Looking to buy a new Multiprocess, any suggestions?

[shovelon]

I guess location can dictate a preference for process as well. When I went to school it was either union shop stick, or aerospace tig. In between companies relied on knuckle draggers or immigrant labor. We could all see how the union shops were sucking the life out of the industry so the long-termers usually went with aerospace with a bend on QC. SoCal was the aerospace mecca of the West. We all had part time jobs in sheet metal job shops to pay for school. A lot of the knuckle draggers and immigrants would sabatoge the tig machines, yank on wires, drop chuncks of metal on cables. You name it. They usually all termed out as the contracts dried up.

I remember a job shop I worked in had me welding the sheet metal components while it took 5 immigrants to keep up with the dressing and jitterbugging. They complained but instead the shop foreman asked me to mig all the seams for speed, and the welder he had was a filthy POS. I did it and was not much faster but the immigrant burrhands went nuts as the welds wer hard as a rock, and cleanup was extensive. The foreman finally gave up and put me back on the tig. And I told him many times I was a weldor not a grinder.

Fine Grindor

[N2 Welding]

Being a Weldor and not a Welder wouldn't that make a Grinder a Grindor?

[shovelon]

Being a Weldor and not a Welder wouldn't that make a Grinder a Grindor?

Ok I changed it for ya.

[C4Mac]

The transformer surprised me a bit. I wonder if they used lower quality components (aluminum windings instead of copper for example), or if they just put a few less turns on the windings in order to save some money there.

That's probably where they're squeezing the extra 20A from. I haven't pulled the side panel off mine yet but I will look in there this weekend and post a couple pics of the transformer. It could be a difference in the winding count that allow one model of the MM252 to run off higher voltages though since the windings count is what determines the voltage step up or down.

[Lis2323]

I had to go back to the first post to refresh my memory.

I don’t know if it has been mentioned, but have you considered a used power source?

When I first retired I found a two year old Miller 350XMT with a 22a feeder for a little under your $4K budget.

l added a 30a spool gun with 24C contractor and later found a push pull cabinet and gun for it all on eBay.





I recently sold it for more than my original investment.

[Sberry]

I asked an engineer type from Hobart what the diff was between the 230 and 240, she said, they squeezed a few more out the top. I really like what they did there getting rid of between models and while they lose a little juice on each end of the deal it keeps some cost down utilizing lots of the same parts. All of the rubber, the wire comes off the same spools from an outfit ITW owns and to tell the truth the quest to cheapen some stuff has improved things a lot. In many thinjgs they found a better way that is now standard and to tell the truth when I get down to it like lots of the generic stuff as good or even better than some of the proprietary and the cost and risk of loss is a bonus as is the ability to afford duplication where it applies.
I am sure a guy could argue a better knife but we settle on the common Stanley etc and under 5 a piece. While A 50$ thing may be more perfect we aint gonna buy a dozen. The economy adds to safety, can toss old and broke and insure the use of the correct blade.
As for the welders, thew Hobart here is a manual tranny and 350 in it. I have been told there is stuff I am missing out about without pulse mig,,, its been a while since I get out so never ran it or even see real expert use it. One says, use once and never wanna go back but I got to wonder about it like paint. Yes, a 900$ gun might help if I paint sports cars daily but work truck anymore or equipment on occasion the old will doi and I feel a little same about welding today. I keep in mind though my position,,,,, I simply dont need, not gonna make me any more, fundamentally dont care and want to stretch the stuff I got now out.
I saw a guy a whil;e back,,, so used to spending 200 a month on the tool truck till he retired and now realizing he dont need,,, didnt need much anything for the last 20 years.
These welding machines last a long time. Its similar to the Sears wrench of older but I know lots of guys use sears wrenches just find and every use was money in the pocket. I was on a forum,,, I understand the collection, I really do but a guy couldnt do anything without flagging down the truck and tossing 35$ at a socket he will use once when they got a whole bin of them across the street at 50 cents works fine. Not saying not to get good but cost 50 to turn a screw once kind of defeats some of the3 idea of what the Sears tool set was about, guy could afford to purchance a set he could do a lot with. Welder the same way and in the end the manual tranny isnt so bad if a guy isnt a 40 hr user,

[Sberry]

