Sounds like one of the early Passports. That would make it one of the early dual voltage portable inverter migs. I'm more familiar with the newer ones before they discontinued them last year or so when they came out with the Multimatic that combined the passport with stick and tig functions. I can't remember hearing any bad things about them, so I assume they were similar to the newer ones.

Passports were supposedly optimized for use with CO2 for portability with the on board paintball cylinder. I vaguely remember reading the arc wasn't quite as nice on 75/25 compared to some machines, but still quite good. Output on 110v was slightly better than with transformer migs, but not so much that it really mattered much. Output on 230v is about the equivalent of the newer MM211 other than possibly duty cycle. They are quite rugged being based on the same case Miller used for the suitcase feeders and well suited for field use. I've always thought for a portable 110v capable mig they were probably the best option out there. Sadly cost put them out of reach of most people.


I know a couple of older members had or used Passports at work. Sadly I think the main guy who posted about them stopped posting here. I know he was using one to weld light gauge steel studding on jobs and thought quite highly of them.

 

I have the same model pasport , it has been very handy . Ran on 220 and 120 off long a$$ extension cords , all the time also ran it off my trailblazer when in the field . If you look inside you will see a valve which allows you to use external gas tank and regulator . Even though I got the Aluminum gun liner ,(never tried it) I under stand it would jam at the twist of you wrist . Oh and large spools of wire make it heavy as $hit

 

I have a newer Passport Plus that i've had for 5 years or so that has been a terrific machine with no issues, i never tried to weld stainless with it but i believe you need a special TRI mix gas, i dont think CO2 will work on stainless ? My Passport Plus is FOR SALE, it is in Excellent condition, works great and comes with extras, asking $1300 with free shipping to lower 48, if any one is interested send me a message, Thanks Richard.

 

The manual said a tri mix, but as I did some research, Argon will work for stainless too. And funny part is, I have an Argon tank for my 115V Century 130 mig.

...for my 'old' Passport, I paid much, much less then that.....I guess I did good then.....

 

The manual said a tri mix, but as I did some research, Argon will work for stainless too. And funny part is, I have an Argon tank for my 115V Century 130 mig.

What do you mean by "argon"? 100% doesn't make sense at all for a 110v mig unless you were setting up for alum. C25, what is typical for small migs, would be the wrong gas for stainless, unless of course you don't care if it stays stainless. I've heard of some using high argon mixes like 98/2 argon/O2 for stainless, but the higher the argon, the more power you need typically and smaller class migs often don't have the voltage to run these mixes well.

 

When I looked at my tank last, I just noticed it said "argon". I didn't take a closer look to see if it was a mix or 100%. Some of the PDFs and links about choosing gases showed me that Aron can be used at a rate of 100% for any metal welding. Originally, I thought I would have to have two separate gases to weld regular steel and stainless.

Years ago, when I bought my 110V mig from Costco (a Century 130), I went to the local welding place to buy a tank for it. I told them I was welding regular steel at the time. I never paid attention to the gas type. I always thought it was CO2.... anyhow, after getting the Passport and it had stainless wire, I thought I could run the Argon... I've aways used the same bottle, when I go empty, I just set it down on the dock and they get me a new one. Maybe that's why my 110V sucks even on thin metal...... I just noticed it said Argon and as I stated, a chart said I could use 100%....it's on one of the threads tacked on this site.

If I have to get two separate tanks, then so be it. Maybe three. I have some Lincoln LN-7 mig welders that I plan to set up in the future for stainless and reg steel.

I did try the Passport at 220V w/ the stainless wire and some scrap stainless I found. I used the internal CO2 bottle and welded a crack. It turned black, but I imagine that's because I used CO2 instead of the gas for stainless.

I guess I'll have to venture in and ask again (after I look what "argon" bottle I actually have).....

 

The tank is a 75% Ar/ 25% CO2

 

you will want tri-mix for high grade stainless, (food grade). You can use C25 gas for lower grade stainless welding. There are several grades of stainless steel metal. The lowest grade will even rust and a magnet will stick to it. High grade will not rust, stand up to mild acid and magnets don't stick.

 

Helium based tri mix......not argon based. The argon based tri mix has too much CO2.

 

Thanks. I'm in the market for a tank for the Passport and my LN-7 Lincoln wirefeed too.