MIG welder recommendations for my project

[Jfet]

Hi, so I am sort of self taught in welding....well, who am I kidding, I am in pre-school.

I have a ThermalArc 185 inverter TIG welder and a cylinder of argon. I have mostly used it in stick mode because I keep dipping the #$@$ tungsten in the puddle every 2 minutes and have to disassemble the nozzle and spend time at the grinder. You might think that as an electrical engineer I would have steadier hands as i can solder 0402 smt resistors and 144 pin TSSOP packages all day long on under my microcope, but no. I think it has something to do with the bright light and intense heat...I have never done meth or taken a big loan from a guy named Sweet Cheeks, so not sure why my hands shake when welding.

So...

If I want to build a big expedition vehicle box out of mostly 0.065 wall mild steel tube, I don't think stick is correct, and TIG will have my build thread spanning into 2030.

Is getting a MIG reasonable? I have great setup skills and have a huge CNC milling machine (7000 pound bedmill) and lathe, so I am not totally new to metalworking, but it is a hobby. If you had a TIG welder, would you consider buying a MIG just for one big project, and if so, which model? I worry a lot about blowing holes in the 1/16" square tubing since most of the welds are butt joints where one piece is going to take significant heat and the other piece is just the edge of the relatively thin square stock.


Thanks!

 

[AFSOC]

MIG welders are fabulous machines for folks like me who weld so seldom that skills erode or never become well developed at all. I would highly recommend a MIG for general use. You are thinking now that it is a machine purpose for a single project, that isn't true. You will end up using it every once in a while. You may even consider taking on a side welding job to turn the profit into payment for this machine.

I have never heard anyone say in conversation, "Gee, I wish I hadn't have bought such a big welder". Usually it's the opposite, people get an entry level flux core buzz box and then lust after an inert gas regulated machine with better duty cycle. For the infrequent, non-production user you will probably be satisfied with with a 200-250 amp machine using inert gas and solid wire. Infinitly adjustable wire speed and temp are super nice but 7 or so heats is more than adequate. Reputable brands are best for consistent performance and reparability, I am a big Miller honk but Lincoln, Hobart and ESAB have great offerings.

 

[Kiddmen57]

I have 2 mig welders currently. A miller 135 and a miller 175. One is 110V and one is 220V. I keep them set up for different jobs, and the 110v is nice to have if I need to go to a buddy's house with it. The 135 (now a 140 model) 110v welder can do a lot. It will weld 3/16 wall (I've done 1/4" in a single pass going slow). If I had to buy a single welder today, it would be the miller 211, it runs either 110v or 220v and is still in the small package.

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/mig/product.php?model=M00245

You should be able to get a decent deal on one as they've been out for a while now.

Either way, go with a shield gas setup, much cleaner welds.

 

[goodtimes]

Welding that thin of material isn't going to take much power - so if you are restricting yourself to just this project, you can get away with a very small machine with regards to power (output amps) & duty cycle.

On the flip side - the small machines tend to have pretty poor feed controls - which is pretty damn important when working with thin material. Also, as mentioned above - not many people complain about having too much machine.

Definitely go with something that has a gas pack - flux core makes a mess and penetrates deeper than solid wire with external gas. Also avoid strait CO2 - again, more penetration & bigger mess (although less than flux core). Those aren't as of big problems with thicker material (and really aren't a *huge* deal with thinner material) - but will make the whole experience nicer. Sure, you can weld the thin stuff with flux core or strait CO2 - but it's more fun when you can take some of the learning curve and clean up out of the picture.

I'm a fan of Miller - but stick with any of the big names & you'll be in good hands. I'd suggest buying local, too. The support you get out of a local welding shop will far outweigh the cost savings of ordering off of the internet.

 

[jeepfreak81]

I have a 110V even though I do light material all the time, I wish it was 220V. The 110 units just are not as heavy duty either. I have a LOT of wire through my 110V unit in the last 5 years, and I think it is starting to fail.

