my 110 welder a miller by the way worked like shit untill i got 30 amps to it. most wall outlets dont have the wireing in the wall to flow the amps and a bigger breaker wont help. get a plug with properly rated wire close to the electrical panel
Flux core is very hot, not very pretty and too hot for body panels. All you can hope to do is tack them on. This goes for 110 & 220 volt welders. I am not a certified welder but have used a lot of different welders in my trade (body & frame). Older 110 volt stick welders can weld up frames with no problem if you are patient and make multiple passes using the right rods. You can do frames with flux core mig, just don't expect any comments on how they look.. Like anything, it takes practice. Proper splicing, gusseting, and prep are equally important (if not more) than the final weld. The proof is when you have to cut something apart you have welded up. You'll see whats in there good or bad. However, there's nothing quite as nice as a $3000 mig on gas. You get to go home early...
B?C? WTF?.........real welders have better heat settings than that. You are bringing a butterknife to a gunfight.
Actually it sums nothing up. Welding is a learnable skill...not my machine is better than yours... Having A-B-C heat settings is no different than having multiple heat taps on a big Pro machine. You can buy smaller, but very capable 220 machines with a simple A-B-C switch that won't put you in the poor house to afford it. I have a compact 220 MIG Pac Lincoln at home...it works EXCELLENT. This crossmember plate was welded with it... I use full size Miller standups at work, but the MIG-Pac will let you lay just as nice a bead on any car or truck sized metal...even properly prepared axle housings or 1/4" thick Offroad bumpers. Most people would have no real use for the infinitely variable capabilities of a dial machine anyway...it would just make it harder for amateurs to be consistant in their settings. My advice for you MINK is to get some lessons. You have the desire to weld...but practice alone isn't enough. To weld properly you need to MELT metal...not play around trying to Tack/glue stuff together because its easier and your afraid you might burn a hole thru it. Commit yourself to learning the skill PROPERLY. You'll NEVER be sorry.
True many larger machines also have basic settings but the overall machine works BETTER in each given range. We all know a pro can lay down a nice bead with basic equiptment but it is easier for someone to learn with quality tools.
You really need to invest in a better welder. Something with continuous adjustment instead of clicks. Clicks work great when you know what you're doing, continuous adjustment is what a beginner welder needs. I alternate between flux core and gas weld all the time. Flux core is great for stuff like exhaust where you need to dig at something corroded and spatter isn't a concern. Gas is best for sheetmetal. Turn your heat up, and open the gap between panels so it's about 1x-2x the width of the wire. You want the wire to fill the gap, not create a mound on top. You're gonna spend 3X as long grinding that panel as you did welding, and that's where the real risk of warping comes into play. Quality of wire is important. Stick to a known brand like lincoln, don't use harbor freight wire. good luck
I have both a 220 Stick and a 110 Lincoln Mig. My Mig worked like manure till I got it off the extension cord. Your wiring from the panel will make a BIG difference in the preformance of your 110. To make heat you need current. TWICE as much at 110v than at 220v. The size and length of the wire between your welder and your junction box act like a resistor and reduce your available current. Anything you can do to reduce that resistance (clean ground clamp, clamped as close to the work as possible, thicker cables and internal wiring, etc.) will help your box perform better. The 1/4" steel rating in the manual is under IDEAL conditions, sort of like the mileage ratings on a car. Possible, but not bloody likely in normal use. Glenn
what a cluster fuck of crappy info... I was gonna skip right by but I just cant. If your frame extension looks anything like your patch panels, please practice alot more before you weld your frame. You can't put a good weld on top a a crappy weld. You have to grind the crappy weld away first. You never said what machine you're using. Or what type of prep you did to the material your welding. "Gasless welders make stronger welds then sheilded gas welds . sheilded gas welding ,the welds are softer , thats why they arc weld building and ships .Its good to arc weld or flux core weld your frame ." This info is just plain WRONG!!!! Ships use EVERY form of welding at one point in the process. They don't use stick cause its the "best"! They use it cause its the best for what they need (outside in the freakin wind!!!)... You need a good weld. Smacking it with a chisel wont prove if your weld is good or not. Weld 2 pieces together and BEND them back and forth... if the metal breaks before the weld, you're on the right path.... There is nothing wrong with tacking your shit together then hiring a welder to finish it for you. Especially if your not comfortable or can't tell if your welds are good or not!
I was talking about the butter knife to a gun fight part but i see you left that out and what ever the welder does make a big difference.
