extension cord effects welder output?

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I'm new to welding. Bought me a 110 v home mig welder. Trying to practice by joining 2 x pcs 1/8" sheet. It's way harder than I ever thought to make a pretty bead!!! Have a question though as I search for "benchmarks" in my initial learning curve: is there effects (due to voltage loss across 12' of extension cord) that will complicate my very steep learning curve?My results are ugly and range from burn through to nice looking bead to no penetration as I try to find the sweet spot in this little rigs setup. Using .35 flux cored wire. Thx all.
Reply:Definitely run as large of cord as possible. My little 120V mig machine is night and day difference between say a 10 gauge, and 16 gauge cord stretched 50' in the shop.SlobPurveyor of intimate unparalleled knowledge of nothing about everything.Oh yeah, also an unabashed internet "Troll" too.....
Reply:Agreed, my little Hobart 140 was giving me fits on a 50' line of 16ga extension cord, it would just sputter and act like the rollers were slipping and not feeding wire very well. I took some advice and bought a 10ga cord and holy cow!! What a difference...
Reply:Way too many variables to narrow down a cause for your issues. 110v welder covers just way to many options from cheap 2 setting HF 90 amp machines, to top of the line inverters that can maximize input power and put out around 140 amps roughly.A small 90 amp machine might not even run .035 FC wire under ideal circumstances, let alone under real world conditions. Then we put operator error into the mix just to confuse things even more.If you want help, post up good clear picts of your welds. Post up as much info as possible. Machine used, settings for voltage and wire speed. Type of wire and size, material thickness and so on. The more we know, the less we have to guess at, and the better your replies will be..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Do you not want to use gas shielded wire or want to stay using only flux cored wire?  I agree. Need more info on details. Looking forward to it!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply:In addition to exten. cord voltage drop, check the fuse/circuit breaker for its amperage…..andwhat size wire and length is the run from the breaker to the outlet the welder's plugged into.It all adds uP….and not necessarily in your favor.Blackbird
Reply:Originally Posted by dave powelsonIn addition to exten. cord voltage drop, check the fuse/circuit breaker for its amperage…..andwhat size wire and length is the run from the breaker to the outlet the welder's plugged into.It all adds uP….and not necessarily in your favor.
Reply:In any application,be it an electric motor or welder,here's a quick way of seeing if power cord is undersize.  Have a helper test voltage as near load as practical while load is at maxium demand and has been pulling max several minutes. Voltage drop causes wire to heat proportional voltage drop. As wire heats,voltage drops even more.  More than a couple amp drop from no load to max load tells you roughly how much effect if any cord is having.