New member with 115v Couple Questions Please

[vashtsdaytona]

Hello.

I hope I found the correct forum as I am a newbie, and maybe this place isnt really for the hobbiests?

I was recently given my first welder as a gift. It is a 115v as a 230 isnt possible at the moment and the portabitlity i think will come in handy.

it is a Campbell Hausfeld WG2160 MIG/FLUX core. 30-100amp. it came with .035 flux core wire setup for electrode negative welding. claims up to 3/16 penatration. 4 heat settings up to 1/8 in. on a 15amp circuit and the highest setting for 3/16 requires a 20amp which i have.

I have taken a welding course in college and we got to do many differnt types of welding but never used 115, i did have a quick expierence with a flux core 230 setup. This was a couple years ago so i probably forgot everything i learned.

anyway i am having trouble getting a decent bead with this thing. just laying down wel on scram metal at the moment. but it is comming out with lots of holes pits and inclusions. also there is very little splatter, which is a good thing i spose, but with my previous flux corexpierence there was lots. which makes me think somthing is wrong.

any thoughts on this? bad wire? change wire size? wire speed? It does stick things together but i have never seen such ugly welds.


also...

this model can be setup for gas, and came with a regulator. there are no gauges on the reg though. i would rather not have to buy a differnt one, but how could i even guess what to set that at without some kind of guage?

Lastly (for now ) i would like to get a 20-40 bottle for it, any ideas on cost for C25 in that quantity? i would have to buy the bottle first right? I have search for welding suppliers in my area and there are many, i just dont know where to start.


this is really just hobby stuff, but would like to be able to put 1/8 walled tubing together for projects, and weld nuts to brackets for set screws (dock posts, part of the portability aspect) that kind of stuff. I do realize i wont be welding a trailer hitch to a truck with this but would like to make some usefull things/repairs.

thanks for taking the time in helping me out. I have enjoye browsing this boar so far, seems to be full of practical information.

-Adam

[DSW]

1/8" steel will be pushing that little machine slightly beyond it's limits. The manufacturers over rate those little machines. Use FC wire to get the most out of that machine. Under real world conditions 14 or 16 ga is probably a more reasonable limit with only 100 amps max to work with. The 140 amp 115v migs top out at 1/8".

As far as gas, my last sale flyer for the LWS lists $70 for a 20 cf cyl and $120 for a 60 cf cylinder. Note 20 cf will give you about 1 hr of weld time and usually isn't the best choice. You'll constantly find yourself running out of gas and having to go out for more. Also if you use any at all, and want to do a weekend project, you'll be faced with returning a partially full cylinder or running out over the weekend when you can't get gas. Also refills are cheaper per cf with larger cylinders. A large percentage of the cylinder cost in small cylinders is tied up in handling fee's hazmat fee's, transport and so on. You pay the same on a big cylinder as you do a 20 cf one. Gas will make it easier to do thin sheet metal, but you'll loose penetration at the top end, so FC would be a better choice if you need as much penetration as possible.

As far as the regs, the cheap ones with no gauges are factory set and you can not adjust them. They work ok, but you will have no idea what's left in the cylinder to judge if you have 5 minutes of gas left or it's almost full. Note some small migs use a small tube the sticks into the "reg" and attaching a "standard" reg is a PITA. If the reg has a screw on hose like the standard ones, you shouldn't have an issue if you want to upgrade the reg.


220/230v is usually easier to get than most people think. Most homes have a 230v dryer or range and you can build a 50' extension cord to get to the weld area. There's a good thread here on how to build a 220v extension cord. If you have gas, then it's tougher.

[vashtsdaytona]

wow fast reply, thanks. um the garage is detached from the house, and is 150+ft away from house and is a single 20amp cirucit, not the best for sure but just how it is. so new wire would have to be run that distance. true the dryer in the house is 220 but the location would require a very very long extension cord to get the machine somewhere useful.

[weldgault]

Check AWS # and see if you are on the correct polarity DCEP<DCEN. JG

[dave powelson]

Review then read again--the sticky link below,
it's appropriately titled : 110 volt migs


http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=20883

[dave powelson]

wow fast reply, thanks. um the garage is detached from the house, and is 150+ft away from house and is a single 20amp cirucit, not the best for sure but just how it is. so new wire would have to be run that distance. true the dryer in the house is 220 but the location would require a very very long extension cord to get the machine somewhere useful.

