Technical Who's had success with 110v welders?

I know next to nothing about welding or welders, but I'd like to learn. It seems I hear a lot of negativity about 110 welders, but often I don't know if the opinions are well formed or just stuff people say for the hell of saying it.

I'd want to weld nothing heavier than 3/16, and most of the time probably thinner stuff than that. Do those of you who've owned 110 welders think that is practical? I'm not asking if 240 welders can do a better job, just will a 110 do a perfectly decent job of it?

 

I love my miller 110 mig. Its about 18 years old. I also use it for stainless steel work and run the small spool of stainess wire. I have replaced the gun and sleeve but those are wear items.
Godspeed
MrC.

 

I've had a Hobart(Miller) 140 for 5 years,works great.Get one that will use gas.

 

Love my Lincoln 140, for my car project and other repairs around my house.

 

I had a cheap off brand 110 mig welder for many many years. I used it quite often for small jobs and it never let me down. But I didn't ask much of it either.
Eventually you'll want/need to upgrade.

 

As long as you have the correct polarity for the wire you are using they are just as good as any for 3/16 or less. I have a hobart 140 that is proably 20 years old. I use HB28 wire for the steel welding which is close to 7018 rod and use argon CO2 mix.

 

I bought a Hobart 140 Handler a few years ago(economics). My certified brother showed me the basics and my friend let me learn on his truck when we extended the cab. I am not a trained welder other than reading whatever I could, going to forums that would "talk" to an amateur and talking with some builders who regularly use a mig. Amperage is key in the 110v equipment as it is in any welder and penetration is the other. Since most of my ojt learning curve was on extending the truck body, my experience started with sheet metal with a lot of burn through, grinding, re-welding, etc. When I got to 1/8" I thought I was in heaven. On my '29 coupster, I've boxed the frame, made motor mounts for the y-block, fabricated and welded brackets for suspension, floor pans, etc. And done some grinding and rewelding if I wasn't satisfied.
All that said...If you are lucky enough to have a community college that offers a course, take it. If not, practice with the thinnest stuff you can find using different settings, wire speed, amps, etc. Most of my stuff has been 1/8" and some 3/16's, but other than the 16/18 gauge, I bevel the edges real good and try settings on a few scraps first to make sure I get enough heat and filler. I now have 220 in the garage and think it might be nice to go to a bigger machine, but I don't see the need for my use (and age). A farmer once told me that you can do a small job with a big tractor, but you can't do a big job with a small tractor. But this farmer wanted to have a bigger tractor than his buds.
To the pros-I salute your knowledge and abilities with the welding machines. For my use and the car I'm building and will be driving, I'm comfortable with what I'm doing. And every time I see that little puddle of molten steel and know I'm doing it, I think of early Tim Allen and his signature grunt.
RB

 

As long as you're willing to accept the limitations involved, do whatever makes YOU happy; you're obviously not a weldor by trade, and don't have plans on becoming one, so you don't need anywhere near that level of a machine. I've had a 220 volt, Sears branded, buzz box arc welder for 40 years, that I originally bought from a friend who needed the money. I only use it a few times a year, and will have it until the day I'm gone. A couple of years ago, I decided I needed something smaller that I could carry around, and bought a 110 volt, flux core, wire feed from that tool supply place everyone seems to hate, but always know everything about anything sold there (???). I got it on sale, and was't expecting it to do any kind of heavy work. It worked for what I bought it for, but it was also very limited, more than I thought it would be, so I bought a 220 volt wire feed, gas or flux core, wire feed through that auction site we all know and love also. I recently gave the 110 volt unit away to a HAMBER who wanted it for his kid to learn on. I had used it to make a wheeled cart out of angle iron, some really big nails I made with thick washers and rebar, and my nephew (he's 30 and not a kid like many assume he is when I say, "my nephew") used it for some things at his shop and home. You can always sell or trade up later on if you need too. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

I've got a Hobart 220v that I use a lot. After a couple of years of stitch welding sheetmetal, I finally blew out the contactor. I decided to pick up a Lincoln 110v (Ebay special - $350) and I'll be using that for thin stuff from now on, saving the 220v welder for 3/16" and up. Haven't hooked it all up yet but I'm gonna try to run some sort of 3-way valve in the gas line so I can toggle between the big welder and the small one.

The 110v should be good up to 1/8". 3/16" may take a second pass.

 

Not sure I'd be thinking structural weld with 125 to 140 amp welder on 3/16th, yes, can be done with vee'ing things out...but for 1/8th inch and lighter it should do just fine.

I used to have a Miller 135, and couldn't make a burn mark on the back side of 3/16th steel.

That said, you could always use it to tack things together (heavier stuff) and take it somewhere to be done properly, or as I mentioned, Vee the material and make multiple passed to fill.

 

I love my Lincoln 140.
I learned to weld by making a welding cart with it:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/tech-first-welding-project-a-welding-cart.215885/
Then I used it when chopping the top of my Model A:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/tudor-update-angle-chopping-a-’28-ford.377233/
...and filling the car's roof:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...e-6-steel-roof-covered-by-stock-vinyl.636247/
That said, I wouldn't use it for frame welding. It just doesn't have the penetration needed for anything thicker than 1/4".

 

Miller sidekick 110vt for 20 years constant use. Still love it.

