thought I should say hi

[Stircrazy]

Hi, I got my welding ticket in 85, worked 6 moths as a welder and found a different trade. I liked welding but didn't like the job and I was young and stupid.

At anyrate I have keep up with my welding but only as a hoby for myself and with arc. so my welder got ripped off from my storage locker and I decided to try something new so I found a reconditioned Millermatic DVI with a 300 amp roughneck c series torch that I am picking up tomorrow. any tips for a guy new to Mig? I have used a small mig with flux core for tacking but thats about it.

Steve

[Clockwelder]

Hi Steve and a welcome to you,here! I am not very familiar with the different Millers, but there's someone who can help you there. I'll look it up, too. I have used fluxcore and it's good for outside and thicker metal welding. But I have a machine set up for Mig. You use a bottle of Arg/CO2 at a 75%/25% mix. I am using .023 wire so that I can weld the thinner metal. Buying a bottle of that is better than leasing in the long run. Get the biggest bottle the welding supply will let you have and that you can load w/o too much trouble. Check the prices in your area, too.

[Stircrazy]

Hi, ya I got all the accesories, except the mig its self.. they were just waiting for a new breaker switch to come in. so I bought a 120 cuft tank, but they sold me a tri-mix. 13%CO2, 2% O2, 85% argon. I will see how this does and go from there for my next tank. new floating ball argon reg, treated myself to a new pair of gloves that don't have split leather cufs. I hate the mess they make. haha

I picked up 030 wire, was told it is better all round than the 035, but I did pick up both sizes of tips.

the welder its self is an 07 milermatic dvi, with a 15 foot roughneck C series 300 amp torch. the welder has been reconditioned and I got them to throw in a new liner for the torch.

I was originaly planning on getting an arc/tig combo unit, but with me being semi-retired and not wanting to go back to work till after summer, my budgit for replacing my old stick got hacked and I found this unit for a steel.

Steve

[DSW]

The DVI is supposed to be a nice machine from what I've heard. The 110v/220v option is nice, but the machine is a bit too large to be "portable". I usually keep .030 wire in my 220v mig. It's a good compromise that works well for light and medium materials, so I don't always have to swap out rolls. If I have a lot of heavy work, I will toss in the .035 spool, or order one for the job just to save time.

Stick machines are usually dirt cheap used, if you keep your eyes open. I see nice Tombstones either in AC only or AC/DC cheap all the time on CL. Often for as little as $50 for AC units, especially off brand units like Sears, Century, Mont. Wards... All good solid transformer machines.

Since you have some previous exp with stick, mig shouldn't present any problems. The big thing that may don't get is that it's easy to make nice looking welds with mig that don't have enough penetration. With a 220v machine, this shouldn't be a problem if you follow the basic suggested settings on the door of the machine, and fine tune from there.

[specter]

Hi Ya Stircrazy and Welcome to the Welding Web Family. Sorry to hear that you other welder got ripped off but you've got a nice machine with that Miller DVI.

[Stircrazy]

Thanks guys, I picked up my DVI yesterday works good, I ran a few beeds to try it out befor I paid for it. My migwelding leaves a bit to be desired though it will take a bit of practice and playing around to get used to this one I think.

I am still waiting for a 030 liner to come in and the two 115V plugs, but I got a new contact tip, nozzle, and wire set up. had to fine adjust the rollers to the wire feed though was a little out. so right now I am running 030 through a 035-045 liner which I hope I will only have to do for about a week.

One question on tension. the mannual shows you pointing the gun at a block of wood while pulling the trigger and adjusting the roller tension. but they don't realy tell you what your looking for. do you adjust it so it just stops slipping and starts to slow the feed motor down?

thanks
Steve

[specter]

Yes to the tension. If you adjust it too tight it will not feed into the liner but will bind in the tensioner and eventually bunch up in your machine and could even short out the machine.

[jimmyray]

Hi...
My name is jimmy ray. I have done Bachelor in Commerce in 1996, then I have done Post Graduate Diploma in Industrial Relation and Personnal Management. I love playing CASIO and by the time I am learning it. My
Goal is to become a Efficient Manager.