The 220V units seem to last for decades, doing just as much welding. - I am basing that off my fathers 220V unit ad well as friends units. To me a MIG is essential for building with steel anymore.

 

[Glenn D]

As stated above, I'll through my point to Miller... I have a Miller 175 and love it... I have had others, that have all died. The miller just works every time. I built severial race cars, ministocks that were a lot of fun, along with abou tevery other project that needs to be welded. And yes the smaller machines work, but you can never have too much machine. I had 110 volt unites, gassless and gas, but they are just not as capable as the 175 amp miller... now Miller may have a differant model now, but still the 220 volt is better, feeds smother, and the power is more stable. I have used it off a generator also, it works a lot better than the 110 volt ones on a generator.

My next step is into a Miller TIG unit, but have not gotten it past the CFO yet... the wife just dosen't understand shop projects :Wow1:....

 

[plainjaneFJC]

I have a 110v lincoln "pro mig" and love it. It had the highest heat range I could find in a 110 unit.

 

[Jfet]

Cool, thanks guys! I am going to grab the Miller 211 today...sounds like it will be a good starter machine. I love the swapable plugs.

Who knows, I may sell the ThermalArc TIG and recoup some of my costs. When our expedition build is finished and we sell the house (2 years), I probably don't want to carry both, and the MIG takes a different gas mix than the TIG so that would mean two cylinders.


Off to the store!

 

[GeoScum]

Sorry I got here late. I have a Thermal Arc 181i mutli-process machine ( MIG, FCAW-C, FCAW-G, GTAW and SMAW). I would recommend it highly.

I also recommend Central and the Kirkland Praxair. Airgas is good, but Central is local, and Ken at the Totem Lake Praxair is a really good guy.

 

[richxd87]

Good choice Jfet, my first choice would be the millermatic 211mvp but went with the hobart 210mvp when I came upon a deal I couldn't turn down. The versatility can't be beat!

 

[Jfet]

Ok so I got the Miller 211 and am having a bit of a problem in the setup. I have a 11lb spool of .023 wire loaded in with a slight resistance to hand turning. I have the grooved wheel set to 0.023 (the smaller of the two grooves). I have the tensioner set to 3.5 (have tried in the range of 3 to almost 4). My problem is after the wire feeds through and comes out the gun, when I install the nozzle (also 0.023) the wire bunches up past the roller in the 1/4" space between the coil thingy of the gun hose and the idler wheel. Sometimes I can get it to come out of the nozzle but if I try the wood test (letting it coil against the wood), it bunches up within seconds inside the machine.

Me thinks something isn't adjusted correctly. I have tried tighting the tension on the 11lb spool, but maybe loosening that? I am guessing 0.035 wire being thicker wouldn't have this problem...

edit: maybe I should change the stock liner to one meant for 0.023

 

[Jfet]

Ok, got it to somewhat work by going REALLY light on the tensioner wheel, where it sometimes slips. I also went light on the spool tension. I guess the 0.023 wire is just so thin you may have to put up with it sometimes not feeding for a few seconds. It seems to feed ok once the weld bead starts. I have already made some welds that took 1/10th the time of my TIG and look 3x better.

 

[goodtimes]

Keep the spool tension light, keep the feed rollers light, and keep the gap between the feed rollers and whip as tight as you can.

One other thing to try is to keep the whip laid out on the floor with as few tight bends as possible. Every one of them introduces some resistance . . .

 

[jeepfreak81]

When my 110V Lincoln does that it is because the handle is loose, or not seated properly where it attaches to the main part of the welder.

 

[Jfet]

Well, it was still doing poorly today...the wire bunched up twice so I decided to try the 0.030 wire. It would not feed through the end of the gun. I then looked at the tip of the gun under my soldering binocular microscope and lo and behold there is a piece of brass burr blocking about half of the nozzle right where the liner ends (talking about the bare nozzle, with no copper insert). I guess the guy in Malaysia was in a hurry to get home that day.

I tried to remove the burr with my soldering tweezers, but it is well stuck. Oh well, back to the dealer....the advantage of buying local.