Yeah I found that out when I talked to my Buddy, He runs the local Airgas store and said he'd hook me up with a cyl of the mix.

You know what, I don't know what VGL stands for. It's a bulk storage tank for bulk liquid Ar, I think it's actually called a Dewer tank.

 

OK, I know what a Dewer flask is. A very high tech thermos bottle for holding and transfering very low temp liquified gases such as liquid nitrogen. Looks kinda like a dairy farmer's 5 gal milk jug except for the smoke coming out the vent.
Is your buddy an ESAB dealer? if so maybe you'd have far less trouble getting him to order Easy Grind wire than most of us who just walk into the nearest dealer. Most dealers don't even know it exists and insist on trying to sell you something else. Do get a spool, you'll thank me a 1000X over.

 

Yep, that is pretty must what it is except this one is about 150 gal.

I ask him if he had the easy grind and he doesn't carry that brand. I'll check later to see if there is a local dealer for it.

 

i have a miller millermatic 185 (which i don't think they make anymore) and it works great for the past 10+ years. i went around to the local muffler/welding shops to see what they had and what they had to say before i made my choice.

 

...age-old delima........been there....

Nobody will be able to make that decision for you...trust me......

GO out to some suppliers and look....STAY away from...HF......

Eveything "there"....you willl not be able to get replacement parts
for...period.


Here are some older threads...check them over...maybe they will help...

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...ggestions.html


https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/3...ig-welder.html

WHERE are you located...I cannot tell...you could put that in to your info
and it will show up in the upper right corner each time you post......

Find a "mom & pop" type local welding shop...they are the best for just
stoppin' in at & lookin' around to ask some question...


I picked up my used Snap-On YA219B 120V MIG thru eBay...the auction
ended and before the dude could relist the machine...I drove about an hour
to his home...tried it out...BAM...MINE....loaded it up in the truck
& drove home...all parts still available too!!!

...2 days later scored a 125 CUBIC FT 75% ARGON 25% CARBON DIOXIDE
WELDING TANK...The_Girl talked this dude down to $75.00... "FULL" .....

...AND LOOK....he STILLL has tanks...

WELDING TANKS **LOOK**

-

...Do yourself a favor...take your time...

...I will NOT get rid of MY 120V MIG... it ROCKZ...

-

 

My Hobart 140 115V machine was just supposed to be a stop-gap machine until
my garage was built and I had 220V available. But 5 years later and in the new garage, I haven't found a good reason to replace it. I have a Lincoln stick welder I inherited gathering dust in the corner should I ever get the urge to build a bridge or a ship. If I ever strike it rich, I'll buy a Tig to complement my mig instead of replacing it.

 

I bought the Millermatic 180 with autoset. Like this one:

Millermatic 180 MIG Welder with Auto-Set (230 Volt)

I've been happy with it as it is very forgiving for a novice welder like myself. I bought the mix bottle from my local welding supplier, U. S. AirWeld. I bought my online and it came with a cart. I bought it from a welding supplier in Indiana. I don't remember their name. It came with a Miller cart which was great. I got a better price than what Cyberweld is charging. Oh, and you can get Miller serviced just about anywhere.

I ended up buying a top quality auto-darkening helmet from Miller. I tried several at the welding supplier and Miller fit me best. It was pricey, but I don't have cheap eyes. They've lasted me 62 years and I plan on using them for at least another 60 years or so.

Phil

 

I am buying the Hobart Handler 140 like Ax reccomended at the end of this month from Northern Tool. Free shipping and a free $80 welding cart if you buy before 2/7/2010.

FREE SHIPPING — Hobart Handler 140 MIG Welder — 115 Volt, 140 Amp, Model# 500500 | Wirefeed Welders | Northern Tool + Equipment

 

that sounds like a great deal. the only thing is it doesn't have infinite speed control i believe but i dont know how nice that is to have. HEY AX when u say that you make multiple passes for your thicker metal cant you just do one pass if u go slower?

 

AX,
I have been using a friends Lincoln 140 MIG for several days. I had reason to call the parts line at Lincoln, they get an A+ by me. Have you or anyone else had a reason to contact Hobart? If so how was the factory on responses. Is it true that Hobart is in fact made by Miller?
I have a TIG that I use a lot (BIG machine! 300/300) but am enjoying using the MIG.
The Northern Tool deal has me thinking.
Your thoughts?

