Questions from a newbie Lincoln 140C

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Hello to everyone I am just about ready to make the plunge to buy my first welder. I am pretty sure I am going to go with a 140C as at the moment I am limited to 110V (my breaker box is full) and I am never probably going to weld anything more than 1/4" mild steel maybe 5/16" my mane reason for wanting a welder and to learn to weld is that I'm a car nut and off road enthusiast and welding is just one skill I truly need in the tool box. I am a very good mechanic, but have never ran a bead of weld in my life. So any advice is greatly appreciated I don't really have a fixed budget for this but don't want to spend money on just a name when I could get the same quality from another manufacturer. I plan to do things with this like repair sheet metal up to constructing winch bumpers from 1.5" x .185 DOM and 3/16-1/4" plate steel and what ever small stuff comes along exhaust mods etc... So any advice is appreciated. And if people think this isn't a great welder could you please tell me why and what I should be looking for. Thanks in advance for the help.
Reply:Small 110v welders are limited in the thickness of steel they can weld. With flux core wire, you will get the most penetration, but with the disadvantages of smoke and slag, more spatter and it won't do this steel well. If you run 75/25 gas and solid wire, the most you will do in thickness is 1/8". This makes the machine great for doing thin sheet metal like body work, but you are very limited in thickness. The welds usually look much better, are clean and have less spatter, but outdoor work is limited to calm days, or work behind a wind break to keep the shielding gas from blowing away. Also at max power, these machines have a very short weld time before the usefulness drops off. On many machines you will notice a significant deterioration in weld quality as you pass to duty cycle on max power due to the machine no longer being able to put out the appropriate weld power.A better choice for most is a 220v machine. Getting power is not as huge a thing to over come as most think. Usually you get a huge step in weld power as soon as you go 220v, but the machines don't cost all that much more, maybe 1/3 to 1/2 as much depending on the machine.Most new welders will very quickly out grow a 110v machine. If you do a bit of reading you'll find a lot of guys who admit this as soon as they move up to the 220v machines. There was one posted recently on this when the poster moved up to a MM211 from his little 110v machine.Actually the MM211 is about the perfect starter machine. It will run on 110v and 220v. That means you can start on small projects with the same output you would get with a standard 110v machine. Then later you can run a 220v line and step up the power to that of a full 220v machine. The down side is the high initial cost. Still this is less than buying the 110v unit, then getting a comparable 220v machine later.My best suggestion is to take a look at local tech schools and see if they have a night course in welding. You will learn faster, correctly and cheaper, than if you try and do it yourself. A lot of this is much simpler when someone actually watches what you do and make direct suggestions to correct problems. I learned Mig on my own originally, and later took a stick class. The class was definitely the better way to go. The cost is usually offset by the materials, wire, gas, power etc that you use in the class. You usually get to run much better machines than your budget will allow, and frequently you get access to tools that you wouldn't have otherwise, plasma, shear, brake  torches etc. Also usually they have a good way that you can "test" your welds so you have a real understanding of how well you are doing.Don't get me wrong, 110v migs have their place. But looking at the sorts of stuff I see you wanting to do, I think you will be underpowered on many of them and have to wait until you get a 220v machine to accomplish what you want..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:Thanks for the honest answer, I think I am going to take your advice and check out the Miller dual voltage machines cost isn't really a huge thing. I mean Im not going to lay out 5K for a welder but 1200 or there abouts isn't out of the question. I just want to get a quality welder that will do the things I want it to do and by "do" I mean do it well as in not trying to push the machine far past its designed capability. So I appreciate the advice. One last (newbie) question is this. Until I get around to having an electrician change out my breaker panel and run a sub panel to my workshop could I use an existing electric dryer outlet for the times when I do need to use the 220V option? Thanks again.
Reply:Yes you can use the Dryer Circuit and receptacle- you'll just have to make an adapter to be able to plug in the Welder's Plug to the Dryer style receptacle.As DSW stated, you'll find out quickly that the 140c is under powered for your Projects. Sure, body work no problem but once you move on to the Sliders, Winch Mounts etc the 140c will hold you back. The amount of time spent in joint prep to make an acceptable weld on those thicknesses is painful.Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Yes. You will probably have to make an adapter to plug into the 30 amp 220v dryer outlet and then over to the 50 amp plug that comes with the MM211. I used to do that when I lived in an apartment.  Theres a good thread on making a 220v extension cord here. You can build one with the 30 amp dryer plug on the one end for now, and then later, just swap out that plug for a 50 amp when you run the line in the garage. Thats basicly what I did with my old cord. With a small machine like that it's often nice to beable to move around in the shop with it, and a medium length extension cord is a nice thing to have..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