I can manage the first Dynasty, I can adjust the slope a little but I saw a machine inb a maint shop the other day I was scared to touch,,, must have bene 30 knobs on that fugger. Ok, back to welders, only way I would upgrade from the one I have is if it failed. I realize the longer it is the more likely but its used regular, had minor repair when needed and works today like it always did. While that Hobart can run lots of wire I bet the buyer will be 1 wire 1 gas and prolly settle on 035. I finally put 045 in my 250, I really should have the day I got it as I have another smaller wire machine.
While this may sound contrary it isnt. There are lots of 140 class for sale, my cousin is patient and lives in a good place. Said he passed on 2 and then wham, some guy wanting to clear the garage today in decent burb and buys a 10 yr old 140 with 1/2 its first 2# spool in it, 80 bottle full,,, hood and couple other things the guy tosses in,,, 150$ I dont need it but would have been in my hands in a min too. I had an 030 machine and then a bud leaves a 140 here and it was really nice since it was a little bro model and with 023 the settings even identical,,, they havnt changed it forever. I am so used to 030 which I like if I can but I felt like a super fricken hero with that little wire right down to filling a hole in foil.
Super for exhaust work. If I never done anything but fix a few simple exhaust pieces my wire feed would have been free. There is a lot of hang up about all this "quality" welding and to some extent that ornery fart franz knew that but the realdeal is the **** a guy can do if he can operate the machine.
Various skill levels and different even with same industry, milk lets say but the term journeyman implys some basic various skill and ability to adapt quickly.

[Sberry]

I am not buying welding equipment for retirement. I am gonna work out a little and invest in some dancing lessons, a nice Caddilac, instead of water cooler tig a couple 3 nicer suits tailored and a cruise ship ticket or 2 with a stash of viagra for good measure. My Bud went on one a while back and said they got trophy widows getting away from it all, so many they hang from the walls.

[Lis2323]

I am not buying welding equipment for retirement. I am gonna work out a little and invest in some dancing lessons, a nice Caddilac, instead of water cooler tig a couple 3 nicer suits tailored and a cruise ship ticket or 2 with a stash of viagra for good measure. My Bud went on one a while back and said they got trophy widows getting away from it all, so many they hang from the walls.

i got all that ...but having nice welding gear can be a good alternative to cuddling.

[N2 Welding]

i got all that ...but having nice welding gear can be a good alternative to cuddling.

Exactly, because what’s not to love about a welder throwing hot molten sparks atcha while you are trying to get comfortable lying on your back and plowing ahead with overhead beads.

[Louie1961]

As for the welders, thew Hobart here is a manual tranny and 350 in it. I have been told there is stuff I am missing out about without pulse mig,,, its been a while since I get out so never ran it or even see real expert use it. One says, use once and never wanna go back but I got to wonder about it like paint. Yes, a 900$ gun might help if I paint sports cars daily but work truck anymore or equipment on occasion the old will doi and I feel a little same about welding today. I keep in mind though my position,,,,, I simply dont need, not gonna make me any more, fundamentally dont care and want to stretch the stuff I got now out.

My perspective on this is I think pulse MIG is worth it. Less clean up, and sounder welds that really burn in, especially on quarter inch material and up. Yes, dual shield and or metal core wires are easier to run and probably better suited for the heavier stuff. But pulse MIG fills in a nice gap between the stuff that is suitable for short circuit MIG and the half inch plate that really needs dual shield. And with the machine I have, I don't have to change gasses or wire to go from downhill short circuit MIG on 18 gauge to pulse MIG uphill on 3/8ths plate. BUT there is a catch. Learning how to chose the proper settings for pulse MIG is a much longer learning curve than learning how to chose the right settings for short circuit or plain old spray MIG.

If the Hobart is the truck with a 350 and a manual tranny, then I guess the MM255 is more like the truck with the V8 turbo diesel, 10 speed transmission, and front and rear electricronic locking differentials.

[Oscar]

BUT there is a catch. Learning how to chose the proper settings for pulse MIG is a much longer learning curve than learning how to chose the right settings for short circuit or plain old spray MIG. .

I disagree if that is meant to cover all pulse MIG machines. Mine didn't have a learning curve other than the 3/4" contact tip to work distance. If that statement is for your Miller, then I won't disagree.

[Louie1961]

I disagree if that is meant to cover all pulse MIG machines. Mine didn't have a learning curve other than the 3/4" contact tip to work distance. If that statement is for your Miller, then I won't disagree.

