Technical Who's had success with 110v welders?

Just as Porknbeaner said,
I use .030 stainless steel wire on the small spool, I already use argon mix gas for all my welding, steel and stainless.
my machine is a miller 135. I ran a dedicated outlet with a 35 amp breaker just for my machine.
I believe the brand name of my wire Raydon.
Godspeed
MrC.

 

Couple months ago I bought a used 110v Lincoln sp135. Come with a cart, full bottle, roll and half of wire, and 2 helmets. Paid $300. Works great on sheet metal. Even built a 30in sheet metal break using 3/8 2x2 angle iron. I wouldn't do a trailer hitch with it, but I have a Lincoln stick welder for the heavy stuff.
Only draw back is the heat settings (4) sometimes you wish you had a couple notches in between.
Torch and coat hanger is always sitting there for backup.

 

i have a L-tec (formerly Linde and now Esab) that will run on 110 or 220. i had to pay a bit extra for that , but it was worth it. you can use it on 110 for sheetmetal and light stuff , then switch over to 220 for some heavier stuff. i can't imagine being without it.

 

I have a Clarke 180EN that will run on 120 or 240 volt with the gas kit and I love it, but have never tried to run it on 120. Somewhere I read that if you use flux core wire along with gas it will be capable of welding thicker material but have never needed to try that.

 

I bought the Eastwood 135 a few years back because it was $179 w/free shipping, gas regulator, and a 3 year warranty. It has infinitely adjustable speed and power adjustments. Works pretty good on sheetmetal for me.

 

No, its the flux itself that causes the deeper penetration. On stick rods, the type of flux determines the depth of penetration. For example, you can take 1/8" 6010, 6013, and 7018 rods and run them all at the same amperage on the same material and the 6010 will penetrate the deepest. 7018 penetration will be less than 6010, and the 6013 will have the most shallow penetration.

On solid wire you can also increase the penetration by running straight CO2 instead of the normal 75/25 Ar-CO2 mix. The downside to straight CO2 is more spatter, but it can still be a worthwhile alternative when welding stuff at the upper limits of a 120V machine. For stuff where some spatter is acceptable, straight CO2 provides a dirt cheap shielding gas as compared to any of the Argon mixes.

 

I have a MIllermatic 140 (110v) and have used it with zero trouble welding everything from 20ga sheet metal up to 3/8 steel without an issue. The 'auto' setting will back down the current at the wire as you approach burn-through and allow you to run as hot as possible. I've run both .024 and .035 wire with equal results. DO NOT buy a cheap Harbor Junk welder...get a unit with a brand name and don't look back. The people that say you NEED a 220 volt unit fail to understand that the voltage AT THE WELDING WIRE is only 36v OR LESS. Cycle time is important...think about how you will be using the welder and plan ahead.

 

Thanks Beaner, mrconcdid. I'm the same as you and already use an Argon mix (and Miller 135) so I'll have to go out and look for or ask for the Raydon wire. Question, what grades of SS have you welded and what was the easiest to work with?

- EM

 

I've had a tremendous amount of success with my 110v MIG. I bought the Lincoln WeldPak3500HD from Home Depot in 2002. Will take a bottle with pure wire or can weld flux core as well. It has been a very good, reliable machine for me over the years. 110v MIG machines are A-OK for sheet-metal and body work applications especially, though I will echo the sentiments of several on this thread that it is better to have gas-shielded welds than flux core. I did all of the body work on my '57 with a Lincoln 110v machine with a tank of 75/25 on it without much issue at all. I will say that I would prefer a MIG that has "infinite adjust" voltage and wire feed controls for delicate work. Many of the lower end machines, mine included, just have 4 heat settings, which is less than optimal. I've also welded some good heavy stuff as well, for example, when made a custom back-half frame for my '67 C/10 long bed. I welded 2x4, .125" wall steel tube to the chassis with reinforcement plates, done in my driveway with flux-core wire. The flux-core wire is dirty, but burns hotter and is good for outdoor applications where looks are secondary to penetration. I tacked the material together then made long continuous passes to keep it hot, just stopping briefly to wire brush contaminants.

That being said, once you become a good welder, you will absolutely outgrow a 110 machine and yearn for the quality and performance of a good 220v machine like a Miller. My father-in-law just recently bought a Millermatic 211, which can run on either 110v or 220v. I welded a DOM roll cage with it on 220v, and then did some body work on 110v, and it worked marvelously. It was very reasonably priced around $1100 new. That may sound like a lot to you, or not, but a welder is one of your staple tools and is one of the last places you should cut corners. Buying a quality machine like that is a purchase that might hurt when you pay the bill, but never again thereafter.

 

Really, Argon works for you with regular Mig wire (forget my number I used) on mild steel?

