Wirefeed welders

One of my concerns about buying products made "offshore" is replacement parts. I purchased my Lincoln 135 a 120V machine on line. Look for specials or deals by major companies such as Lincoln, Miller and Hobart. When I got my unit they threw in the cart and free shipping. I went to my local welding supply and he quoted almost $200 more for the same machine.
 
MIG welding is VERY voltage sensitive. MIG stands for metal inert gas. meaning gas shielding the melted metal from air. Flux cored is like stick electrodes using the melted flux to protect the metal. You don't have to look at the arc to tune a MIG welder you can tune it by sound. It should sound like bacon frying or a mad hornet. To low of voltage the hot ball of metal stabs into the work, to high of voltage and a wild ball is flying around and causes a lot of spatter. Keeping this fine area of voltage for the wire to burn properly depends on the transformer design and the line voltage to the transformer. A 110 house hold plug is boarder line plus the length and size of wire from the breaker to the wall socket. Then use a light extension cord and you get a fluxuateing supply voltage which disturbs the arc. A 220 machine whether large or small will give a more stable arc and a larger machine should be a little better. A good clean tight ground, tight right sized contact tip and clean work with all paint and rust removed is required for smooth welds. Worker position for comfort and visibility and a light tinted glass to see the weld clearly. Some welding wires run smoother and grind easier than others. I designed and built the first body shop welders over 50 years ago making them for Snap-On and others. I sold the business over 30 years ago and they still make the Snap-On machines with very little change in the mechanics, just sheet metal changes. I never made a 110 unit but I believe they now produce them. G.M.
 
All,

I just purchased an Eastwood 135 110v MIG welder. Before placing the order, I validated with Eastwood that it comes with a 3 year warranty and they pay for shipping, both ways, should a repair is needed. Additionally, all of the consumables, such as tips are compatible with Miller. Since I only use it as a hobby (maybe welding once a month at the most), I can wait a week or more if I need parts or service, which would be different if I would need it for commercial use.

The Eastwood MIG welder cost me $349 including a cart, a helmet, shipping, and taxes. A similar Lincoln 140 MIG would have cost me around $670. The price difference did not justify buying a Lincoln for me.
 
I just looked at the Eastwood unit that started this thread. For the money, I think I'd give it a try if I didn't have the old Lincoln SP-100, 110v unit. I would only MIG weld with 75/25 Argon/CO2 gas. The instructions for the SP-100 unit does, however, call for a 25 amp breaker in the circuit when used at the higher settings. I have never had a problem using it on a 20amp circuit wired w/12ga. I use the SP-100 for light work up to 1/8". The last thing I welded with it was two holes in an oil pan. It works great for this type of work. For bigger jobs, I use an ESAB Migmaster 250 with an accessory spool gun that I use for stainless and aluminum.
I have seen some of these cheaper units where the only variable was Low or High for the output. I'd stay away from that junk!
Bill, There's something wrong with your auto helmet. It could be the battery. This is another welding accessory where we shouldn't cut corners. I also have an auto helmet that has worked good for me. It doesn't use a battery, it's solar powered. I don't know how it gets charged in my shop environment but its never let me down for the 20 years I've owned it. The shade setting I use, for MIG, is about 9-1/2.
FYI, it is an Illuminator LX unit that is fitted into a large opening Huntsman helmet. I purchased it at an Airgas welding supply.
 
Bill, you should be able to see almost as clear as without the helmet before you strike the arc. I'd suggest going to your local welding supply shop and asking them to demo the auto helmets they offer. They may have a unit that can be installed in your helmet.
Howard
 
I have used many different Miller and Hobart TIG and MIG machines over the last 40 years. I nave had a small Miller TIG machine, 180 Amp capacity and a 135 Amp MIG Miller. Both have served very well for home/hobby use for over 10 years. They are both meant for low duty-cycle use. I believe the choice of the Eastwood package is a good deal for your home shop application. I learned to weld on a TIG machine but I prefer MIG machine's lower heat input to the work for sheet metal. Like others said, Keep area to be welded clean, use the good soft wire and be sure to cut off the molten ball on the end of the wire at consistent stickout of about 1/2" before each and every pull of the trigger.
 
Having used a flux core with only 2 settings i can tell you they are not very good for body work. You will need one with more like, 5 settings. The 2 setting ones are abysmal & only for patching a trailer or something.
 
Bill, you need some external lighting above your head but not too much in front so you dont trigger the auto lens prematurely and a magnifier lens inside your hood. It worked for me.
 
buy a wire welder that has infinite settings, like the Miller, you can adjust wire speed and amps while welding, lincoln and hobart have pre set amps, and they can not be adjusted till you stop welding, if you do you burn the contact points
 
ford3 said:
buy a wire welder that has infinite settings, like the Miller, you can adjust wire speed and amps while welding, lincoln and hobart have pre set amps, and they can not be adjusted till you stop welding, if you do you burn the contact points
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With MIG welding you only control the voltage. The amps are controlled by the size of the wire and the speed you feed it. If you were using .030 wire at say 100 inches of wire a minute being feed you may have 90 amps (just a guess) do nothing but change to .030 and you may have 120 amps, change to .045 wire and maybe 150 amps. The size of the metal, this being the wire shorting to the work determines the amps but with every increase in wire size or wire speed you need to increase the voltage to properly burn the wire. G.M.
 
