welders..stick,mig,tig
- Thread starter ren92
- Start date
Help Support Rat Rods Rule:
i agree with ratty 46 220 is the way to go.and as far as any automotive arc will work fine but mig much cleaner and strong and safe enough for the job.as far as body panels and headers small stuff tig makes good clean work easy.i run a miller matic mig and a miller dynasty tig i have a bunch of old lincon arc welders at my steel shop but dont realy use them for automotive.New to the rrr hope post is sufficient.
Thanks
Thanks
Bonehead
Skull Master
Before I had my shop, I had a extension cord running out from behind the dryer.... made the wife real happy when I got the shop done.
coostv
Well-known member
I bought a MillerMatic 211 in April and love it. I thought long and hard about this purchase before I made the decision to buy. I looked at all machines and decided that I needed to be in the neighborhood of 200 amps. So I shopped hard for a 200 amp machine. I came from a Hobart Handler 135 I purchased in new in March of 2000. It was never enough welder for me and I ended up taking larger stuff to my father in laws place to use his bigger Miller. So, when the control board died the second time I decided it was time to replace it.
Back to the point. I decided on the MM 211 because it is dual voltage. By simply changing the wall plug on the cord you can go from 120 to 220. Seeing as the majority of the welding I do is sheet metal this works great for me because I am not limited to one outlet in the shop or saddled with hauling out the extension cord for every job. I can plug into any 120 in the shop for my sheet needs and only have to change the plug out when I need to weld heavier gauges.
Back to the point. I decided on the MM 211 because it is dual voltage. By simply changing the wall plug on the cord you can go from 120 to 220. Seeing as the majority of the welding I do is sheet metal this works great for me because I am not limited to one outlet in the shop or saddled with hauling out the extension cord for every job. I can plug into any 120 in the shop for my sheet needs and only have to change the plug out when I need to weld heavier gauges.
ratty 46
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2007
- Messages
- 328
bdog7018 - welcome & thanks. I looked at the dynasty for a home shop but ...... as an old dog & not wanting to learn new tricks, although I used one breifly at a fab shop I worked at, I ended up with the 275 Lincoln Precision Tig instead.
coostv - good choice. No shame in that machine at all.
Bonehead - I've drug my machine to a few friends houses & have used that technic too.
Ratty 46
coostv - good choice. No shame in that machine at all.
Bonehead - I've drug my machine to a few friends houses & have used that technic too.
Ratty 46
I have just recently got into researching welding. Going to try and take a class at a local community college. Before i buy my truck to start chopping, channeling and Z'ing a frame i want to be sure i can actually weld. I am mechanically inclined but metal working is an art. And i'm not very artistic. I will not be welding for a living and only to work on my own Rat. My question, and i apologize if this is redundant with whats already been said, but for the home mechanic, would a 220 mig be the best to go with to build my Rat? And if so which one? I really don't have room or funds to by a bunch of different welders. I like to by good quality tools for the job at hand and only buy them once, so i rally cant afford to buy 3 different welders plus all the metal working tools i will need. Thanks for all the help guys
Bonehead
Skull Master
A name brand 220 mig, set up with 75/25 mix gas would be best all around.
Plymouth rat
Well-known member
i have a 220 mig with the gas and i love it, its my hobbie welder in the garage, my question is i can weld all thicknesses with it but when i have to weld upside down with it i make a mess, i get globs instead of nice welds, what am i doing wrong to get globs, is it wire speed, too much heat , hate grinding the globs off, thanks...p-rat
Bonehead
Skull Master
Turn your wire speed up a little, keep your nozzle from being right under the hottest part of the weld. If your wire is running into hot metal dripping off the weld it makes nasty welds. I dont turn up the heat any, but some guys do.
Plymouth rat
Well-known member
thanks bonehead, i will try that next time , hopefully it works because i hate grinding the globs,,,
Just as Bonehead said - turn up your wire just ever so slightly and angle the contact tip and if you have a torch with a adjustable cup on it, try to move the cup so as to put the contact tip about even with the cup or even a little inside the cup, from 1/16 to 1/8. When I say cup - it's what others call the nozzel. You will have to adjust your travel speed according to the wire speed and your heat.