I ran out of 75/25, so tried my Argon bottle, couldn't get it to weld for chit, was just trying to tack some panels together.

Edit:

I see you said "Argon Mix".

Gotta stop speed reading

 

I've got a Miller 175 (220 v) and a little Miller 110v also. The 110 v welder very good for most stuff and small and easy to maneuver. I'd feel very confident using it for frame fabrication.

 

the way I got it figured a welder is a lifelong purchase for a gearhead. I paid around $900.00 for my Lincoln 220 welder almost 20 years ago, that's $45.00 a year, and the longer I own it, the less it costs me.

that extra couple hundred bucks I would have saved would be long gone. my welder will be sold at my estate sale.

 

Get one with gas kit

In general cheaper welders have lesser quality wire feeders and controllers, look at what you're buying.

For sheetmetal work you want good adjustability on heat and feed settings, cheap welders don't have it and it makes things more difficult.

Nothing wrong with a 110 welder, just get a good one, that has service parts available.

 

Keep in mind that the Lincolns sold at the big-box stores have a TON of plastic parts in the wire feeder. They do not last a very long time.

 

Twenty years ago, I bought a century 110 volt welder to start out, after asking my welding pals what they would buy considering my limitations at the time, Small shop, no 220 available, so, I bought the most expensive 110 I could find. Took a 20 amp circuit to run it, since, it has built 5 trailers of different kinds, 7 cars, framework and all, hundreds of chairs and bar stools have been repaired, best $900 I ever spent, still going strong, has never given me trouble. I took some welding courses, and never looked back, now I've got three mig welders, 2, 220 welders, and my old reliable 110. It will weld 3/16 all day, most frame stuff is all 1/8 material, so, if you invest in quality, you'll get what you pay for. However, I wouldn't buy a century today, not near the same quality.

 

I have a 110V 140 mig that I bought off the Snap-on truck way the hell back in time...I've run many,many spools of ER70S6 wire through it and it just keeps on working...Replaced the liner a few times.. use it for all my fab jobs... did the majority of my roadster with it...anything critical , I had it Tig'd by a pro

 

With proper prep, chamfering edges and having a clean surface, there's very little you can't weld properly on a car with a good 110V mig welder. And proper prep should be done no matter what size or brand welder you're using.

 

I've welded in lots of patch panels using a HOBART 140 MIG WITH GAS.

 

I've had a Lincoln 110v unit for years now, it's worked great for 3/16" and thinner material. Respect the machines limitations and a good one will work well. And I've got a couple of buzz-boxes for the heavier stuff so that helps.

 

Had an offshore cheapy, I successfully left it on the curb and someone took it. But it was an early one, Italian I think, weird. Have a Lincoln now. And 220 tig. Just when my welding skills got decent my eyesight went kaput.

 

I have had a century 140 that's done well for at least 20 years , anything over 1/8 " I stick weld
dave

 

One of my buds had (and probably still has) a Miller Sidekick for a lot of years and welded anything and everything with it. Hell for good little welders if a guy could find a used one that had been lightly used.
I'd stay with Miller, Hobart or Lincoln because the local welding supplies have or can easily order parts for them and their repair guys can and will repair them. Off brand or mail order brand even if they have a good rep you may end up either having to order parts on line or from the outfit who sold them (if parts are available) or you will have to ship the unit back for service or repair.

 

It's not so much the difference between 110 and 220, if you're welding thin steel, it's the difference between a quality machine (Miller, Linc) and a crappy machine (HF) If you're a beginner it is very difficult to learn correctly on a cheap machine that doesn't work right. If you're an experienced welder, you can probably use a cheap one and make it work. Buy a used name brand machine for the same price or less than a crappy one! There are lots around, if you look.

 

I use my 110V Miller for everything under 3/8ths. Love it!

 

Flux core seems to be getting a bum rap here. I would never use gas/solid wire for anything other than sheet metal stuff. The flux core is for structural welding where more penetration is used. The polarity has to be changed when you use flux core.I have two MIG welding machines. I have one set up for flux core, the other for gas. Its easier in the long run if you can just grab the proper machine and do the job rather than spend your time changing wire and polarity. Remember, if you can't weld good, weld a lot....

 

I have an HTP 110V (look them up). I've had it for probably 30 years, and like it better than my Miller 175 (230V) for automotive work.

 

I imagine thousands of people have swore they would never buy another Lincoln product after buying the big box store welder. Bad marketing plan by Lincoln to put thier name on a turd like that!

 

We have one at work set up with flux core to use on a quick job where we don't want to drag a bigger welder and a gas bottle around. It works well in the right jobs.

 

Look at a Miller Millermatic 211. I have one and love it. It's switchable from 110 to 220 so you can swap where necessary.

 

110 V Miller Blue with CO2/Argon !!! Does everything I want or need to do........... Jeff