Canadian Hummer Club Forums

G'Day all...



Looking for some helpful advice from the mechanics in he house....



I don't know about the East, but when I look around in the Calgary area to get some metal fabrication done, it also comes with a free prostrate exam which is just too hard to take...



Now it's been just a few years to say the least since I was in high school shop class and used the welders which I was pretty good at. So I am thinking of picking up a used welder as I'm pretty sure I can put it to good use with all the ideas that pop into my head on a regular basis. I would like some advice as to what I should be looking for in a used welder when I come across one, may even see if I can locate one at auction. MIG welders are for smaller jobs if a remember right so any advice would be muscly appreciated...



The first job would be fabricating a custom winch mount for the front where the hitch receiver is and then more armor plating for the underneath down the road so it will need to be for extremely durable applications...



Many thanks to everyone in advance....

Well i can try and tell you my experiance with welders and hopefully it will help you out.



Ive been welding for almost 12 years now, started out really getting into it when i was 12. Back when i was 10 my dad bought our first welder. It was one of the small buzz box 110v Lincoln weld pack 100 Mig machines with flux core wire; he picked it up at Price Club (what is now costco) to fix the deck on the lawn mower. He used it around the house for a few projects, i was alittle afraid of the machine, the sparks and such, but it had always intriqued me. One day i decided to try it out, and have been hooked ever since. I now have 3 migs, 2 tigs and a plasma cutter; plus a fully decked out machine shop, but that old Lincoln is still around, handy for small jobs and protable enough to run off a decent sized generator. I have built soo many things with that machine i cant even remember. Back in my early high school days i built my first dune buggy with a 340 twin skidoo engine based on a golf car, and man that thing would fly. While going to school for engineering, i really started to get into paying fabrication projects and such, and started my own buisness and started racking in the tools. First major buy was a Lincoln mig 216 which allowed me to do decent steel plate with argon/co2. I would never attempt to do gas welding without a 220v machine. 3 years ago i decieded to try out a plasma cutter. I shopped around, and found this company called Everlast. A new brand, import machine, but not like the other imports out there, they were actualy a decent quality machine, and had a 3 year warranty. A search on the net showed a decent bunch of buyers that were happy with their machine, but they were burried beneth all the hatred from Pro Lincoln, Miller, and anti-import guys. I thought, the plastma would be a good test to see if this brand could stand up. The Canadian office is just about 1-1/2h away so my pops and i took a drive down to check it out. Hes an electronic tec, so first thing we did was open up the box, and were surprised with the ammount of electronics inside these machines. Everyting looked to be assembled with care, and the price ment i could upgrade to a machine that would be overkill for what i had to do, i was leaning towards the 80amp plasma that would cut up to 1-1/2" plate. So i bit the bullet, to date i have used that machine more then almost any tool in the shop, a pasma cutter in general is a cool tool to use, what blew me away is how easy it is to use as well. I have sence then bought 2 more everlast machines. Their 250amp mig with pluse control, and a 250amp ac/dc tig. And i have nothing bad to say about them at all. They are great tools for those who are starting off, or are a weekend warrior, i did have one warranty clame but the broken part was kinda my fault, i broke a air inlet hose. They shipped the part next day no questions asked. Recently i have also bought a Lincoln Invertec v311 tig, because i had a large job that required outputting all 310 amps in ac tig mode, that would of been a bit overkill for the Everlast, but they also didnt at the time have a machine larger then 250 amps. But i still use the Everlast whenever i can, its a nice compact machine. All their stuff is inverter based.



Enough of that long story.



Do you have 220v access where your planning to use the machine. If weld apprearance is not too much of a concern, you could go with a cheaper box kit, and go with a flux core wire. Or take the plunge, buy a cylinder and go with a co2/argon equiped machine. You loose max penetration and plate thickness capability/per amperage used, but you end up getting a much nicer weld.



Heres a few options to consider in your hunt. ALSO consider duty cycle when you shop. Higher the duty cycle at the same amperage, the longer you can weld.



Lincoln power mig 180 ( they have a 110/220v option machine)

Everlast power I-Mig 200 (most powerfull of the bunch)

Millermatic 180 (comparable to the Lincoln)



All great starter machines, and all accept spool guns if you want to get into aluminum welding as well. You also might see some hobart machines out there, they are a division of miller i believe.



