MIG Welder Question

[i386]

I'm doing a little research for my stepdad here. He wants a MIG welder for general home/farm use. He'll be using it for repairs on tractors and attachments and smaller jobs like building small game traps. He also wants to be able to weld aluminum occasionaly. He thinks he wants one that runs on 115V house current (because he can use it with his generator) but you guys may convince me otherwise.

We've looked at a few models from Lincoln, Miller, and Hobart. What we're finding out is if you want to weld aluminum you have to buy extra accessories. With the Lincoln, it looks like their aluminum welding kit is just a smaller tube (I don't know the correct term here) so the thin aluminum wire feeds properly. It's about $60. With the Miller and Hobart it's actually a special "gun" with the spool right on the handle and costs about $600. He thinks he wants a welder in the $700 price range so a $600 accessory to weld aluminum is pricey.

I've done just enough stick welding to know I don't know jack about welding so please educate me here. What does he need to spend to get a rig he's going to be satisfied with and what do you need to look for if planning to weld aluminum?

Oh yea, he's a tightwad.

 

[BLLDOGG]

Re: MIG Welder Question

I dont know really sqaut about welding but from my tiny bit of experience, read the details in what it says is required for welding at its max thickness. you dont want to have to use core wire just to weld 1/4 steel. just find what he thickness he wants to weld max and go off that to narrow things down

 

[Trent]

Re: MIG Welder Question

Id suggest to buy a TIG welder. Yes more money but you can weld just about anything.

If you dont want to spend the money... Check with the local welding supply store. They sell aluminum welding rods for stick welders. You can buy a Lincoln "Buzz Box" for around 250.00 the rods are pretty $$ but its cheaper than the adapters

 

[dolluper]

Re: MIG Welder Question

You might want to check this site on welding tips especially for aluminum welding
http://www.norco-inc.com/industrial/welding_how_to.htm

 

[Bondo]

Re: MIG Welder Question

Well,.......

It Sounds like Dad wants 1 machine, that Can't do All the jobs he wants it to do,.........

If he wants a Portable Welder to fix his Machinery,....
Get a Gas powered Stick Welder,.......

A 120V Mig just will Not be big enough, nor run Hot enough.....
3/16ths" is about the Max size of base metal that can be welded with those Little Machines.....
And,.... Even though they sell the adapter kits for Aluminum for these machines,......
They Suck at it....... Pretty much a Waste of Time,+ Money.....
Not only do you need to change the Liner(that little Tube),.... All of the Gun Parts,.. Contact Tip, Shroud,+ Gas defuser as they become Carbon Contaminated,+ will Screw Up the Aluminum puddle....
And of course it takes a Different Gas,+ it's bottle,+ lease.....

I've had a Linclon Buzz Box, AC/DC 225amp for years,.... Bought it for about $200. from a local welding school....
Anything thicker than 3/16ths" gets welded with This,... Or 1 of the Gas powered portable stick machines I have available to me,....

About 4 or 5 years ago,... I found a 90amp 120V Sears suitcase Mig on ebay,.. paid about $100.00 for it,+ have burned thru Atleast 100lbs of wire so far... For anything Light, aka. Under 3/16ths",.. It's Just the Ticket,.. I run Flux-cored wire,.. No Gas Needed....
This 1 is an Exact Copy of the 1 I bought,......
http://cgi.ebay.com/Craftsman-model...yZ113743QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Another Major Issue with running Aluminum thru 1 of these Suitcase Migs is that it's Trying to Push the wire All the Way thru the whip,......
That means Lots of Birds Nesting,+ lost filler wire,.....
You almost Have to run the 56-series of wire,.... It's Stiffer, but Doesn't Weld as smoothly as the 43-series of filler wire,....
since I started out using the suitcase mig method,.....
I Thought I'd Died,+ gone to Heaven when I bought 1 of These,.......

For Under $400.00,+ a couple of Batteries,.....
You can be welding like a Pro,.......
I bought 1,+ made it my Dedicated Aluminum Welder,....
I bought mine Used on ebay of course, for Much Less than the $380.00 New Retail price.....
'Course you Still need the bottle of Gas,.... But that's reasonably Cheap,.... Alittle over $40.@year for the Lease,+ I've used up only 1 bottle in the last couple of years.... Long enough ago that I Can't Remember the price of the actual Gas in it.......

I've been occasionally searching ebay for Another 1,....
It'll become my portable Steel welding rig when I find the Right Deal......
Then that old Sears 120V will probably Never come out from Under the Bench.............

 

[bjcsc]

Re: MIG Welder Question

Bond-o's pretyy much dead on. The reason aluminum is welded with a spool gun is the wire for aluminum is soft and will jam in the drive/tube of the regular gun. No one machine will do it all. We run several welders: 240v 220A MIG for up to 3/8, 120V MIG dedicated for aluminum with a spool gun, an old school Lincoln tombstone stick welder for heavy stuff and a Lincoln gas powered generator/welder for on the go. Your budget is set to low to get everything you want. Several companies make dual voltage MIG's that you can run on 120V around the house, but also run at 240V at your shop - nice option.

 

[ndemge]

Re: MIG Welder Question

"Repairs to farm equip"..... can't do this with a 110v welder.... just doesn't have the power to penetrate deep enough.

If were going to be welding something thick around the house, we break out the old 200 amp stick welder cause the 220vmig can't do REALLY thick stuff.

I have a miller 220v unit and love it.. Millermatic 75 I think...

 

[KRS]

Re: MIG Welder Question

The lincoln needs another cable for aluminum because the flux core wire is coated with a lubricant and that lubricant rubs off into the cable. Then you put alum wire in the cable and the lubricant gets contaminated.

Using the flux core for general repairs and switch cable liners or cables, the gun tip, and the drive rollers, plug in the gas tank and go weld aluminum. If it were me, I'd buy two of those little machines and leave one setup for alum.

The flux core is great for farm welding because you don't need to haul around shielding gas and you don't need to use shielding gas (ie: windy days welding outside).

For welding large plate steels, you're gonna need a 220v stick welder or an expensive 220v mig.

Good luck.

BTW, I have lincolns weld-pak 100 and I love it. Spend the $$$$ and get a little nicer one like the pro 175.

 

[KRS]

Re: MIG Welder Question

^ someone already wrote that ^

Just read ya bondo! 8)

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: MIG Welder Question

I'm with the gang here. I have a Hobart handler 135. Its great for putting stuff together. I've welded quite a bit of 1/2" thick steel with it, just bevel and multiple pass and it'll be fine. That being said I also have a Hobart 220 stick. I use it to do anything in the wind or if the material is not ultra clean. I've found the mig just doesn't handle dirty steel worth a flip.

 

[dingbat]

Re: MIG Welder Question

It depends on what you want to do but i personally would purchase anything less than 150 amp and TIG is the way to go if you want to weld aluminum. Call me old fashion but I've just never found MIG of much use myself.

 

[i386]

Re: MIG Welder Question

It seems to me that MIG welders (in his price range) are best suited for welding tubing for making frames and other small projects that don't need a big bead.

I think the majority of the work he'll be doing is more suited to stick welding or a very expensive MIG welder that handles thick flux core wire.

Thanks very much for the info.