So you never have to adjust your trim/arc length?

[Oscar]

So you never have to adjust your trim/arc length?

I have the option of adjusting the voltage and thus change the arc length if I want to, but it is not required as part of a learning curve to get the machine to achieve a proper pulsed-spray ODPP transfer method and not have things go completely hay-wire left and right; that is what the built-in programmed synergic program does, and mine do it well. It can obviously be changed to suit the situation at hand such as out-of-position welding, vertical up/down, etc, but that is not specific to pulsed-MIG. To say 'you have to adjust arc-length/voltage' for pulse-MIG would be redundant and misleading as that could be said for any wire feed process of any kind as part of normal tweaking: MIG w/ C25, gasless flux core, gas-shielded flux core, spray transfer, pulsed-spray, etc. At any given time, I can go load up any of my MIGs with wire, send C8 - C10 out the nozzle (for solid steel wire), using the stock 10ft MIG gun, using the stock pulse-MIG program without adjusting the voltage at all, and it would work great. Yes, it is that effortless with mine.

[Sberry]

Sounds like I am not missing anything and can get along fine with what I have.

[C4Mac]

It's been a while since I've been able to update this but I did finally get a chance to use the Ironman 240 today, didn't do much with just welded a few 1/4" gussets. This was my first run with this welder and I'm very happy with it's performance. I still need to dial in my settings which is not going to be as easy as it would with the MM252 because the dials don't give you actual voltage or IPM. The settings on the chart that the welder comes with are pretty darn close though. Here are a couple pics of the quick short welds from today.



I need a lot more trigger time with this welder and the wire feed seems really slow but it's laying down plenty of heat and good gas coverage. I think this will be a really good welder for me. I just got my CNC plasma table a week or so ago and that thing has been soaking up a ton of my time but I'm back in project mode so I should be getting more time with the Ironman.

[N2 Welding]

Do you have a current thread running about the plasma table?

[C4Mac]

Do you have a current thread running about the plasma table?

Negative, I didn't even look to see if there was a subforum for CNC plasma.

[cornchip]

It's been a while since I've been able to update this but I did finally get a chance to use the Ironman 240 today, didn't do much with just welded a few 1/4" gussets. This was my first run with this welder and I'm very happy with it's performance. I still need to dial in my settings which is not going to be as easy as it would with the MM252 because the dials don't give you actual voltage or IPM. The settings on the chart that the welder comes with are pretty darn close though. Here are a couple pics of the quick short welds from today.



I need a lot more trigger time with this welder and the wire feed seems really slow but it's laying down plenty of heat and good gas coverage. I think this will be a really good welder for me. I just got my CNC plasma table a week or so ago and that thing has been soaking up a ton of my time but I'm back in project mode so I should be getting more time with the Ironman.

nice but personally i would crank that sucker up a notch or three so its like the photo below. honestly im not sure i would do much gun manipulation either

[N2 Welding]

nice but personally i would crank that sucker up a notch or three so its like the photo below. honestly im not sure i would do much gun manipulation either

Looks good now lets see that in vertical uphill

[C4Mac]

I did some vertical on mine but I did them downhill, I don't think I can crank the voltage any higher because on a couple of my welds I was undercutting but the wire feed could definitely get cranked up. Also N2 here is a short YouTube video I did assembling and making my first cuts with the plasma table.

[N2 Welding]

I like the setting up your Victor Performer Vid. More specifically when you Fuczored up the little black tray you spent all that time sanding and painting LOL... I was thinking you should of just used some shims between the round tubes and the tray to make it so it would not flex out of shape and all would be good providing you didn't fuczor that up too

[C4Mac]

I like the setting up your Victor Performer Vid. More specifically when you Fuczored up the little black tray you spent all that time sanding and painting LOL... I was thinking you should of just used some shims between the round tubes and the tray to make it so it would not flex out of shape and all would be good providing you didn't fuczor that up too

I definitely would have messed that up too...those drill bits were biting. That's been a good torch kit, the rosebud isn't the biggest but it works good and I bought a couple larger cutting tips I think a 0 and a 1. I forgot all about that tray screw up, luckily YouTube is forever.

[N2 Welding]

I have the same kit before ESAB took over Victor. Does me just fine. Oh and I also have a couple of Victor complete set ups with tanks, carts, welding, cutting, heating etc set ups. Very happy with them.