 

When I say thicker metal , let me give an example: I made several different shaping mandrels by welding ~ 6" long sections of round bar between 3/4 and 1 1/2" in diameter across the end of a length of 3/8 x2" bar stock to form T shapes. I ground the ends of the rect stock @ ~ 45* angle to an inverted V leaving ~ 1/8" flat down the center (don't grind all the way to a knife edge or you'll just burn thru) I put the bar vertically in the vise with a piece of 3/4 x 1 1/2" scrap wood on either side sticking up slightly higher than the bar stock so the round bar was supported just touching the ground end of the rect bar which centered and squared it.
I cranked the H140 all the way up and tacked each end of the rect bar to the round bar at the ends. I then took it out of the vise and layed it down on my welding bench so I would be welding horizontally. I made one pass in the crotch of the joint on one side pointing the torch at ~ 45* angle in the direction of travel and slightly to the round bar side of the seam. I worked the torch in very small circles watching that the weld melted into both the round rod and rectangular stock. That filed ~ 1/2 the V notch.
I turned the assembly over and repeated the same weld from the other side. I went back to the first side and layed a fillet bead from the center of the first bead into the round bar. A third pass filled from the middle of the second bead to the rect stock just past the V grind. Repeating the process on the other side finished the welding. I tested the strength of the weld once it cooled by putting the rect "handle" in the vise with the round bar ~ 1" above the jaws, and hitting the end of the round bar downwards with a 3# hand maul. I hit it hard enough the vise was not able to prevent it from rotating (it's a LARGE vise) without it showing any sign of weld failure. I don't think I could have filled that all with one pass and get good penetration without burning thru from all the heat. Working the torch in a small circle left a bead closely resembling the roll of dimes Tig welders strive for.
Bill, I have not had any reason to contact Hobart (yes they are Miller made and branded Hobart for the mass market stores) so I can't report on their response.
All the Hobart machines are dropped ship for free so you might check on another distributor that doesn't collect sales tax to see if they will match/beat NT's price.
I did get mine from NT and it arrived in 3 days.
DMAN it ate my edit again!
Infinite power is no big deal, there are plenty of other ways to control the heat (that I had written all out!! GRRR!). I'll redo the info tomorrow, I need to go to bed now.

 

it sounds like you got intimate with the v groove weld. it also sounds convincing that the 120v is $200 less but will do what i want it too also. with a dedicated 20A of course. im starting to understand about welder ratings and it reminds me of car amplifiers. some are over rated and some are underrated. i didnt even condsider a HF, thats scary.

 

Getting to know what the machine is capable of is the biggest piece of the puzzle. I prefer to run smaller wire so I am never at the highest heat setting. I can run a .030 wire fine but I go with.023 and make a couple passes.

 

Ok, here we go again. Hope cyberspace isn't as hungry as last night...
Way to adjust heat without an infinite power control:
Increase the wire speed slightly and move the torch quicker.
Use smaller diameter wire. (I too use .025 for almost all my welding, but really important on sheet metal)
Clip off the end of the wire with my welding pliers (a dedicated pair of long thin needle nose with side cutters that I use for changing hot tips and cleaning spatter out of the gas shield as well) to get rid of the melted bead, reduce the wire extension to no more than 3/8" and make a sharp end to the wire. The sharp end acts just like a smaller diameter yet wire, whereas the glob or ball acts just like a large diameter wire, creating more heat and giving you a burn thru.
Dragging or pushing the bead will give two different heat ranges, pushing (angling the torch to point in the direction of travel) preheats the metal ahead of the bead, dragging (pulling the torch tip away from the freshly laid bead) it is much cooler for thin metal and easier to see what your bead looks like as you go.
If using a 115V machine and you feel like you absolutely must use an inbetween heat setting, add a 100' 12ga extension cord between the wall outlet and the machine and set to the higher setting of the two.
Increase the gas flow a few ft/min to add some cooling.
Press a piece of copper or aluminum against the back side of the seam as you weld the other side. I use a short length of copper waterpipe hammered flat like a spatula using the unflatteded part like a handle. Copper is a great heatsink and the molten bead will not stick to it.

It is also important to keep the tip clean (and use the right tip for the wire, the hole diameter is stamped into the side of the tip). I keep a jar of "tip dip" at my welding bench and dip whenever I haven't used the welder for a while or the tip has turned a dark black.
If you

 

Agree with everything Ax said. I use .025 EASB easy grind for sheet metal and .035 for anything thicker. I purchased a used Miller 251 from a guy on ebay (had several units). It looked pretty used but works great. If you purchased used make sure you try it before you buy it.