Home welding

[Xlax]

If you ever need anything small welded I have access to a Mig Welder and am moderate good at it.....

[rrdstarr]

I am looking at buying one myself, a Lincoln or Hobart! All the little projects I could tackle, it would probably pay for itself in 6 months.

Lincoln SP135

[Xlax]

That is the one my buddy has, when we were roommates we had a metal shop in the basement, good for small jobs only

[Craigs_Tonka]

Originally posted by Xlax
good for small jobs only

I'm not sure what you would consider a small job? I have this mig and the only limitation is the duty cycle to continuosly weld thick metals such as 3/16 to 1/14" thick.

I have welded my own safari rack and built my own sliders without any problems from this welder. (The comparative Campbell Hausfeld got returned as it sucked) You do need to plan your welding / cutting a little on the sliders but that isn't hard to do. If you plan on welding up 5 sets of sliders in an afternoon then this welder is not what you want, however, if you want to build yourself some projects from time to time it is a nice balance between price and functionality.

[rrdstarr]

So what your saying is that this 110V has enough juice to fabricate a rear bumper, making multiple passes? Cause that is what I want to do with it. Make a hidden Class III hitch using the stock bumper.

[Xlax]

Originally posted by Craigs_Tonka
I'm not sure what you would consider a small job? I have this mig and the only limitation is the duty cycle to continuosly weld thick metals such as 3/16 to 1/14" thick.

I have welded my own safari rack and built my own sliders without any problems from this welder. (The comparative Campbell Hausfeld got returned as it sucked) You do need to plan your welding / cutting a little on the sliders but that isn't hard to do. If you plan on welding up 5 sets of sliders in an afternoon then this welder is not what you want, however, if you want to build yourself some projects from time to time it is a nice balance between price and functionality.

Hence my comment Small Job

[Craigs_Tonka]

Originally posted by rrdstarr
So what your saying is that this 110V has enough juice to fabricate a rear bumper, making multiple passes?

Yes, it has enough "juice", but the duty cycle is what determines how long you can weld before you stop to let the welder cool down. It has internal protection so you won't hurt it, but don't expect to weld steady for an hour.

Most of the time you are welding, measuring, cutting, welding, and so on. I've got the sp100 and only had to stop once while welding up my sliders as I cut all my metal first and tried to do all the welding at once. If you space it out you'll be fine. Keep in mind you will be spending about $600 on that welder and if you want something with a higher duty cycle to weld all day you will be dropping much larger cash and going to 220 and doing some electrical wiring in your garage.

Hope this info helps. For me, my welder has done great and I like Lincoln products. Nobody wanted to share the cost of buying one of these but now everyone is lining up for me to do a little welding for them or build sliders or racks. Unfortunately, they can't afford my labor

[rrdstarr]

I understand duty cycle and all the jargon. I was just wondering if you had to make any multiple passes when building your sliders? I have about 5 years welding experience from high school and gunsmithing.

[Chris_McCracken]

If you're interested in spending a little more cash, you can get a LOT better welder. I just purchased a Milermatic 175 from cyberweld.com for $655 (free shipping). It's a 220V welder with a LOT more power. I have not been able to trip its duty cycle yet, and have been welding a lot of 1/4" stuff. Its super easy to creat very-high quality, very strong welds. Keep in mind with any of these MIG welders, you will have to add on $100-$150 for a gas cylinder from your local welding shop. If you go to 220V, you will also need a 220V circuit (this one uses 220V, 20A).

[rrdstarr]

I was debating with myself about the 220V welder. Could you unplug your dryer and use that plug or are they different?

[Xlax]

Same cycle......

If you can get your hands on a 220v do it. You will be happy with the added power..then again I am not sure if you are going to use it for welding a US version of the Eifel tower or just small jobs.

I am sure PNWX would be happy to have a steady source for welding and can supply wire and juice for it..so perhaps it could pay for it self in the long run..

Can u believe that this year is almost over??......NEW WHEELIN SEASON !!!!!!!!!!

[Chris_McCracken]

They are (most likely) different plug types. You could make an adapter, but you need to be sure that the amperage of the circuit is right. A friend of mine is an electrician, so he ran a new circuit for me and built me a 25 ft extension cord (<$50 for wire, breaker, receptacles, and plug).

[FSRBIKER]

Chris great choice on welders, that's the model I have and I have done tons and tons of welding with it. A typical dryer outlet has a different configuration but the amerage should be fine, I have an extension cord with the dryer type plug on it when I bring the welder home from the shop for a project.

[Craigs_Tonka]

Originally posted by rrdstarr
I was just wondering if you had to make any multiple passes when building your sliders?

rrdstarr - No multiple passes required up to 1/4" thick. If you are welding a bumper with thicker material than that it's overkill.

Chris / FSRBIKER - I agree 220v is the way to go if you will be doing a lot of welding, but for home projects I just couldn't justify twice the price for the welder plus some more for the electrical. I don't have an electrician friend and buying the 25' extension plus the new circuit was a lot of additional expense at the time.

I'm happy with what I can produce for my truck, and I'm not looking at welding for everyone else. That's why there's retail products available.

[O1SalsaX]

Just a few quick tips I picked up from Helping my friend weld his roll cage on his Chevelle. Try not to use an extension cord because they have a tendency of heating up, which is bad. If you must use an extension cord use a heavy duty one, you will lose amperage and power if you skimp, not to mention that its a fire hazard.
Also, make sure that the Welder is on its Own circuit, regardless if its 110V or 220V. If its 110V it has a large draw and you will keep popping the breaker. I have a Craftsman 120Amp Mig welder 110V. I made an extension cord for it using 10-3 Romex(washing machine gauge wire) and the bolt on connectors. It works beautifully.
If you are buying a welder try to get one with the Argon Gas. It makes you weld so much faster, and they are generally a better(cleaner) weld. We used my welder one my friends 10 second quarter mile chevelle on his 14 point roll cage, and it passed Tech inspection at the track with no problems. Obviously for a stronger weld the 220V is prefered, but I could not justify the price difference. Anticipate spending between $450 and $800 on a good welder. Avoid the Campbell Hausfeld, they are light duty welders, they even state that on the box. I have no complaints about my cratsman one, but you should stick with a Lincoln or a Century Welder.
And if you have $1500 to spend on it, get a TIG welder, its so much more precise and a better weld, but most of us dont have that kind of money for something that we'll use a few times..
Best of luck.
L8r
Ken