Wire Welder suggestions?

[Scot]

You need a 175 to do 1/4" single pass. I gt tired of trying to make do and got a Millermatic 251. Love it!

 

[JTruelove]

Wire Welder Suggestions

Just bought a new Miller 210... great machine, but out of your price range. However they did have a 250 which is an old version of a 251 for $750. Its 10 yrs old???

 

[y-knot]

For welding very thick metals in one pass, the most common and strongest welding method is SUBMERGED ARC. In which the process uses a continues filler material much like MIG welding, but much thicker, and a solid bead like material for shielding. The process is set-up by a welder or welding tech and once started the weld is completely machine dependent. Anywhere they use extra thick metal, like ship yards, armor plating, bridge supports, and beams, you'll find submerged arch welding. It's pretty neat to watch, the arch is established and then completely submerged in what looks like sand, when it's none, theirs a huge snake like piece of slag covering a beautiful weld.

 

[BTowler]

Hobart and Lincoln will weld aluminum out of the box, anice plus! Miller requires accessories that total more than the welder cost! This is of course on the 140's, and I believe the 185's as well.

So if you ever plan to do aluminum go with Hobart or Lincoln.

 

[WaltHess]

Look around for a shop closing auction to get more welder for the dollar. I bought a 650amp Miller mig for $900, 2 smaller 200amp migs for $400 ea,and a Linde 350 amp tig for $250. Just look them over good during the preview. If they are under power turn them on to see if the fan sounds ok, etc. . generally if the housing is in good shape the welder will be too. If the housing is beat up, broken handles,filthy,etc. . walk away. I have yet to buy a bad welder this way. You can also look on the craigslist: san francisco bay area classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events for your area in the tools for sale section.



With the small migs you can do heavier plates by prepping the ends and making multiple passes. I would use an . 035 innershield wire to get the deepest penetration. If you insist on a gas shielded wire use straight CO2 for deeper penetration rather than a 75%-25% mix. Splatters more ,but it digs deeper.



Innershield wire will give you deeper penetration than bare wire-plus it is not affected by breezes like gas shielded is when welding outside. We ran some . 062 innershield and you would have thought it was going to blow right through the 2" plates it was getting so deep. For basic thick plate welding a good arc welder that you can reverse the polarity is hard to beat. E7018 and a steady hand will leave a spectacular weld.



Another option is to check into your local community college for night welding courses. You can learn some good techniques and get to use their equipment.

 

[y-knot]

I was thinking about your original question, and to be honest for the amount you want to spend i think I would hold off till you can save a little more, then purchase a welder that will do what you need it to do.

I have both Miller and Lincoln welders and love them both. At the time I purchased my gas welder, I thought Miller Bobcat with the bigger engine(Kohler) was the best available. I bought that and the Plasma cutter for it at the same time both new and both at the same dealer. While I still like Miller, and for many things they are the best... ... I love my Lincoln welders. I like you started with a Lincoln Weld PAC 125. I bought it when I first started my company, and I paid for it the first week I had it. I form the start only used it with non-shielded wire and a tri-mix for gas. That welder lasted for about 2-3 years, and I quickly out-grew it. i sold it to a buddy and he is still using it to this day. The welder I replaced it with was a Lincoln Sp-250 (255) and I have love it since I purchased it. This welder is everything I think a welder (MIG) should be, it works every time I need it and does a great job with absolutely no,NO problems. I weld 1/4" material all the time and it will do a great job bonding the two metals in one pass, same with 3/8" stuff. Of-coarse it depends one what the material is for, normal run of the mill stuff and one pass is fine, others will require more . The Lincoln SP-250 is an ideal MIG welder, it comes standard with a 12. 5' gun, and in 95% of all situations, especially in the shop thats plenty. The normal consumables are not very expensive and to this date I have had zero problems. No feed issues, nothing. Of-coarse a good maintenance plan is also good assurance that everything will go as planed. I just recently purchased another Lincoln welder, this time it was their Precession TIG 275 W/ undercarriage and water cooler. I have just started with this machine but have no doubt it will continue in the prime Lincoln tradition. I looked around and even used both Miller and Lincoln TIG units before I bought my Lincoln, they have in my opinion the best units. While I like both Miller and Lincoln, I think you would be best if you also stayed with either brand. They have both been around for ever and both are used everyday by welding professionals in every country around the world. Good luck on your new welder purchase.