I've been eye balling the millermatic 140 for my garage, can I use this for boxing 32 frame rails? All input appreciated.
1/8" material will work for boxing a frame. That welder will work if you crank it up and take your time. Do about 12" and skip 12" to control your heat build up. Weld, skip, weld, skip all the way around the frame, top and bottom until its fully welded.
I go along with Degreaser, you do not need to go over 1/8" for boxing a frame and the Miller should work fine for that. good luck
I have the millermatic 140. I love it. I weld 3/16ths with it and it does well. Important to clean the metal well and use a good bevel on the edges to be welded. It will penetrate well if you take it slow and burn it in good. I would not go any thicker than that unless it was not a critical stress area.
Here is the boxed frame done with my Miller 140. Use the right rod, right speed, right gas mix.....................came out pretty nice for my second welding project. Took it to one of the best frame shops in NorCal just have it checked out and came away with "job well done". Just take your time.
i guess it would work if you dont know how to tig... as mentioned before, prep will be everything. stay on your toes & burn that shit in!
hell a ARC welder will do the job, if you use the right stick, dont let all this tig welding shit get you to thinking you have to have it to do the job. i have them all and use the mig 80% of the time, not because i cant tig because it does the job just fine. cory
Mig would work fine. I just like tig better because it comes out cleaner and is less of a production. I dislike the fireworks associated with mig/arc welding. tig is slow, tho.
The 140 will work fine for boxing the frame. Remember that the better it fits before you start welding the better the job will turn out in the end. Use .030" wire and 75%, 25% argon/co2, it runs hotter, penetrates better and has a better weld appearence then 100% co2, but it does cost more. Good luck!
Mig is what the big boys use for welding frames. Tig is too hot and too slow. Cornhusker tigs the center section together (chromemolly) and migs for boxing. All in a jig of course. I watched Dennis Taylor weld a frame for one of his Willies, and he just used a mig and a jig. I tried to do a bead like he did on a scrap piece, and he threw it in the recycle bin and told me to come back in a year if I keep practicing, ha, ha. The only difference between your welder and theirs is it can't handle the duty cycle they use. You'll have to use short stitches and let the welder cool down. As mentioned-the secret to good welding is fresh ground beveled edges with no rust. Carbon dioxide mixed with argon gives the best penetration on frame steel.
I use MIG to box and TIG for the rest, TIG on boxing is very slow although it will minimize cleanup time, As others have said its important to tack it in first and get good bevelled joins, I would also advise clamping it to a jig or chassis table. If you want it even easier push the boxing plates in about 1/4" and do a corner weld.
Now if everyone else would learn this. TIG welding has a MUCH LARGER H.A.Z. (Heat Affected Zone) than MIG welding. The heat build time for that zone is also longer. Want the least amount of warpage possible? MIG weld.
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