120v mig and 0.035" wire?

[CGT80]

Has anyone ever run a 135 amp mig welder with 0.035" wire?

I will be fabricating some items out of 1/8" and 3/16" steel square tube and I need to use a wire that only comes in 0.035" and larger. There is a limited amount of 3/16" that I need to weld.

My mig is a miller 135 and I run 75/25 gas. I can lay great beads with this machine and 0.023" ER70S-6. I do not know if the larger diameter wire will be a problem with the limited output of this machine.

For the last project, I used my brother's miller 252. To run the correct wire in my machine I would have to spool some of it onto an 11 pound empty spool and probably go to a new gun liner and I think I would need a different drive roll for the feeder portion. He will likely be using his 252 for his own project at the same time, otherwise I would just borrow his.

It might be better for me to just cut all of my material, and maybe even tack weld it, so I can borrow his machine for a day or two to run my welds.

The 135 is a great little machine and I prefer it over the 252 for 1/8" and smaller work, but I have outgrown it's top end. My brother is not into welding as much as me, but he had the money and experience using my machine to go big when he decided to buy his own.

 

[Ign]

You'll "feel" the machine struggle. It'll work and plenty of newbs do it but as it sounds like you're experienced you'll note the difference.

 

[trackwelder]

Why do you need to use this certain wire?
It sounds like it just steel tubing your working with.

 

[zkling]

To answer your question, yes. When I bought my little Lincoln mig (120v) it came loaded with a 10lb spool of 0.035" solid and an extra spool of 0.045". Out of curiosity I tried it, expecting it to not be optimal, I was right. The machine just didn't have the power to use that size wire. Now 0.035" flux cored is a different story, but the 120v input machines are really suited to 0.030" and under solid wire. Even my 220v full size mig is loaded with 0.030 90% of the time, mostly used for 1/8-1/2" mild steel.

I need to use a wire that only comes in 0.035" and larger. There is a limited amount of 3/16" that I need to weld.

Why?

 

[CGT80]

I will be welding Corten/weathering steel. Lincoln LA-75 is the wire that I could find which is listed for use on weathering steel. If I was using A36 or similar, then the ER70S-6 would be fine. The welds need to look the same as the base metal and they need to hold up to the weather. The tubing will be made into frames to hold sheet metal signs.

My brother runs 0.030" most of the time in the 252, but it did fine with the 0.035". I used 0.030" in my little machine, in the past, and didn't like it for thin work.

If it is not optimal, I would notice. 3/16" is already pushing the limit of this machine, so the big wire would only make it worse. I have done plenty of MIG and TIG welding have seen little things effect the arc/bead. While I could use TIG, I just don't think this project will be a good fit for it.

I am glad someone else confirmed that they didn't like the bigger wire in the small machine. Thanks for the input.

 

[trackwelder]

I do not have any experience working with Corten steel. Could you tack everything up then pre heat with a oxy fuel torch to get the heat needed for adequate penetration. I have done this working with mild steel when a 110 machine was all that was available.

 

[sberry]

Probably would need a 30A breaker with 030 on that machine.

 

[zkling]

Ah, I can tell you from first hand experience that common good old ER70 has worked fine for me for the hand full times I have welded on that. At least I never heard back long term, and the one guy was a super picky artsy fellow.

I do not have any experience working with Corten steel. Could you tack everything up then pre heat with a oxy fuel torch to get the heat needed for adequate penetration. I have done this working with mild steel when a 110 machine was all that was available.

It's not a preheat issue, at that small scale it is a color match issue. Larger scale industrial, it becomes a long term corrosion resistance issue. IIRC it has nickle and copper added to it over mild steel. About the only place you will see it in the consumer market is in art sculptures. It has that....as they say "pitana" that the artsy folks love.

 

[trackwelder]

Ah, I can tell you from first hand experience that common good old ER70 has worked fine for me for the hand full times I have welded on that. At least I never heard back long term, and the one guy was a super picky artsy fellow.



It's not a preheat issue, at that small scale it is a color match issue. Larger scale industrial, it becomes a long term corrosion resistance issue. IIRC it has nickle and copper added to it over mild steel. About the only place you will see it in the consumer market is in art sculptures. It has that....as they say "pitana" that the artsy folks love.

The reason I was suggestion preheating with a torch is that machine doesn't have enough *** to burn that wire efficiently. It works on mild steel, not sure if that special alloy would be effected by extra heat imputed with a torch.

 

[laser3kw]

The "120v" machines are very sensitive to input voltage (and current). Running them on an extension cord, even a heavy gauge extension cord, will reduce it's ability to perform to it's maximum. Another tip is to keep the gun lead as straight as possible. Loops or snaky bends will impede the wire feed. That will show up while welding as sputtering or a phenomena similar to someone altering your wire speed while your welding.

 

[CGT80]

I have run the 135 from extension cords and also from a generator. I noticed the difference when it didn't have the input it needed.

Corten acts just like steel, at least for the last project I did with it. The LA-75 has more splatter than ER70S-6 and doesn't seem to have as smooth of an arc.

Corten develops a patina with time and moisture. It will only rust to a certain point, but some buildings and structures have rusted out due to the water not draining. For the previous project, I had the parts blasted with coarse sand and then I applied a patina and used a clear coat on them. The mill scale does not patina well and the grind marks and welds show up. The customers want the material to look aged and uniform with a dark color and they don't usually want the rust to run off and stain nearby surfaces.

I have used mild steel and a patina to obtain the same look, but it will not have the same long term weather resistance and would not be of the material the customer specified.

Heating with a torch would likely help, especially if it works well with mild steel, but I would be better off just borrowing a welder rather than buying parts for mine, spooling wire onto a smaller spool, and pushing the welder.

Here is the last project I did, which consisted of 10 of these sign frames:

 

[BD1]

Sounds like a great time to add another machine to your collection . Miller 211 or go for the big one 252.

 

[CGT80]

Sounds like a great time to add another machine to your collection . Miller 211 or go for the big one 252.

I was already looking on craigslist, but I would likely go new. Yes, I probably fit in here. I thought about an inexpensive 211, but the 252 is much better. When the 252 was here, I played with the spoolgun a bit, but didn't really learn to get a good bead. My brother says it works quite well, but is not easy to figure out. The spoolgun would be much faster than the tig, for some projects. I wish the 252 had pulsed welding. I have not used pulsed and some say it isn't necessary, but it sounds quite interesting. Those signs were a PITA because I had to skip around with the welds on the small square tubing. They had to be fully welded, but did not need that for strength. Stitch welding ended up being the best choice for the perimeter. It had the heat to make a flat spot weld and the pause let heat dissipate. The wire did not want to make a flat bead with continuous welding and low voltage. This also tells me the 135 would likely struggle with that wire as well.

You know, I really didn't need someone to tell me to spend my profit on another machine. I do have bills to, you know.

 

[Kracin]

you could avoid going with a super expensive machine and just stick it?