| Author |
Message |
Mark Radius (24.247.105.212)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 13, 2001 - 11:04 pm: | |
I am looking to purchase a welder to work on my conversion. I have used both stick and MIG welders, although I have never gotten any formal instruction on them. Considering that I want to keep the cost down, what is the best value? The good old Lincoln 225 "buzzbox"? What about these 115 volt gasless wirefeed units? Thanks for your input!
MR |
Fred (24.76.203.170)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2001 - 1:31 am: | |
I think that a wirefeed will work a lot better on your bus as most of the welding will be lighter gauge metal such as framing etc. A buzz box will work better on hevier metal such as trailer hitch etc.but is more difficult on thinner metals. also you can weld aluminum with a wire feed which you can;t do with an ordinary buzz box.
Fred 4106 |
Frank Allen (64.12.104.178)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2001 - 4:48 am: | |
Wire is the only way to go but they work better with the tanks , its about all you will ever really need on you bus .
Frank Allen |
jim (209.240.222.32)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2001 - 7:40 am: | |
i have a 140 amp 110 volt lincoln wire feed welder....it takes a 20 amp circuit to work properly..... it will run either flux-cored (gasless) or dual shield(gas).... ..... the dual shield can be either flux-cored or solid wire.... the flux-cored wire is known as innershield....a trade name for lincolns product ,i think....it works good... gives good welds.... but not as pretty as solid wire.....you have to gas shield a solid wire....the skill level for wire-feed welding is much lower than stick welding.... so a newbie would probably do a decent job.... come community colleges offer a simple welding course....remember:::: metal preparation is the main thing for a good welding job.....take your time... do a good fit-up and clean the metal beforehand....the lincoiln 'buzzbox' is a good welding machine in skilled hands.... |
Mallie (208.165.105.113)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2001 - 8:53 am: | |
Hey mark: My welding experience sounds about like yours, tho I had never used a mig. When I started my roof raise, A friend loaned me a new miller mig with gas. I ended up using my old stick instead, with 6011, 3/32 rod. My welder is a DC, but the rod is AC. The mig is probably better, but it was not for me. I absolutely could not see the work with the mig. Maybe it does not produce as much light. The ten foot stinger was too short, and the machine had to be moved ever time, and not that easy to move it inside, then out. I had trouble with it sticking. I thought I could just start using the mig with no trouble, but now I think there is a learning process with the mig.
For the money, I don't think the mig is worth it for just one job.
The buz box you speak of is OK,, they are short duty cycle, like 20% I think. That means you can weld 2 minutes out of 10. I would recommend you find a good used commercial DC welder. Probably pay about $400. Just be sure it is not 3 phase, as most can not be changed.
Mallie |
C. Ray Powell (Raypowell) (152.163.205.51)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2001 - 9:14 am: | |
Mark,I have had a Lincoln stick welder for years. When starting the bus I bought a small 115 volt wirefed. I had a lot of difficulty seeing the weld as Mallie stated. I wear trifocal glasses. Wound up buying some magifing glasses at Wal-Mart. Thats where I'm at now.
Good luck
C Ray |
Bill K. (209.173.121.88)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2001 - 11:46 am: | |
I use stick or mig and one of the things that has
been a big help was I bought a auto darking helmet with a magnify glass, you can get them with
different strengths. The helmet that I have has
different darkness settings, I use a lighter setting for the mig. This works for me. |
Finish this Bus or Bust. (Coachconversion) (65.2.65.246)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2001 - 1:09 pm: | |
Mark:
I bought a small Campbell-Hausfeld 120vac MIG unit, which uses Fluxcore or gas (I use gas). I wish I'd bought the Miller 240vac unit for more heat and shorter cycle time (but it was way more $$$). The portability of the DC stick would be easier than a MIG too. I can only imagine what the 240v unit would be like to move. I don't really have a great problem seeing the weld, so all in all I am ok with the small MIG unit.
Jerry |
Doug (Toolman) (207.44.55.208)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2001 - 2:07 pm: | |
Mark,
I've had a 240v Mig for years and have also used the good old buzz box quite often too... My personal opinion is that for one "all around welder", the mig would get my vote... just go for the highest amperage your wallet can stand..
Higher amperage = Thicker material (for a single pass)
Toolman |
jim (209.240.222.32)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2001 - 4:12 pm: | |
ive got a miller big 40... its a 400 amp stick machine.... also have a lincoln LN22, its an innershield wire feeder that uses the miller big 40 for power..... also have a millermatic 250... its a wirefeeder.. i can either use gas or go without....depending on wire selection... also can use it to weld aluminum with an argon gas shield.....add a hi-frequency unit to my a/c capability and i can tig-weld aluminum also.... |
Scott Whitney (63.151.68.130)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2001 - 10:44 pm: | |
FWIW, I use a little 120v Campbell Hausfeld Flux Core 80 Wire feed. It suits me well and holds the big spools. Have yet to use gas with it. I have welded up everything on the bus so far from tank trusses to roof rack - the hitch was done my pros.
Scott |
Eric Brown (Ericb) (209.224.158.193)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 8:04 am: | |
I have never weleded in my life, but for some crazy reason i decided to raie my roof! I decided to buy a welder, and talked to a friend who runs a commericial fab shop. He reccomended the Miller 172. Best buy I ever made. It's 220v so it will weld up to 1/4" per pass, but can be turned down to weld thin wall. Within one hour, I was able to weld with no trouble. Probably dosen't look as good as a pro, but most will be ground off anyway. Cost with gauges is around $ 600.00 if you shop aruond. P.S. use the solid wire and a tank. It works better than the flux core for about half the price. |