If you had enough wiring (amps) in your house or garage...a very old, but dirt cheap used Lincoln arc welder would be the way to go....if you don't have much extra money. Stick welding thicker metal like that is actually pretty easy.
the weld will not burn into the base,it will just lay on the top. for 3/8's either a industrial mig or a stick welder.
will stick give me better penetration than mig for the same amperage? will an inverter based welder help? 20 amps and 110v is all i have to work with.
I can with mine it's a mig with straight argon v it out it will take more than one p*** but it will burn in not just on top
110 and 3/8" just isn't going to work,IMHO. You can V the hell out of it,maybe make it pretty,but I doubt it'll be a safe weld. As stated above,a cheap used stick welder and a lot of practice,and you'd be fine.
Joe, there are ALOT of variables to your question ....in a nutshell yes....IF YOU TAKE A FEW ADDITIONAL STEPS....first off, you are gonna have to V the joint, unless it is a lap, then you must be able to get to both sides...second, you are gonna need some pre heat, and preferably someone with a O/A torch on the backside of the joint, while you are welding, and third as mentioned above, it will be a multiple p***....Is this a preferred method???HELL NO....but it will work, but if you can get a larger MIG /Stick welder that would be preferred. I also would not reccomend this method if you do not have a lot of seat time, and/or have mastered using the welder in question on materials in it's heat range , so you know what to look for as far as weld quality.I have used this same procedure to weld a 1/2" + thick cutting edge on a snow plow that someone goobered together , and I used a Miller Cricket (90 A 110 V) in a muffler shop, still good 10+ yrs later. Also had a call one evening from a farmer friend, broke down close to the house , far from his, and I went out and repaired his equipment hitch , All 3/8" steel , with the above methods, with a century 130 flux core (115V) welder on a generator, with O/A backup....it also has been in service for 5+ years.....Shawn
Yes to the first question, but if you only have a 110V 20 amp circuit as your power source, you can pretty much forget about welding 3/8 plate correctly. Bob
Stick will do it easy. I think that if you used your mig you could do it IMHO, but you would have to bevel the material, make a root p***, fillets on top of that, then back gouge the welds and fill in from the other side. It will take a long time to do that. It won't be any worse than a poorly done stick weld. All in all, take it to a weld shop and have it professionally done. You may be advised it's not enough work for them and they will tell you about a guy who could do it for you. Lots of times someone out in the shop will do side work. That is what I would do if I didn't have the equipment myself.
if i purchased a portable gas or diesel generator how much hp and rated ac output would i need to properly weld 3/8 steel plate?
FWIW, my father has a 350 amp Lincoln "round top" arc welder, he runs it off a dryer plug (3 prong 250 Volt, 50 Amp). Do you have access to a similar outlet, or does your dryer run on gas? If you wanted a generator to power your "new" welder, I would stick to similar power (220-250 V w/ not less than 40 Amps) if your goal is to structurally weld 3/8" (yes the flrame of a wheeling machine is structural). Best of luck with it, if you have it available you might see if you have a welding cl*** in your area (Community College perhaps?).
In order to make a 50A rating, the generator would have to be capable of putting out 11,000 continuous Watts @ 220 Volts (Watts = Volts x Amps). Even on a generator that large, you might find a down-rated plug on it. You probably would have to build an adapter.
thanks. found one. not cheap but it does provide the power i do not have. no problem running any kind of welder [tig, mig, arc] with this right? http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200467368_200467368
I've welded 5/8" steel with my Hobart Handler 135. It is 115v @ 20 amp, and would occasionally kick the breaker once you got in to the duty cycle. As has been said, you need to approach it correctly to have success. A proper joint design, and preheat are necessary to do it, but, it can and has been done many many many times. I've welded lifting eyes, and pull points with my machine, and wouldn't hesitate to do so again. Switching to dual shield, a true spray transfer weld (compared to the globular transfer of most hard wire setups) will also help with penetration. With 0.035 wire it should take a few p***es for a fillet weld. I now have a newer Handler that is considered one of the new "super 110s". I wouldn't even hesitate to weld 3/8" material. Then again, most people weld mill scale and rust covered steel, then want to blame the machine when it doesn't work. Cleanliness is THE MOST IMPORTANT part when using a low power machine.
why not just check with an electrician to see if there is a possible 220 breaker available in your box?or have a sub panel put in.should be way cheaper than a gen.and quieter.
I did this at my dad's house when I was working from his garage, down side was running the plug from the beasment window when I needed to weld. But it was a short enough distance. I was running my 225 amp Lincoln with a 50 amp breaker. Never tried 3/8" plate but the welder could do it. Bob
Welding 3/8" steel is in my opinion not a good idea, I suggest finding a a/c or a/c -d/c stick welder, like a licoln buzzbox, a miller T-bolt or allmost any older transformer welder that your power can handle. There is a big difference between 140 amps with a little 110v mig running .030 wire and 140 amps stick running 1/8 7018. 1/8" 7018 will def weld most anything the average guy will ever need to weld and then some. You will get a false sense of a good weld if you try to use a small 110v machine to weld heavy guage steel, esp if you don't really "know how" to make a good solid weld even with a capable machine. Dual sheild or spray is def not acheivable with any 110v machine you will need a machine capable of attleast 200 amps.
Joe, Another question is how much of this material do you have to weld? Even with proper pre-heat, you are only going to be able to weld a few inches (with multiple p***es) at a time. If you are building a large tool like an english wheel, I'd "find a friend" with a bigger welding machine... My definition of "structural" is: Does it matter if it breaks?
That thing is $2500. For that price I'd be buying me a good stick welder and spending whats left on more tools or parts. Elwood
Joe...have you checked with your local rental place???? I rented a small welder generator for the weekend (DC for stick welding) for a bridge fabrication job here on the farm...was pretty cheap...do all your prep & fitting on multiple projects & then rent the welder for a day ...alot cheaper...also if you are looking at a generator that big, why not look for one of these used...http://www.millerwelds.com/products/enginedriven/product.php?model=M90334 Just a thought, even the smaller units would work...Shawn
Forget welding anything on a 20A braker. Take it to be welded somewhere or go to a friends house that has a higher output outlet.
You could always just tack it together and then take it to a real welder. Especially if your not going to do alot of heavy work in the future.
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