Welders!

[Reinovator]

Spool guns can be a very good investment but be for you do.
give yours self a check list of pros and cons.
Alum welding is not as easy as the demo.
but it can be learned. In my opinion if you plan on working a lot with aluminum.
DO IT!!!
If not check with A GOOD welding shop on getting your work done.
See how much your wire will cost.
and try using the schools spool gun, some time they'll have open labs where you can use their equipment to hone your skills. Practice Practice Practice.
Then make your choice.

But above all make it fun. not a chore.

[Reinovator]

Sorry Slow connection I don't have much tig experience, wish I did, maybe some one else can elaborate!!!

[AJLChase]

So, I was reading this thread to get some ideas on a beginner welder and thought I'd throw in that I think I got a good buy through Craigslist. I ended up getting a Millermatic 180 220v for $400 and it still had the original spool on it and looks barely used. Guy that bought used it to build some kind of prototype that is now being mass produced for him so he no longer needed it. I stopped at Linweld and they told me that that model would be perfect for auto body and light frame work. Any thoughts?

[Reinovator]

looked up a random price and came up with $987.99
so if your going to learn to weld and and continue welding this should be a primo unit it only has a 30 percent duty cycle but this is at a high setting at average sheet metal you probably wont have any problems.

I'm not bring up duty cycle to scare you or give you any doubts about your great buy just to give you some some details about your unit if you have questions about duty cycle check with your welding instructor to give you some better details.

He (or she) can help you understand better, or lets see what kind of answers we can get here.

[mongoose]

Originally Posted by AJLChase

So, I was reading this thread to get some ideas on a beginner welder and thought I'd throw in that I think I got a good buy through Craigslist. I ended up getting a Millermatic 180 220v for $400 and it still had the original spool on it and looks barely used. Guy that bought used it to build some kind of prototype that is now being mass produced for him so he no longer needed it. I stopped at Linweld and they told me that that model would be perfect for auto body and light frame work. Any thoughts?

great deal, that should be able to do anything you want around a truck.... frame would be a breeze. along with body work.

did it come with a bottle and regs?

[scott123]

need welder help. wire speed is hung wide open. turn the machine on and the wire races out the end of the tip. will only stop when the machine is turned off. Can't see anything crossing terminals out on the inside.
I am thinking the wire speed control switch but i would think it would be stuck on a setting and come out when the trigger is pulled, not wide open all the time. The wire speed motor is wide open, even with the lead disconnected from the wire feed. Any tech shops in NC? I called around and could not find one. S.

[Reinovator]

First thing Make of the welder
second model#
voltage 220vac or 110vac(may or my not be necessary) but it helps.
type of gun (tweco, etc.)I think that's how you spell it.
This will help me and or others to identify the problem.
also did you buy this unit used or new.

[scott123]

Inherited the welder. It has sat for several years. I moved it to my shop and wired it up. It is 220V welder made by Century. It worked perfectly last week as I put it two cab corners. Yesterday when I turned it on the wire was screaming out the end of the gun. I shut it down. I removed the lead thinking the trigger was bad. Still the wire is coming at max speed. I disconnected the wire speed knob and tried it again. As soon as the on/off switch is hit, the wire feed motor runs constantly at full speed.
It is one of those things that I do not have much in the welder, and the Century brand is not top of the line. I will spend a little on it, but the shop here is 90$ an hour and after parts I may as well buy a new one. Sort of at a crossroads. Scott

[Reinovator]

have you got a model #
I had Century once it wasn't to bad the duty cycle was a little low but it worked ,(all you others correct me if I'm wrong) , Marquette made some of the century models at one time and so did Cebora, and I think Cebora ended up making a few Marquette welders also.
The point is a lot of these inexpensive welders have quirks with them.if your dead set on replacing it go with Miller or Lincoln.

I have a a Matco 120vac right now It dose OK but i wish I had bought a Lincoln 120vac but for thin metal its fine. my next one WILL be a 220vac now that my shop has 220vac.

Just don't settle, spend the money and get what you need!and a little extra! if you can.
Hay, have fun and don't let it get to ya like I do sometimes.

[scott123]

it is a Century145..220V.....
it has a TWECO lead....checked everything i know to check...the lead...the contacts...the board is the only other thing connected to the wire speed motor..i thought about the wire speed controlknob, but even it was stuck on a certain speed it should not come out of the tip til i pull the trigger....the welder worked perfectly last week...if i can fix this one rather cheaply i will stick with it...i don't weld enough to put $$$ in a new one if this one can be fixed...if it costs more $$$, or close to more $$$ I will invest in another one...no need to fix a cheap welder for close to the price of a quality one....but that is just me...scott

Originally Posted by Reinovator

have you got a model #
I had Century once it wasn't to bad the duty cycle was a little low but it worked ,(all you others correct me if I'm wrong) , Marquette made some of the century models at one time and so did Cebora, and I think Cebora ended up making a few Marquette welders also.
The point is a lot of these inexpensive welders have quirks with them.if your dead set on replacing it go with Miller or Lincoln.

I have a a Matco 120vac right now It dose OK but i wish I had bought a Lincoln 120vac but for thin metal its fine. my next one WILL be a 220vac now that my shop has 220vac.

Just don't settle, spend the money and get what you need!and a little extra! if you can.
Hay, have fun and don't let it get to ya like I do sometimes.

