What is needed for MIG welding

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I'm enjoying the heck out of my Lincoln AC225 so much that I want a MIG welder to complement it.   I pretty much have my eyes set on the Lincoln 175.    NOW,Its not MIG ready right out of the box correct? Meaning I just have to get the tank right?Another question I have is, will the 220v plug I used for my AC225 the same type as on the 175 ? It should be right.Also, I'm looking on ebay and I see a lot of different 175's  I see SP175, PRO-175, 175T etc.  which is the best to go with.Last edited by RubenZ; 04-16-2006 at 04:37 PM.
Reply:Ruben,To make it MIG you will need a bottle of gas.  With your bottle of gas you can run solid wire, or gas shielded flux core.   You will be happiest with C25 or 75% argon/ 25% CO2Your two machines should be compatible.  I would think youd be happiest with a 175T.   The T means tapped.  This just means you have taps instead of dialing in.  I find its easier to find a good setting.  Although you can get more fine tuned voltage with a machine like SP 175 or the retail version the pro 175, I would not consider it real necessary for hobby work.  Its becomes a personal preferance.  I can set either a tapped voltage or infinite voltage very well.  However, Ive often found with miller 210 for instance Ive never had a voltage selection issue.Just my two centsIF it Catches...Let it Burn
Reply:Oh and to add, you can get a self shielded flux core wire and you dont need shielding gas.IF it Catches...Let it Burn
Reply:Thanks for the advice.  I'm still debating though.  I find that I can lay a good bead with 6013 and 1/8" square tube so anything I used the Mig for would be thinner than 1/8".  It would be good for overlap so thats why I'm looking at the 175 however I may just get a 135 just for thinner stuff.  I still don't know yet.  What would you do
Reply:As I see it the SP will be a good complement for the AC 225.    I went with the 175 because I don't have a stick welder at the moment and I believe the SP will handle everything I have planned.   I suspect that in your case you will find the SP more usefull then you might have first thought it would be and end up using the stick welder less than eexpected.As to your questions:Yes it is MIG ready once you add the gas cylinder.   Youu have to be carefull about how you phrase that as MIG ready means that it comes with the hoses, valves and other materials to run MIG.    A machine that is not MIG ready (a flux core machine) does not have these components.    So the answer is yes it is MIG ready in the industry accept way.    You have to do something about gas if you want ot do MIG though.I do believe that the the AC225 and the SP175 + use the same outlet receptical.    Obviously the AC 225 will be drawing more current at the higher ranges.    Thus you may not have the optimal breaker size for the SP 175.   You can download the manuals to read up in depth if you want.Which one is best? The age old question where all you really get is opinion.   So here is mind, get the Plus model with variable voltage settings.    This would especially be the case if you are targeting thinner gage materials.    All in all it is not a huge difference in price.     Further I have this thought in the remote areas of my mind that a 110 volt machine might do you well considering you already have a stick welder but fortunately that thought isn't surfacing strongly the 220 volt model just gives you that much extra that it would be silly to go with a 110 volt machine.   Since you haven't coughed up the money for a purchase yet you do have one option that is always worth considering and that is Millers Passport welder.    I'm currently RED, but if it wasn't for the expense I would have gone this route as it is portable and multiple voltage.    If you exclude the inverter based Passport I find the Lincolns more attractive in this class range.   Of course that goes back to opinion and is likely open to argument.As to debating still thier is an element here we can't help you with and that is where are your interests.    Once you get up ot speed MIG welding I think you will find it difficult to resist using the machine.    You can lay down a lot of good quality weld in a short period of time once you know what you are doing and can find the optimal settings.   Thus you don't want to under buy your machine.    In fact I think it is difficult to buy to much machine in an all in one.    Dave
Reply:Ruben,I am personally an advocate of using a stick combined with a small mig for the thin.   Early on I beleived it was best to use stick with oxyfuel...however, with the price of mig these days its hard to beat for convience and sometimes safety...ie working under a car near hoses and lines.I would think youd do well iwth a small 115V MIG machine...make sure its mig capable, not a flux machineMig will work for flux, but flux machines wont work with migAs far as the breaker is concerned, its not an issue if its big enough.  Dealing with the circuitry in the house/shop.  You dont want the machine drawing more current than your wiring allows for.  To draw less wont be a problem.If its good enogh for the 225 its good enoguhj for a 175, but not necessarily the other way around.The 135 amp will need 115V but no extension cords...unless you make your own and its extra heavy dutyIF it Catches...Let it Burn
Reply:Wizard you bring up a good point, the MIG may be the go to welder where I thought the stick would be.  And I may end up using it more and wanting MORE later.  So I probably should get a 220volt MIG.   I've already spent too much this month with purchasing the welder, chop saw, expensive 6/3 wire and misc acc like blades etc.  I will probably do some more research on the actual MIG process and purchase one on the first of May when I get paid again and be able to bump my price range up.I also plan to purchase an old K20 or K30 truck as a project truck. So I think a MIG is a good option to have along side stick for my heavier stuff like bumpers etc.
Reply:There is a big difference between the PRO-MIG 175 and SP175 Plus.   I know one difference is the Dial.  But is there a difference in build?  there is almost a 250.00 price difference.
Reply:Hi Ruben;Only you know what you are up to, we can only give suggestions based on what we here from you.   Either of the machines we have ben taliking aobut that is the 110 and 220 variant small MIGs are just that small low end machines.   That is not to say they aren't capable just that they are not in the same league as the PowerMigs from Lincoln.    One thing to consider if the purchase is a ways off is to get involved in a welding class somewhere to see how the differrent machines fit your needs.    With summer coming that may be harder to do than you might think but it does give you exposure to different machines.As to the 220 volt MIG it appears that you are already wired up for that so you should be in good shape.    That is nothing extra needs to be installed to run the machine!   In fact you likely would be able to step up a machine in capabilities.   Again though Lincolns web site is loaded with all the info required to understand the electrical needs.Things must be going well considering your purchase rate.     I manage about one major purchase a year.What exactly are you up to with respect to the truck project?    As to the Pro-Mig and the Plus, to be honest I'm not sure what the PRO-MIg is.    If it is a tapped machine then the diffrence is the variable voltage of the Plus.   That is the Pro-Mig is likely to give you a few voltage settings and the Plus will give you a continous range.   Now you may ask where does the price difference come in.   Frankly I don't know but I would imagine the control is handled the same way, that is a switching circuit on the primary side of the transformer.    It is possible that the feedback is more elaborate on the Plus machine.    Might be mostly marketing, who knows?    ThanksDave
Reply:I did some researching and the Pro-Mig is a rebaged LOWES version of the 175T.  I will probably get the real 175T. I'm not sure if the Lowes / Home Depot versions are cheaply made. I dont' want to take that chance. As for the truck. I've owned 2 1985 GM trucks back in my High School days, I just never had money to fix them up.  Now that I've graduated from College and work Full Time and Single LOL, I can do what I've wanted.  Do some slight restoration, custom bumpers, etc.  I like to fix things up. As far as classes go, I'm already looking into that.  Being as I work Full time I have to find classes that are in the night.   I think in the summer is when they usually offer late night classes. So I'm on the lookout.
Reply:UPDATE:I went with the Lincoln SP175T.  I bought it on ebay for 660. 00 w/free shipping.   That is my last "BIG" expense for a lonnnnng time.
Reply:I think at least a portion of the price difference is the fact that the big box stores will contract for a minimum (and large) number of these per year. That's a good given as far as a mnufacture is concerned and they will give some decent wholesale price breaks based on a reliable production number.