Mig Welders

[Dodgeboy]

I have one of the 120 V Lincoln mig welders. It seems it would be ideal for auto body sheet metal welding but I can't get good welds with it. I have used the high end 220 volt mig welders for other types of welding with great success, but good welds with the 120 V ones eludes me. Are any of you guys succesuflly using the 120 volt ones?

Thanks,

Roger

[68_Val_Sedan]

I have a miller 135 that is 110 volt I use it mostly for my HVAC business, but have used it to install body panels before.  I use .023 wire in it with argomix gas ... no flux core

[NitroFixx]

  --I use  C-25 mix for gas and .025 wire.
 I had no problems using my older Lincoln 115V last year, when I replaced the trunk floor and mini-tubbed the cuda.

 

[flyboy01]

Mine works OK (Lincoln Handy Mig). The welds are good, but never as pretty as 220v welders, but I am using C02 gas, I really should be using 75/25 argon, but I already had the gas. The welds usually require grinding, but are strong, just ugly. I also seem to get some carbon in my welds, this might be due to my gas choice. Most of the problems also seem to come from lack of current when using 110V. I use a short 12Ga (10ft) extension cord which is OK, but not as good as direct to the wall. I would have bought a 220V, but I dont have 220v access anywhere near my garage, but I do have a 20A 110V circuit.

[joesnow]

I have a lincoln Weld pack 100. It is OK,but the wire feed is not real good.I think it is probaly just my machine. It welds ok for sheet metal. Try warming the area with a torch first. I always forget too. My welds star lokking good after I get alittle heat in it and are almost done.

[NitroFixx]

Take the tip and diffuser out, blow the liner and the tube out with a compressed air.You'll be suprised on how much crap gets in there.
At the same time you can inspect the liner for any kinks etc.
Also check the wire spool: make sure it spins free.

[Crazy68Dart]

I used a Mig Pak 100 for a long time and it worked great.  .023 wire, and C25.  It was awesome for sheet metal.  Make sure the metal is clean, clean, clean, you are out of the wind, and your power source is ok.  Also, is the polarity correct?

[Bakaruda]

Mine works OK (Lincoln Handy Mig). The welds are good, but never as pretty as 220v welders, but I am using C02 gas, I really should be using 75/25 argon, but I already had the gas. The welds usually require grinding, but are strong, just ugly. I also seem to get some carbon in my welds, this might be due to my gas choice. Most of the problems also seem to come from lack of current when using 110V. I use a short 12Ga (10ft) extension cord which is OK, but not as good as direct to the wall. I would have bought a 220V, but I dont have 220v access anywhere near my garage, but I do have a 20A 110V circuit.

The 220 or 110 have nothing to do with the look of thw weld. I have a 110 Miller. I have done everything on my car with it. Some look great and others do not. I use 75/25 and I agree that makes a difference. I suck at welding upside down. I know how they say you are supposed to do it, but still.

[desperauto386]

I'm also not happy with the looks of my mig welds. The ER70S-6  L-56  .030 wire I'm using is suppose to be used on 26 ga. metal, BUT it has the tensile strenght rated at 70,000 psi. Is this necessary for sheet metal? I know that (for me) I can stick weld a better looking weld from a 60,000 tensile strenght rod than a 70,000 rod. I've tried to get a 50,000 wire to see if it would make a difference, but no one has it on the shelf. Before I order some I though I would ask for help, or any ideas? I'm using a Clarke Mig 130EN 110 volts. 

Thanks
Scott 

[signet]

26 gauge is getting thin for an older MIG and using .030" wire is making it even more difficult.

try the thinnest wire (.023") so you can lower the heat imput.

-6 wire is pretty much standard material and would work better if the sheet steel was thicker.

MIG can really only go down to 30 amps on older machines,newer machines with some electronic tricks do nice work on the thin metal.
try reversing the polarity and using the thin wire with Argon/Argon mix.

anyways 26 is pretty thin material to MIG weld without pulsing the trigger.

take care

[flyboy01]

I am going to try the 75/25 mix, It always seems like I get a lot of carbon when I first press the trigger, which leads to a lot of spatter and ugly welds. Also, the beads tend to be high, they don't lay down enough.

[Joe-Dokes]

  75% Argon and 25% CO2 will give you the best weld. 100%CO2 will is more difficult to weld with.

  Cleanliness is an absolute requirement, the shielding gas does almost nothing to clean the metal

Argon is heavier than air so it will fall away from the weld pool when welding overhead or vertical up.  Thus, you need to increase the flow of gas slightly to keep the weld puddle shielded.

  .23 or .25 wire will be a lot easier to weld with, you should never use wire or rod thicker than the base material you are trying to weld, you'll blow holes through the material.  Thus the thinner spool will fill the much slower but you will have much greater control.

On the inside cover of the machine is a sticker that should show you the initial settings, these are pretty accurate.  On the wire feed side you should set the machine at around 3 which on most machines is about 210 of wire per inch.  You should then adjust your voltage.  You might need to increase or decrease your voltage settings 1 step depending upon material thickness. 

It's all about fit up.  If the fit is perfect, even a mediocre welder can make a good strong weld.  If the fit up is imperfect it requires an expert welder to make a decent weld.

Best of Luck

Joe Dokes

[BB_cuda]

you mentioned weld is too tall. Sounds like a cold weld to me. A little more power with commensurate wire feed speed. Also, the preheating the other guy mentioned helps too.

[flyboy01]

That defeats the whole purpose of a Mig, having to preheat with a torch.