Welder Advice
 

Need peoples Advice,
I want to by a wire feed welder to do some mods on my trailer.I see these 115v 90 or so Amp Gasless wire feed welders on ebay.Does anybody have any experience with these small welders and would they be up to the job.If not what size welder do you think I need?
Thanks
Fish

if you are welding on the frame of the trailer, NO WAY, those things are strictly for sheet metal

They are junk. I weld a lot, I have a Mig, Tig, Arc, and gas and have tried to use the one like you are talking about and the don't work. I would buy a 220 volt if I was you but if you want to get a 110 get the biggest one they have. If you are welding galvanized metal you souldn't do it because gives off a poison gas but I do it all the time just don't breath.

Millermatic 210, on ebay all the time for ~$1200. I'm shopping too, and that is the machine our welder at work recommends. It is more money than the 110v machine, but you can actually do something with it. We borrowed a 110 machine to weld a new jack on my flatbed. It is on there, but it ain't pretty or very strong

First off I do not care what kind of welder you end up with If you don't know what you are doing a million dollar welder is still going to lay down a ten cent weld. So you might want to think about learning how to weld on what supports your pride and joy.

As far as a 110AC welder I have both 110 and 220. As long as I am welding 3/16 or less I like my 110AC unit. If you buy one look at the duty cycle. on most 110 welders it is 20% This means you can only weld for 2 minuets than rest the welder for 8 minutes. My 110 MIG welder is a Snap On FM140A that has a 100% duty cycle. when shopping for a 110 unit the duty cycle is in direct proportion to price and quality.

Normally the reason most people fail with their 110AC MIG welder is they are to far away from their power source. Out in the garage that is feed by 14 Gage wire 100 feet from their breaker panel. Or using a long extension cord. What this does is drop the supply amperage to the welder. A 110AC MIG welder needs every last amp it can get to preform at its best so keep it close to your power source. A 220 volt welder uses half the amps, the higher the voltage the less the amps. This is why 220AC welders are easier to use with greater succes by the less experienced.

My advise to you is unless you for see your self welding a lot pay a pro to do it for you. You will save a ton of money in the long run.
And remember your boat trailer is not something to F around with.

Just my .02
Russ

Mig welding can be very deceptive. You may think that you are welding when in reality you are ''caulking with hot metal''. That is, no fusion, just ''casting'' a weld.
Performing a critical weld on something that your life or the life of others depends on is no time to ''learn how to weld''.
I would suggest that you enroll in a welding class at your local community college before you do any welding at all. They are usually inexpensive and will save you a lot of grief and frustration in the long run.

Hey Roger

You get that Checkmate out on the water yet? I hope to be back together by the june run.

Russ

What would you guys recommend for a plasma cutter? I bought the compact 220v Miller mig [don't know the mod #...I'm at work] I don't do anything proffessional....just want a quality companion for my mig. Any suggestions?

I too have a snap on 110v with a 100% duty cycle and (not sure of model #) but for what I weld ....usually 1/4" or less I wouldn't trade it for anything. Anything over 1/4" I will usually Arc it. I wouldn't hesitate for one second to weld on my frame with my mig. It's a matter of knowing what your doing and not just making sparks. I found a key for a good weld is getting your work area clean down to good metal. I usually try to clean at least 1.5 inches past your weld and make sure you have a good ground. :cool:

Those dinky welders are hard pressed to lay a 1" weld on 10g. Not nearly enough power for 1/4" tube. You'll want at least 180 amps-more if you can afford it. You'll have little use for anything over 250 amps.

I appreciate everybodys opinion and everybody has a good point.I already have an Arc welder(220v) and I just thought the wire feed would be better.My problem is that once I have an arc struck I weld just find,it is getting it going with the dark lense on the helmet.I just bought one of the auto darkening helmets and I am going to see how that works.I would love to take a class but I travel(FEDEX pilot)for work so it would be difficult.
Fish

Hi Russ;
No, I have`nt had it on the water yet but i did have it on the hose saturday. It fired right up and the prop spun both ways so I at least ''think'' I have the drive back on right.:D
A few more things to do and some gelcoat to touch up and I should be good to go. The first rescheduled COPS fun run will be this comming saturday. I doubt as if I will make it but who knows.

