To make a long story short, I don't have acess to a welder anymore and was gonna buy my own.The 115v wire feed welders are not too expensive, and I don't have to run an extra 220v plug to my garage.Anyone used one, I never have.Lots of experience with a really huge arc welder.Only used a wire feed a couple of times.They also make a 115v mig welder, but never used a mig.Will a 115v wire feed be OK for bumpers, and a cage? Also buying a bender.

What do you mean you don't have acess to a welder? What happened to Noel's Grampa's shop?

With the 115, you'll have to change your technique. Slowing down your welds will most likely help to build up enough heat for proper penetration.

That makes sense.Thanks.

Originally posted by Ian's 91ex
What do you mean you don't have acess to a welder? What happened to Noel's Grampa's shop?

Never did get up there.Tried for 6 weeks or more.Dude is a drunken recluse.Forget it.

I wouldn't even try making a bumper with it. I think it might be ok for thin wall tube but then again it is your life. I have been welding for a few years now i my uncles shop and everything we use the 115 for is non strctural like hand rails and decorative stuff. I wold spend a little more and get something that has at least 175 amps at 220v. I personaly would not trust anything made with a lunch box welder.

its great for bodywork and light duty stuff.... i am an ok welder and was able to graft a wrangler windshield onto my x with a harbor frieght 110v wirefeed mig gasless..... great for body, would touch anything structural with it though...... it doesnt get hot enough, well enough penetration through amp expendature.... the best welder i ever used was a 220v lincoln arc welder we had at school, it was so big and heavy that it was mounted on a pallet so we could move it with a pallet jack.....

That's what I did not want to hear.Oh well, it just means I gotta run 220 from my laundry room to my Garage.Not the end of the world.Plus the 220 welders are more expensive, and the wiring will cost me a hundred bucks.

I have one, if you are not doing big structural stuff(frames, SAS etc) it will work. But.... its slow. You can do 3/16" stuff with some flux core OK. MIG only takes a bit of time. Most bumpers and such are made from 3./16 or even 1/8 walled stuff and will work fine.

I have a miller 135 - works great for everything Ive tried. Jsut need to get the correct wire size speed heat sttings down for various materials. Ive done 3/16", 1/8", schedule 40 pipe handrails, 16, 18 and 20 ga sheet. I have various wire sizes for all but it works fine for non production work. If you are used to a big stick machine it will take some getting used to, but once you get the settings and speed down you can do everything up to 1/4- just takes more time and different techniques.

the 110s nice I can take it to a job if I need to- built some really cool railings for decks and entrances- something I couldnt do with the 220v unit. But may not be a consideration.

If you have the 220 avail or dont mind running it- I would definately get the larger machines like a Miller 175. If you need portability then the 115v units are nice.

The 110115v welders do need a dedicated circuit- or at least a circuit with little or nothing else on it. I use a 10ga extention cord on sites plugged into an outlet closest to the panel(I run the cord for all my tools just as good practice) . In my Garage I have a 20a 115 curcuit run with 10-2 to the first outlet and 12ga from there. Plug in table saws, chop saws and welder to that outlet.

Think I might try to do the 220....The circut in my garage runs my whole basement.I allready have to make sure the heater is off before I open the garage door.

Go with a 220 buzz box. I have used both, but the little wire feed just didn't have enough pentetration to do much. Just not enough power. If you go with a good old stick welder, you can weld just about anything. I have welded sheet metal all the way up to 1/2" and bigger. Of course, it takes more skill to make it look nice- but it sounds like you already have that!

I got a 220 and was smart. I wouldn't make cages w/ a 110... I've welded 1/4in plate w/ gasless wire on mine and it worked great.

So 220v gasless wire feed? arc makes uglier welds.

No a 220 stick arc welder. Start going to garage and estate sales. You can pick them up cheap. Or go to Home Depot and pick up the same one my dad has had for 40 years brand new. Sure, an arc welder takes skill, but I can do pretty welds and you can too with a little pratice!! By saying "Sheet metal" I meant I have welded 1/16" stock and 5/8" stock with a good old stick. I am all about technology. I have used a Mig and a Plasma cutter, but they are so expensive that I can't justify buying them. There is something to be said for an Oxy/ Acetaline Torch, an arc (stick- the wire feed is arc too)welder and a little practice.

My brother invested in a 110 wire feed and it is great for light duty, but it can't do a whole lot. If you are going to buy a wire feed type welder, buy a MIG. If not, then you better go with a good old buzz box if you want any versatility.

