[greatwhite]

Hi all.

I'm just a guy who welds sheet metal and bits of flat/round stock out in the garage for small projects and working on my project cars.

I've got an old 110 MIG welder I bought from a friend many years ago and it works fine for what I do.

I won't call it welding, there's nothing that looks like a nice stack of dimes laying down after I'm done. It's more like sticking metal together with blobs and hoping for penetration...

The welder came from Canadian Tire originally.

I blew a couple diodes once (before I understood the meaning of "duty cycle") and the welding supply shop I bought replacements from said it's a century welder. Pics:







It's MIG capable, but I just use it as a flux core wire feed. I think the back panel says it maxes out at 75A.

Here's the manual for the same model that was sold under the sears name: http://www.managemylife.com/mmh/lis_pdf ... 803454.pdf

So, the questions;

1. I'm thinking of using it like a mig welder, any recommendations of gauges/regulators for it?

The hose is there and I've got lots of tips. I'm just tired of grinding off welds to find that the weld slag from the flux has contaminated the joint. I know most of the voids are probably my inexperience, but gas shielded wire would at least be easier to clean up.

2. The other thing is, as I've mentioned, my welding sucks and I've never been able to make it nice.

Every once and a while, I get something that looks like a bead but I couldn't tell you why.

Is this likely to be the cheaper quality welder or is my technique probably just not good enough to use a lower end unit?

3. Lastly, I'd like to be able stick some aluminum together on occasional projects. Would that even be possible with my current unit and something like a spool gun?




Please don't suggest buying a new unit, this one work s fine (for the most part) for my use and it's just not in the cards financially to buy another 500-600 dollar piece. I'm just a guy who works on his own cars and likes burning a little metal from time to time.....

[delraydella]

are you trying to weld galvanized sheet metal? that could be a big part of why your welds are coming out looking bad. Do you notice a greenish, yellowish wipy smoke after you weld? Welding galvanized will also throw a lot of spatter and make a specific sputtering sound when mig welded

If you want to add gas to the mixture, you'll need a regulator that's specifically made for argon or an argon/CO2 mixture. It will say that on the pressure gauge.

[RedIron881]

I agree with Delraydella about wondering if you might be welding galvanized metal. That stuff sucks no matter how much experience you have or what machine you're running!

If you're looking into changing over to Gas (always a good idea) look on Craigslist for used bottles. If you go to the weld supply store to buy a owner bottle will cost $150-300 depending on what size you're looking for, plus a filling charge. I just purchased a smaller S size tank (mid size owner bottle) for $75 normally $200, and missed out on a larger K size (largest size owner) for $90 normally $300. Just make sure they look good and kept up. As for regulators I'd say spend the money and buy a new one. Don't want to buy a old used one that might be leaking and lose all your gas with out even knowing it or give you a wrong reading. Go on eBay and look around. You can find a new Smith reg for $30-60 depending on the bids. Don't need to break the bank with a Victor. Make sure all of your lines are good and fittings are tight. Any small pin hole or leak will suck O2 and reek havoc while welding.

Another question about your machine. Does it run smoothly? As in the wire coming out at a even rate? If the wire sputters or starts and stops while welding it may cause the problems you're having. When was the last time you changed the liner and the rollers? Might be something worth looking into (more so the liner).

As for a spool gun for that machine I can say it's highly doubtful they make one. That would be something you'd have to purchase a newer machine for. I could be totally wrong but just a educated guess. I know you're not in a position to purchase a new machine but again Craigslist has some really great deals from time to time. Never hurts to look.

Let us know how it goes!

[greatwhite]

Thanks for the replies.

My sheet stock is just raw steel. No coatings other than a light clear coat of protectant (seems oily) that wipes clean with a little solvent.

Bar stock or angle is just mild steel.

Any other projects are sticking stuff back together that has broken, so who knows?

I've never welded galvanized, I don't like the thought of breathing in gaseous zinc.

The welder seems to run smoothly when feeding wire, but it might be worth replacing the liner just because. The build date is 1995 on the unit and I don't know how many hours the previous owner put on it.

One thing I've just recently noticed after reading the craftsman model's manual. It says to reverse the polarity to use flux core welding wire instead of gas as teh welder comes delivered to do gas shielding. If this isn't set up properly, can this make it difficult to weld with flux core? I find it a little hard to believe reversing the ground wire would make a difference in how the arc jumps, but I'm no expert at this either...

Thanks for the advice on the bottles and regs. I'll check it out.

I often wonder if I'm just a poor welder or if the little one I'm using just makes it too hard to learn proper welding by being "unforgiving" of anything other than perfect technique.....

[RedIron881]

I've never done any flux core welding but I do know that it is important to have the polarity set right. I'm not sure if you checked out Jody's mig videos they have a lot of great information.

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/Mig ... -tips.html

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/mig ... ideos.html at the bottom is a Flux Core settings video

[Ultralow787]

Hey Fellow Canadian!
Where abouts are you at? I'm in Ontario. If you are anywhere near Brampton, I could let you use some good equipment and see if it makes a difference?

Polarity is very important when using flux core over over gas shielded MIG. You need to be on DCEN for Flux core (Gun is negative, work is positive). It is simple to change over to verify. Normal GMAW (MIG) is Gun positive, work negative.

[greatwhite]

Ah, so there's a part of my problem.

