Lincoln Welder Questions

[The Ratchet Man]

I bought one of the Lincoln Pro Mig 180 welders that was listed in the Hot Deals section a little while back and have a couple of questions. I've done my fair share of stick welding but Mig welding is totally new to me.

This welder came with the hose for a shielding gas or it can be run with flux core wire. Which method would be preferred at my house and why? What type of shielding gas is preferred? I have access to a local AirGas, and can get a discount through work, so access is not an issue. If it matters, I will be welding up to 1/2" material, which is the recommended limit for the welder.

I currently dont have any 220V in the garage. From the main panel to the garage wall is 85', which includes going up the main panel wall and down the garage wall. The welder input is 20A. What gauge wire would I need for an 85' run to be rated at 30A, to give me a little wiggle room? Will I need 3 or 4 conductor wire? I do little to no house wiring so I'll have this done by someone else. Just trying to get all the supplies together.

 

[Just_George]

12awg wire should be sufficient for 20 amps, you'll need 10awg for 30 amps. 10/2 is fine, don't need a 3rd conductor (ground wire is a given and not counted in romex)

For shielding gas, most run C25 (Argon/CO2 mix) If you have a spool gun for welding aluminum, you'll want pure argon. Running shielding gas is neater, no slag to deal with, but it doesn't work as well outside due to the gas being blown away by breezes. Flux core will often run just a bit hotter, can be useful if you're at the limits of the machine.

If you get the gas, try to get the biggest tank you can practically handle/afford - most of the cost of refilling is labor, so big tanks are much cheaper in the long run.

 

[The Ratchet Man]

I have a 100' roll of 10/3 that I picked up at a yard sale a couple of years back for cheap. Will this work or is that too many wires?

I've seen bottles that are about 2' tall but not really sure of the quantity of gas inside or how its measured. How long do you think one of those would last me? I just don't want to have to swap bottles every time I want to weld something.

 

[jshultz78]

I was looking at one of those before I decided on my hobart 210, You MAY be able to get 1/2" out of that one, but you'll have to make multiple passes, even on my hobart and the miller cousin, the 211, it only recommends 3/8" single pass. I've got some scrap 3/8" plate, just haven't had the time to try it yet.

As far as mig and flux, one thing, make sure the polarity is correct or you'll have crappy welds and won't know why. For gas it needs to be DCEP, for flux DCEN, you switch the wires at the quick connects inside the door.

For sheetmetal/exhaust work, you CAN use flux, but use .030 and you'll have to turn the heat and wire speed way down or you will burn through. I've played with some 18ga with flux, wasn't pretty but it held.

The door settings aren't perfect. It gets you in the ballpark of where it needs to be set. I've noticed my hobart chart is too hot for thinner, and too cold for thicker. And I run the wire speed 5 less than what the chart says. You'll just have to play with it until you get the "bacon sizzle" sound. mmm bacon..

I bought a 40cf bottle of argon/co2 from airgas, was about $275, costs ~40 to refill, if you have the flowmeter set at about 10cfh, you can weld nonstop for 4 hours. I've had mine for about 6 months and haven't had to refill it yet.

And don't buy that anti splatter spray the welding shops sell, get some pam cooking spray, does the same thing and it smells awesome when you're cooking the metal.

 

[ATC]

Do yourself a favor and buy an 80cf or larger tank from the start. You'll hate yourself when you run out of gas with a 40 or 60 on a Friday evening and have to wait until Monday to get it filled. My friend just bought a Lincoln 140 and a 40cf bottle. After one weekend of making a small welding table, he was out of gas. He upgraded to the 60 just a couple weeks later, and it starting to run into the same problem.
I buy all my tanks on Ebay. Then just take them to Airgas where they will swap you for a full one. To fill my 80 costs around $34 or so last time I did it. They also quoted me $38 to fill my 300cf tank All will be within a few bucks of each other...might as well go big the first time

 

[Just_George]

I have a 100' roll of 10/3 that I picked up at a yard sale a couple of years back for cheap. Will this work or is that too many wires?

That will work just fine...you simply don't connect the un-needed wire. Cheap is a good thing, given the price of wire lately!

 

[sberry]

The 10 wire is ideal for this machine.

 

[The Ratchet Man]

The 1/2" material was stated only if using flux...I guess because it runs hotter like y'all said.

I will check into a large bottle but I don't plan on welding anything besides steel, at least for now. Maybe after I get used to this machine I'll try my hand at aluminum. Is a spool gun required or optional for aluminum and what does it actually do?

My first project is to weld together my vice pedestal. Then the skys the limit.

 

[The Ratchet Man]

I paid $20 for the roll of wire. I bought it to scrap when I was doing a lot of that, but never got around to stripping it. A roll like that goes for a little over $100 at Lowes. I was happy to hear I would be able to use it for this project.

 

[QwikKotaTx]

The spool gun pulls the wire at the gun side versus pushing from the machine, which can't be done with the softer aluminum. Required for sure to weld Al. With the romex or any non-stranded flexible wire, make sure to only use it for permanent installations as movement of it in extension cord form can break wires internally over time.

 

[The Ratchet Man]

I was actually going to use the 15' or so that I had left over to make an extension cord. Seems I'm now on the hunt for something stranded. Do they make stranded Romex or do I need something different for an extension cord? Better yet, are there any pre-made 220v cords? I want to get away from the house a good bit and the factory cord isn't going to let me do that.

 

[Just_George]

I'm sure there are pre-made 220v extension cords, although I can't say that I've seen many. I did buy a very heavy-duty, very expensive one from my local welding supply store, but that's probably overkill for your needs. To make one, buy some 10/2 wg (with ground) SJO cord and the correct plugs for the end and you'll be all set. Easy, maybe not 'cheap', but shouldn't be terribly expensive either.

 

[QwikKotaTx]

There are a few 220v cords but they are very expensive. Better to make your own as suggested or buy a heavy duty RV 110v extension cord and chop the ends off.

220v
http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-25-ft-10-4-Generator-Cord-615-18046AB/100665722#.UkQz-PL9WSo
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Generac-50-ft-30-Amp-7500-Watt-Generator-Cord-6329/203835713#.UkQzoPL9WSo

110v
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rodale-25-ft-30-Amp-Recreational-Vehicle-Non-Detachable-Power-Cord-30A25FNDTB/202185114#.UkQ0g_L9WSo

Receptacle (6-50R)
http://www.amazon.com/Forney-58401-Electrical-Receptacle-Pin-Type/dp/B003X4338G/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1380201721&sr=8-8&keywords=nema+6-50r

Plug (Nema 6-50P)
http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-931-Angle-Grounding-Black/dp/B00004YUKC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1380201938&sr=8-2&keywords=nema+6-50p

Be sure and verify all this matches your welder but I have a Lincoln 175 220v and used this setup, more or less. The Receptacle is one of the few that you don't have to wall mount or put on a piece of wood (not recommended) but it is rather flimsy and far from water tight.

 

[sberry]

Welding depot or one of those has 25 ft welder cords for 50$, they are heavier than needed for a 180 but cheap considering the ends. I think someone on Miller listed a link?