Welding with 110v

[jrock]

I've got a Hobart 140, argon 75/25, .030, and an upgraded ground clamp. Gotta say, upgrading the clam was the best thing for this little welder. Next would be the mixed gas.

Here's what I want to know, how can I get a better weld outta this thing? Better penetration and flatter welds. I've tried a bunch of stuff, slowing the wire speed, switching gas, I already groove EVERYTHING, I've started multi-passing on 1/4" and sometimes even on 3/16".

First off, my house doesn't have the best power supply, so I'm considering buying a generator to run this thing. I do no weld with extension cords. 

I'll post some pics tomorrow to give a better idea of what's going on. Tips are always appreciated. I'm tiered of questioning my welds vs my welder.

[emsvitil]

Do you have the polarity set correctly for gas?

[jrock]

Gun is positive (+)....

[MRHilux87]

i live an hr and half north... come use my 220.  Haha.  Those Hobarts are nice welders, only so much power from the two little prongs. 

[2manytoys]

I did ok for years with a 90 amp Miller. On heavier metal I turned the voltage up to highest of four settings and then adjusted the wire speed. Mixed gas on heavy metal gave less penetration but less spatter than CO2. It was nice for sheet metal.

CO2 gave better penetration and flatter beads than mixed gas. Both with .023 wire

I really prefer .030 flux core wire for the heavier stuff with a 110 volt welder. Solid wire is just too much for my welder on anything other than sheet metal or really small stuff.

[jrock]

That's a good tip. Flux core burns in hotter. I was also recommended to try reducing the wire size to .023. Moving much slower and allowing the heat to build could help.

But I was told both, CO2 penetrates better and worse than Mix. I'd like to know which. When I weld with CO2 my welds are half mooned. Mix flattens out a bit but I can't say it penetrates any better.

[2manytoys]

Check out weldingtipsandtricks.com. Lots of good stuff on there. You can probably Google some cross sectional pics of welds with different gasses and see the different characteristics.

.030 flux core seems to burn hotter but if you think about it, it's a thin wall. Not really an equal comparison to .030 solid wire.

.023 is a better choice of SOLID wire for a small machine in my opinion. I still prefer flux core for plate and .023 solid with mix gas for sheet metal with a small machine.

All I had was my 110 volt 90 amp Miller for many years. I just barely got a 220 machine two years ago. I did a lot of fabbin with my Miller with no failures. Just had to use it within it's capabilities and not try to use it like it was a 220 machine.

[emsvitil]

What kind of welds would you get if you used the flux core WITH the gas?

[2manytoys]

Never tried it with my little 110. There is a dual shield wire that uses both but I have only seen it in industrial applications.

[junya92toy]

You cant run gas with innershield, you cant run dualshield with your welder, co2 is a hotter arc, and best thing you can do is preheat.

[2manytoys]

I was wondering when junya92toy was going to chime in.

[junya92toy]

o ya?

[ecrum428]

Yeah preheating is the best help you can give a 110 welder for sure.  And it doesn't need to be super hot.  I just use a propane torch and sweat the moisture out of the steel.  Make a huge difference in how my Lincoln SP135 welds.

[jrock]

Preheat would be huge help. I often curse at my weld starts because of their lack of heat.

And flux definitely runs hotter. It's splatter like a b*std but the welds do look good.

Is there a technique anyone would recommend to welding with a 110v? Like puddle manipulation? I try to focus my arch on the metal ahead of my puddle, I make a tear drop pattern with the pointed end facing away from the weld, rather than a half circle.

[junya92toy]

With my lincoln 135t, I did a full pen weld, like 7 passes on 3/8ths steel, then I did a bend test, no cracks no breaks with no preheat.
030 solid wire, co2 shielding gas.
I always use a push angle, and I do a little or no C movement most of the time. I will do more if 1 I need a slightly bigger weld, I need to fill a gap, or I am welding very thin to thick and need to keep the keep of the thinner piece to avoid burn through.

[ecrum428]

My 135t still has the original ground clamp. What kind should I upgrade to?

[junya92toy]

Are you having problems with it? I have never changed mine. I have a miller 211 and I had to change that one. Just get a good copper one.

[BobJ]

Push will give flatter beads less penetration, drag gives higher beads more penetration. Drag for slag (flux core). Less stick out will penetrate a little deeper, more stick out (especially on flux core) will help with burn through on sheet metal. (as will reversing polarity).

I ran 8 gauge(overkill) circuit from breaker to plug and put in a 20 amp fuse. That gave a very noticeable gain in power for 120V welder. Not as noticeable as a 251 though