My clamp is negative, the gun is positive.

At least, the black lead is on the clamp, the white lead is on the gun so I assume that makes the gun positive and thus backwards for flux core wire welding.

Why is it important? So the arc starts at the work and not the tip? Electricity flows from positive to negative outside the power source if I recall correctly. Does this mean more heat in the work if it's the positive or does it have to do with the tip melting away too fast?

That's probably a valuable lesson to learn, Thanks.

I'm in Newfoundland (I'm military SAR and get bounced around a lot), so Ontario is a bit of a jog to use your equipment but thanks anyways!

[greatwhite]

So, I did a little searching and pulled one of the panels off the side.

It's a Century welder, model 117-047.

There was also a wiring diagram inside the box.

Turns out the polarity has been wrong all these years. Gun is positive, clamp is negative.

I'm going to switch the lugs around and give it a try this weekend.

Here's hoping I see an improvement in the welds.....

[Ultralow787]

Greatwhite,
You don't have to apologize for being a Newfie! LOL (just kidding, don't shoot!)
They say more small MIG welders are sold on ebay, craigslist, and the like because the welder is wired for the wrong polarity an produces crappy welds than you would believe. Apparently, it is very common!

[greatwhite]

Newfie?

Me?

nope!

I'm a temporary resident......

[Otto Nobedder]

About used bottles...

Bottles must be recertified periodically for your supplier to fill them. Look for the most recent date stamped on the neck of the bottle. There'll be a stamp with the certifier's code, followed by MM/YYYY. Look for the most recent, as there may be several. There will also be one or two symbols after the date. A "plus" sign means the cert is valid for five years from the date stamp. A "plus" sign followed by a star means a ten-year certification.

This is why most businesses lease bottles from their supplier. Not only can they simply swap for a full bottle rather than wait for a fill, but the cost of certification is bourne by the supplier.

I don't know how much recertification will cost or how much lead time it might take in your market. You might not even have anyone near you to do it, so that cost must be considered, too.

Consider the "useful life" of a used bottle against these costs before you snatch up on a "bargain".

My two cents...

Steve

[greatwhite]

Just to close the circle on this one, I checked my welder.

Sure enough, the polarity was adjusted for MIG not wire feed.

I was a bit skeptical it would make a difference, but swapped the leads around anyways.

All I can say is; Wow.

What a difference.

Laying a bead and keeping an arc has never been so easy.

There's even less slag thrown off my the arc.

For the first time, I was able to lay a bead that looked like a proper bead and I'm beginning to think I'm not as bad at home project welding as I though I was.

I still don't understand why swapping the polarity around makes a difference (a jumping arc is a jumping arc right?), but I really don't care because it works a treat whether I understand it or not.

Thanks to everyone that has offered advice.

[Ultralow787]

Glad to hear things worked out for you! Stick around, there is a ton of stuff to learn from these guys!

[Otto Nobedder]

greatwhite,

Good to hear you've got it sorted out.

Flux-core wires vary depending on the alloy, and the flux. It's easier than it used to be, though. Thanks to the internet, you can usually go to the wire maker's website and look up the recommendations for the specific wire number. If the wire spec says "DCEP", the electrode (gun) should be positive. "DCEN", of course, means "direct current, electrode negative. Of course, they will recommend a gas, too. You can't really go wrong with 75/25 for mild steel, but if you choose to weld stainless or aluminum the gas will matter.

Steve

[winky]

My first welder was a C.E. hobby stick welder from Harbor Freight … my welding was a total disaster … then I bought a used Miller 225 Thunderbolt stick welder for $50 from the hospital I work at … took it home tore it apart, inspected it cleaned things and put some grease on the big screw that adjusts the power from the transformer … fired it up and WOW to my surprise I could lay a good bead. Next I wanted to try wire welding so I bought a “mig 100” (don’t know why they named it that it was strictly flux core) again from Harbor Freight. It worked but just didn’t weld consistent and was messy … then I broke down and put out the money for a Lincoln 180C mig system and an 80 CF tank of steal mix from Air Gas which I trade off for a full tank when it empties. What a difference ... nice consistency no more nasty fumes from the flux no more messy slag to clean up … nice rippled beads it improved everything 1,000%. I’m convinced that crappy welders give you crappy welds … you don’t have to buy a top of the line Miller, Lincoln or Hobart to get a decent machine but you can’t do well with the cheapest thing on the market from a company with a questionable track record. I wanted to get a decent TIG unit and I did a lot of research … I ordered a new Everlast (yes it’s a Chinese company but they have a good rep so far and the price is fair) … when it arrives and I start using it I’ll give reports on it. Jody’s been testing some of their equipment and had some good things to say. Happy welding … if you keep using flux core make sure you are well ventilated … it’s important. Gas is still much cleaner but still needs ventilation it doesn't work well in wind so you need to have a strategy for airflow. As far as gauges go many reputable companies include them with a purchase of a new machine. Polarity does make a tremendous difference and a person should always check that first when issues are realized but other factors matter as well, one thing I found to be a problem with cheap mig welders is that the wire doesn't always run smooth and consistent, also some welders use step settings for speed and amperes I personally prefer linear adjustments, you can dial things in better.

I’ve known people who have had good luck with a Century … but personally I’ve never used one so I can’t say.