Re: Questions on MIG Welders
 

I just want to give an update to everyone.

I purchased a Millermatic 135. This is the 110v model. I also got the 75/25% Co2-Argon, and I own the tank outright. I didn't get an autodarking helmet though.......for now. I haven't used it yet since I only got it this morning and it still needs to be set up. I've only assembled the cart and chained the tank to it.

I decided on 110v for versatility reasons. If I ever need to take this welder to another location I won't have to worry about locating a 230v power source. Restoring/working on cars can get expensive but sometimes you're able to trade off work between other people you know. I've done this many times. Having a welder and knowing how to weld makes the ability to barter that much better! :D

As for the power source I took care of that Halloween weekend. I added a dedicated 20 amp 110v line in the garage. The original outlet in the garage was on the same line as the garage lights and it was only 15 amps. The hardest part was finding a 20 amp breaker (or ANY breaker for that matter) for a Challenger service panel. One thing I learned, if you're building a house or just replacing the main panel, installing a Square D or General Electric panel would be best. You will never worry about finding a breaker for one of these.

Well, I guess I'll go finish setting up my welder now and maybe get to try it out this weekend. ;)

Re: Questions on MIG Welders
 

Another update since some of you have asked how I like the Miller MIG welder so far.

I'm very happy with it and I successfully replaced the battery area inner fender (front passenger side). I practiced on scrap metal until I had a idea of where the settings should be. I attached some photos below so you can get an idea of the amount of work I've done with it and how I did it. I didn't do any continous beads with it, instead I plug welded the panel in so once the welds were ground down they would resemble the original spot welds. The photo of the replacement panel on the bench shows the holes I either drilled or used my air flange/punch tool to make. This was done after I test fitted and tweaked the repro panel to fit. The panel was clamped in place with numerous Vice-Grips and I scrapped the primer off the underlying metal where the holes were. The edge of the underlying original metal was cleaned and temporarily primered to protect it from surface rust (this is the pic of the primered edge of the shock tower with the welder visible in the background). I then welded up all the holes which also welded the panel to the surrounding metal. I then ground down the welds so they look like the original spot welds (photo also below)

The bottom line is the MIG welder is one of the best new "toys" I've gotten! :D

Re: Questions on MIG Welders
 

Looks great Jay. Are you satisfied with your Miller? I love mine, and plus, they are great for service and repairs. Any problems you've experienced?
Good luck with the rest of the 'Stang!

Re: Questions on MIG Welders
 

Ive done work on miller MIG and TIG welders... and I could never figure out how to weld aluminum with a MIG. Is it even possible? Maybe I just can't mess with the voltage and power well enough...

And a really random question, has anyone ever welded aluminum with an acelylene welder? Just interested...

Re: Questions on MIG Welders
 

it is possible to weld aluminum on a MIG but you need aluminum wire, 100% argon gas, and a wire feed reel (because aluminum is to soft to run through the long wire run) and then once the setup is complete the voltage and feed rate is still a fine adjustment.

overall it is much easier to weld aluminum with a TIG

Re: Questions on MIG Welders
 

Someone posted this link a few months ago, and I bookmarked it in case I ever need it.

Re: Questions on MIG Welders
 

Sorry I haven't replied sooner but I've been busy. :o

Yup, I'm very satisfied with this welder. If I used the welder very often I would have gone for a 230v model but only having a need for it occasionally the 110v is fine and more than adequate for the type of work I'm doing.

Parts and service is the second reason (the first being the reputation of Miller and Lincoln welders) I narrowed my search between Miller and Lincolns. There's a welding supply place 10 minutes from my house (unfortunately they're not open on weekends :( ) and they stock parts for Miller and Lincoln. They can get parts for Hobart but they have to be ordered. I had looked at welders from Sears, Harbor Freight, Northern, and others but if I needed any parts or service down the road it would be almost impossible if not so. Some of them were considered "throw-away" welders by several people I talked to. Being a person who doesn't like to skimp on major tool purchases it became a no brainer. I had nothing against the Lincolns, it's like Coke and Pepsi in the welder world...which do you prefer, but the welding place gave me a better deal on the Miller.

The only problem I had had nothing to do with the welder but the power source. Before I bought the welder I ran a dedicated 20amp 110v line in the garage for it with a GFCI outlet (GFCI is code for a garage). The breaker and the GFCI are 20amp and the wiring is 12-2 which is also code for a 20amp line. The problem was the GFCI kept tripping everytime I tried to weld. The breaker wouldn't trip at all and when I plugged anything else into that outlet the GFCI wouldn't trip. The GFCI was separate, not the type that's intergrated into the breaker. I wound up removing it and putting in a single standard outlet and never had any other issues. If the house ever goes on the market I'll just reinstall a GFCI so that it will be code again.


As another note I also ran across some auto websites mentioning a new welding wire called 20 Gauge. It's not flux core. It's designed for thin sheet metal where you have a more likely hood of blow through. I haven't found any yet but from what I've heard from others that have used it they're happy with it. Here's a link to it.

Well now that I've painted all the replacement metal I have to finish cleaning up the rest of the parts and get the car reassembled so I can drive it again..........cruise season has already started! ;)