You will love the new auto darkening sheild ! That realy helps !

If you want a REAL nice welder , Buy a 220V "Century" welder .I think Northern sells them and you can find a local dealer too .

I know you guys are laughing !!:(

I have been welding for about 25 years and I love the century more then any I have had . I have had lincolns, hobarts , millers , etc. I like the century the best for the price and what it does . For about $800 you can't beat it ! I now have a lincoln, a miller 250 and the century 160. The century runs circles around them all !!!! I weld from thin, rotted , exhaust pipe to 3/4" steel ! YES 3/4" ! My other welders stuggle with 3/8" I am very unhappy with the miller only about 4 years old . The miller duty cycle sucks ! After about 6" it starts to run funny. By 18" you need to rest it . For a while ! With the century I have welded over 4 FEET non stop, and no problem ! My century is about 10-12 years old . Only had one diode go bad and use it ever day . I have it set up for Stainless now and it is great ! I am going to sell my miller and buy a Plasma cutter I think . The $2300 I have into the miller is killing me !:mad: Just my .02 . JOE

buy a real welder then take a course i weld for a living all day every day ive weldrd on every thing they make if it is not miller blue doint wast your money home use at least 250 amp for 22ga top 1/2 in ive got a 170 amp miller for sheat metel a bobcat portible a miller 250 amp for most things and i runa duelsheld wire for any thingh over 1/4 in i doint have any thing come back broke and yes ive been certified more times than i can rember every 6 monts rogers welding and fab

Take the Community College course. There really is more to it than plug in and flame on. Few things will make you prouder than your first perfect bead. And you absolutely cannot 'teach yourself' to weld...at least not in a reasonable amount of time. It takes instruction and above all, lots of practice.

I Tig, Stick Arc, and Gas weld. I also have a Mig welder, but have never figured out how to use it (the guys in the shop use it just fine). I'm a wonderful Tig welder, and when I need to do something that isnt suited to stick welding, I Tig it.

I've used one of these 110 stick welders before and it only worked on light weight stuff for me.

Now, you say you have a 220 welder. If it has DC capability, then all you need to do is add a high frequency box to it (I happen to have a spare one). Then you can weld thin with it if you take the time to play around with it. It should also do fine on your trailer welding. Just make sure you get your amp settings, stick diameter, and type figured out before you blow holes in your trailer.

mcollinstn,
A high freq. box isn't required for TIG welding of steel/stainless steel. I used to build custom designed hospital equipment that was 95% stainless, from 22ga up to 12ga thk, and welded it all with a gas cooled torch and a Lincoln DC generator.
A gas cooled torch is easy to use in all positions because there isn't a foot peddle to get in the way. Ever have to lay on the ground and try to use a gas peddle?
The only time I ever use high freq. is with aluminum.


fishead,
I strongly suggest that you take some form of welding course before making any critical welds. I've seen many people lay a beautiful bead only to find it was just sitting on the surface and not burned in.
As for striking an arc, try using one hand to support the other, hold the stick near where you want to weld, scratch the stick to the work piece like you're striking a match (don't forget to put the helmet down first). You only have to scratch a short distance then slightly lift it up to make an arc gap. Some times a quick tap will do the same. Just do it quick or it'll stick.
I hear the self darkening shields a nice. I never had one, always used the old fashoned type.

Did You know that Century has discontinued producing most (or all) of their welders in the US?
All the 110 volt wire feeds and the 110 and 220 Sticks are now coming from Italy!
over by dere!

For a 110 volt mig you can't beat the Lincoln SP 135T
or SP 135Plus!

DS

Oh, and spend the money for the auto darkening lense.
for the time to time welding they are great.

If you weld everyday, all day, they are no good, because your eye does get to see the spark for the smallest fraction of a second. And at the end of the day, you see spots.

Some good advice given.
If it is not a Lincoln or a Miller DONT buy it. SnapOn and other have there machines private labeled mostly from Italy, this creates problems for parts. If you have 220 buy a 220 machine it will run better under all conditions.
DONT buy a welder from an auto parts store or wholesale club. They are not industrial machines, even though they might look the same the internals are usually aluminum vs copper which makes a big difference.
Send me an e-mail with you address and Ill find a distributor in your area that will help you out.
Plasma = Hypertherm!
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