From my understanding, argon is the shielding gas and the co2 heats up the weld.

 

Haha I don't know about perfectly but they definitely put a smile on my face

 

Let me fix that for ya...

You don't really want to MIG weld steel with pure argon. Alum on the other hand, yes.

IMO, 75/25 is the only way to go for MIG welding steel (material thickness and machine size permitting) . 100% CO2 tends to work better for the smaller, low amp welders. To me the arc is more controllable with 75/25, and if your settings are correct, it's entirely possible to have a "BB" free weld. Good luck trying to do that with pure CO2.

 

FWIW... Your form looks good, but the weld itself is fairly cold. Cold welds are typically the first to fail under load simply because the outside edges tend to have no fusion to the base material.

I tend to recommend to everyone who is new to welding, to do some simple "destructive testing" like Ftwelder had mentioned. You should be able to substantially bend the peices (90degs+ depending on the joint) before a crack is formed. If it fails suddenly or before 90deg, you know you have an issue keeping in mind it will always fail at the weakest spot.

 

I had the welder turned down cause when I turn it up to weld 1/4" it flips the breaker and didn't want to mess with it. It was only for practice though.
I'll have to give the 90° test a try, thanks.

 

Thanks for the info. I just picked up a 75/25 tank. Now I only have to make an extension cord with the correct connectors. The $725 welder is looking like a $1K welder now, but that's how it always is.

 

I currently have a small flux core welder that I'm learning with and I'm slowly getting better at it, but nowhere near the stuff I see posted on here. I've realized that I may have been better off buying a better machine with more capability. I have a chance to bid on a couple used welders at work and was wondering what you pros and amateurs thought about them. They both use higher voltage than I currently have available, but I will be moving soon and setting up a decent shop with whatever I need.

1. Miller Thunderbolt XL Stick



2. Miller Syncrowave 250



I'm definitely not at the level I need to be at to do any structural work, but I plan to be soon enough and I'm sure a larger welding machine will help.

 

I would love to have that syncrowave welder.

 

I expect the syncrowave to get up to around $1000, which isn't a bad deal from what I've seen, but is more than I want to spend right now. Any thoughts on the Thunderbolt?

 

I would avoid the stick welder unless you plan on doing a lot of plate and/or thicker material. Unless you want a stick welder...

That Syncrowave on the other hand...IF it were me, I would suck that thing up in a second at that price, turn around and sell it for double, and buy a brand new MIG machine, bottle, and accessories and have money left over. A decent MIG setup is all you need for doing off road fab work. I picked up a brand new Miller 211 for around $900 on CL all said and done...with cart, bottle, wire, consumables, and a factory warranty. Unless you plan on doing a lot of TIG, then just buy the machine, and keep it, that's a great price, and you get a TIG and a stick in one.

 

Thunderbolts are a very good, reliable basic machine. I've run a lot of scratch start TIG off of a Thunderbolt, and even run a suitcase MIG off of one with no issues to speak of.

The Syncrowave is a higher class machine, with far superior TIG capability and more fine tuning capability on the SMAW side.

It really boils down to what you want to do and what your budget allows for. If the funds are more suited to the T-Bolt, go for it and you can add a scratch start TIG rig and a suitcase to your arsenal later on. If you've got the coin and the desire to do all the "trick" welds then the Syncro is going to be the top dog.

You can do a lot with a stick machine, just not as efficiently as you would be with a wire feeder or with the finesse of TIG.

 

One of my buddies just bought a huge Miller CC/CV for a bargain price and didn't realize it ran on 3 phase power. Check that before you buy a used industrial machine. I used a stick welder for years build VW buggies in the 80's. it's very difficult to stick weld overhead or vertical.

TIG and stick machines are CV constant voltage (adjust amps). MIG machines are CC constant current (adjustable voltage) Welding machines hold their value. Go big if you have the power to run it.

 

Retracted: Due to just being wrong.

 

No it is not three phase. The dryer circuit is still single phase with two hot legs

 

According to my limited google research a dryer plug is 3-phase. But I don't really know so we can go with your answer. Apologies.