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Miller 140 Mig
I had the opportunity to play with the new Miller 110V Miller Mig. I was really impressed. Laid a nice bead and have not welded in years.
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I am looking to get a good low cost welder, and I want to stick with a good US made product like Lincoln, or Miller. I'm trying to decide between 110 and 220 (I just wired my garage for 220), but with next to zero welding experience, I don't really know which way to go. I'd like to get into some chassis mod's as well as be able to weld sheetmetal.
Thanks for the review of the Miller 140. Is it recomended to step up to 220V if wanting to weld heavier tubing and stuff, or do I need to step up to TIG to properly weld chassis stuff? For sure I'd leave roll cages and things like that to an expert. |
The 120V Miller and Lincoln machines will be fine for chassis mods and sheet metal. If you need to do heavier welding- 3/16" or heavier metal or an aluminum spool gun or production type work, you would be better off to step up to a 220V machine like a 180 or 210.
Keep in mind these machines have a very low duty cycle, in the 20% area and need to rest frequently (20% duty cycle means for every 2 minutes of welding, you'll need to rest the machine for 8 minutes, if I understand it correctly.) When I use my Miller 135 doing chassis work on my scratch build, I am constantly up against the duty cycle, wanting to get something done but the machine won't perform when I need it to until I let it rest awhile. I'll be selling my machine soon and moving up to a 180 or 210 for heavier and more production quality work. Hoping to get into roadster building and repair/restoration in a couple years and will need a better machine. Puppster, what amperage are the 220 plugs you wired in your garage? Many of the 220V machines will need at least a 30 Amp 220 circuit to run. Best to check into the requirements up front. I'm an electrician and I run into this problem with customers all the time. Bob |
Millermatic
Hello, I have a small fabrication business and I have purchased 3 Millermatic 185s and 1 Millermatic 251 over the last 11 years. I agree with Bob that the 185 is a good size machine to start with, it will handle most normal welding jobs on light and medium thickness steel. I use the .035 solid wire with 75/25 gas on most of the welding, and 045 solid wire on the 1/2" plate.
I had to buy the 251 because we started making rifle targets out of 1/2" AR500 and the 185 was not able to handle the 1/2" I purchased the Miller Dimension TIG to use on my cobra project car and it is a very nice welder. good luck, karl |
I have a Hobart 140 with gas and its a very capable little welder, and runs on 110. If you were to step up to the 180 (which I think is 220V) with gas, I think it would do everything you would ever need. With a little practice in your garage, you can get pretty good with one.
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Thw owner told me he has welded heavier then 3/16" by pre heating the metal with a torch. I was surprised at how little it spatter, actually no spatter.
puppster, this welder is built for a novice, you set the thickness of the metal (gauge provided) and the wire size I think. You can over ride also. The auto lens helmet is also a must. Boy welding has improved! The 140 uses gas also. |
Three Peaks, I have a 30 amp circuit in the garage. I had the misfortune of having a broken power line to my garage, so I had to run new conduit and an 8-3 wire out there. I hope I'm good. I did just pick up my Fathers oxy-acetylene torches, and I think I may try my hand at gas welding first. I'm intrigued by this almost lost art. It has held many a race cars and airplanes together for years. It'll be a good tool in the garage none the less.
Thanks for the tips and other helpful info. I think with a gas welding setup, it just makes me more comfortable investing in a MIG. Not a whole lot I won't be able to do with that combination of tools. |
I have a Lincoln 140 wire feed. Perfect for around the house as it runs on 120v. That also makes it portable if need to take it somewhere. I also have a 240v stick welder for heavier jobs and of course, a gas welder.
What I'd like to have now is a TIG welder. Been a long time since I've used one but it takes welding to an art level. Larry |
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