Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Next Up - A MIG Welder

Still working on what I want in retirement. This would weld sub-frames in a car or two or ...., fence posts and whatever I decide I want to play with around the house, patio tables, etc. I welded some in college and did an exhaust system some years later with a MIG machine and all was fine. Clearly I will have a learning curve that is zero problem as I will have a similar curve to learn being retired. My garage is set up with 220 in four locations so that is not an issue. I just don't see me needing 220 V machine. My consideration below. Thoughts?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lincoln-...lder-K2514-1/100670934?N=5yc1vZc8lpZ12l9

I would not recommend a 110v machine unless most of your work will be on 3/16" or thinner steel, 220v in the range o 175-210 is a sweet machine for a home workshop warrior, plenty of capacity and still portable. If you need to weld in the field, a stick is nice to have in reserve...no need to limit yourself to one welder.

Started with a Millermatic 135, bought a Stickmate AC/DC, sold the Miller and bought a Lincoln 175T. If the Lincoln craps out I would look for a 200A MIG.

The Hobart 190 is an additional 150.00 and twice the machine in my opinion.

I bought a 75 ft (cut to 50') 10ga extension cord and installed 220v plugs on both ends to use the dryer plug in the house at my old place. I installed 220v in my new garage but the extension cord is quite useful.

Spot stuff and mobility make a 110 nice, but if you want to do heavier stuff, and use the thing for longer periods then 220 is the way to go.

I have a Lincoln 180 myself (220 volt)

Miller 211

Best machine in this higher price range,....and I HAVE run them all.

The power and duty cycle of a 220 V machine, with the versatility of a 110,......for doing a tack at the end of a 100' extension cord, if needs be.

WAY better gun and drive than any pictured, though the Hobart Handler's a pretty fine little unit, in that respect.

buy your machine from a welding SUPPLIER, ...not some big box store,...downline you'll get better support.

Don't get sucked in to all sortsa' fancy gas "Blends",....run straight CO2 and save a buck,but DO buy premium S6 wire.

DO run a wire wiper and use lots of wire lube / cleaner.

GTC

I'd second co2 just for its penetration properties. The miller is sweet and the Hobart is a bargain.

Were I buying anything LESS than the 211, I'd shop Craigslist or Flea Market used venues,....there are a TON of the big box store grade machines turning up CHEAP, these days.

Bigger $$ up front for the power of blue,...BUT the SOB WILL hold it's value, and ALWAYS be good trading stock.

GTC

I've owned a few and run quite a few, the Millermatic 211 is my favorite and the one that's in my shop. Can't say enough good about it.

Straight C02 works fine for the vast majority of what I mess with but sometimes I want a better looking weld and the 80/20 argon-C02 provides that. Argon also has a slimmer penetration profile which can be beneficial for fillet and butt welds. C02 has deeper penetration which I like on thicker metal.

I have a Hobart 140 Handler that covers most things I do. Also have a Lincoln stick for heavier stuff. I like the portability of the Hobart. These two make a good pair for my needs around the farm.

Miller 135 here. It's done a hell of a lot through the years. 211 is pretty nice too

No denying the arc density and cosmetics with 80-20.

I run a LOT of Argon through my Dynasty DX 400, and occasionally some "Tri-Mix."

Just haven't been able to justify adding it to my in house MIG processes.

When doing a "parameter development" gig, it's ALWAYS fun to play with the mixes,....it's just a question of economy and local prices, I guess.

All that said, I gotta' head over to the local weld supplier and dump some more hard earned back into consumables.

Have a fine mornin', Ya'll !

GTC

Hobart 230 Ironman here, love it. Miller bought Hobart some years back.
I think I paid 1500.00 at L&M Fleet supply.

While the 110v machines can get you by, some even nicely, I'd recommend against it.

Always buy the most machine your budget will allow.

"Dang this is just too much machine", said no welder, ever.

Who knows if one day you're going to want to weld up something you hadn't planned on.

Miller 211 is a great machine for the hobbyist.

Also if you're not constrained by time keep an eye out for auctions, sometimes good deals can be found. I snagged a Powcon 300SM with a Powerdrive 2 wire feeder and cart for $550.00 a few years ago. That's a very high quality brand that even many pros have never heard of so prices aren't crazy. But I digress.

Key point to all this, get the most you can afford in a proven brand.

The 211 was heavy on my list a while back till my neighbor bought a http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/product.php?model=M00456 which is use primarily for small shop jobs but tackles the big jobs on his logging equipment with ease.

He's been gracious enough to let me use it when needed which saved me $$$$$. FWIW I like running 75/25 for most applications but each shop is different. Darn nice guy.

Stay away from the 110 volt toys from the big box stores and buy from a dealer for knowledgeable service and to help the independent businessman.

I've had a Lincoln SP 130T for about 20 years which looks to be similar to the 140 HD, the later seeming more versatile from a power source standpoint. (The 130 is a 220 volt source machine.) I've also used their 120 volt SP 125 and it isn't even close to the 220 volt 130T. Keep in mind that you can run flux core wire in any of the machines mentioned and get more penetration than what plain wire and gas gives you. The 120 volt machines - like the 140 - will run up to .035" wire, while 220 volt machines can also run .045" self-shielded wire (flux core). You can weld 5/16" to 3/8" when you get into wire that heavy. The 140 won't run it however. And, while I have never run the 140, I know .035" self-shielded wire is quite capable of covering the lighter welding one might find on many small projects. None of that is to say there aren't better machines out there. Some Home Depots may rent welders which might be a way to find out if that 140 is worth owning.

^^^^^

To further confirm, a 110v machine will only frustrate you.

Listen to Cross!

I've had a millermatic 130 for over 20 years, awesome machine and it does a beautiful job on 1/8" and thinner steel, especially running 0.020 wire and 75/25 gas. That said, you'd be surprised how often you want to weld 1/4" steel, or maybe aluminum. And that's where the 110 VAC units just don't have the juice to do the job properly.

Only thing worse than not having a welder is having an undersized welder.

I dont pretend to be much more than a "hobbyist" welder at all. That said, I picked up a Lincoln 140 from the welding store. Was about $100 more than Home depot, but had metal gears, not plastic. I more than came out ahead, as he gave me a small bottle, a free pair of ANY welding gloves in the store ($35 if I recall), and a handful of extra tips for the gun. They continue to get my business to this day (4-5 years later). THAT doesnt come with, at the HD store. My positive sample of one.
As to not having 220, it hasnt been an issue so far for me, but Im not welding heavy metals. I also live in an older neighborhood and didnt want to incur additional expense to run 220 service to my (detached) garage, as that would most likely make me bring everything else up to code. regardless, good luck on the welder, and I would strongly recommend using a commercial welding supply store and see if they can adjust pricing or add extras to make the actual cost a bit closer.

Watching this thread. Thinking a "metal hot glue gun" would be handy.

Careful, ironbender sounds much better than ironstickertogetherer. Unless you got your name the same way your kid did driving a truck