Gasser HotRod Forums banner

What about welders?

15K views 30 replies 11 participants last post by  Doright 
#1 ·
Thinking of buying a new mig. Any 110v that can weld 1/4 inch? Saw one at Eastwood site, but does it?
 
#29 · (Edited)
I really like welding I am not great at it and I am no Pro by any means I do not know every thing about welding and I struggle to make a Stack of dimes so take what I say with a Grain of salt and maybe some Ketchup too! But I keep practicing and I keep experimenting and have bought a Lot of Junk to do it over the years only to come back to what works and to fall back on my legitimate training I have had in welding.

I was trained in Gas welding the only one process that really can do it all! once you know how to Gas weld correctly all the other processes are just a little studying and a whole lot of Practice to learn!
Welding is 25% knowledge and training,25% equipment and 50% Practice and Skill !!!!!

ANY one can play and Make piles of Dog poop on metal
A skilled Welder/Technician can weld to the limits of any equipment!
The Art of joining two pieces of metal together correctly is an art it must be studied and it must be practiced.
 
#30 ·
As a retired electrician, your suggestion of 2/0 supply wire is silly, and way overkill unless you plan to run a few hundred feet of wire to the average 200a. welder. Or even if it's a 300a. welder. I ran numerous supply feeds to commercial welders in fab shops and rarely ran larger than #2, which is rated 100a feeder size per NECA code. The 2/0 you suggested is rated 195 a. in THHN, and used to feed most homes with a 200a. service. So you'd be feeding the welder with wire that the same size as the house feed, or larger in some cases.

I have owned and used a Miller 140 with the 120/220v. input for almost a decade now. The large 120v. welders will easily weld 1/4" plate, and thicker if you bevel the butt edges. That's not to say a bigger 185-200a. in 220v. would not be a better choice, but it's not mandatory.
I have found that my small 120v. Miller 140 needs a big power supply. Not bigger than 20a., but I have a 20a. 120v. outlet that is fed with #10awg 30a. wiring. The 30a. wire is to cut down on resistance, and I noticed much better welds when I upsized the feeder.
The average 200a 220v. welder needs a 40a. feeder, which is #8 wire size. If you wanted to go crazy, you'd move up to #6 that's rated 60a. Or if you have some distance of 100 ft. maybe move to #4 rated 70a. But I doubt most home owners ever have a situation where their welder is more than 100 ft. away from the source.
 
#31 · (Edited)
I have a few 00 extension cords a 100 footer, a 60 footer, and a 20' Ya its all over kill and there heavy as heck too! But I don't worry too much about a Voltage drop or fires.
I run mine threw a dedicated 50 A breaker again over kill.

Like I said above take what I say with a grain of salt and some Ketchup lol and and again NO I do not know it all! I do think I know how to stay out of trouble though? (Most of the time lol!) I'm not just be dangerous I am flat out Lethal!

Spend stupid Money on over kill ? Ya I am really good at that lol!
But seriously I got a really good deal on all that copper years ago and was smart enough to hang on to it for ever!

As you say what I have done and am using is OVERKILL you can get away with a LOT less cheaper! By consulting and Talking to a Pro electrician such as yourself its money well spent! If I had to buy that wire today I would need to mortgage my house that stuff is stupid expensive now days. Always consult a Pro electrician when doing wiring!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top