| Those little 115v wire welders that you see at Lowes | | | | pushing the limits of any 115v wire feed welder. |
| and Home Depot are selling like hotcakes. Home | | | | I think anytime something is welded that that would |
| Depot seems to always stock the Lincoln Electric | | | | probably injure someone if the welds fail, a 220-230v |
| Weld Pak HD. And Lowes seems to always have the | | | | MIG welding machine should be used. That said there |
| Lincoln Electric Pro Core 125 MIG/Flux-Corded Welder. | | | | are still going to be occasions where people will need |
| Every time I visit Lowes or Home Depot, I cant help | | | | to push the limits of their 115v MIG welding wire feed |
| but notice that the welding supply shelves have | | | | welders. |
| grown like crazy in between my frequent visits. My | | | | Here are 7 things you can do that will help to |
| theory is that cable TV shows like Orange County | | | | increase your chances of penetration when you really |
| Choppers and Monster Garage and helped to bring | | | | need it. |
| welding and fabrication more into mainstream | | | | 1. Use flux core wire like Hobart Fabshield 21b and set |
| Americana and have even created quite a buzz | | | | the machine to max voltage, then adjust wire feed |
| around welding and fabrication. It seems like every | | | | accordingly. Flux core just plain penetrates better |
| red blooded American male with an ounce of | | | | that bare wire on 115v wire feeders. Make sure you |
| testosterone in his gonads wants to make something | | | | follow the recommendations on the wire for polarity. |
| out of metal and the only real way to do that is with | | | | A lot of disappointment has come from not changing |
| a welding machine. Having a welder in your garage | | | | the polarity when required. |
| also gives some serious bragging rights and makes | | | | 2. Plug into a dedicated 20 amp circuit. Most |
| you think you have a lot more friends than you really | | | | household circuits are 15 amp. You might have a 20 |
| do, (kind of like having a Bass boat). | | | | amp in your garage. If not, consider getting one. |
| But the thing that scares me a little and should scare | | | | 3. Do not, I repeat, do not use an extension cord. If |
| a lot of folks is that there is no welding police. No | | | | you must use one you better use the shortest and |
| one to blow the whistle and stop people from | | | | thickest one you can find to avoid a power drop. |
| welding stuff they shouldnt oughta weld. Its kind of | | | | Even then your machine will probably weld like it has |
| like a sixteen year old being free to stroll into a | | | | been castrated. Get it? No balls. Ok moving on to #4. |
| motorcycle shop and ride off on a crotch rocket that | | | | 4. Preheat the joint even if it is with a little propane |
| will do 180 mph. I guess that is part of living in Free | | | | torch, warming a joint up to even 150 degrees is like |
| America. | | | | having another 10% extra amperage. |
| What a country! | | | | 5. Do not weld downhill. Instead, weld uphill. Vertical |
| These little wire welders do have some limitations. | | | | uphill welds get more penetration than any other |
| Lets be clear about that. There are just some jobs | | | | position joint because gravity keeps the puddle |
| you should not tackle with a 115v mig welder. | | | | behind the arc. |
| But take heart. There are many jobs that you can | | | | 6. Clean the metal with a grinder. Not having to |
| do, and do well with one of these 115v welding | | | | penetrate through hot rolled mill scale, rust, or paint |
| machines. | | | | will greatly increase your penetration. |
| The purpose of this article is to explain how to get | | | | 7. Get some small pieces of metal of the same |
| the most out of your 115v wire feeder welding | | | | thickness as the welding task at hand and weld a T |
| machine and to make sure you are getting proper | | | | joint. Then break it with a vise and a hammer. If it |
| penetration in what you are welding. | | | | breaks easily you have problems and need to adjust |
| First off, if you are going to weld a thin sheet metal | | | | the machine and/or technique until you can weld |
| quarter panel patch for a Nissan Altima, no worries. | | | | several joints that either do not break, or if they do |
| Penetration will be the least of your concerns. But if | | | | break, show good penetration in the corner of the |
| you are thinking about welding something heavier like | | | | joint. |
| a home-built Hummer Kit using 3 inch square tubing | | | | If you follow these 7 welding tips for getting better |
| with 3/16 inch wall thickness, that is something else | | | | penetration with your 115 volt wire feed welder, you |
| entirely. This is a situation where you will really be | | | | will be getting the most out of your mig welder. |