If there's only 120 volt circuit to the garage, at 150' length---then check the voltage available
at the garage outlet.
Even if it's a 220 volt run--you still may be encountering voltage drop.

[RodJ]

THE BEST tip I learned about these units is from weldingtipsandtricks.com -- get a good work clamp connection. The clamps that come with your average 115 v machine are pretty crappy and can be improved even with a few wraps of bare copper wire to make sure you get a good connection of metal to metal. Same goes for making sure the work lead is well connected to the clamp itself. Or spend $10-15 at Harbor Frieght or Northern Tool and get a clamp with more clamping surface to the work. In that same vein, make sure you grind the metal where you are going to attach your work clamp for a good ground, and of course clean and grind to shiny metal the area you are welding.

Try that and make sure you adjust your voltage and wirefeed per the instructions for the metal thickness you are welding and you should be in the ball park.

I can tell when my work clamp isn't clean or getting a good connection now that I know the difference. I even wire brush the work clamp every now and then so it's clean.

Use all the help you can get to make the most of that little machine.

[vashtsdaytona]

Review then read again--the sticky link below,
it's appropriately titled : 110 volt migs


http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=20883

Thank you I was aware of that thread, and did read through all of that and took some tips from it.

If there's only 120 volt circuit to the garage, at 150' length---then check the voltage available
at the garage outlet.
Even if it's a 220 volt run--you still may be encountering voltage drop.

That is possible, I will check the voltage at the outlet. I do have a decent generator too so that is an option, also i had considered a 220 machine to run off that but didnt really want to always be tied to it. I would like to get a proper 220 service and then get a proper welder, remeber this was a gift and id like to make some use of it.

THE BEST tip I learned about these units is from weldingtipsandtricks.com -- get a good work clamp connection. The clamps that come with your average 115 v machine are pretty crappy and can be improved even with a few wraps of bare copper wire to make sure you get a good connection of metal to metal. Same goes for making sure the work lead is well connected to the clamp itself. Or spend $10-15 at Harbor Frieght or Northern Tool and get a clamp with more clamping surface to the work. In that same vein, make sure you grind the metal where you are going to attach your work clamp for a good ground, and of course clean and grind to shiny metal the area you are welding.

Try that and make sure you adjust your voltage and wirefeed per the instructions for the metal thickness you are welding and you should be in the ball park.

I can tell when my work clamp isn't clean or getting a good connection now that I know the difference. I even wire brush the work clamp every now and then so it's clean.

Use all the help you can get to make the most of that little machine.

Thanks for the tips, I also saw some of this in the FAQ, i did go and a get a nice solid copper clamp (ok probably plated, but is coppery all over and much larger contact patch) today and put that on. Also I got a new proper wroking helmet which i like better.

then i played with it some more and i am getting proper beads now and am comfortable enough with it to start a couple small projects. we shall see how they turn out. but i am deffinatly sticking metal together with what people would recgonzie as welds and not just holey goops of metal.

Oh i would also like to say, this machine seems very finiky about stickout length. I am not super expierenced welder mind you, just used a couple of different machines in my time, but this one is the most picky about that in maintaing a nice arc.

Thanks for the help guys!

[vashtsdaytona]

for what its worth, i did my first real project today. made a 10ft gate for my buddies fence. nothing to complicated but the ground has a slope to it we needed to make it instead of buy and ofcourse it was cheaper. anyway made of 1/8 tubing and got what i feel is good penatration on the 3rd setting (the suggested setting) and on setting 4 (3/16) it would burn through using 0.035 flux wire. i was on a true 20amp circuit for that and it was new steel. but i do think this machine will do what it is advertised to do, and i think 3/16 would be doable.

