130 amp mig

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hi allive been mig welding for a few years now and have made a few projects over the years but now i starting a project that i really want to get my welded as good as possiblethe project will be some sliders and barwork on my 4by i have a 130amp mig (cigweld) that i have had for 10years and have never ran gas in it always use fluxed wirethe tube i am using has a 3.5mm think wallso with this mig on gas what would be the thickest steel i could weld safely to get good strenghtthanks
Reply:will go out in the morning and post a pic of my test weld
Reply:The 130A welders are fine for sliders and bumpers. If you start welding lots of heavy plate, then you may need to step up to a bigger welder.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:Hello and welcome.To get the maximum out of that machine you will have to do a couple of things. V out your joints to thin the metal down as much as posible, and weld from both sides if posible. You will have to run short beads and then let the machine cool down and run it on a 20 amp circuit. (The Lincoln 140c I just looked up said to use a 25 amp 115v circuit to get max power.)Is it posible yes, if done right. However it's real easy to not get enought penetration with those small machines. If you have access to a bigger machine I would use the larger one myself.Good luck.
Reply:thanks fro the advicedsw -i always V the joints anyway and the welds i did this morning (no pic camera shot) look to be good on this tubethe only thing i cant tell is if there good penetration asw i cant see the inside of the tubei did do a short run just on a piece where i was no joint and did it at the end of the tube so i could see the insideas far as ai can tell there is good penertation with no join how can i test my welds?thanks
Reply:Originally Posted by troopymadthanks fro the advicedsw -i always V the joints anyway and the welds i did this morning (no pic camera shot) look to be good on this tubethe only thing i cant tell is if there good penetration asw i cant see the inside of the tubei did do a short run just on a piece where i was no joint and did it at the end of the tube so i could see the insideas far as ai can tell there is good penertation with no join how can i test my welds?thanks
Reply:thanks matewill give it a go and post up results
Reply:I would take a  couple of chunks of tube and weld them up just as if you were making a joint. Be sure to use a decent sized piece so that the heat will be similar to a real joint. Small pieces will heat up faster and give you the effect of more amps than youreally are using.  I'd keep the pieces 6" or larger if posible. Then cut near the joint so that you can see the back and then cut thru the weld so that you can tell how well the joint was. Try and leave a small gap between the pieces so that your weld will bridge the gap and bond to both pieces. The trick is to not make the gap too big or too small. If you slice the tube you can bend just the weld area and see what fails also.Good luck.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWHello and welcome.To get the maximum out of that machine you will have to do a couple of things. V out your joints to thin the metal down as much as posible, and weld from both sides if posible. You will have to run short beads and then let the machine cool down and run it on a 20 amp circuit. (The Lincoln 140c I just looked up said to use a 25 amp 115v circuit to get max power.)Is it posible yes, if done right. However it's real easy to not get enought penetration with those small machines. If you have access to a bigger machine I would use the larger one myself.Good luck.
Reply:very good yes im from downunderwell done mate
Reply:the cameras not workingi cut up my test piecethe look of the weld apperence wise is not really up to where i would like to be and penertration is half way across the steeli cant break the weld only the steel after i bend it 4-5 times
Reply:It's a bit hard without picts to critique a weld. ( I undersatnd the camera not working)From what you are saying about the weld going only 1/2way thru I would say that you may have issues with how you are preping your pieces.I am making the following assumptions based on lack of info. Let me know if I'm right. You have the machine set on max power. Wire speed set at close to what ever the mfg suggests for that machine ( there may be a chart under the lid). You are beveling the material at least 1/2 way. You are using 1/8" (3.5mm thick) material.I would grind more so you have maybe 3/4 of the material V'ed out and gap the pieces slightly say 1mm. Try the welds again and see if this increases your penetration. You may need to slow down a bit also. I'm assuming the machine is set right.The steel failing before the weld is generally a good indication of at semi decent weld. Again without picts its imposible to tell.The more info we get the easier it is for us to help you out.Good luck.