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Hi,I'm an amateur welder, have a miller thunderbolt ac/dc 220 volt stick that does the job for practically anything I can drag into my garage - that was a *really* good starter setup. I've gotten better (with a bunch of help from here!) to the point where things lately have come out pretty much as planned and fairly quickly. The problem I run into is basic portability and availability of 220 volt. Dragging a generator and the 100 lb welder out to my truck isn't really that practical. Mostly what I see out there in the small welders are the non-MIG wire feed types and whenever I've seen anyone dealing with them they seem to be a real pain, wire getting stuck, tips jammed, etc.. I've used larger MIG's with a spool gun, which I felt was practically self explanatory (waaay easier than learning stick for me anyway), but I feel like the stick offers a lot of practicality for cost and what you can do with it in the outdoors for dirty steel maintenance purposes. Anyway - so I'd consider 2 things. Either a real MIG with a spool gun that runs off 120 (only reason I consider this is I could then do aluminum reasonably if I wanted).. Or a stick that runs off 120.. Would really like to have AC/DC, some actual adjustment in power, and whatever the max is I can get out of 120. Looks like some of the 120 sticks go up to 90 amps, others only 55, some only have a couple settings, not sure if any do AC/DC.. Miller doesn't seem to make one in this size.Any recommendations or direction in this purchase?Thanks!Jon
Reply:Stick/tig ESAB 161. Runs off a 5000 watt generator and is 120/240. Mine works great Only weighs 18 lbsDave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:L-tech mig 130. mine is going strong way over 20 years. running innershield nr 211mp. i also have a lincoln sp125+ another great machine.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:One of my friends has a Hobart Handler 140 and loves it. I was impressed it has an aluminum drive assembly in it.My "collection":Homemade Stick WelderVictor O/A TorchAC 225Ideal Arc 250HF 90 Amp Flux CoreHF Mig 170Solar 2020 Plasma CutterPower i-Mig 140EHarris O/A torchHF Dual Mig 131140STAlpha Tig 200x
Reply:I have a Miller Multimatic 200.Little pricey but it welds beautifully.Dc only machine that runs mig, stick, tig, and a spool gun. 120 or 240 volt. If I need to go anywhere I take a small 40 cu ft cylinder to go. I can't say how well the tig option works, as I haven't used it. When I purchased mine there was a special in which you received the tig kit for free.Spec sheethttps://www.millerwelds.com/~/media/.../d/dc12-57.pdf
Reply:Thanks for that guys - based on the recommendations it looks like mostly what you get in a portable is a DC-only? That miller is really sweet but it's just way out of price range for the use I'll get. Didn't really consider I could get a MIG that does stick too and runs on both 120/240 though. The Hobart 140 is probably in my ballpark and seems to have some quality to it. I wonder though if maybe the most practical thing would be to not worry so much about features and get a simple & cheap 120 volt stick.When one is outside trying to repair rusty trailer parts, weld through mill scale, and things like that, is the flux core wire setup just as good as a stick? My amateur impression of the wire feed and MIG welders outside with poor setup is things like a breeze, pitted metal, a little paint, really make it hard.. I remember having to setup plywood to block the breeze one night and another time we just couldn't get some rusty metal surfaced well enough to keep an arc going another time, like even after grinding the pits and paint lodged into crevices was causing an issue... Both kinda a fail with a little MIG. Either of those projects would've been pretty smooth going with a stick, but that could've just been a POS welder too. It would be really nice to have MIG for the small aluminum things that come up, which I usually have someone else do for me today, I'm around boats a lot, so if I could get the same 120 setup to work for outside maintenance and aluminum it would be nice, but most of the time if I'm outside it's going to be because I'm cutting corners on something steel that's not critically important but is going to be way faster if I just weld it. Jon
Reply:a 110v mig welding aluminum?? is that even possible?i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:Originally Posted by MinnesotaDaveStick/tig ESAB 161. ...
Reply:Originally Posted by docweldera 110v mig welding aluminum?? is that even possible?
Reply:Or both. You could get a 110 volt stick welder very cheaply off craigslist. I often see them for around $50. People buy them all the time from the big box stores then later want to unload them for cheap. Examples : http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ra...342586460.htmlhttp://minneapolis.craigslist.org/an...345183807.htmlUnfortunately a good used 110 mig machine is much harder to find for cheap, but if you set up a search notification, and wait patiently, you should find something for a good price, but be ready to act quickly.Last edited by bead-boy; 12-04-2015 at 04:17 PM.Century buzzbox that I learned on 40+ years ago (was Dad's)Crappy Century 110volt mig 70 amp pigeon pooper.Lincoln Idealarc TIG-300
Reply:x3 on the ESAB 161
Reply:Originally Posted by BistineauI have welded on aluminum jon boats with my Miller Matic 140 and a spool gun. None of the welds have cracked or broken yet, and that was a few years ago.