BILL WZOREK said:
1952henry:
Just looked at your profile. Not a lot of people can say they know what a Dragline oiler is.
I learned on a Wayne Crane 3/8cy. shovel that had a 6 cyl Waukesha gas engine.
And a clothe line pull for the bucket trip.
Engine Rapped from the day we got it. But you could not kill it.
Ran it as a shovel for about 5 years / then put on a boom from a Marion and ran it with a drop Ball for the next 4-5 years.
I think the secret to these old Engine's in the cars & trucks all so is that the R P M's were low.
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I'm on a Page 757. 'Tis electric with twin M-G sets. Each AC sync motor generates 3500 hp and spins 6 DC generators for the hoist, drag, and swing motors. Very noisy in the house with sets going and hoist, drag, and swing transmissions adding to the chorus! Spent 6 hours in a D11 building bench for her today, so you do get some quieter times around the old girl.

Spent the coldest (-10) part of yesterday morning resocketing drag ropes, not the funnest part of being an oiler. Today made up for it as it was triple time being a holiday!

Last mine I worked at I spent time in a CAT 793 loading off a P&H 4100 BOSS electric shovel with a bucket capacity of 66 yards= 125 tons dumped in one shot.
 
1952henry said:
I'm on a Page 757. 'Tis electric with twin M-G sets. Each AC sync motor generates 3500 hp and spins 6 DC generators for the hoist, drag, and swing motors. Very noisy in the house with sets going and hoist, drag, and swing transmissions adding to the chorus! Spent 6 hours in a D11 building bench for her today, so you do get some quieter times around the old girl.

Spent the coldest (-10) part of yesterday morning resocketing drag ropes, not the funnest part of being an oiler. Today made up for it as it was triple time being a holiday!

Last mine I worked at I spent time in a CAT 793 loading off a P&H 4100 BOSS electric shovel with a bucket capacity of 66 yards= 125 tons dumped in one shot.
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I know that it's off topic but thanks, and you said that with a lot of respect,It may be just a job for you,but it's on my bucket list to spend a day around equipment like that,it really gets my hart pumping it is like hearing a FLATHEAD run......
 
BILL WZOREK said:
I know that it's off topic but thanks,It may be just a job for you,but it's on my bucket list to spend a day around equipment like that,it really gets my hart pumping it is like hearing a FLATHEAD run......
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Actually I don't consider it just a job, I really like it. I used to teach school, but when I had the opportunity to move back to ND, and to operate equipment, I jumped at it. I've been around and operated farm equipment my entire childhood, and worked with heavy equipment during the summer when I taught. Nothing like blading a road with CAT's heavy hitter, the 24M, or hogging dirt with a D11. I've had a lot of seat time in the 657 E&G scrapers, also.

The mine recently ordered 5 Kress coal haulers. With a build time of 12-14 months, we should be getting them in September-November of this year. These 240 tonners will replace some of the older 180 tonners. They have 2400hp V16 CATs pushing them along at 42 mph, which requires a planned stop (approximately 800,000lb loaded).

The Kress (CAT) coal haulers are fun to drive, and with the ability to steer the front tires almost 90 degrees, you feel like you're in an excavator when you turn around to back in to load.

http://www.kresscorp.com/images/KressCoalTruck.jpg

Dragline I'm on:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...2BE5BBC39FFF153F9B6003FE787E1&selectedIndex=1

You can see a long way from either the boom or the mast. I have to walk the 300 foot boom when on day shift to grease mid-sheave shafts, check for cracks, and inspect point sheaves.

If you ever get to these parts, I can get you into the mine to ride in the dragline or other equipment. If the timing is right, one could be in it when we take her for a walk, which is quite often.
 
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I spent some time as a kid around a 728 Page with the Page engines. The machine swung a 13 yard bucket. Never forget the sound of those engines when dragging a full bucket.
 
tdlmomowers said:
I spent some time as a kid around a 728 Page with the Page engines. The machine swung a 13 yard bucket. Never forget the sound of those engines when dragging a full bucket.
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Prolly get scolded for being OT, but so it goes. Were these gas engines? The mine has an electric Page 736 that's currently parked awaiting its 9 mile walk to help open a new pit.
 
It would be interesting to get some input from some of the members here, who are professional welders or those who just do a lot of welding building or restoring old cars, in terms of what they would consider to be the best mig and tig welders on the market today.
 
until very recently I used a 15 year old lincoln weld-pack from home depot. it's a flux core only unit and I learned on it. recently started sharing a shop space with a friend and subsequently started using his hobart welder. still a base model, but gas only. night and day difference. whatever you end up make sure you have the gas option. I'm looking at miller's now, but it's a pretty big investment.
 
John
My vote would be for Miller products.
I still have a mm200 and a plasma cutter.

Bruce

Works good
Lasts long time
 
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