[Reinovator]

I did A little searching and the best I could find was that the control board has passed away. one thing you can do is look at this board closely and see if anything looks burned.

this sounds like the bug in the works.
one thing to try tomorrow is call around and ask if your area repair shops have had this problem i have a feeling that someone locally has ran into this situation
sorry I can't help any more but as you have probably heard ' with out the unit in front of me it's hard to tell.

one other way is to check on sales of the control board. if this is a well sold model there should be a history of past sales in this model.

good luck really. it will work out.

[DURRTY]

Have you taken the gun apart and looked at the contacts of the trigger. It may be dirty and nasty inside and its just getting stuck together. I dont know about the brand of welder, all the guns i have seen work like that. clean that out with some brake cleaner or solvent if its dirty. Or take it down to the weld supply house and they should be able to fix it.

[DURRTY]

one more thought, some triggers have a lock on them so you can pull it once and it will feed like yours is and then you pull the trigger again and it will stop. But i have only seen that on heavy duty set ups.

[Reinovator]

it sounds like the controller check around, maybe get a part# and search around E-bay etc. the last one I replaced was $100 I've seen them since for $50 but that was 4 years ago in these times you will probably do better.
good luck

[Wildstreak]

just started welding, I'm switching form flux core to gas, what pressure do you all set your gas regulator at?

[DURRTY]

20-25 but regulators are different, some measure flow rather than psi output but...
if you don't have enough gas coverage your weld will have porosity(pin holes, probably a bunch of them.
you can go by the hissing sound of the gas coming out of the nozzle too, start low and get it to a point were your weld is good and maybe turn it up just a hair from there. too much gas and it will blow your puddle around and acually cool the weld faster than it should, also welding out of position is tough with too much gas... AND the type of gas you are using is a factor too..

[Ben IV]

regularors hav a guage or flow meeter that read cfh cubic feet per hour, Ive allways found 30cfh works great too much gas and it can actually flow out too fast and suck in air behind it in a corner. At home ive got a millermatic 172 and love it. at work we run lincon powermig 250's great machines run 50 hrs a week no prob a bit much for restoring a truck but good for chassis work.

[Reinovator]

Try about 7 to 15 psi, if a lot air movement in your welding may be 18 psi but you use a lot more gas.
Others may have a different opinion.
This works well for me.
Try it and see for yourself what works best.

[i90wrench]

Has anyone used this machine? Looks like a handy unit. http://cgi.ebay.com/GIANTTECH-3-in-1...ZViewItemQQptZ

[Reinovator]

Great advise about the flow meter. although, not all systems are alike.
Definately look for a system with a flow meter.
Not all come with one.
The last three systems I've bought Did Not have one, but that's over a 30 year period and they are a lot more common with one now days, the last 8 years.

[Ben IV]

I prefer a flow meter but a guage works just fine. When doing alot of welding in a cold enviorment the ball in the flow meter can actually freeze up not that thats a problem for a guy in his garage. but ive had it happen.

[shifty]

Holy crap. I can't believe I never followed up on this after posting on Page 2!!!

I ended up beating the hell out of eBay and scoring the same $599 Lincoln Weld-Pak 175 sold at Home Depot (new in the box), only I got it for $450 (25% off!) and shipping.

After all of the supplies like gas, gloves, helmet, extension cord, cart and stuff, it set me back around $650 total. Not bad!

I wouldn't say I've used the hell out of it, but it has worked flawlessly, had superior instructions, and everyone knows this welder so I have no shortage of advice and support from total strangers, which has been amazing.

Plus, I have the Lincoln name to back me up, everyone knows and works on this unit.

I will say one other thing - I got a new 40a "Cut40d" Everlast plasma cutter on eBay for around $275, if I remember right. Let me tell you .... it has yet to fail me now, and has cut through all of the things I needed for notching my frame and removing tons of stuff around the garage, breaking it down, etc. It has paid for itself and then some in time, and I don't care about the fact that it doesn't use standard consumables (or I don't think it does??) Also, my Everlast came with like a 5yr warranty, and their support has been mostly responsive, and when they weren't, they offered free stuff to make up for it.

Bottom line:

I am happy I bought Lincoln, I know it will last a lifetime. However, I realize that not everyone that reads this thread is going to be welding as a career (i.e. you're a hobby welder) so something that costs half as much might actually work for you.

The reality is, some of you will get by having a non-name brand versus a name brand. The big thing I think you should focus on are this:

- Warranty
- Customer service
- Is it 110v or 220v?
- Do I need new electrical outlets?
- Do I need extras? (gas, cart, wire, etc.)
- How much will my extras cost?

This should get you on a good path to start up.

I still don't know how to weld worth a damn, and can't run a "good" bead for ****. But I can share my experience, as a "hobby" welder and plasma cutter. Also, you can find deals. Just be patient. Took me 3 months to find mine.

[POPO1984]

What do you guys think of this welder i will have to convert it to gas but its only 300.00. I believe that i have heard Clarke was good its a 160 http://cgi.ebay.com/CLARKE-160EN-MIG...item27ac740326

[Reinovator]

If it's A 'Clarke' and not a name thief or a knock off it should be a good welder check for reviews on line. some times over sea's manufactures will put a well known name on a given product to increase sales. even well known manufactures will lease out their name if there strapped for cash. but the Name Clarke that I'm familiar with is a equipment manufacture like fork lifts, front end loaders. etc.
This does not mean that this is a bad welder. it has a great looking case.
Check around find out it's duty cycle etc.
if it's just a part time weekend welder you should be Ok.
but check around be fore buying. The gas kit may put you into the same price range as a Lincoln, or Miller. 120 v which are Great machines.

[POPO1984]

I think im about to score a lincoln 180 for 475 shipped to my door