You are so wrong , I can burn right threw a shitty weld with an arc welder like it was never there and we do it all the time in the trade on old building to repair old school welds , NUMBER One . out side in the wind this is the dumest thing i have ever come across your telling me my info sucks . Me and my brother are both union welders , We work in shipyards and on buildings . When arc welding outside the wind still blows away the gas made by the rod or wire it dosent matter if its out of a tank or made by a melting rod or wire it still Blows away , you still have sheilding gas when arc welding or flux core (same thing )it is just produced when the rod burns or wire burns . number two , arc welding produces a harder weld then gas or fcaw . I take welding tests between every job and never have failed one .They take the welds and brake them in a mechine that clamps the two pieces of steel on each side and pulles till the weld or steel snaps . Im so sick of people who weld on cars part time telling me about the trade i do everyday! Your plain wrong and i see what you do for a living it says on your page your a hack after you go to school for 4 years and then low man in the union and night school for 4 more years you can tell me about welding outside .Ever try to flatting a arc weld ? Good luck . if you flattin a mig weld you will see it easyer . You need a 10 pound hammer to flattin an arc weld .dont have to be head casher at walmart to figure this out. I know whats coming next people are going to say but you can bye hard wire for you mig welder and softer rods for you arc welder . There so meny different ways rods , wire , I learn somthing new everyday if somone knows it all you should write a book on welding or become a welding engineer
yep, your info still sucks. go back to welding ships. leave the cars to the hacks. BTW, the weldor (not the welder) is the one who makes the difference!!!! why issit union welder guys who think they've got all the answers? I''ll show you my certs if you show yours!!! wow!!!! dumbass.
Im using a lincoln weld pak 110v with flux cored wired I wire brushed the metal and then hit the edges with a grinder. I wirebrushed the ground and procedded to tack weld. Who do i have weld it?? Is it a cardinal sin that i used angle iron?? I can grind most of the welds off so it can me redone i was using a 20ft extension cord.
Robert, Gilbert...its a shame you guys are on opposite coasts cause if you were closer we could line you up and see who pissed a longer stream. But since your not can we help this guy decide not to weld without professional help?
my first frame work (for myself), I had a mobile welder weld it for me. He was reasonable considering I had NO IDEA what I was doing. He also helped with some gusseting that I never would've known about then. The angle iron probably wasn't the best idea on the frame. Snap some pics. Lets see what you've done.
O yes because its so much harder to weld a panel on a car then to hang upside down off the side of a building and arc weld a I beam . Or a gas tanker or nuclear tank or somthing else im certified to do .
Easy solved, we just get each of them to stand on the coast, face in and piss. Then we get all the HAMBers in between with tape measures and..... Man, thats one DUMB idea.
Mink, Where in CT do you live? Your more than welcome to come over and get some help. I don't weld for a living but I'm sure I can help you out. Todd
now thats an interesting mix of work.... nukes, ships, and old buildings. you can definitely use a 110 mig to weld a frame. i have one of the smallest 110 migs and i wouldnt have a doubt in it for a 1/8" thick frame. even 3/16". you have to know what you are doing and some edge prep would never hurt. verticle up, none of this lazy downhand shit. one of the 140 amp machines would be even more capable.
in QuickList mig welding third pass ,,,,,,,,THis is one why you can cover welds on inside coners of frames stacking welds you can do this on outside coners alsow running really hot throw the old weld on the first pass and next to it on each side on secound and third pass then over the first again going back and forth from second to third weld s .The crap weld will be completey gone or melted into the new 3 inch wide stack
I will take a trained pros experience any day over us hobbyists. Even over some hotrodguys such as the one I worked for for several years.........
Frequently Asked MIG Welding Questions | Lincoln Electric This will tell you all you need to no . Everthing you asked is on this site
Um, look at Mink's Chassiswork here http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=269720&showall=1 He's extending a frame with angle iron. Doesn't seem to take any advice or help. Ryan closed the last thread because Mink started a shitstorm and left. Mink, if you're listening, please get a pro welder to show you how its done. Al Napier offered in the other thread. Did you call him? I'm done here. Ralph
mink, i wont tell you if your welding is good or bad, i can tell you, if you doubt your welds yourself then you need to work on your welding... If your repairing a chassis with angle iron, the first thing you need to do is cut it back out and toss the angle iron, and go buy some 3/16 3/16 flat stock and practice your welding on the flat stock, butt welds, t-joints and L joints and whatever else you can think of.. you can look all over the internet and find videos and pictures of welds and people in the process of doing fabricating jobs and showing off their welding talent.. you will be able to compare your welds with their welds and you can get a good idea from that if your getting good consistent penetration and welds if i were you and near the gentleman that offered you to visit him and give you tips and pointers to take him up on his offer, you can learn alot from someone like that... plus its always good to know more people that are into hotrodding and fabricating.. something else you could try to do is find a small local welding shop, and go ask them if you could watch them do some welding, you never know they might let you watch them do some light fabrication work.. just remember when your fabricating prep is just as important as the weld itself, and i'm talking of cleaning the metal, chamfering edges, and getting rid of the rust, and also what type of configuration your gussets and plating will be on the paticular job your doing... go to a salvage yard and get an old frame and cut it up and learn to box sections of that old frame, you'll get it in no time i bet..
Yes. What you did there will surely kill you and whoever is next to you on the road. Fortunately it would probably break before getting out of the driveway. I say this not maliciously, but with the hope that you will step back, read a ton about chassis fabrication, and realize that most of what all these guys are saying is true. For what you are trying to do with your current skills, that little weld pak ain't gonna cut it. Maybe a far more experienced welder could make it work, but that little thing doesn't pack the sure fire "horsepower" we like for chassis work. Check out the tech section for frame and body tips. Good luck.
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