rod and 140 amps sufficient to tackle most ordinary welding jobs...but not something a professional would want to limit himself to everyday. IF the little transformer migs were truly capable of that, then it wouldn't be as much of an issue.

Enter inverter Migs...which put out more true amps and a higher duty cycle. These do bring the performance and capability up, but still a true 140 amps can be right on the cusp of requirements to make a satisfactory weld on thicker material with .035 wire. As I said, I'll be doing a MIG video with one of our new 140 amp inverters and hopefully be able to demonstrate the differences in capability.

Almost all migs are rated on a basis of a multi pass situation. A 1/4" rating doesn't mean a single 1/4" pass weld...that's where people get confused. And blame marketers at the big boys for this. No one in their right mind has any business trying to butt weld a 1/4" plate with a 140 amp transformer MIG. You can make edge welds, fillet welds etc, but a 100% penetration 1/4" weld in a single pass is hard to do with 200 amps.