need a little info...

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I've been stick welding at work for about two years now and now i want to get one for my garage at home for odd jobs..etc    At Lowe's they have a Lincoln Electric 240 Volt Stick Welder for $299, which is the same style i use at work and have had great luck with it.  My question is,  I don't have 240v in my garage, so at the very least i would try and run an extension cord from my basement out to my garage,  maybe 100-150 feet,  which sucks, but that the only way at the moment i can get it up and running.  I'm not sure what wire i would need though and where i could buy it at?  I'm sure Lowe's would carry it, just not sure what type or kind id need.  Any info on this would be great!!   Thanks
Reply:Hello and welcome.There's a bunch of info on this thread about building 220v extension cords. The longer distance means you may want to step up at least one gauge to 8 gauge cord or even 6 gauge. Note: Cord is different than wire. Romex is NOT what you want to use ( and what most sales people at wes/Depot will try to sell you) That's for running lines inside of walls, not for extension cords. For heavier gauge wire like 6 or 8 gauge, you might find it less expensive for a long length like that to shop at an electrical supply house vs a box store. If you opt to go with 10 ga wire, usually it's cheaper to buy a 10 ga extension cord and swap plugs. The total length of run will determine if you can make 10 ga work or not. If the run is over 100', I'd start thinking about going heavier to avoid line drop.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...extension+cordYou might also think about searching CL for your machine. I see Ac 225 Lincolns like you ate thinking about all the time used for $50-150. Those machines are tanks and are tough to destroy. Also there's a lot of similar machines out there for good prices as well. Older Craftsmans, Century and Millers, not to mention some really nice deals on nicer heavier duty machines like Lincoln Idealarcs and Miller Dialarcs, often AC/DC models for just a bit more than you are looking to spend new.If you don't use a CL aggregator like Searchtempest or Crazedlist, you might want to give it a try. I usually put in "welder" as my search parameter and sort the list manually for hidden deals. Add your location to your User CP at the top left so we know where you live, and maybe someone here might know of a local deal for you.Good luck..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:Ditto what DSW said. For $299 you should be able to come up with a used AC/DC model that will serve you better than a new Lowes AC model.Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:I second what WyoRoy said about DSW's advice. For the most part DSW is almost always  right but, if you got a 100 ft of romex , use it. I would take solid copper over stranded any day. The ampacity for solid copper is better than stranded as long as you dont kink it. The main thing is , dont kink it. Ive wanted to start a thread on running wire for a welder and the importance of not kinking wire, Look into spinners for unravelling wire or just roll it out before running your wire. AGAIN , for anyone running solid wire, roll it out first and dont kink it. Knots in the wire create resistents and for Aluminum, this creates heat and potential fire.If you decide to use a dedicated circuit later on, you can use the romex. If you use romex with conduit. swipe your old ladys lotion and smear it in the conduit so the romex slips thru goodder. My daughter uses xpensive lotion so I opted for the dollar store stuf.
Reply:Good advice all round. I would just keep an eye on craigslist for a welder though. A transformer stick machine can be had for around $100. Be sure that whatever you get has DC or AC/DC power available. Once you weld with DC you likely won't ever use the AC again. You also might consider looking for a small Maxstar, or similar machine as you get the ability to tig from them. You can tig from a transformer, but no pedal control.
Reply:Yep ! We are all on the same page.  Great minds think alike !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply:Dont use ROMEX.  It will be a pain in the a$$ for you .  After you coil and uncoil it a few times, you will see what I mean.  Also , stranded wire vs solid wire, guage for guage, because of the multiple conductors that make up stranded wire, it will have the ability to carry a "slightly" greater amount of current.
Reply:These "tombstone" welders don't have very high voltage compared to the big boys, so I'd want to avoid as much voltage drop as possible, which means bigger $$ wire.  Keep your eye on Craigslist.  Not long ago I saw a nice Lincoln AC/DC unit offered for around $100. - $150."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:The welder has a 50 amp plug on it.  You need to keep the system at the rated ampacity.  Extension cord will need to be at least 6.  If the true distance will be 150 feet, you will have to go to a 4 wire.  Yes, big money.  You may get away with a 10 wire for a litle while, but the chances you are taking may not be worth it.  The proper cord is a lot cheaper than a new building.  There are electrical codesfor a reason.  if you can't do it right, wait until you can.
Reply:WOW,  what a great forum!!  Thanks to all of you guys!  I'll keep this in mind and see if i can find a nice used one.
Reply:I have always been told that ac/dc welders are the way to go.  I didn't even realize that the lowes one was just an ac welder...