[ThorsHammer]

for what its worth, i did my first real project today. made a 10ft gate for my buddies fence. nothing to complicated but the ground has a slope to it we needed to make it instead of buy and ofcourse it was cheaper. anyway made of 1/8 tubing and got what i feel is good penatration on the 3rd setting (the suggested setting) and on setting 4 (3/16) it would burn through using 0.035 flux wire. i was on a true 20amp circuit for that and it was new steel. but i do think this machine will do what it is advertised to do, and i think 3/16 would be doable.

having used a machine this size in the past I will say that in order to do the 3/16 you'll need to be able to weld both sides of the joint to get proper penetration and connection. Remember Edges and corners will burn through way quicker than welds in the middle of a peice of metal. so Just because you're burning through on the end of a tube doesn't mean you're burning through in the middle of it.

People that have these smaller machines tend to give them more credit than they should. I know I did when I had it. That being said. Just because you're weld looks nice on the surface doesn't mean you got the pentration needed for a good quality weld. Especially with thicker materials.

[Rick V]

Here's my experience with the same make and size of mig welder.
"MIG Welds don’t stick"
http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=6117

The thread covers my change over from flux core to gas mig... some things in there that may benefit you with respect to thickness of material (steel) that I could weld.

[vashtsdaytona]

[QUOTE=ThorsHammer;1045381]having used a machine this size in the past I will say that in order to do the 3/16 you'll need to be able to weld both sides of the joint to get proper penetration and connection. Remember Edges and corners will burn through way quicker than welds in the middle of a peice of metal. so Just because you're burning through on the end of a tube doesn't mean you're burning through in the middle of it.


i was welding 2in round pipe no edges or corners (that is to say i welded all the way around the pipe and there were some mitters to make corners). im not a welding expert or even seasoned, but looking inside the pipe i was pooling metal on the backside on 3 and burning clear through on 4. granted the wire spead has to be very slow for this process on the thick stuff so it is not a fast weld by anymeans.

but you are absolutly right a 220v is better and more versitile i am not arguing that. but at first i couldnt get this machine to do anything. now it seems to do everything that i will do with it. which is just small 1/8 (max) tubing projects, shelves table, motorcycle stand stuff like that.

but i appreciate all the advice and help i can get. i dont plan on fixing trailers, hitches, or car frams with this thing.

[deltanoob]

I have been learning welding from just last two weeks, going through such informative forums helps a lot to me. However, practical knowledge is very important for welding.

A good quality of helmet is also need for any sort of welding works!

I'm shy, can't contribute to this thread!

[smithdoor]

The 120v welder works better on 0.030 wire. I only found out this year using it best to 20 amp time delay fuse. Time delay fuse will a high amperage for a few seconds

Good luck
Dave

Hello.

I hope I found the correct forum as I am a newbie, and maybe this place isnt really for the hobbiests?

I was recently given my first welder as a gift. It is a 115v as a 230 isnt possible at the moment and the portabitlity i think will come in handy.

it is a Campbell Hausfeld WG2160 MIG/FLUX core. 30-100amp. it came with .035 flux core wire setup for electrode negative welding. claims up to 3/16 penatration. 4 heat settings up to 1/8 in. on a 15amp circuit and the highest setting for 3/16 requires a 20amp which i have.

I have taken a welding course in college and we got to do many differnt types of welding but never used 115, i did have a quick expierence with a flux core 230 setup. This was a couple years ago so i probably forgot everything i learned.

anyway i am having trouble getting a decent bead with this thing. just laying down wel on scram metal at the moment. but it is comming out with lots of holes pits and inclusions. also there is very little splatter, which is a good thing i spose, but with my previous flux corexpierence there was lots. which makes me think somthing is wrong.

any thoughts on this? bad wire? change wire size? wire speed? It does stick things together but i have never seen such ugly welds.


also...

this model can be setup for gas, and came with a regulator. there are no gauges on the reg though. i would rather not have to buy a differnt one, but how could i even guess what to set that at without some kind of guage?

Lastly (for now ) i would like to get a 20-40 bottle for it, any ideas on cost for C25 in that quantity? i would have to buy the bottle first right? I have search for welding suppliers in my area and there are many, i just dont know where to start.


this is really just hobby stuff, but would like to be able to put 1/8 walled tubing together for projects, and weld nuts to brackets for set screws (dock posts, part of the portability aspect) that kind of stuff. I do realize i wont be welding a trailer hitch to a truck with this but would like to make some usefull things/repairs.

thanks for taking the time in helping me out. I have enjoye browsing this boar so far, seems to be full of practical information.

-Adam