Reply:Problem with alum is that alum is a great heat sink. It takes more output to weld alum than it does steel of similar thickness. While it's possible to weld alum with a 140 amp class mig, mig alum in general is a "hot" process making it poorly suited to thin materials, say 16 ga or less. To get the most output out of a 110v mig, most want a 30 amp circuit and no extension cord, not really practical under real world conditions. Under ideal real world conditions, maxing out a 140 amp machine will let you weld 14 ga alum. However the range of adjustment is very narrow. Too hot and you blow thru, too cold and you don't get good fusion and lots of cold lap. The line between the two is very small, so in general it's not really practical. Typically you will max out a 180 amp class mig in both voltage and wire speed to weld 1/8" alum. A 200 amp class mig would be better as it gives you a bit more room to make fine adjustments by being able to turn up the voltage a bit more if need be.The real issue with all 110v migs isn't the machines in general. It's sim[ply that you can't get enough input power to them using typical outlets. Many older homes are limited to 15 amp circuits as well as having other items drawing power on them and most people want to use an extension cord. All of this saps power from the machine. The solution is to use an inverter that will make the most use of the limited input power, but the advantage isn't all that great. You aren't going to suddenly go from a machine that will do 1/8" steel to something that does say 1/4". At best using an inverter just makes doing 1/8" a bit easier and maybe if you get everything prepped right, do 3/16" under ideal power conditions, say off a 30 amp circuit in the shop.Miller used to make the Renegade 180. A small engine drive mig machine in the 180 amp class. I believe it would run a spoolgun. The idea was to provide people with a small portable machine to do FC wire repairs in the field. It was sort of a niche market and the high price kind of limited who would really buy one. At that point jumping up to a bigger machine like a Bobcat wasn't a huge price increase, so Miller dropped it.Now using a good top of the line inverter stick machine 1/4" is quite doable. Usually you are limited to 3/32" rods at about 100 amps under most real world conditions. Again it's the incoming power that is the big issue. Same restrictions apply as with small migs. Using 15 instead of 20 amp circuits. other draws on the line and extension cords will all sap power from the machine. My Maxstar 200 will burn 1/8" 7108 at 125 amps off a dedicated 20 amp circuit and a short ( 25') 12ga or heavier extension cord. That's pushing the max of both what good electronics and real world power will allow. The machine definitely burns 1/8" 7018 nicer on 220v under the same setting vs 110v..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:Originally Posted by DSWProblem with alum is that alum is a great heat sink. It takes more output to weld alum than it does steel of similar thickness. While it's possible to weld alum with a 140 amp class mig, mig alum in general is a "hot" process making it poorly suited to thin materials, say 16 ga or less. To get the most output out of a 110v mig, most want a 30 amp circuit and no extension cord, not really practical under real world conditions. Under ideal real world conditions, maxing out a 140 amp machine will let you weld 14 ga alum. However the range of adjustment is very narrow. Too hot and you blow thru, too cold and you don't get good fusion and lots of cold lap. The line between the two is very small, so in general it's not really practical. Typically you will max out a 180 amp class mig in both voltage and wire speed to weld 1/8" alum. A 200 amp class mig would be better as it gives you a bit more room to make fine adjustments by being able to turn up the voltage a bit more if need be.The real issue with all 110v migs isn't the machines in general. It's sim[ply that you can't get enough input power to them using typical outlets. Many older homes are limited to 15 amp circuits as well as having other items drawing power on them and most people want to use an extension cord. All of this saps power from the machine. The solution is to use an inverter that will make the most use of the limited input power, but the advantage isn't all that great. You aren't going to suddenly go from a machine that will do 1/8" steel to something that does say 1/4". At best using an inverter just makes doing 1/8" a bit easier and maybe if you get everything prepped right, do 3/16" under ideal power conditions, say off a 30 amp circuit in the shop.Miller used to make the Renegade 180. A small engine drive mig machine in the 180 amp class. I believe it would run a spoolgun. The idea was to provide people with a small portable machine to do FC wire repairs in the field. It was sort of a niche market and the high price kind of limited who would really buy one. At that point jumping up to a bigger machine like a Bobcat wasn't a huge price increase, so Miller dropped it.Now using a good top of the line inverter stick machine 1/4" is quite doable. Usually you are limited to 3/32" rods at about 100 amps under most real world conditions. Again it's the incoming power that is the big issue. Same restrictions apply as with small migs. Using 15 instead of 20 amp circuits. other draws on the line and extension cords will all sap power from the machine. My Maxstar 200 will burn 1/8" 7108 at 125 amps off a dedicated 20 amp circuit and a short ( 25') 12ga or heavier extension cord. That's pushing the max of both what good electronics and real world power will allow. The machine definitely burns 1/8" 7018 nicer on 220v under the same setting vs 110v.
Reply:Keep in mind that cloth dryers often run on 230V. Build an extension/adapter and you have (typically) 30+ Amps at 230.Inverter type machine tend to be more efficient than the transformer type. In other words, for the same ratings, maybe, just maybe a bit thicker metal.Finally, there are various machines in the 200+ Amp range that are both 110V and 230V. The newer ones are inverters and can actually do 200+ Amps (at least for a short period of time).The multi-process ones tend to be DC only with lift arc TIG. I can tell you that Miller's Multimatic, on clean steel can do anything you want on a car, light truck, or light trailer.As for reliability, the Multimatic has not had any issues/down time. No fumbling with feed etc. and has an internal gas valve so it works just like the big machines (except the Multimatic's arc is BETTER).Both Lincoln and Esab have equivalents with even more power (especially at 230V). I believe spool guns are available for all 3 (definitely for the multimatic).Con Fuse!Miller Dynasty 350Millermatic 350P-Spoolmatic 30AMiller Multimatic 200Hypertherm PowerMax 1000G3Miller Maxstar 200DX |
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发表于 2021-8-31 22:21:25