I used a 110v Lincoln for most of my SAS. I have access to a 220v Miller MIG at work, but with the right settings the 110v worked just as well if not better (penetration, quality of weld, etc). But I did have to put in a 20A circuit at the breaker panel, with a 10g extension cord (used only when needed), and follow the recommended duty cycle.

eh bob :)
take a run to BOC or praxair if there is one in town.... or it might be ok welders now, it's been a long time since i was in the okanagan shopping for this sorta stuff :rolleyes:
my price for a millermatic 175 is $1110 thru air liquid in calgary and can probably get it cheaper than that thru praxair ( a miller 175 look's just like a 110V buzz box but is 220v).
if you want a full size machine that can weld 3/8" in a single pass you will be looking at a miller 210, it has a built in bottle cradle and is rated at 60% duty cycle at 160amp's thats plenty for home use but the cost goes up to $1900 altho i have seen praxair sell them around $1700.... make some call's and get some prices, if you want to save the 7% provincial tax plus some markup send me a PM and i will see what i can find around here.

Woah that's a lot of info.Love this site.Was hoping to get one for around 500.I will go to OK welders.You used to live in the OK? A few of us are doing a run near the coast in the spring, you in?

220 is alot better but you CAN do structural stuff with a 110. make sure you use flux wire(better penetration) and dont run a long extension cord. i have a short 12aug cord made special just for the welder. also, make sure everything on the breaker is off other than the welder if possible. there are tons of cages built with 110v wire that are sound. not ideal, but if you know anything about welding it can be done just fine.

if you can afford, go with the 220. but if you have access to a good 110v (not walmart special CH) then by all means use it. i think some of you who are ragging on the 110 saying it wont work have either never used one for that application or never tried to do the small things that make it work right.

I was asking myself this same question back in the summer when i bought one. Didn't have 220 in the garage, but i had all the 110 i will ever need. I decided to go with a Hobart w/gas (same as SteveVB's miller) and i love it. I chose 110 because i didn't have 220 and if i took a wheelin trip somewhere, i could throw it in the back, and could more then likely use it somewhere down the road more easily then i could a 220.

I made my winch mount for my truck. Welded 3/8s and 1/4 together and i couldn't have asked for a better job from the machine. I've also welded my track bar mount, which takes a good bit of stress on a trip.

I love my machine, i don't see any need, personally for a 220 cause if mine welded that 3/8s together then i'm happy. Just turn the heat all the way up and turn the speed way down.

I....am ....so.....confused.:D I talked to a guy at a welding shop.I am going with 115v.But thank you all for the great info and help, and keep it coming.Still not gonna be till after x-mas.I will still have to run a dedicated circut, the whole basement is on the same breaker as the garage. Anyone ever had a problem with a 115v weld breaking?

Originally posted by bipolarbob
Anyone ever had a problem with a 115v weld breaking?

Yeah on my old flux core machine with the heat not high enough. Just have to get use to your machine you buy before you start building structural stuff, know what i mean?

Originally posted by bipolarbob
.I will still have to run a dedicated circut,

I dont know how far you are going, but if its over 50 feet or so i would run 10-2 for the run to the outlet if your running new cable. Cant be too big, and the incremental cost wont be too much.

Good plan.I am gonna talk to one of the electritians at work.

Woah that's a lot of info.Love this site.Was hoping to get one for around 500.I will go to OK welders.You used to live in the OK? A few of us are doing a run near the coast in the spring, you in?
Yep i was raised in salmonarm but spent a few years in the vernon area then logging went to crap and i moved out here :(
Would love to make a run out there in the spring but i dont think my rig will be ready by then... winter mod's... you know ;) my little project (http://www.4wheeler.ca/gallery/album44)

Salmon Arm is nice....Real nice.Holy crap dude is that an anodized solid!?!WTF:eek: :eek:

I have a little Lincoln Weldpack 100 dual mig and it works fine. I put on some reinforcing on my tube bumper with it and have higlifted off of it a buncha times with no problem. I also put endcaps on my frame with it. Nuthin too intense yet but I have plans...:)

the beams on this ranger were welded with a 115v mig & they are brutally punished with no breakage after a few years of abuse---welding is more about the user than equipmenthttp://prerunners.com/photoalbum/ttps03-3/ttps03-3-9990153.JPG (http://)

http://prerunners.com/photoalbum/ttps03-3/ttps03-3-9990153.JPG

sorry, that didn't work, just cut & post

What you want to do can be done with a 115V Mig welder, but I think that you'd be much happier with a 220V, and you would use it a lot more because you will be happier with your results. I was comtemplating whether to get the Millermatic 135 or 175, and I opted for the 175 since it's more efficient, has a better duty cycle, can weld thicker metal, and it would have been a lot easier for me to get accustomed to it since I'm used to using Miller Deltaweld 451's with .045" wire at work. At least using .035" with my 175 wasn't much of an adjustment, but I'm sure that I would have been kicking myself in the head if I did buy the 135 instead of the 175.

I bought the miller 175 a while back & am extremely happy with it. Check out welders-direct.com for a great price, that's where I bought mine

110v guys-

one thing you can do to extend your duty cycle is weld with the shroud open and a box fan blowing on it. i know mine will run alot longer open and w/fan when you have it maxed out.