If your set on getting a used machine, just be aware. Make sure it works. A used machine is just something i really wouldnt go for myself. You dont know how hard and how long its been run. But sometimes you can find a great deal getting a used machine as well.

I do alot of fabricating!



I have 2 different welders.



A Deka from Princess Auto, my first welder. 110Volts. Now going on 7years and still working great...I use it alot!!



My second welder is a Lincoln Electric 180 from Canadian Tire, 220volts, This one is going on 5years and still working great. I use this one on the farm for heavy steel repairs up to 5/8" thick. This one is used alot also!



I would highly recommend that you not use Argon but simply use self-shielding wire...this way you can weld at home in the garage or in the driveway! And you never need a tank!



Since you need a set it and forget it machine, I would suggest the following; http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/onephase.php



It is probably the simplest welder to use and sets everything itself!



Hope this Helps!



Kev

Thanks guys.... Really appreciate the input!

Well you have got lots of information..but I can't pass up a welding topic.



We just recently purchased a Lincoln Power Mig 140. Awesome machine. I started welding last year, and continued this year in my last year of highschool. I started on a Millermatic 110V.(not sure of the number). It was certianly a great machine, and I still use it today at school. Its hooked up to a tank of argon/co2. Like mentioned, if looking for a really nice weld..you'll want shielding gas. BUT, most of us home welders weld outside so, like mentioned, you will want Flux Core wire. Not as pretty, but allows you to weld anywhere(wind or no wind)



I deffinently like our Lincoln over the Miller. Right away, just some test runs with the Lincoln and the thing buzzes away like no tomorrow. Never have to fidget with the settings. Welding certainly caught my attention and I feel I am a good welder now. Won't say great, because people like Giver have way more experience than I do.



So, if your looking for a recommendation, I would say a Lincoln machine. We got ours from Crappy Tire, on sale. Can't beat that.



*If were talking about what we can weld..MIG and Stick. I have never had a chance to do TIG, but would love too try. I want to eventually get a spool gun for our Lincoln so we can weld some aluminum!



**Giverdiesel: What gets better penetration? Flux Core wire or Argon/CO2 for thicker metal? Just wondering.

[quote name='Smasher' timestamp='1333574507' post='35912']

**Giverdiesel: What gets better penetration? Flux Core wire or Argon/CO2 for thicker metal? Just wondering.

[/quote]



Flux core can weld thicker metal in a single pass compared to gas at the same amperage. You could run straight co2 to get more penetration with gas but its still not close enough to flux core at the same power.

if you are just doing the "home projects" the fluxcore MIG will do you. cheap, I got a brand new one on ebay for under $200 to the door.

the wire is about twice the cost of regular wire, but its still cheaper in the long run. ($26-$30 per roll) I did my roof rack



as with all welds, clean the base metal back to virgin steel, one tip is once you have it tacked; heat it up.. use a blow heater to warm the steel. this prevents cold stress and fractures.

a handy trick to stop weld spatter it to use the spray grease for cooking, chaep and does the same job as the real spray but a fraction of the price. spray it on the area covering about 6" each side of the weld. it burns off where you are welding so not a problem.

Great advice, thanks - sounds like that's what I am looking for.



I don't need industrial, but it does have to be able to make a very strong weld as looking at fabricating a mount for a winch on the front... Can you send me the link for the one you got?



Looking at the Lincoln, looks pretty nice.... I would want the 180 over the 140 eh?



Thanks



Dave

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/90-Amp-120v-Wire ... 3a6a4b2e57



the link above is the one I got, check the seller because they have lots of offers on.



forget lincon, most of the MIGs are copies of them anyway. For what you want to do, this one is fine. getting the temp, speed and the touch just right will make it work.

and in this case, size really doesnt matter <img src='http://www.canadianhummerclub.com/forum ... oflmao.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':rotflmao:' />



Lay the weld on in beads, about 6-8mm wide and they should be about 2mm thick, lets the heat build up and wont "shock the steel"

leave a couple of minutes between passes and when your done completely let it cool until you can touch it, then put a blow heater on it for about an hour.



the slow ramp down helps to stop the weld and steel becoming brittle.

Have you used this on any majors projects? I love the price.... But it does seem a wee it small for the project I want to tackle... The winch mount will need to be able to handle a 12k winch and the weight of an H2...

Love the price though! And no wiring in 220 volts....



But r u sure?........