Dont want to waste any ones time with stupid question, but here comes my first. A few years ago bought a lincoln weld pak 100, runs on 110. Doesn't leave nice beads, lots of spatter. Was looking at getting the mig conversion kit, wished I bought a better welder at the time. Even with the mig conversion, is it able to weld on a frame? I got some serious doubts, and the frame is off my 49 dodge wayfarer. I need to weld on shock mounts, later a tranny mount. Thanks, Andy
First off, there are no stupid questions, and I'm certain you will get a lot of answers on this one. Is a Weld Pak a good choice for Welding on a Frame? No, it would not be my first choice. With proper pre-heating of the Weld area however, it could technically be done, but I'm not sure I would try it. Your Weld Pak is a good Welder for sheet metal however-I only have 230v machines, and wish I had a smaller unit to tote around. Get the conversion and keep it-
What he said. Can you do it? Yes. If you've got a specific project then just lay into it. But it's not really the right welder. Not enough amperage to work thicker metal.
if this was the only welding you would ever do than that would be fine but I bet that a good 220 volt mig welder would serve you well. The money you spend can be thought of as a safety item. One broken weld from a welder that doesn't have enough horsepower for proper penitration would negate the money spent on a cheaper model.
The guys beat me to it... but I'll post this anyway. Hi Andy. The main hassle you will have here with "stupid" questions is if they are asked in a "stupid" manner. Yours is not stupid. There are lots of posts here about welding and I'm quite sure there was a recent one about this very thing. Use the search function and type in: duty cycle I'm sure you will get some answers regarding the capabilities and limitations of that unit. In my opinion, it's small for frame work and even a little weak for quality body-metal work until you build some skills. You need good weld-penetration for frame work. Saftey and all that stuff. I run the next model up (MIG PAK 15) at 220v and it's ok for most of the work I do but I have an OLD Lincoln IdleArc 225 stick welder that I use for heavy stuff. Ron Covell has a new MIG video. You might consider it. It was mentioned in this link: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=240731&highlight=ron+covell His site is: http://www.covell.biz/ Good luck. Show us what you are working on.
I purchased this same welder and taught myself how to weld with it. It's a great machine for what it is. At first everything I welded looked like shit. After asking many questions, alot of what I was doing wrong was in the prep of the metal. You have to clean all metal, even new. Get the black carbon off down to shiney metal. The thing that changed my weld quality was an auto-darkening mask....wow, what a difference being able to see makes. I used this welder to build a heavy duty off-road vehicle and the only weld that failed failed because I was lazy and didn't weld on a necessary gusset so under the extreme load it broke. Thank god I carried the same welder off road with me and fixed it on the trail. With that being said, I don't recommend that you change to the mig set-up because the gas will actually cool the weld too much. Stick with the flux-core and attach your brackets properly by v-ing and cleaning the metal before you stick it. When money allows buy a good 220 machine. You'll never regret it. Hope this helps. BloodyKnuckles
You can successfully weld frame steel (1/8) with your 110 Lincoln. I do it like this. Every joint must be beveled to at least 1/2 its thickness. Each joint must be spaced 1/16, I use drill bits, and all effected metal must be absolutely spotless. Your gun must be positioned perfectly. In other words, create the perfect conditions for a good weld and you will get one. A better way might be to use your welder to tack together your pieces and have a buddy with a more powerful machine burn em in. Get the kit for gas and practice with some scrap and you'll be fine.
Im using the same welder and it will blow through the .120 wall when cranked up and welding too slow. I just welded my 2X4 frame and as stated, I bevelled a bit but .120 wall is pretty thin already. I left about a 1/16 gap and melted into the two edges. I use a steady back and forth pattern with a small arc. If you go to slow you will start to blow through and make a bigger gap. You will have to stop for a sec so the metal can cool a bit and then start again but at a little quicker pace. I am also using gas with mine and heats just fine on the .120 mat'l.
I too had the same welder. It did it's job. Light work is ok. FLUX SUX. I did the conversion, tacked together a chassis, did some sheetmetal work. All was OK, but I never ran a bead longer than an inch with it. Not enough Juice. I sold it, then used a friends Miller 175, it was good. I just got a new Lincoln 180C, God damn I love my welder.
Looks like I'll get the MIG kit for it, play with it see how it goes. Save my money for a miller 180 or 210.
there is no dount in my mind about welding a 1/8" wall frame with it, hit everything with a flap disk to clean it up and bevel everything to be sure you get 100% peetration, the machine will have no problem as long as you are competent. that particular machine is in my collection. works good for car stuff, if you dont already have a machine you should go for a 135 at the minimum though.
I have a lincoln100 and it does everything i want it to do. Flux sucks though i think i run straight co2 but not 100% sure its been a while since iv had to refill. i usto run argon/co2 mix but sraight co2 gets less splatter just takes a bit different teqnique.
hell dude just go find you a old arc welder to do the frame welding they are everywhere and cheap! the 110v units are fine for sheetmetal work and will weld 1/8th" fine but slow because of duty cycle. it sure would be nice to know why they even make 110v flux core welders.
I have the Lincoln Weldpak 100, and it's fine for what it is. I also just received my new Hobart Handler 210, can't wait to take it for a test drive. It has received very good reviews and will be more than up to framework.
Thing is, you can theoretically weld anything with that - you just have to chamfer the edges enough to get it down to a thickness you an get 100% penetration on, and then do multiple passes. 100% penetration is the key. Once you've got that, all a larger welder is going to let you do is move faster.
I agree, as long as you bevel the edges to a mangable thickness (and do multiple passes) a 110v should work fine. I say just save the money of the conversion for a nice 220v MIG.
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