 

I bought a cheaper Italian Brand 110 with gas, and at first it worked great, but the downfall of this particular model was that the wire feed tensioner was made of a crappy grade of plastic which ended up breaking after a while. I only ever used it for tack welding oil pump pickups to the pump. I recently cobbled it back together as parts are no longer available for it. You do get what you pay for, and I'd suggest at least looking at the tensioner assembly before buying a cheaper brand. That's my experience and I am in no way a good welder, it's not in my job description.

 

My dad and I both have Lincoln equipment and love it. Our roster includes a Lincoln Arc Welder, Pro MIG 135, Pro Mig 140, and Invertig 175.

 

I have had a 110V MIG for many years. I only use it for sheet metal and so far, it has worked well for my purpose. I am not a talented welder but it has done what I wanted it to do.

 

I have a millermatic 125, and love it, I have welded 1/4 inch plate with it. I just veed the pieces and got good penetration. I wouldn't trade it

 

I've had a Lincoln SP125 with gas for 15 years or so, and it's absolutely great for stuff up to 1/8 inch or so. I have a larger 240 volt Miller for the big stuff.

 

I've had my Lincoln for 22 yrs. Don't do the flux core. Bought a 220 v machine when I welded my roll cage. Wanted to make damn sure I got that right! Still use the 110 99% of the time. Just don't try to do more than they are capable of.

 

1. d not use an extension chord
2. Use it with the gas kit, your welds will be cleaner and have better penetration.
3. use a dedicated plug, like the washing machine, the more on the same line will effect its output.
4. use proper protection.
5. clean your weld areas before welding.

 

I found a 120V welder at a garage sale. It had no settings, only on and off. It was nearly useless. I considered stepping up to the HF 120V welders because I didn't have a 240V outlet at my house.

I finally decided to put a 50amp breaker in my electric box myself. I read and figured out what size wire I needed. It wasn't hard.

Instead of running the wires through the wall and putting an outlet near the garage door, I decided to put a 50amp stove outlet right next to the electric box. Then I made an extention cord from some suitable wire long enough to weld in the driveway. I made the extention cord instead of putting the wire through the walls because it was easier, cheaper, reached a larger radius, and i could take my welder and plug it in at anyone's house that had a range in their kitchen. I didn't think the electricity would care if it was running through an extension cord or through wires in my wall, so long as the wires were the same size.

Doing it that way cost me about $250 more than the 120V welder but I thought the versitility and capabilities of the larger welder were worth it. I've made a trailer hitch for my car and plan on welding up a FED chassis.

I also was able to make an adapter to plug my camper in. Speaking of campers, they are a good source for cheap, heavy wire. Most of them have a heavy extention cord that you're supposed to pull out to hook up to a campsite. Keep an eye on Craigslist, junkyards and scrap metal yards, if you don't mind those kind of places.

Hope some of that helped or applied to your efforts.

 

You can always layer the welds for thicker material by V-notching the joining pieces. My Lincoln chart show the flux wire will weld thicker material. Must be the polarity thing. Anybody care to explain?

 

Hey buddy spend the extra and pay for a 220 volt machine, you will be so much more happy. I bought the Millermatic 180 Auto-set, it was just under a 1000 bucks. What a machine it the niced welder I have ever used other then bigger Millers. It does sheet metal so nice and it also weld heavy metal if you want to, say build a trailer or something like than. I told them when I bought it that they could throw in a bottle of gas also which I had to buy the bottle but got the gas free, If your buying a new machine they will usually work with you to make the deal.

 

we have a Hobart 145 ( 110 volt ) at the garage. It is great for sheetmetal stuff. When we need to do anything thick, we pre heat the area with the oxy/accel torch to about 200 degrees and then weld it with the Hobart. Works well for us

 

I've got a Hobart Handler 135 that I have been using since the late '90s. I use it all the time. I probably wouldn't suggest that you do chassis work with it unless you know what you're doing but it'll weld up most things around the garage.

 

I would like to know more about the SS wire as far as manufacturer name and number. Dod you need to change the type of gas?

- EM

 

You use an argon mix with stainless. Just go to the welding supply and ask for stainless wire and give them the dia that you want to use I.E. .030, .028 and etc.

 

I also have a Lincoln 140 and have built several cars with it. Sure if you are looking to weld 3/8" plate or something like that it is a little small but for automobile work such as exhaust, brackets and frame work it's a great machine.

 

I had a Daytona mig that I used for years until I built the new garage with 220V service. I loved that little welder. Loaned it to many of my friends who only had 110v in their garage and several bought one!
Gas shielding is the only way to go and use someones first before you buy, I wasted a lot of money on cheap welders by reading their ads

 

I used a lincoln weldpac 100 from home depot for probably close to 16 years before upgrading to a miller 211. this was a flux core machine, mind you. always did what I needed it too (mostly sheet metal work) if a little sloppy for the spatter. I got really good with this machine. makes my welding with the new miller that much better now.

 

A number of years ago I bought a cheap Harbor Freight mig welder for $99 just to see if I wanted a wire welder. I welded all kinds of things with that cheapie including the floor I fabricated for a Chevy pickup. Once I knew I really wanted one I upgraded to a Lincoln 140 which I have used for all sorts of things since. I also have a big old Fourney stick welder that I've had for many years, I bought it at a farm estate auction so I have no idea how old it really is but I use it for those heavy jobs.

The best thing I bought as far as welding equipment in the past few years is an auto darkening welding helmet. I'll never go back to a standard one.